ghaskett Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Howdy,Has anyone put different wheels on their '56, such as chrome smoothies or 5 spoke mags. My question is, what did you do about the alignment pin and the half round rivets on the front drums. Looks like problems if you grind them off. Looks like you'd have to go to front disc brakes if you want different wheels. The rear drums aren't a problem, but, man those front drums .............George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 I believe the pin and rivits align with the web of the road wheels, so they may go right on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghaskett Posted June 6, 2014 Author Share Posted June 6, 2014 You're right about stock '56 Buick rims sliding over the pin and rivets, but what to do if you want to put different rims on. They can't usually clear the pin and would be resting on the rivets, thus not being flush to the drum surface. I can grind the rivets flat, but what can of worms will that open. Just wondering if anyone has had to deal with this issue.Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 I hate to see the rivets and pin ground off, but you really don't 'need' them. It just makes it easier to line everything up. Without some temporary studs, you will find it near impossible to line up hub, drum, wheel and lug bolts.Willie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghaskett Posted June 6, 2014 Author Share Posted June 6, 2014 (edited) Thanks. So, you're saying that the rivets have nothing to do with holding the wheel together. That's good news as far as I'm concerned. However, I've seen posts that indicate that the drum is riveted to the hub and that's not good news. I'm thinking I may have to try and sell the whole brake assembly and go with discs. Edited June 6, 2014 by ghaskett (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 What I'm saying is if you use the Buick road wheels, the pin and rivits may align with the "spokes of the web. They are hollow back there, and the pin and rivits may not even touch the road wheels. That may not be the same for other rims. I'll try to get a picture of this tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghaskett Posted June 13, 2014 Author Share Posted June 13, 2014 Thanks to everyone for your input. I was able to remove the rivets and alignment pin. Air chisel works wonders. Everything pushed out the backside of the drums. I then went and got a few studs that fit the lug bolt holes on the hub. Threaded two of them in finger tight. This created perfect alignment for the lug bolts. Next, I slid the drum and wheel over the two studs. I put three lug bolts in , removed the studs and put in the remaining two lugs. Didn't take that much time to do all of this. The 60 degree conical lug bolts allow the wheels to self center, just go slowly and evenly with the torque. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buick5563 Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 John D,I think he is asking about non-Buick wheels, so road wheels (while they do fit) is not the look he is going for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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