General question regarding drum brakes, rotors, and hubs 71 valiant

Hello

For the first time in my life I find myself working on drum brakes instead of going to a shop. Specifically I am dealing with front 9'' drums on my '71 Plymouth Valiant. So here is the story so far.

I was told that I needed to use a shop press to remove the wheel studs and separate the rotor from the hub. That seemed right because the hub was firmly stuck on the rotor, and the rotor was so worn and grooved that it could be mistaken for the grand canyon. Heck I think it might be the original rotor from 1971. So I went out and bought a shop press, and a new rotor/wheel studs from summit racing. I used a deep well socket under the hub to ensure it didn't get bent as I pressed the studs out and it all went smoothly.

So I went to press in the new studs and they seemed to fit nicely. Not too tight and not too loose either. Using a caliper, I verified that the new studs and old studs were identical. Once the job was all done I lifted the rotor/hub assembly out of my shop press and PLOP the hub fell out of the rotor and to the ground.

At that point I am thinking I goofed and got the wrong studs or the wrong rotor. I re checked the new and old studs and verified they are identical. I tried slipping a new stud into the holes on the old rotor and it slipped right in with finger pressure. Then I tried the old studs in the old rotor and THEY slipped right in with finger pressure. Then I tried the old studs with the new rotor and sure enough they slip right into the holes with finger pressure.

That's the story so far. So my question is do the wheel studs need to be tight in the hub AND rotor? It seems to me that the rotor would be held in place by the actual wheel when the lug nuts are tightened. Is it safe to do that? Am I insane and really had a loose assembly before and the hub was simply rusted together on the old rotor?