I thought about trying that myself. I havn't laid it out exactly but I think you could press out the studs, weld up one hole and re-drill the bolt circle you want, and press in new studs. Grafting struts to swing arms is a lot more difficult. I bought a set of 17's with the 4x4.5 pattern but they will require spacers and longer studs pressed in.
As for brakes you can choose one of the many upgrades people mention in these posts.