Do you have to swap over to five lugs and the different axle / hub assembly if you are dropping in a 6 cylinder? I know it has benefits of its own, but is this a "must have" item for the engine convert? I already figured on replacing the springs / shocks to cover the added weight and power, but what else?

Thanks,

Mike (in Portland)

No, a five-lug swap is not required. For the smaller /6s, the /4 half-shafts are adequate, so there's no need to swap that over, either. If you're considering a later /6, upgrading to beefier CVs and half-shafts wouldn't be a bad thing to do.

Nope. The Cap'n

Not a must-have item at all, I just completed a conversion with a 2.4 motor, and i am still 4 lug all the way around. Of course, I am only running 140 hp or so with that motor, if you are contemlating a larger motor, you may need to consider going with something stronger...

I have a 2.7 six in my car with 4-lug and stock brakes. The primary reason to change to 5-lug in my opinion is to have a wider selection of wheels and widths (most just want the look of Fuchs forged alloys). I have 7" wide 15" wheels which is all you need for the widest tires you can fit under a stock bodied car.
As to the bigger brakes possible with 5-lug, I don't think that is critical. While it is nice to have more brake on any car, 2 more cylinders don't make the car any harder to stop. Grip is more of a limiting factor than caliper/disc size. The added weight of a six is no more than a passenger. My top speed will not increase significantly with a six over a four, I will just get there faster!
Unless you're going racing, 4 lug is fine.