brake drum rivets

[johnnybee]

hello.got a hopefully small problem. went and ordered chrome rallys for the 58 truck. installed the rears fine. when it came to the front wheels, the new rims did not quite seat on the drum correctly, because of the three maybe 1/4 inch rivets in the drum or hub.they caused the lug nuts to not get the full range of depth.these wheels were ordered for the six lug pattern. my tire shop guy told me they remove the rivets, to get the wheel to sit right. took half and hour to convince me that was the way to go. i still am wondering if that was the correct thing to do.has anybody come across this kind of problem? another problem i came across was the grease caps. regular police type hub caps wont fit with stock grease caps. was advised to bash them in. instead i used bearing buddy 3 inch boat bearing covers with a very small hole in case of heat. and they fit fine. i may have erred on the rivet deal. i should have asked here first. i feel silly asking now. im a dope. am i safe? help!:-(

 

[58 chevy]

I also have a 58 and I had to do the same thing when I bought aftermarket ralley wheels, it is also an advantage- just think what happens if you had to turn your drums or replace them? The rivits had to come out any way! You'll be fine don't worry about it.

 

[johnnybee]

thanks 58. but they must have served a purpose i would think. i wonder why the aftermarket wheel guys didnt allow for this small problem? when building the new wheels. thanks for your input on that, i feel better about it.john.;-)

 

[Halfton57]

Yep, 58 chevy is right about this one John. When installing new front drums you don't have to put any rivets back in. Everything works fine without them.

Good luck,

Stepside57 in the Central San Joaquin Valley of California