48plysled Posted April 5, 2014 Report Share Posted April 5, 2014 I have a question. I am sitting with a 1954 dodge c1c pickup that is still what I believe is stock front end aside from leafs removed. Still running the drums but wheel studs have been updated to a 1/2" stud. My question is I am running an aftermarket wheel on it that matches the factory bolt pattern. I am thinking of upgrading to disc brakes to make it safer and better stopping performance. The rusty hope kit I know uses a 5x4.5 bolt pattern. Is there a way to maintain the factory bolt pattern which from what I have seen is 5x5? Looking for more information if anyone has done that. Otherwise I have to swap my wheels out. Would prefer to keep the wheels I have as they have a vintage look to them. Any information on this would be great. Thanks in advance. Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deathbound Posted April 6, 2014 Report Share Posted April 6, 2014 Matt, welcome to the forum. Not too familiar with the trucks.....5x5 bolt pattern....is that because it's a 3/4 ton? Maybe Charlie from Rusty Hope (I think he goes by "olddaddy" on here) can spec out a 5x5 bolt pattern rotor for his kit. Pics of your '48 & '54 are mandatory.......not really, I just like kustoms and want to see them. Derek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Balazs Posted April 6, 2014 Report Share Posted April 6, 2014 Matt; I don't know if there were many changes between 52 and 54 ? I did a disc conversion to my 52 3/4 ton and retained the original 5 x 5 wheel pattern and original wheels. I had to use some 1" thick adapter/spacers and shorten the tie rod but it all worked. As you have already found out doing a 3/4 ton is a bit more involved than the 1/2 ton conversion. The B series 3/4 ton used 9/16" wheel studs. There are some threads here on the topic. Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merle Coggins Posted April 6, 2014 Report Share Posted April 6, 2014 Yes, I did the same thing with mine. Charlie's (aka Rusty Hope) disc brake kit with 5X4.5" to 5X5" wheel adapters. It works out fairly good. Merle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
48plysled Posted April 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 Merle Coggins I see your from Waukesha I'm sitting about 25 miles away from there. I actually work up there at Wildeck Inc off of Pearl St. Nice to see some more old mopars in the area. The problem I run into is these are a fairly deep offset wheel as it is. Right now I'm sitting with the tires about a 1/2" in from the fender lip and fear that if I run spacers on the front I will run into clearance issues as the truck turns and goes over bumps. At this rate I think my only option maybe to swap out the wheels instead and run a set of steelies with spider caps or baby moons or something. Just hate to lose the wheels that are on it. I'll have to check with rusty hope. I knew they made the 5x4.5" conversion kits but that's all I've been able to find. Do the disc brake conversions shorten up the width on the front axle at all? Not sure if there is much change going from the drums to disc in distance from the wheel mounting surfaces or not. Thanks for the info you guys have provided already and to those who may reply from here out. Also looking for a set of rear fenders if anyone has any lines on them. Not worried about being correct for year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Balazs Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 Yes the conversion to discs does initially narrow things up. You need to add the spacers to get the calipers to clear the offset of the stock wheels. If your wheels are not the stock ones for a 3/4 ton then you may have other clearance issues. The final width is a bit more than the stock setup.......but if you are using the original wheels and say 75/235 x 15" radials it will all work just fine. Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merle Coggins Posted April 8, 2014 Report Share Posted April 8, 2014 Hey Matt, I didn't notice that you were from Burlington. Good to have another Dodge truck guy near by. There's a few of us around here. Your '54 may be slightly different, and with aftermarket wheels it would be hard to say how it'll turn out, but my stock rims with 235/75R-15's are still just inside the fender with the adapters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
builtfercomfort Posted April 8, 2014 Report Share Posted April 8, 2014 Can you find a modern vehicle with the 5 x 5 pattern and disc brakes as a starting point? People are adapting Ford Explorer front discs to the p-15/d-24 cars so there might be a fairly easy way (?) using modern parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
48plysled Posted April 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2014 Yes the conversion to discs does initially narrow things up. You need to add the spacers to get the calipers to clear the offset of the stock wheels. If your wheels are not the stock ones for a 3/4 ton then you may have other clearance issues. The final width is a bit more than the stock setup.......but if you are using the original wheels and say 75/235 x 15" radials it will all work just fine. Jeff Thanks for the info Jeff. I am running a 225/60r15 on the front. I'll try to post a pic of the front of the truck so you guys can get a little better idea of where I'm sitting at. Hey Matt, I didn't notice that you were from Burlington. Good to have another Dodge truck guy near by. There's a few of us around here. Your '54 may be slightly different, and with aftermarket wheels it would be hard to say how it'll turn out, but my stock rims with 235/75R-15's are still just inside the fender with the adapters. Yep born and raised around Burlington. I'm a member of Hoodlums Car Club in Waterford which if you went to the world of wheels in milwaukee this year my truck was there with the wood bed. Thanks for the information. All help is greatly appreciated. Can you find a modern vehicle with the 5 x 5 pattern and disc brakes as a starting point? People are adapting Ford Explorer front discs to the p-15/d-24 cars so there might be a fairly easy way (?) using modern parts. I had one buddy suggesting that to me and I'm trying to look into it. My other option is I have a donor truck for a magnum motor and automatic trans. Could swap the entire chassis under the body. Would allow me IFS front suspension and modern steering and breaking. But unsure if really wanna go that route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Davey Posted April 8, 2014 Report Share Posted April 8, 2014 This may not be possible, but could a machine shop drill new stud holes in the Rustyhope spec'd rotors on the 5X5 pattern? Then just move the studs to the new holes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
48plysled Posted April 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2014 This may not be possible, but could a machine shop drill new stud holes in the Rustyhope spec'd rotors on the 5X5 pattern? Then just move the studs to the new holes? It definitely is food for thought there. I will have to check it out if I can't do the swap any other way. Thanks for the input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.