Wheel Stud Question

Reply Subscribe

Thread Tools

Search this Thread

Aug 21, 2020 | 09:38 PM

Restenhaus72

Thread Starter

Cross-Country

Joined: May 2020

Posts: 87

Likes: 13

Wheel Stud Question

Need help sorting out my stock front drum brakes on my '72 F100. I am restoring the brake system (master cylinder,wheel cylinders, shoes, spring kit, ect.) @ front & back of truck. The front drums are roached & are beyond turning so I purchased new after market drums. As those of you with front drums know the hub is pressed on to the drums by the wheel studs. I have separated the hub & purchased new serrated wheel studs from a local parts store. The new wheel studs are the same as the old ones except that the length of the serrated section is a little shorter. As a result they press in fine to the hub itself but don't quite bite into the holes in the drum & therefore I can't get the two to mate together. My question is can I still install drum under that condition & just have the wheel bearing nut hold hub/drum together.
With some research I found there are very few sources for those original style wheel studs.
Thanks !

Aug 21, 2020 | 10:40 PM

Tedster9

Post Fiend

Joined: Apr 2002

Posts: 19,311

Likes: 97

From: Waterloo, Iowa

It will probably work but it doesn't give the warm and fuzzy does it? Is it a matter of you have the right part # but they are unobtanium? Have you tried eBay?

Aug 25, 2020 | 05:35 PM

sparky72

Mountain Pass

Joined: May 2019

Posts: 150

Likes: 12

From: Central CA

Download the Excel sheet or PDF from Dorman here: https://www.dormanproducts.com/pages...gin=homebanner

Then get out your calipers, measure an OEM stud, and find one that matches. Then plug the Dorman part number into Rockauto and order away. Buying studs piecemeal from your FLAPS will bleed you dry!

Aug 25, 2020 | 09:54 PM

resonateur

Fleet Mechanic

Joined: Jan 2014

Posts: 1,946

Likes: 118

Working on drum brakes many times previously, my observation has been that the serrated portion of the stud does not mate the hub to the drum. The drum is secured by both the hub center and the lug nuts when the tire is installed. I would like to hear other comments on this...

Aug 26, 2020 | 05:36 AM

62SY4

Senior User

Joined: Dec 2018

Posts: 243

Likes: 4

From: Elizabeth

Quote:

Originally Posted by Restenhaus72

My question is can I still install drum under that condition & just have the wheel bearing nut hold hub/drum together?

I think you meant the lug nuts clamping the wheel, drum and hub together? The spindle nut sets the free play in the bearing while retaining the bearing on the spindle. This has been done before, in fact your rear brakes are probably held together in a similar way.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sparky72

I agree with this to make it 'correct'.

Quote:

Originally Posted by resonateur

This is generally true for rear wheel drive applications having flanged axle shafts. Generally on RWDs the front drum it captured by the studs to make an assembly, sometimes the studs are simply pressed though the hub/drum, other times they have a looser fit, but then the stud is swaged.

It wasn't really until the advent of front wheel drive and unitized hub/bearings that the front brake rotating friction surface became a slip on deal.

Aug 26, 2020 | 03:17 PM

jfmaz

Tuned

Joined: Jul 2009

Posts: 258

Likes: 18

From: mid-nowhere AZ desert

On my 69, drums are held on by metal spring clips. I've had the truck since it had 30,000 on the odo, so pretty sure they are stock. Drums all around have these clips. Pretty sure most come up missing on the older trucks, because all they really do is hold the drum in position till the wheel clamps the drum to the hub. See in the attached picture item 356080-
This makes it easy to separate drums from hubs. IIRC, the metal in the center of the drurm where it mounts to the hub is pretty thin, so to pull it off the knurled stud might be a problem, might deform the drum if you tried using a puller on the outside of the drum.

Attached Images