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machined down DRW hubs for street driving

muddysub

muddysub

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so ive got a DRW 60 on my garage floor, ive considered humvee wheels and i'm not sure that the route i wanna take. being stuck with 16.5" wheels really limits tire selection and eventually i'd like to run a tire besides interco or military surplus. my best friend is a machinist/fabricator so i can cut my hubs pretty easily. ive read on pirate about people not trusting the rotor mounting tabs as a wheel mount surface. ive also see guys weld on a ring to act as a wheel mount surface, i could do that as well.

why i'm considering this; i can get the machine work and welding done for free. 16.5" tire selection is limited, especially for a rig thats gonna be driven on the highway for camping and expo type wheeling. running stock humvee wheels means a new rear axle or spacers waaaay thicker than i'm comfortable with. that and the rear axle work to run humvee wheels would cost a pretty decent amount. probably more than SRW hubs and definitely more than machining my hubs. stock humvee wheels up front and re-centered wheels on the rear would bother the hell out of me.

so, what is the collective opinion of CK5? personal experience? precautions? advice?
 
In my own personal opinion, if it's done right by a professional that knows what they're doing, I don't see an issue with it. If they're done right they can be nearly as good as a SRW hub.

But, like welding parts of your steering together, it's extremely important that it's done right.
 
38377k5 said:
In my own personal opinion, if it's done right by a professional that knows what they're doing, I don't see an issue with it. If they're done right they can be nearly as good as a SRW hub.

But, like welding parts of your steering together, it's extremely important that it's done right.
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i completely agree. if he wasn't welding certified from here to the moon i wouldn't be comfortable with him doing it. he's built crossover steering components for several trucks driving around here in vegas, (he'll build mine when i get that far) several roll cages, 4 link set ups, etc... if he wasn't capable, i wouldnt even consider it.
 
make sure when you turn it down you take enough material off so that other 8 lug rims fit as well, my buddy can't run my rims because his hubs don't fit thru the hole in the rim. He is pretty much stuck with the rims that are on his truck, unless he wants to turn it down more at a later date. We found this out after he blew a bead on a trail and he couldn't use my spare on the front.:doah:
 
I could be wrong but I remember reading a turrned down DRW hub has a thicker wall if you turn it down just enough. I don't see any issues with doing it.
 
onetonbb74 said:
make sure when you turn it down you take enough material off so that other 8 lug rims fit as well, my buddy can't run my rims because his hubs don't fit thru the hole in the rim. He is pretty much stuck with the rims that are on his truck, unless he wants to turn it down more at a later date. We found this out after he blew a bead on a trail and he couldn't use my spare on the front.:doah:
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Yep the hub body has to be cut down to 4.5" diameter. Gives you a nice smooth surface and allows any wheel to slide over. A stock SRW hub is 4.56" diameter.
 
just recently seen pics on a site cant recall of drw turned down to srw . and thay did a nice taper to the locking hub section . made them look BEEFY .
 
sweetk30 said:
just recently seen pics on a site cant recall of drw turned down to srw . and thay did a nice taper to the locking hub section . made them look BEEFY .
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Thats how I would do it too. Keep as much meat in it as possible.
 
rdn2blazer said:
Thats how I would do it too. Keep as much meat in it as possible.
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that's the plan, the DRW hubs kinda bulge out right behind the stock WMS, that has to be taken down a little to fit a regular wheel over them. 4.5" OD leaves plenty of meat on them.
 
Go for it. The 02 dually at work has a bolt on adapter to get the front end wider. Guess what the flange that the adapter bolts onto is exactly like?

The flange you're talking about on the DRW hub with the slots between the each stud hole and everything. When I saw that on that truck it made me wonder what anyone ever worries about with this procedure and who it was that started the stigma that its "unstreet worthy" ?
 
Stomis said:
Go for it. The 02 dually at work has a bolt on adapter to get the front end wider. Guess what the flange that the adapter bolts onto is exactly like?

The flange you're talking about on the DRW hub with the slots between the each stud hole and everything. When I saw that on that truck it made me wonder what anyone ever worries about with this procedure and who it was that started the stigma that its "unstreet worthy" ?
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sweet, thank you! some of the vehicles ive worked on in my career have made me think the same thing. what makes certain off road modifications "unsafe" when many factory built vehicles are weaker... ive never heard anyone that can give personal experience that its a dangerous modification to perform.
 
It's like the people worried about the strength of a Dana 60 caliper, and mounting bracket after they have been ground down. There is nothing to worry about.

Martin
 
82355 said:
It's like the people worried about the strength of a Dana 60 caliper, and mounting bracket after they have been ground down. There is nothing to worry about.

Martin
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Well, you're taking a factory part, that many highly qualified people spent lots of time and money developing for a specific purpose, and making it weaker.

In either case (modifying hubs or grinding calipers), you're definitely not making anything better.

FWIW I haven't had an issue with the ground calipers on my Blazer/buggy but having a caliper or hub failure would probably be a bad day :eek1:
 
Stomis said:
Go for it. The 02 dually at work has a bolt on adapter to get the front end wider. Guess what the flange that the adapter bolts onto is exactly like?

The flange you're talking about on the DRW hub with the slots between the each stud hole and everything. When I saw that on that truck it made me wonder what anyone ever worries about with this procedure and who it was that started the stigma that its "unstreet worthy" ?
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I don't think it's a problem as long as the wheel has a good smooth surface against the hub.
But I wouldn't use a steel wheel, since they're not flat.
And some aluminum wheels has voids in the mounting surface, I'd stay away from them as well.
 
38377k5 said:
Well, you're taking a factory part, that many highly qualified people spent lots of time and money developing for a specific purpose, and making it weaker.

In either case (modifying hubs or grinding calipers), you're definitely not making anything better.

FWIW I haven't had an issue with the ground calipers on my Blazer/buggy but having a caliper or hub failure would probably be a bad day :eek1:
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Yes but the highly qualified people were most likely using a safety factor of 4x or more. We all know that is the reason you can do any of the things we are doing. No engineer ever calculated for 44" tires.
 
That's a lot of turning. I would do it though before spending the money on a set of srw hubs.
 
sixb said:
That's a lot of turning. I would do it though before spending the money on a set of srw hubs.
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From what I've read it's about 3hrs of lathe time. Then you've got to drill the holes out for studs. I'm cutting/welding shock mounts and re-drilling spring perches while I'm at it so I don't care, it's gonna be in my buddy's shop for a couple days anyway.
 
muddysub said:
From what I've read it's about 3hrs of lathe time. Then you've got to drill the holes out for studs. I'm cutting/welding shock mounts and re-drilling spring perches while I'm at it so I don't care, it's gonna be in my buddy's shop for a couple days anyway.
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You can whack the DRW width flange off the hub roughly with a cutoff wheel and then hit it with a flapper until you've only got like a 1/4in of material to machine :waytogo:
 
Stomis said:
You can whack the DRW width flange off the hub roughly with a cutoff wheel and then hit it with a flapper until you've only got like a 1/4in of material to machine :waytogo:
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This may be the best option although I can't imagine it taking 3 hours each but the interrupted cuts are gonna eat inserts ($$$) I do believe I would rather watch the lathe run than operate the cut off wheel and grinder :D
 
sixb said:
This may be the best option although I can't imagine it taking 3 hours each but the interrupted cuts are gonna eat inserts ($$$) I do believe I would rather watch the lathe run than operate the cut off wheel and grinder :D
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Yeah we're gonna plasma cut the flange, chuck it up and use a grinder to smooth it out before actually cutting with the lathe. And from what I get it's about 3hrs total, not each. Sorry if I made it sound like it was 3hrs each.
 
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