HO72 Lug studs?

[BlackhillsHD]

My HO72 rear has 1/2" studs, my front 8 lug 44 has 9/16" stud. I would like to make the back match the front. Does any one know if you can put the 9/16" studs in place of the others?

[OldCreek]

Yes, you can. Go through the Dorman catalog and you should find some studs. You will have to cross reference studs that have a similar shoulder and knurl length. It can be done...I did it. The original studs are no longer available.

Maybe I still have the part numbers. If you search on here you might find a posting I did with those numbers.

It would be easy to find 1/2" studs for the Dana 44...

[BlackhillsHD]

That is what I was thinking, just wanted to see if someone has done it. I just got my disc conversion brackets from Ruff Stuff, so I figured since I would have the studs out, now is the time to get them all to match.

[63GMCKid]

When I put discs on my HO72, I converted it to the 9/16 studs. I believe for the proper press fit, I used a 19/32 drill bit which is .59375'', within spec for the interference/press fit for the studs that I used.

The studs are a Dorman part, part number is DOR-610-228, and they are good if you are using steel wheels, I found this number from a tech write up on Pirate and they were perfect - http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billav...b_disc_brakes/ . And if you are using aluminum wheels, use Dorman part DOR-610-301. The 610-228's are $1.84 each in packs of 10 from RockAuto.

I personally wanted the larger 9/16 studs, its what the 14b's use, and bigger is better right? It's basically just like doing the same setup on a 14BFF, you need to use the same parts, and after I found those part numbers, I figured the extra time it took to drill out the hubs was more worth it than browsing the Dorman catalog for hours trying to find 1/2'' studs with the correct size shoulder.

[BlackhillsHD]

Thanks a ton for the part numbers and info. Will get some ordered up. I would like to get it done all at once, the boss dont like my truck taking up space.