Driveshaft question:

I thought about that center-hub problem.

I also thought about the brake drum problem.


I am a cheap so-and-so.... hate spending money on anything that slows the car down (and, brakes will do that), so what I was wondering about was this:

Can I re-drill my existing 4" sbp axles for a 4.5" pattern and if I CAN, why can't I re-drilll the brake drums, too? I can find a way to deal with the wheel-register problem. I have a friend who's a machinist, and could probably have him make up two spacer rings to weld into the center of the steel wheels I use on the back to register the wheels on the smaller axle bosses.

Failing all that, if I have to have special aftermarket axles made anyway, and also have to buy wider brakes with the 4.5" bolt pattern, I probably will just stick a complete B-body housing under it, and be done with it. They are only an inch-and-a-half wider than what I have now, and they are still pretty plentiful in junkyards (cheap.) The width issue is easily dealt with by using wheels with a custom-spec back-spacing.

Decisions, decisions, decisions...

Maybe I'll just replace these wheel studs in the existing "sbp" axles with some larger-diameter, Grade 9 studs, and hope for the best.

I just don't want the thing shearing off those little bolts at an inoppertune moment (is there an "oppertune" one???) LOL!!

Thanks again for the advice; I'll probably end up taking it; just "thinking out loud," here...
Bill