All Stude factory drum & hub assemblies came with the studs swedged, to permanently mount the drum onto the hub. To swedge, is to slightly mushroom the base of the stud, just above the surface of the drum. Problem is, if a replacement drum is ever needed, the swedged on drum was designed to be permanent. I suppose back in the day, drum and hub assemblies were readily available. But today, only drums are available, and hubs must be swapped over from the old drums.
I plan to install new rear drums on a GT, so looked in the archives here, but found only a couple of older threads on swedge cutting. One poster provided a link to Goodson Tool Company and swedge cutters sold there, but those tools (1/2" and 9/16") were too small for the 1/2" studs on our Studs, so I dunno how he used them. There was some difference of opinion on what it takes to do the job; most insisted it required a machinist, with drill press or mill, but one guy insisted he used a 5'8" hole saw from a hardware store, and cut the swedges himself. Since no tool is actually available for our Studes, I decided to take a chance and follow the guy's advice on a hardware store 5/8" hole saw. A hole saw that small was not available at any local store, so I ordered one on Amazon, and chose a Lenox brand. It came in today and, after about 15 minutes per drum, I had removed both hubs. The swedge material (actually just mushroomed stud base) is soft, and the hole saw cut it like butter. I stopped the cut when it was even with the surface of the drum, then tapped the hub with a brass drift, and it simply fell out. As for how many swedges the Lenox would cut before it dulled, I'd estimate at least two more.
So, for anyone who wants to replace their front or rear drums, which were swedged on at the factory, just use a Lenox brand, 5/8" hole saw (remove the pilot drill). Do not try anything other than a 5/8", as it has a perfect ID and OD to do the job as nicely as is probably possible in a machine shop. The snug ID keeps the saw centered, and the 5/8" OD is same size as the holes in the drum. Also, use a drill with variable speed trigger, and keep RPM to around 350, and keep the cutting surface well oiled.
I plan to install new rear drums on a GT, so looked in the archives here, but found only a couple of older threads on swedge cutting. One poster provided a link to Goodson Tool Company and swedge cutters sold there, but those tools (1/2" and 9/16") were too small for the 1/2" studs on our Studs, so I dunno how he used them. There was some difference of opinion on what it takes to do the job; most insisted it required a machinist, with drill press or mill, but one guy insisted he used a 5'8" hole saw from a hardware store, and cut the swedges himself. Since no tool is actually available for our Studes, I decided to take a chance and follow the guy's advice on a hardware store 5/8" hole saw. A hole saw that small was not available at any local store, so I ordered one on Amazon, and chose a Lenox brand. It came in today and, after about 15 minutes per drum, I had removed both hubs. The swedge material (actually just mushroomed stud base) is soft, and the hole saw cut it like butter. I stopped the cut when it was even with the surface of the drum, then tapped the hub with a brass drift, and it simply fell out. As for how many swedges the Lenox would cut before it dulled, I'd estimate at least two more.
So, for anyone who wants to replace their front or rear drums, which were swedged on at the factory, just use a Lenox brand, 5/8" hole saw (remove the pilot drill). Do not try anything other than a 5/8", as it has a perfect ID and OD to do the job as nicely as is probably possible in a machine shop. The snug ID keeps the saw centered, and the 5/8" OD is same size as the holes in the drum. Also, use a drill with variable speed trigger, and keep RPM to around 350, and keep the cutting surface well oiled.
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