Can I drill my own rotors for 2005 Quigley?

[neatvan]

First the background info:
I have a 2005 E350 Quigley and the front axle is from a 2002 F350.
The hubs are a modified 2002 F350 unit bearing hub redrilled to 8x6.5 with new studs pressed in.
The rotors are a 2002 F350 rotor with the existing holes redrilled to fit 8x6.5.

Options from Quigley directly:
Quigley sells the modified rotors for $158 each, plus $55 shipping each.
Quigley will machine rotors I send them for $40 each, plus $55 each shipping back to me.

Extra Info:
Quigley provided me the drawing they use to modify the rotor as seen in attached image.

I've seen other threads here regarding the older K30 hub that need machining for the ABS sensor, but did not see any answer to this rotor.

I can purchase rotors from RockAuto for $28 for economy to $87 for the Motorcraft.

I like shenrie's solution to converting back to off the shelf 8x170 front hubs, but I have a semi-float rear end and don't want rear adapter/spacers.

I figured I could buy a set of the cheap rotors and see if my home drill solution works. If I'm happy with the outcome I could up my confidence to try drilling the Motorcraft rotors.

MY QUESTIONS:
1. What concerns and gotchas should I consider before simply buying rotors off the shelf and drilling the offset holes myself?
I don't have a mill or drill press, but multiple drills, vises, etc.
2. Has anybody done this?
3. Any tips, tricks, concerns, safety, fears, etc. I should consider?


Thanks!

[arctictraveller]

As a journeyman machinist, I can tell you that if you lay out the holes by hand and drill by hand you will likely end up with holes that may not be in the exact right place due to the drill walking, holes not quite round, not exactly square or the exact right size due again to the drill walking around, but what the heck, buy a cheap rotor and give it a try.

[BUFFALO]

If the rotors are hub centric, close should be good enough. May take a few drill bits though.

[TomsBeast]

Originally Posted by arctictraveller

As a journeyman machinist, I can tell you that if you lay out the holes by hand and drill by hand you will likely end up with holes that may not be in the exact right place due to the drill walking, holes not quite round, not exactly square or the exact right size due again to the drill walking around, but what the heck, buy a cheap rotor and give it a try.

Hey Jeff, I saw where someone here had cleverly suggested taking a 8 on 170mm BC truck rotor, opening up each hole to 25/32 wo/changing the BC, such that studs on the van 6.5" BC now pass through the rotor (shown in the PDF drawing, above). As was mentioned, these rotors center on the hub, so the only thing to worry about is anti-rotation. At first I thought this would be kind of a 'amateur bull$hit' fix, until I came across an new rotor for a different make/model (while doing a brakejob) where the mfg did the same thing, and it worked great.



That said, original poster, don't try to use a hand 'pistol drill', you'll need to find someone with a drill press with a 1/2" chuck minimum, and buy a new decent quality reduced shank (often call 'Silver & Demming') 25/32 drill, slow the drill press down to it's slowest speed, and carefully open up all 8 holes in each rotor. Or printout that pdf, above, and have a small 'automotive' mom & pop' type machine shop do it for you.


Oh, and I strongly advise against the 'economy' rotors, they are often warped right out of the box, been there, done that. Return freight on drums and rotors is a killer $$.

[REF]

When it was time to replace my front rotors on my Quigley, I ended up ordering a set of slotted and cryo treated from frozen rotors for a Ford F-350 and had a local machine shop drill them for my 8X6.5 fitment, they offset their drill holes from the original 8X170 and didn’t just open them up.
I wouldn’t recommend going budget on the front rotors, especially since they are close to 80% of your braking force and the added weight of our rigs will chew through them, you’ll just be replacing them again. Unless you’ve got the proper equipment and the knowhow, not sure I’d recommend drilling out your own rotors either. The replacements from Quigley are a decent choice and already drilled, I believe they use genuine Ford OEM rotors.

[neatvan]

Good info so far. Thanks. Happy to hear more!

Originally Posted by arctictraveller

As a journeyman machinist, I can tell you that if you lay out the holes by hand and drill by hand you will likely end up with holes that may not be in the exact right place due to the drill walking, holes not quite round, not exactly square or the exact right size due again to the drill walking around, but what the heck, buy a cheap rotor and give it a try.

I completely agree about the drill bit walking.

Originally Posted by TomsBeast

Hey Jeff, I saw where someone here had cleverly suggested taking a 8 on 170mm BC truck rotor, opening up each hole to 25/32 wo/changing the BC, such that studs on the van 6.5" BC now pass through the rotor (shown in the PDF drawing, above). As was mentioned, these rotors center on the hub, so the only thing to worry about is anti-rotation. At first I thought this would be kind of a 'amateur bull$hit' fix, until I came across an new rotor for a different make/model (while doing a brakejob) where the mfg did the same thing, and it worked great.

Good to know! This was my thought too. Simply enlarge the hole so that the bit isn't trying to walk around on me. I'll verify they are hub centric just for my peace of mind.

Originally Posted by TomsBeast

Or printout that pdf, above, and have a small 'automotive' mom & pop' type machine shop do it for you.

I called a couple machine shops in town hoping to just send the pdf and get a quote. The one guy that answered his phone asked me to just come in and show them. I may still try this just to get a pricing idea.

Originally Posted by REF

Unless you’ve got the proper equipment and the knowhow, not sure I’d recommend drilling out your own rotors either. The replacements from Quigley are a decent choice and already drilled, I believe they use genuine Ford OEM rotors.

I totally agree that the Quigley rotors are likely the easiest route and good quality components. Really, I'm just trying to save some money, but also be safe.

[neatvan]

The drawing also shows a 45 degree chamfer on the back (included below). That might be harder to accomplish with DIY tools. Anybody know the purpose of that, or is it necessary?

[arctictraveller]

Originally Posted by TomsBeast

Hey Jeff, I saw where someone here had cleverly suggested taking a 8 on 170mm BC truck rotor, opening up each hole to 25/32 wo/changing the BC, such that studs on the van 6.5" BC now pass through the rotor

Originally I was thinking that the studs would press into the rotor, but I now realize that's not the case. I've actually seen Glen at Agile do just as you are suggesting when installing bigger rotors. Accurate location and size are probably not as critical with that method. I also wonder if one could use the old rotor as a drill jig to locate the holes. Just place the two flanges together and drill through the original rotor holes for accurate placement.

[boywonder]

Originally Posted by arctictraveller

I've actually seen Glen at Agile do just as you are suggesting when installing bigger rotors. Accurate location and size are probably not as critical with that method. I also wonder if one could use the old rotor as a drill jig to locate the holes. Just place the two flanges together and drill through the original rotor holes for accurate placement.

When I was upgrading my brakes/rotors, Ramsey told me that they just open up the existing 8x170 holes until they go over the 8x6.5" studs.


That being said I drilled a new set of 8x6.5" holes offset from the 8x170mm holes. I have a Bridgeport...and a large rotary table and bought two drill bits to get there.....can't see doing this without the tools and a mill. Opening up the 8x170 holes certainly works, but the engineer in me struggles with that..and I had the equip required to put another set of holes in.

[arctictraveller]

Originally Posted by boywonder

Opening up the 8x170 holes certainly works, but the engineer in me struggles with that..and I had the equip required to put another set of holes in.

I completely agree with you....yet despite the fact that opening the holes a bit surely results in at least a tiny bit of slop and as a result you might wear the edge of the hole, the stud, or both. You could probably unballance the rotor by a few millionth's of a gram, or even induce run out. I'd imagine that in a hundred thousand miles or so, you might begin to notice. Despite my earlier opinion, I now say go for it. If it was good enough for Ramsey..............