Are These Lugs Swaged To The Drum?

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Creedmoor

Recovering Fordaholic
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Pretty sure my 10” front drums (‘68 Barrucuda) are out of round, so I’ve been wanting to replace them. Rock Auto currently has drums in stock. All the LH lugs on my car were already changed to RH lugs when I got it, but the drums are still firmly attached to both front hubs. I’m not sure if the swage has been removed or not, so here’s a pic. If the swage is still intact, could the PO have just swapped a right side hub/drum for the factory left side one?

If the swage is intact, I searched and found that the consensus is to use a 5/8” hole saw to remove it to free the hub from the drum. Being a ‘68, my car has 7/16” lugs, so wouldn’t a 5/8” hole saw be too big? Seems like a 9/16” would be a better fit.

Thanks for any advice and wisdom you’d care to share!

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Use a short pipe or a deep well socket that fits over the head of the stud on back of the hub. press or hit out the studs one stud at a time pushing it through the hub. If using a hammer use a brass drift so not to damage the threads. this will remove the swedge from the stud. It is important to hold the hub , Do not ever push on the rear of the drum you must old the hub so not to damage the flat surface of the hub.

Then press the studs back in using the same method one stud at a time the opposite direction into the hub. once the studs are back in the hub your drum will now just be a slip on like the rear drums. remember to hold the hub with a pipe or socket for each individual stud . You can pull the studs back in with a lug on backwards and a spacer if you don't have a press.
 
Or you could use a 5/8 hole saw in a drill chuck and cut the swedge and always be able to remove the drums like the rear. Makes life way easier
 
I don't like cutting the swedge. My reason is you remove the step for the drum to sit over that keeps it stationary on the hub. Cut the swedge off and you can rotate the drum on the hub a little. If you press the stud out and push it back in the step will be there for the larger hole in the new drum. No need for new studs. Just something I do that some may think is over the top.
 
Yes, it's swaged.
My experiences removing the stud without removing the swage, damages/enlargens the hole to the point that the old/new stud will not be secure, it'll fit, but loose, and seem okay, till .
This will rear it's ugly head when trying to undo the wheel nut, the stud spins in the hub, then you can't get the wheel off.
This usually happens when the wife and kids get a flat tire, and are stuck on the side of the road, trying to get the wheel off.
Then some other bright one, after being towed for repair, tries to weld the stud into the hub without torquing the nut/drum/stud first , which will cause another tow when flat, for the same reason, weld cracks and stud spins!
My wrecker made that service call a few times back then.
Remove swage, or find a new hub first,
They are getting very rare, cuz folks keep ruining them, by not removing swage first.
Search it here .
 
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It is swaged. The proper way to remove them is to use a swage cutter. I suppose one could cut the stud and then use a drill to carefully drill the swaged part to allow the remaining portion of the stud to be hammered out of the hub. The stud is a press fit in the hub also. I’m not sure if replacement drums require pressing and swaging onto the hub stud assembly or not…. My guess would be not and that they are loose fitting around the stud.

Either way all of this is a pain for sure.

I do have some excellent condition no wear OEM drums and hubs hubs with studs all intact (L and R thread) that I’ve been contemplating selling but as I’m in alberta shipping would be pretty cost prohibitive for shipping to most locations…. Hmmm…….
 
My experience is if you do not cut the swedge off, when the studs are pressed out, they will distort the holes in the hubs and ruin the hub. That's been my own personal experience.
 
I don't think it was mentioned, but if you're not going to re-use the studs, you can drill or grind the heads off the stud inside the drum, and punch the stud with swage out the front without damaging the hub .

They're soft steel and drill/cut easily .
Cheers
 
Car is a ‘68. Has 7/16” lugs. Wouldn’t a 5/8” hole saw (meant for 1/2” lugs) be oversized? Would I be better off using a 9/16” hole saw?
 
3/8, or 7/16 drill thru the head of the stud, wallow the hole a bit, the head will fall off, then the stud will pop out the front with a punch.
Easy-peasy .
 
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inertia said:
3/8, or 7/16 drill thru the head of the stud, wallow the hole a bit, the head will fall off, then the stud will pop out the front with a punch.
Easy-peasy .
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Yeah I get that. I don’t want to destroy the lug or remove it from the hub. I only want to separate the drum from the hub while leaving the studs intact.
 
Creedmoor said:
Car is a ‘68. Has 7/16” lugs. Wouldn’t a 5/8” hole saw (meant for 1/2” lugs) be oversized? Would I be better off using a 9/16” hole saw?
Click to expand...
Hole saw measurement is the the outside plus the cutting teeth may intrude into the stud surface. I used an Ace hardware 11/16" saw just to clear the stud without damaging it.
 
I zip wheeled mine off, ground flush, punched them out with deep well socket back up and other support. buy new studs. Make sure the splines and spline length are the same and OA length are the same. Match new splines with old in hub and there shouldn`t be any problem.
 
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