Steel Wheels. Question about them......help

[Nick32Vic]

My friend is trying to get his car ready for the pileup and he has some steelies with bias-ply tires to put on it. So he put them on for a test fit last night and they didn't fit.  

Why you ask? I shall tell you.  

First let me tell you the specs.  
57 olds or pontiac rear end.  
but it has a 4-3/4 bolt pattern
the axle flange is a 3" diameter

Steel wheel
4-3/4 bolt patter
but the hole in this wheel to go around the axle flange is 2-3/4

So the problem is, the center of the wheel is 1/4" too small to go over/around the flange on the axle.  

My question is this: Would the integrity of the wheel be sacrificed if he were to ream out the center of the wheel so it could fit?  

Would the wheel become unsafe?  

Im really hoping you will tell me it will be fine because he wants to go to the pileup with us but i would hate for him to do it then have a wheel fall apart doin 75 mph down the highway.  

Thanks!
-nick

[348tripower]

Go ahead and open them up. Most aftermarket wheels are not hub centric. They rely on the studs and nuts to center them up. the only problem you could encounter is if you are running thick spacers. I did this on my F1 and I had a front end shake. I cured it with hub centric spacers.
Don

[Nick32Vic]

Go ahead and open them up. Most aftermarket wheels are not hub centric. They rely on the studs and nuts to center them up. the only problem you could encounter is if you are running thick spacers. I did this on my F1 and I had a front end shake. I cured it with hub centric spacers.
Don

I think they are stock steel wheels off of something. They are just wheels someone had laying around as rollers.

[Nick32Vic]

Oh, and it doesnt have spacers or adapters. I guess they redrilled it for 4-3/4.

[donsrods]

I was wondering about the 4 and 3/4 inch thing. Most Pontiacs of that era had 5 on 5 inch pattern. 4 and 3/4 is Chevy pattern.

Don

[Nick32Vic]

I was wondering about the 4 and 3/4 inch thing. Most Pontiacs of that era had 5 on 5 inch pattern. 4 and 3/4 is Chevy pattern.

Don

Yeah, they must have been redrilled. Since Don and Frank said it was cool, my friend went ahead and reamed the wheels. Said they fit. Now hopefully they dont fall apart on the way to morris. haha