Help Needed - 15” x 6” Kelsey Hayes Wide Five Rim Repair

[Ziggster]

Recently purchased a 15” x 6” Ford/Kelsey Hayes wide five rim. It’s in pretty bad shape with both physical damage to the rim edges and rusted out sections near the bead seat area. I have another in great shape I picked up at Hershey a few years ago. I’ve already ordered and received the 8.20 x 15 vintage Firestone tires, so I’m now stuck with using 15” rims. I really have no choice other than either trying to repair the damage or finding another or perhaps swapping out the centre sections with another compatible rim. Dropped off the rim in question at a local welding shop along with a donor GM truck rim that I found the other day. They’ll let me know tomorrow if they think they can repair the rim. I really would like to keep the wide five rims as I already got a front pair (16” x 4”) fitted with tires. I looked at perhaps going to a regular bolt pattern, but the cost of new hubs, drums, rims to fit the 28/29 Banjo axle gets way too spendy. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

[nickthebandit]

Put a wanted ad here on The Ford Barn. I am sure that you will get responses. IMO, buying another wheel will be less expensive than trying to repair the wheel that you already have.

[cas3]

Thats an oddball. Doesn't have windows in it like a normal ford truck wheel. lets see what the front looks like.

[Karl Wescott]

This is a thought. Probably overkill and not cost effective (yet). There is a process called thermal spray welding that can build up a surface on a shaft, so why not a wheel? Obviously the process would involve prep to clean metal, mounting on some type of spindle to heat the wheel and spray the weld, then machining on a large enough lathe. It might work if the wheel is rare enough and the desire there.

[Ziggster]

Originally Posted by nickthebandit

Put a wanted ad here on The Ford Barn. I am sure that you will get responses. IMO, buying another wheel will be less expensive than trying to repair the wheel that you already have.

Have had a wanted ad up here and the HAMB for the last month, and on local FB. When I purchased it at Hershey in 2023, I popped over to the Coker booth and asked them about it. Back then they said I have a unicorn, and should have seriously been looking for one since. I’m very lucky to have gotten this one despite its condition, so it is what it is now. lol!

[Ziggster]

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Originally Posted by cas3

Thats an oddball. Doesn't have windows in it like a normal ford truck wheel. lets see what the front looks like.

Are you talking about the good one? The pics of the bad one are from the front. The other side is in great shape. The pic is of the recently acquired wheel from the other side.

[Ziggster]

Originally Posted by Karl Wescott

This is a thought. Probably overkill and not cost effective (yet). There is a process called thermal spray welding that can build up a surface on a shaft, so why not a wheel? Obviously the process would involve prep to clean metal, mounting on some type of spindle to heat the wheel and spray the weld, then machining on a large enough lathe. It might work if the wheel is rare enough and the desire there.

I’ve thought of that actually, but I asked the guy at the shop if I could build up the rusted areas, and he said no as it would bend/break. So, it’s down to welding in grafted sections or finding a donor and swapping out the centres. I did email a shop in Toronto today, so will follow up with them tomorrow, however the local shop said he was fairly confident they could fix it. Will know more tomorrow.

[cas3]

Normal truck wheel with 5 windows. I can't remember if its 15 or 16". I know they came in different widths. Maybe Stu...truckdog would know.

[Ziggster]

Interesting. Haven’t seen wide fives like that before. When I initially bought the one in 2023, I posted this thread.

https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=332049

[Ziggster]

Should also mention, that I found this thread on the HAMB. Seems the OP has the same rims. I sent him a PM yesterday, but haven’t heard back yet.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...wheels.849665/

[Bob C]

I have a 1947 Wheel Industries Inc. catalog and it shows 1936-39 Ford 1/2 Ton 15x5.50 5-10 1/4" Wheel Mfrs. Part No. K-20369. and 15x6.00 5-10 1/4" Wheel Mfrs. No. K-28025.

[Ziggster]

Yep, that same P/N was confirmed by Truckdog62563 in the link. It’s actually interesting that both the rims are painted white.

[Brian]

back in the 70's, here in New Zealand, hotrodders wanted wide wheels for their cars. there were companies that would spin the supplied rim[s] in their lathes, part off the outer part of the rim on the outer side, roll up some plate to suit the desired wheel width, and weld said ring to the wheel, and the parted off section of rim to the other side of the 'spacer ring' to complete the wheel. Indeed, I have repaired Kelsey Hayes bent spoke wheels with outer rim damage like you've pictured, by parting off the damaged portion and parting off the same portion from a good stock wheel, and welding the two together. dressed up, no-one would even know. [i could have widened said rims at the same time using the above method, but chose to maintain the stock width.
Another way to approach your job, would be to find other rims the same dimension as your current wheels, drill all the rivets out of both wheels and set up in a lathe the replacement rim on your wide 5 centre so it runs true, and with correct offset, and weld the two components together. i have done this operation too, but actually fitted wider rims onto my chosen centres [as opposed to using rings as described above.

[Ziggster]

Interesting. I didn’t know you could spin metal as thick as that used for a rim. I was just watching some random FB vid where a guy was doing copper spinning with thin sheets, and that took a huge arm to press against the copper to shape it. Did find this vid of a guy on YT who widens rims. Makes it look too easy. lol!

https://youtu.be/yBVgLzompz4?si=bObyrLEmay8Lk4sy

With regards to replacing the centre sections with another rim, it’s known that for the 16” x 4” wide five wheels, the centres are the same as that used on Chrysler minivans. I got a pair of them I picked up from a wreckers a few years back. They’re 7” wide though when I thought they were only 6” wide. I even looked at aftermarket wide fives for dirt track cars, but the minimum widths were bigger than the 6.5” width Coker/Firestone recommends for the 8.20 x 15 ones I bought. Trying to find a rim to fit the 15” wide five centre could take forever.

[Ziggster]

I did message the seller on eBay about this Ford rim, as it has the very same huge offset in the centre of the rim similar to the wide five. Asked him to measure it, but haven’t heard back it.

[Ziggster]

eBay seller got back into me. Centre section is 12.625” in dia, so that’s a no go. Shop in Toronto got back and said it would be CAN$160 - $180. Not bad, but it’s a 5 hr plus drive one way. Still waiting to hear back from the local weld shop.

[big deuce]

If the center of 12.625 is not correct, what size wheel shell ID are you after?

[Ziggster]

About 12.25”.

[Ziggster]

Just following up. Stopped by the weld shop today, and owner said it can be fixed, and he will actually do the repair. Should be ready on Monday. Hoping it all works out. Had my Firestone 8.20 x 15 mounted to the other rim today as well. They told me it was bent slightly. Damn, it looked so nice. I’ll worry about that later. Pics of it and my 16” x 4” Excelsior 6.50 x 16 tire mounted to the front rim.

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by Ziggster

Just following up. Stopped by the weld shop today, and owner said it can be fixed, and he will actually do the repair. Should be ready on Monday. Hoping it all works out. Had my Firestone 8.20 x 15 mounted to the other rim today as well. They told me it was bent slightly. Damn, it looked so nice. I’ll worry about that later. Pics of it and my 16” x 4” Excelsior 6.50 x 16 tire mounted to the front rim.