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Were you actually given a choice of bolt hole size with everything else being exactly sized for the brakes? I've never bothered to look at different hole sizes and just ordered the correct drums for the application.
That said, I've seen drums that actually had play in the stud holes. Lots of them are that way at least slightly in fact. The center hole is always tight against the axle register however. Would be considered "hub-centric" for that reason even though that term is usually used when looking at wheels. But the concept is the same.
So while I would probably get ones with the proper sized holes if that was an option, I would probably not even have taken a second thought about it either, having not known ahead of time. As long as the center register was tight against the inner bore of the drum, the drum width/depth was correct for the actual shoes and backing plate and axle flange offset, I'd probably use them.
Lots of drums will spin on the register with loose bolt holes, but be tight when the wheel is installed.
On a side note... If you end up using these (assuming they'd take them back after painting!) I might be tempted to spin the drum so that the studs go up against the drive side of the stud hole. Not that it really makes a difference in most conditions, but that's the kind of stuff I think about when working on cars. Give everything the best chance it has under the worst conditions.
I always orient the Zerk fitting of a u-joint in the compression direction when mounting new joints in a shaft for the same reason. But with a grease fitting in a u-joint, there's more likely to be a failure at that point then there ever would be in a drum brake/wheel stud interface.
Thanks for the speedy and thorough reply as always. There were two options on RockAuto. I took a set of calipers and I COULD HAVE SWORN I checked the old drums at .612 or so..
Either way, I think I'll spin the drums against the studs in the proper direction, and run it as is. The hub fits fine over the middle, no issues there whatsoever. I think returns would be too much of a hassle at this point, considering they were like $30 a piece.
I'll check after a few trips and look for any loosening / odd wear. Otherwise the drums fit up just fine.
Here are some related progress pics. Rear end teardown, every bit of rust and grease and nastiness removed, every part and piece stripped to bare metal and repainted. Lots of midwest dirt and grime to chisel off, but thank goodness it protected the metal underneath. One piece at a time..
Found what changed - It was the lug studs. New ones did not have a shoulder on them like the old ones. Picture below for reference. That shoulder brought the diameter to around .610.... explains some things
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Bought Wrong Size Drums.. Ford 9"
