5 Wide Rear Drum Swap

Quote - Has anyboby with the Vintage Speedster (built at Vintage) with a swing axle managed to go from the 4 lug wheels to 5 lug 5 wide wheels at the rear by simply switching out brake drums (to a 67 5 wide brake drum)?  This is aside from any tire clearance issues

Sure yes of course, bolt them on…, unless you have axles from a 1968 beetle or variant (long spline axles). Chances are you don’t, so again the 54-67 wide 5/205 pattern just bolt on.

Doesn’t really sound like what you need, but CSP makes an IRS to swing axle conversation drum for a clean look instead of a shim at the axle nut. If you’re converting from a IRS or 68 beetle/variant long spline 4 lug drums to 5/205 drums. Attached is a link using a 64-67 bus drum with the nose/spline end cut down and a dust fin removed.

http://www.csp-shop.com/produc...ke_Drums/12569c/det/

The simple answer - Just measure the drum spline length and match accordingly to the drums you’d like to use.

Nothing else, do some searching/reading on here…, this has been covered and recovered. Even by me!

David    /    dd-ardvark

Hello David:

Thanks for your reply.  I understand that the 1967 5 wide drums bolt on.  Yes I have a short axle swing at the rear.  However, I also noticed last time changing my existing rear brake shoes (with the 4 lug drums) that the shoes were the larger 40 mm wide shoes rather than the smaller 30 mm wide shoes expected with a short axle swing.  So ultimately, I suppose my question is for those who did the 1967 5 wide drum switch, did they also have the 40 mm wide brake shoes and it worked (i.e., do the 67 drums accomodate the 40 mm shoes), or did you have to go down in size to the 30 mm shoes if you didn't already have shoes that size.

I realize that there is alot of info in the forums via the search feature, and believe me have looked deeply before posting this question.  But I don't recall any covering this specific issue.

Thanks, Grant