5-lug conversion question

[89_demon_lx]

Does anyone know if this conversion kit would be able to fit 17 or 18 inch saleens? http://www.latemodelrestoration.com/iwwida.pvx?;item?item_no=LRS-4234K%20%20%20%20%20%201&comp=LRS
the price seems good so i was just wondering cause i want to do a conversion. I heard these will not fit certain wheels. Any info will be appreciated.

 

[liquid_02]

Don't buy that kit, that's just a rip off. All they're selling you is what you could get at your local parts dealer/junkyard for half the price.

All that is is:
two driver axels out a 83-92 ranger, drums for it too

and

Pair of rotors for a late 80's mark VII

Go to a wrecker, get the axels, then buy new brake parts. And with the money you saved, pick up a set of late 80's lincoln calipers, they're 73mm, replace your stock 60mm ones. Cost me $30 for the calipers (cheap as a mofu) and roughly $125 for everything else involved in the conversion + $30 for wheel spacers & $50 for lugs because I put bullits on it.

Came out nicely for a $125 deal i must say...

not sure if they'll fit saleens or not...

 

[89_demon_lx]

that does look pretty good, thanks for the info!

 

[tunedin302]

To fit saleens you will have to grind down a bit of the rotor - essentially the outer edge where the dust cap fits. This is needed to allow the wheel to sit flat. You will also have to remove or flatten the dust cap in order to run the saleen center cap. Good luck.

 

[Mustang5L5]

To fit saleens you will have to grind down a bit of the rotor - essentially the outer edge where the dust cap fits. This is needed to allow the wheel to sit flat. You will also have to remove or flatten the dust cap in order to run the saleen center cap. Good luck.

Personally i would never modify a rotor like that. Might seem safe but if you get someone that has no idea what they are doing going to town with a grinder getting everything cherry hot and brittle, then they are just asking for trouble.

 

[tunedin302]

Personally i would never modify a rotor like that. Might seem safe but if you get someone that has no idea what they are doing going to town with a grinder getting everything cherry hot and brittle, then they are just asking for trouble.

I agree about not wanting to grind to make it fit but it is only a small lip on the hat of the rotor that needs to be modified. This is all it takes:

Easiest ways to make the Saleens fit are either the baer kit or the sn95 spindles or both

 

[Shakerhood]

Brakes are a Vital Safety Item, I would recommend NOT grinding on anything like that its just not a good Idea. Do it right the first time!

 

[tunedin302]

Do it right the first time!

I wish more people had that same approach. Unfortunately most people don't. Money is usually the determining factor if things are done right or not. It is obviously cheaper to get lincoln rotors from the parts store then buy sn95 spindles, sn95 rotors and calipers, etc. so I can understand a persons position in not wanting to spend the cash. The above pic was taken from a thread on corral where they discussed wither grinding the hat or using a spacer on the lincold rotor to make the saleens fit. While I'm not a engineer, and I myslef would never do it, I don't believe that smoothing off the lip on the rotor would really impair the structural integrity of the rotor to the point it is unsafe.

 

[dec322]

Don't buy that kit, that's just a rip off. All they're selling you is what you could get at your local parts dealer/junkyard for half the price.

All that is is:
two driver axels out a 83-92 ranger, drums for it too

and

Pair of rotors for a late 80's mark VII

Go to a wrecker, get the axels, then buy new brake parts. And with the money you saved, pick up a set of late 80's lincoln calipers, they're 73mm, replace your stock 60mm ones. Cost me $30 for the calipers (cheap as a mofu) and roughly $125 for everything else involved in the conversion + $30 for wheel spacers & $50 for lugs because I put bullits on it.

Came out nicely for a $125 deal i must say...

not sure if they'll fit saleens or not...

I've always heard negative things about using wheel spacers. How do you feel about it (I guess you're ok b/c you have them )

I wouldn't mind going this route but I'm scared of wheel spacer.

 

[Mustang5L5]

While I'm not a engineer, and I myslef would never do it,

I am an engineer...which is why i must say no to grinding at all.

It's not so much the grinding that is a problem. If i were to do this myself the correct way to reshape the snout is to use a mill or a lathe or CNC with liquid cooling capability. Grinding generates way too much heat in one particular location which can cause the metal in that area to become brittle. The snout is what basically keeps the rotor on the car.

The reason why i always try to tell people not to grind is for the newbies out there. The 16 year old kids that buy Mustangs and want to run a nice set of 5-lug rims but don't have the cash to do this right and are not very mechanically inclinded. So they read a thread like this and whip out dad's grinder and go to town on the rotor taking off way too much material and getting the snout cherry hot and making the metal brittle. The very idea that this is entirely possible scares me to the point where I just completely wipe that option off the slate when i add my 2 cents in in 5-lug conversion threads.

Not to say that any mod on a car can be potentially dangerous, but there are just some things that can be avoided completely.

 

[Tonys96Cobra]

WHen I had Lincoln rotors on my car, I didnt have to grind the rotor to get them to fit THey sat nice and flush against the rotor, but forget about center caps, you would have to grind down the spindle close to 1/2" and not run the dust cap to get them to fit. I say wait and do the sn95 spindles/rotors/calipers at the same time. My local JY sells the spindle with the hub and used rotors for $50-$75 per side.

 

[liquid_02]

I've always heard negative things about using wheel spacers. How do you feel about it (I guess you're ok b/c you have them )

I wouldn't mind going this route but I'm scared of wheel spacer.

Well I would NEVER put a wheel spacer on the drive wheels personally (rear wheels in this case), especially if I had a good set of tires, I'd be scared S***less of snapping the longer studs, but, since I only have them on the front, where no torque is being applied to the wheels, I have no problem with wheel spacers

 

[tunedin302]

I am an engineer...which is why i must say no to grinding at all.

Good thing I never did it.

 

[iwashmycar]

that kit is no rip off at all... ok you can go to the JY and get used stuff that could potentially be bent, and odds are them old brakes will be worn out. or parts store....you'll have to track it all down and it still will not be cheap after you buy new axles and all the bearings and seals and oil ect...


the kit was good (not amazing by any means). just extremely convenient...all the parts NEW, seals, bearings, instructions if you need em, and all the lube (royal purple stuff). All shipped to your door.

its just worth it if you wanna go that route

 

[Shakerhood]

I am an engineer...which is why i must say no to grinding at all.

It's not so much the grinding that is a problem. If i were to do this myself the correct way to reshape the snout is to use a mill or a lathe or CNC with liquid cooling capability. Grinding generates way too much heat in one particular location which can cause the metal in that area to become brittle. The snout is what basically keeps the rotor on the car.

The reason why i always try to tell people not to grind is for the newbies out there. The 16 year old kids that buy Mustangs and want to run a nice set of 5-lug rims but don't have the cash to do this right and are not very mechanically inclinded. So they read a thread like this and whip out dad's grinder and go to town on the rotor taking off way too much material and getting the snout cherry hot and making the metal brittle. The very idea that this is entirely possible scares me to the point where I just completely wipe that option off the slate when i add my 2 cents in in 5-lug conversion threads.

Not to say that any mod on a car can be potentially dangerous, but there are just some things that can be avoided completely.

Thanks, I could not have said it better!!!