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...................................................--- Front Hubs ---

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I was originally going to use a model A axle with '37-47 Ford spindles on the lakester I first had planned. A couple years ago I got Mopar rotors and a bearing kit from Speedway to adapt the rotors to the early Ford spindles. Now I'm going to make a straight axle, but keep the Ford spindles and use them with the Mopar rotor and bearing kit I bought.

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I'm not running any brakes in the front, so I really just need hubs up there. To trim weight and since I don't need the disc brake rotors I decided to cut the rotors off of the center section, which would give me a hub that would still work with the bearings and spindle I have.

I started by putting the rotors in the 3 jaw chuck and turned them from the back side to the point that the rotor fell off. I was turning at only 60 rpm, so when the rotor came free it was no big thing.


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With the rotor off I still had material on the hub that wasn't needed. The hat like area that went back to the rotor. I came in from the side a ways back from the front and cut until it fell off.

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This shows the "hat" like area cut off. The front of the hub is in the chuck to the left and the back is to the right.

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Next I cleaned up that face flat and to the thickness I wanted.

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The finished hub on the left and what I started with on the right. The complete hub and rotor on the right weighed 22 1/2 lbs. The finished hub on the left weighs 9 1/2 lbs., so I trimmed 13 pounds off of each hub assembly.

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Both finished hubs looking at them from the wheel side. I haven't put studs back in them yet.

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The finished hubs from the back side. I spent about 3-4 hours on this. I've worried about how I was going to do it for months, but it went really smoothly. I'm really getting to like the lathe. It and the mill were a very good investment.

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