5-lug conversion

[Twilight Blue]

Hi. I recently got my hands on a set of the reproduction Edelbrock 454 wheels which are five lug. I tried to convert to five lug using the 5-lug conversion kit sold by 5.0 Resto. I found out that the rear axle in the kit will only work with a 5.0 rear as 5.0 Resto told me through their tech support I called when the kit didn't work. Is there any other way to convert an old 2.3 LX to five lug? Can I use a rear axle from a SVO?

 

[RustBucket]

I don't see how that's possible since they both used the same axles from the factory. What is it that's not working?

Did you get 31 spline axles instead of 28?

I bought a pair of Yukon axles for the 7.5" under mine. When I bought them I told the guy it was for a '91 LX 5.0. They fit and work fine. They've been in for just over a year now.

 

[Twilight Blue]

I'm not too sure. I'm away from home in the Air Force right now and I had my dad order everything. He took the stuff to the trusted neiborhood tire shop and they worked with it for eight hours trying to get the five lug kit to work. They said the axle wouldn't fit the rear, and so my dad called 5.0 Resto and they said the same thing, that it would only fit a rear from a 5.0. I'm angry with 5.0 resto as they didn't mention this in the catalog and it also stated that it would work with a 2.3L.

 

[68torinogt]

what about other vehicles (ex. ranger or aerostar)

 

[RustBucket]

Don't be mad at 5.0 Resto. Be mad at the idiot on their tech line that fed you the line of BS about them only working in 5.0 rearends. There's no difference other than the ring gear and differential. Everything else is cross-compatible. Be mad at the boneheads at the tire shop who can't seem to hang a pair of axles.

I wish you knew the details behind the problem that makes the shop think the axles don't fit. It'd be easier to determine what's really wrong.

 

[RustBucket]

I wonder if the shop compared the old axles to the new axles to see what the problem may be.

 

[Twilight Blue]

So I need 28 spline?

I'm not sure what a 31 or 28 spline is, but a spline was never mentioned in the ordering proccess. Maybe this isn't the factory rear? This car has seen several hands before I got to it. I don't know what to do. Maybe I should wait untill I go on leave. My dad sent the 5-lug kit back, but I told him to hold onto the wheels for at least a few days so I could research the problem. Wierd.

 

[RustBucket]

Yeah, keep the wheels. Way too many 4-banger 5-lug cars to give up on yours.

The factory axles are 28 spline. Your diff, and every other factory diff is this way. The high-perf diffs are usually a 31-spline deal. The reason I asked about spline count is that maybe they sent you a pair of 31 spline axles and that's why they wouldn't fit.

I just looked at 5.0resto's website and the 5-lug conversion kit I saw is supposed to come with 28 spline axles in the correct length. The issue I saw with the kit was the front rotors. The front rotors will only fit 87-93 5.0L cars. You'd need the spindles/calipers from one of those cars for the front rotors to work. Everything else looked right.

 

[Twilight Blue]

Thanks a lot!

Thanks for the advice and help. The whole situation is baffleing, but since you have successfuly converted your stang to five lug, there's hope for mine yet. I will hold on to the wheels for now and wait to sort everything out when I come home for leave. I had a set of Cooper Zeons waiting at the tire shop too. Thanks again!!
-Airman First Class Giffin

 

[RustBucket]

Glad I could help. No thanks necessary, just a grateful civilian trying to give a little back.