I was considering upgrading my 12mm studs to a larger size. Do you guys think it is worth the trouble to upgrade these. I sheared one off then another off when I was backing off the nuts to fix the first one and their an easy fix up front, but what are they like on the rear drums, any help would be greatly appreciated. Should I go through the trouble of upgrading these with my tire size.

-Kelly

 

I don't think it would be worth the trouble. In fact i don't even know if is is possible, unless you spend tons of money. If you are shearing off studs something is definitely wrong. Are you torqueing them down or just zipping them on with a air gun?

-Jon

 

Did you check your rim? Be sure the bolt holes are not out of round or enlarged. This happened on my '86 Mustang and I went through several studs until I realized it was a damaged rim that was causing the problem.
Good luck

 

Whiplash, I'm considering buying a 10" whiplash lift and was wondering how much you paid and what extras did you have to do, driveshaft, traction bars etc.... How do you like the lift, does it ride nice. I have a 5" rcd lift but its not enough.

Rhyno Thanks

 

It was around $2,000 for the front kit. Add driveshaft, 10" springs and shocks and your getting up near if not over $3,000. As for the ride suspension really doesn't have much to do with that, when you get that big it's mostly all tires, and as for ride quality it's always gonna suck with Super Swamper type tires. You just have to like the way that big trucks drive. If you plan on installing this yourself be prepared because it's a big job.

-Kelly

 

If you know the right people. You can get the 12mm studs changed to 14mm studs for under $48. I bought the studs for about $1 a piece and did all the labor myself. The hubs had to be redrilled but that was it. I then bought new lugs for $1 a piece. The other $8 came from the 12-pack of beer.

Snowball

 

I have since upgraded my studs to 14mm pieces from Ford. I got ripped off spending over $60 on studs alone! I got the lugs for $1 a piece from American Racing which is just south of my town. I had to drill 39/64" holes in my front hubs and rear axles to accept the 14mm stud nerl well, they sunk right in perfectly after that. I havn't had a slight hint of a stud problem since, it was a good decision to upgrade.

 

Sorry to revive this dead thread from many moons ago but Whiplash, how did you remove the smaller studs prior to drilling larger holes? I'm needing to do that but don't have access to any specialized equipment.

 

All you need is a BFH, also known as a big f**ken hammer!!

 

Will using a BFH not damage the hub?