Wally, I found the closest tube I probably can at Industrial Tube and Steel Corp.. I dont know how to post links so I wont. Anyway, they have 5.25 od with a id of 4 7/8. The MH spacer also has the id of 4 7/8 with the truck hub having a od of 4 3/4 so thats probably as close as I'm gonna find. The problem comes into play while trying to clear the nuts. MH cast there spacers and I would guess that where the bolt holes are is very very thin.

 

Is it feasible to telescope 2 pieces of tube, one inside the other, to give you the room you need for the nuts on the one side?

Or, what about machining the OD of that 5" pipe down a bit on that side (of course you would have to remake the flange with a different ID)

I'm just tossing ideas out (meaning I'm probably talking out of my rear....LOL)
Bobby

 

If you cut windows in, is there room to weld a curved piece of metal to strengthen it again? Dennis

 

Im probably explaining this very poorly. Lets start with the hub on the truck. It measures 4 3/4 od. The id of the tube has to be at least 4 13/16 to clear the hub. The tube slides over the hub. Standard 5 inch tube has an id of 5 inches so the inside isn't the problem as it will fit the 4 3/4 hub, but with the 5 inch id and then add .25 to both sides for the wall thickness and then you start getting close to the studs, or at least the nuts. There is just alot to cram into a given space, the hub, the tube and still try to have room for the nuts to go over the studs.

 

I think you explained in very well. I don't think I explained my idea very well....lol

At the rear of the pipe, the part that fits into the flange with the 8 lug pattern. Can you maching the OD of that area down to give you more clearance for the lug nuts (8 lug pattern).

But....I think the pics that Josh posted (Lee's pics) offer up a pretty nice and elegant solution

Bobby

 

I got it now Bobby. The problem with that would be the wall thickness. As it is now, the wall is .25, so say you turn it down to any 1/8 it would be getting pretty thin to pick up 1/4 of room. My only fear to do it the way Josh posted the pics of is if it worked loose. I guess it could work loose on the outside to. I might take the rear hub apart and look into that before i order a hundred bucks worth of tube. Another thought is if there would be enough material to tap the thread. Its still gonna be thin on that edge next to the tube. Its worth checking into.

 

Mark - have you determined the wall thickness of an original where it has the indentations for the inner nuts? Because it's a casting/forging I can imagine that it might be really thin there and relies on the gussets for all it's strength. If you've not measured it I'll pull a wheel and spacer tomorrow and see if I can come up with a homemade micrometer to check wall thickness at those spots. Like we discussed off line, there's got to be enough room to get a socket and torque wrench on the nuts. Stu

 

[quote=thundersnow70;14062132]As it is now, the wall is .25, so say you turn it down to any 1/8 it would be getting pretty thin to pick up 1/4 of room. My only fear to do it the way Josh posted the pics of is if it worked loose. I guess it could work loose on the outside to. quote]

I was afraid of that. Again, I'm just tossing ideas out here. What about schedule 80 or 120 pipe? The OD would remain the same but the ID would get tighter due to the increased wall thickness.....but maybe then you could machine the outside near the flange, and then machine the inside to clear the hub.
.....never mind.....probably wouldn't gain much.

For the one that Josh posted you could safety wire those inside bolts.

Bobby

 

Just talked with the machinist I had been talking with about doing this very project with and he has a short section ( I think he said about 20" of thick wall pipe. 4.850 ID and 5.60 od obviously the outside would need to be turned down.

Mark, you need adapters for 2 trucks or just one?

 

Here's a thought. Blind nuts are produced with a knurled shank like the OD of a wheel stud. They have a small shoulder or 'head. Drive the studs out of the hub, replace with these driven in from the back of the hub til they seat. Fasten the adapter with large dia allen head cap screws. Trouble is I've been looking for large components, and most of this stuff I have found maxes out at 3/8" dia. You could probably insert heli-coils in the hub and use the large cap screws. I can't imagine that a properly installed heli-coil would fail in that application, specially with eight of them. What is the stud in the regular eight lug hub? 9/16 fine?

 

Mark has a set of my original MH spacers. One of my trucks turned out to be junk. So I busted that set to help him out. This below set of Lambert Products #AD315 aftermarket spacers are the ones I mentioned to you, Josh. They are less deep, 2 5/8", and were originally a Chevy/GMC application. They have a smaller center bore that would need to be machined slightly. But otherwise would work if a 1" plate was added to further space them out.

Coming back out to the shop to pull a wheel and spacer off the truck to measure wall thickness I looked again at these. And it hit me that the one with damaged original lug holes was drilled and tapped 9/16" x 18 tpi to allow it to be secured from the back side, like Lee's. This seems to support that it's a time honored remedy. I chased all the threads and highlighted the new holes.

I've been swapping texts with Mark this morning and mentioned this. And sent the picture. Also mentioned your post, and since he's at work suggest you text him if there's more to discuss on the pipe section you found. Stu




I also shot an opinion to Mark that it might be easier to have spacers made to fit an old tonner axle. The '47 and earlier one ton axles continued in use by MH at least into 1952. There's got to be dozens of these axles sitting behind sheds left over after customization of trucks. These spacers are listed in the R32-4 manual I sent you. These pictured ones are on my '50. Stu

 

Why not use a tube that is big enough ID that you can do the nuts to the hub on the inside of the tube, with inner and outer flanges?

Personally I doubt cutting windows in a smaller tube to clear the nuts would create any structural issues, if ribs are added.

 

I like this idea, I am pretty sure I can go down and order longer lug studs (one inch longer) to accommodate the 1" plate either on the 8 lug side or the 5 lug side. do you see any reason that the 1" spacer should be on one side or the other?

 

I have a set of 47 tonner hubs that I would trade for good condition 8 lug hubs.

 

I pulled some 8lug hubs in a yard and then left them there. They are $25 i can grab em for you? But they are a newer axle than 52? i dont know exactly. Mayne they were the same into later 50's might not even be ford??