Model A wire wheels on a VW kit cat

[Frazer]

I used to own a Frazer Nash kit car, based on an early 70's Beetle. It had Model a Ford wheels. does anyone know where I can get the adapters to do the same thing again - put Model A ford wheels onto Beetle hubs? Thanks

[Marc]

5.5" = 216.5mm. VWs used either 5 on 205mm or 4 on 130mm. The flat "pad" on the 4-lug (or available undrilled) drums wouldn't be large enough to match up with a 5½" bolt-pattern rim, so you'd be limited to redrilling a 5-lug drum. They aren't particularly beefy except at the area immediately around the bolt holes, but it might be possible to drill them to the 5½" pattern and spot-face them to accept press-in studs. Just which VW 5-lug drum you'd want to start with would depend to some extent to the type of front suspension (kingpin or balljoint) and the rear brake & axle setup you're working with. 5-lug Bug drums should really only be used with pre`68 30mm wide shoes. Thing rear drums will accept `68-up 40mm shoes but will increase the track width by ~¾" per side, and can only be used with long-spline axles (IRS or `68-only swingaxle) since their snouts cannot be machined short enough to fit short-spline axles.
All things considered this is probably a case where wheel adapters would be the most pragmatic solution. Good ones, properly installed, shouldn't give you any trouble. Problem is, where do you get them for 5½" to either VW pattern? The common ones are for 5x4½", 5x4¾", and 5x130mm. I suspect you'd have to have some custom-made, give someone like these guys a call: https://uswheeladapters.com/Home_Page.php
...but first, you need to decide which VW drums you'd be using and what the rim offset needs to be to look right on your car (if the rims have too much backspace the adapters could be made thicker to compensate).

http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/early-f ... 90834.html

[WickedWagens]

We used 1935 Ford 16" wire wheels. We used stock 4 lug blank drums and drilled them to 5x5.5. Ball joint front and irs rear.