No...........the problem is drag radials. They are unforgiving and break EVERYTHING. And I would also bet the housing is bent from the spring perches out.
The issue with steel wheels and ANY size stud in something with power, is the way the wheel mounts. When aftermarket parts are involved, the wheel no longer registers on the axle. The hole in the wheel is bigger than stud and your sole means of support is the cone on the nut. Add drag radials and I am surprised it hasn't already broke the studs. So even if you do go 5/8 studs, you are going to have to come up with another way to clamp a steel wheel, if that is what you are going to run. The wheel MUST fit the unthreaded shank on the stud, as that is what supports the wheel
What Monte said but I will add that the vee shape hole in the steel wheel is like a cleaver to the stud. It may be possible to get straight shank studs and open up the holes in the wheels to the straight size diameter, or maybe some hat inserts like Lamb sells for the front wheels. There is a yellow TT Nova here that sheared off the studs launching on a well prepped track (Raidalfest at Huntsville) two events in a row. He put new studs on this year after shearing them off last year, and the results were the same except this year he went into the wall. Steel wheels on threaded studs + traction + power = trouble.
Yeah, you dodged a bullet. Go buy a lotto ticket.
