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By oldcarmark - 8 Years Ago
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Looking for 4 15 Inch standard Rims to clean up and Paint and reinstall with new Tires on my Fairlane. I found 4 for sale off a 56 T-Bird . Are they the same?
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By NoShortcuts - 8 Years Ago
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Oldcarmark. My understanding is that '55 and '56 'Bird and passenger car rims are the same. I'm not aware of whether '55 and '56 Ford station wagon rims are different from the passenger car rims. On some GM cars I've been told that wagon rims are a different width.
Click the link below for a previous posting I made for someone else who asked a similar question.
http://forums.y-blocksforever.com/FindPost116173.aspx
Hope this helps! 
Regards,
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By oldcarmark - 8 Years Ago
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That's very useful Info on previous Post. I can use that to check out these Rims. I can see in Pics that it has the Hub Cap retainer "nubs". There's 4 almost new WW Tires on Rims. I don't want the Tires so I am waiting to hear back if He will take Tires off.Thanks for the Info.
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By PF Arcand - 8 Years Ago
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Mark: I wonder if they are selling as T. Bird rims, based on a higher estimated value?..
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By oldcarmark - 8 Years Ago
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The asking Price complete with WW nearly new Tires is $100.00/per wheel in set of 4. I offered $100.00 for 4 Rims without Tires.
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By MoonShadow - 8 Years Ago
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Weren't some of them Kelsey Hayes wheels? I personally don't see any more value in them.
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By pegleg - 8 Years Ago
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If that doesn't work i have a couple you can have for shipping.
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By speedpro56 - 8 Years Ago
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. The rims should be the same size. From what I've seen the Tbirds were marked K-H and the standard Fords were just marked Ford. I've heard the Kelsey wheels are better than the plain fords, could mean stronger???
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By oldcarmark - 8 Years Ago
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pegleg (7/25/2017)
If that doesn't work i have a couple you can have for shipping.
Thanks for the Offer but I don't even want to think about shipping Cost to Canada.
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By slumlord444 - 8 Years Ago
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I know the '57 T-Bird rims are slightly different than the passanger cars but they will interchange. '57 Bird and wagon rims are the same width but I think the Bird are welded and the wagon are rivited. I used wagon rims for my slicks back in the day because they were the same width. Not sure about the 56.
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By NoShortcuts - 8 Years Ago
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Slumlord. I agree and disagree with you.
'57 'Bird rims and '57 wagon rims appear to be identical in as mounted position without a wheel cover or dog dish on them.
Both the 'Bird and the wagon wheel rims have:
- 14 inch size tires...
- a center hole opening of 2 9/16, almost 2 5/8 inch diameter...
- 5 lug nut openings...- 5 flat faced ‘spokes’ between the 5 lug nut openings... - the letters FoMoCo with a surrounding ellipse stamped into the flat 'spoke' surface adjacent to a lug nut opening... - the letters K-H stamped on yet another of the above mentioned 5 flat ‘spokes’... - 3 ‘lugs’ that could be used to secure hub caps (not wheel covers) if used... - no vent slots where the center wheel mounting plate fits into the inside perimeter of the wheel rim... DIFFERENCES: - '57 'Bird wheel rims measure 5 inches between where the tire beads seal...
- '57 wagon wheel rims measure 5 1/2 inches between where the tire beads seal...
- Many, perhaps most '57 wagon rims have the center mounting plates riveted to the perimeter wheel rim. –look for three button head rivet heads on the backside of each of the four center plate mounting ‘tabs’
- I'm told that later '57 wagon wheel rims and perhaps '58 wagon wheel rims have the center plates spot welded to the perimeter rim, also.
IMPORTANT:
* '57 wagon wheel rims mounted on the front wheel hubs need a spacer so that there is not interference between the wheel rim and the upper ball joints as you experience road suspension movement. My memory is fussy on this, but I think I've hear a 1/4 inch or 5/16 inch spacer plate will provide the needed clearance.
* IF you are using skirts on your '57 'Bird rear wheel openings . . .
- tire sidewalls mounted on '57 wagon 5 1/2 inch wheel rims with no spacers used will clear the wheel opening skirts unless you participate in elevated speed, James Bond-type road course cornering activities
- tires sidewalls mounted on '57 wagon 5 1/2 inch wheel rims will JUST clear the wheel opening skirts . . .
* IF you're running a tire size equivalent to the '57 factory size, but in metric. Fuzzy again, 205-75(?)-14. Somebody doing this now should be able to help here.
* IF the '57 'Bird body was properly located (centered) on the frame when someone did their body-off restoration.
Hope this helps someone!
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By NoShortcuts - 8 Years Ago
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Hmmmmm . . . Did the '57 convertibles or the retractables use the solid center 5 1/2 inch station wagon rims, too? Or was that later in the '50s? Have to admit I didn't pay much attention to the convertibles then.
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By Oldmics1 - 8 Years Ago
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Charlie
Bit of a misnomer on the wagon wheels. What I have discovered is also new information to me as well !
3-different wheels for the 1957 model year.
T-Birds - B7S-1015-A
Everything - EXCEPT models 79C and 79E (Curiously those are 9 and 8 passenger wagons) B7A1015-A
For wagons that are 79C and 79E (These are the 5.5 wide wheels) B7A1015-B
So it appears that our commonly held belief that ALL of the 57 wagons used a 5.5 wide wheel is not correct according to the parts book. ONLY the 8 and 9 passenger wagons got the wide wheels.
Oldmics
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By NoShortcuts - 8 Years Ago
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Oldmics. THANKS for coming in on this. Ford parts books are our official source of information.
I have to tell you that I have gotten 5 1/2 inch wagon rims off of more than one '57 Ford wagon having only a front and rear seat back in the day.
Know that I believe what you have found in the Ford parts books.
I wish we all could have spent a day on the FoMoCo assembly line. I think we all might have a few stories to tell.
Regards,
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