Original rims

[Karl]

G'day.

I am looking at replacing the 15" rims on my 63 hardtop with the correct 14" rims.
I have a image with the specs of the dimensions for a rim.

Being in Australia there are not many used Thunderbird's to obtain good rims from.
I was asked the question weather the rims for a Thunderbird are the same as a 64 Mustang, I couldn't answer the question so I am asking if anybody here knows if they are interchangeable.

Karl

[Alan H. Tast]

First off, you can thank me for the drawing

As a starting point, here's the 1968 Ford Master Parts Catalog (MPC) listing for T-bird rims:

T-bird Wheels 1960-1968 (from Ford Car MPC June 1968 Sec 10 p 3)

As for Mustang rims, bear in mind that the 6-cylinder wheels for Falcons and Mustangs were all 4-lug vs 5-lug for the V-8 versions. The first-generation V8-equipped ones from '64.5-'66 should have the same 5 x 4.5" bolt pattern, but for a steel rim that takes a wheel cover, the center section will be riveted on. As for the rim itself, rim width for '64.5-'66 Mustangs with 14"-diameter-5 x 4.5" bolt pattern wheels is 5" (C5ZZ 1007-A before 2/1/65 and C5ZZ 1007-B from 2/1/65) versus the 5.5" rim width for the T-bird.

In 1967 the Mustang's optional styled steel wheel C7ZZ 1007-B was offered as a 14"x5.5" - this was a one-year-only wheel, along with the gray/Argent Silver-painted GT wheel C7OZ 1007-B: in 1968 the wheels went to either a 5"- or 6"-wide rim width, depending on application/powertrain. And, as I don't know the center hub opening diameter, there's a strong chance it may be smaller than the T-bird version.

Mustang Wheels 1964.5-1968 (from Ford Car MPC June 1968 Sec 10 p 2)

For comparison, here's the full-size Ford wheels for 1960-1968:

Full-size Ford Wheels 1960-1968 (from Ford Car MPC June 1968 Sec 10 p 1)

Fairlanes with 14"-5" wheels with the 5x4.5" bolt pattern included C2AZ 1007-C (also used on '60-'64 full-size Fords) and '66 Fairlanes (these are riveted rims with 4 slots between the center section and rim), and C7OZ 1007-A, which was specified for use on GTs with F70x14" wide-oval tires. There are several 14"x5" rims listed, but again be aware that 6-cylinder models may have a lower load capacity and may be 4-lug vs 5-lug.

Fairlane Wheels 1962-1968 (from Ford Car MPC June 1968 Sec 10 p 2)

People need to know that the center hub opening diameter changed from the older wheels' 2-5/8" diameter used on '58-'61 T-birds (the B8A 1015-A) to the smaller 2 7/16" shown (C2SZ 1007-A). The wheel support for the car is based on the wheel being hub-centric, which means the center hub contacts the drum hubs. A larger hub opening would require a concentric ring spacer/filler sized for fit over the hub and inside the hole of the rim.

The Mustang/Falcon wheel, partially because it's center section is riveted to the rim, will have a lesser weight capacity, and may end up flexing more, meaning you may be throwing more front wheel covers than you want to deal with.

Full-size Mercurys from 1961-1964 used the full-size Ford's14"x5.5" C2AZ 1007-A rim as a standard item, and an optional heavy-duty 14"x6" rim, C3AZ 1007-A for '62-'64 heavy-duty applications (it was standard on '61-'64 Mercury station wagons). This rim is similar to the T-bird rims with no vent holes and center welded to the rim.

1961-1963 Lincolns used a 14"x6" "K"-style rim (Ford/Mercury/T-bird wheels used a "J"-style rim), which was a heavier rim but with a different bolt pattern, 5x5" diameter, than the Ford/Mercury/T-bird's 4.5" diameter.

Mercury-Lincoln Wheels 1960-1964 (from 1960-64 Lincoln-Mercury MPC)

[Karl]

Thank you very much for your reply Alan.
And thanks for the drawing.
It seems that it is not that simple.

When I purchased my T'Bird back in 2009 it came with 15" rims.
I replaced the rims keeping them 15" because I used the same tyres and I couldn't find original "T"Bird rims. The one's that were originally on the car had dings and one was bent.
I replaced them with Ford one's off a E.A. I think, early 1990, they were straight and I had them powder coated.
Now the center opening for the 15" rims have a larger hole so I made up spacers so the rim is centered on the hub.

You also talk about the Mustang/Falcon rims having a riveted center section not being able to carry a heavy load. Interesting you say this, The rims that I have (E.A.?) The center section is welded I think, I cant see any rivets nor welds for that matter but It is a separate piece.
Maybe these rims can't carry a T'Bird front end weight? All though I haven't had a problem to date (- touch wood.)
I was running some '72 wire wheel dress rims, they used to squeak all the time and I could never work out where the noise was coming from. It took me years till I realized that it was the dress trims. I didn't loose any - only one time when I hit a big pot hole in the road.
I wonder if the squeak was from the rim flexing because of the weight of the T'Bird front end .
I think I will just have to keep searching. - Does anybody have any images of an original rim?

Thanks again Alan
Karl.

[ICON 1956]

It's good to hear from you Karl. This is a 15 inch rim from my 56. is original.

[Alan H. Tast]

Karl: Pictures of original T-bird rims are in VTCI's 1961-1963 Original Factory Specifications (OFS) manual in part 2-Exterior on page H2-12 (I should know - I used photos I took of my rims). As I've been going through the '61-'63 OFS pages lately to find and replace lower-resolution/poor quality photos with better ones for an updated release (coming sometime in 2024), I went out this morning and got some photos of some C2SZ 1007-A rims.

The major differences between the full-size Ford wheel C2AZ 1007-A and the T-bird rim C2SZ 1007-A are the presence of 4 vent slots in the C2AZ- wheel and the use of rivets to hold the center and rim together. What's pictured below is the C2SZ- T-bird wheel.

This is the front side of the wheel. You can barely see there's three 'nubs' for mounting a 10-1/2" 'dog-dish' hubcab on the raised ring surrounding the lug holes. If you select and enlarge the photo you'll see a 'K-H' stamp in one of the raised areas of the center between two lug holes, and another with the FoMoCo oval trademark stamp.

Exterior side of C2SZ 1007-A rim

This is the back side of the wheel. You can see where the center 'spyder' is in full contact with the rim and some of the four flanges where it's welded to the rim face.

Interior side of C2SZ 10078-A rim

The rims are stamped on the inside face with size, rim profile type (in this case, 'J'), and a date code.

Rim size/type ID stamp

This is another style of wheel size/type stamp found on the inside face of the rim. You can barely see the wheel trade association stamp for a dropped-center style rim and the Kelsey-Hayes circular ID stamp below the size/type stamp.

Wheel size-Rim Style Stamp

The wheel trade association's stamp for identifying the rim as a drop-center type and manufacturer's ID (in this case Kelsey-Hayes's circular stamp) can be seen better in this photo.

Wheel size-Rim Style Stamp w/ K-H ID

This page from a period manufacturer's catalog gives some additional specifications for wheels/rims which may be useful if you're searching for a comparable one.

Wheel catalog page with rim profiles

[Cliff Rankin]

Ok there is a picture of my spare. And a picture of it on the car when I caught it being a 62 rim. Always rode good and ran it a long time before noticing. It’s now my spare tire rim. Hard to tell a difference if it’s not on the car.
The other picture was a 65 15” rim with old proper size tire for a 65. Fit good and looked pretty cool. I have the advantage of a tire machine and balancer at work.
I feel my rims on the car now are correct. Karl if I can
Help please let me know. Boy those down loaded weird.
Go from bottom to top.
Cliff

[Karl]

Sorry for the late reply but I have been away over Christmas.
Thanks everyone for the photo's and advice, they give me a better idea.
Trying to find original ones in Australia would be hard but now I have a better understanding of what to look for. At the end of the day I may just have to settle for something close. Something that I don't have to use the spacers like I am using at the moment with the 15" rims and something that I can use my original wheel trims on.
The cost of shipping from the U.S. for original ones would be horrendous and then I would not know what I was getting.
Thanks again for all of your help.
Karl.