MTFCA Forum

Sorry but I'm so confused now.

So my rims are Kelsey and look just like the drawing via the drawings on this site under resources. If I look at my felloes they are flat on one side which appears to be Ford under the ford 2845B drawing or 2845C drawing.

So do I have Kelsey rims on Ford fellows?

Darren

don't get discouraged!

you are doing your due diligence in trying to learn about your car and one of the more confounding things on them is the subject of fellos vs rims. I just looked up what you referenced, as I have in the past, and think that you have referred to the 1919-1925 rims/wheels which were 30x3 1/2 wheels. Those are not your wheels...you have later demountable with split rims and Martyn has not illustrated those yet from what I can tell.

Looking at your fellos it is clear that someone very dedicated, went to a lot of trouble to damage them so badly and so thoroughly. If they were in my shop I'd be really inclined to make a set of roller dies and bring those edges back to where they belonged. Minor or localized flatness/damage can be dealt with manually with care but an entire diameter of damage would be very tedious work and not be entirely accurate.

You're not the first guy to find this sort of negligent damage but it is always sad to see.

Unfortunate damage, especially since rust damage is almost non-existent.

Your rims are Canadian !

That rim is undoubtedly a Canadian rim. The holes in the side at the split and the type of clip at the split are indicators. Your clip is incomplete and damaged, and is missing a pin to hold it together.
The inner felloe edge looks to be flattened, perhaps by running it at some time without a rim fitted. However, the register mark made by the rim shows that it was wedged on the inner land as it should be, so it may have worked well. As advised, it would be better to find a sound replacement.

Allan from down under.

Allan noted rim is Canadian, the two holes opposite are for the Rim Tool to open and close the split rim.


Canada Service Bulletin

So I l restored what I had. It was pretty easy as only one rim was abused. The had excellent witness marks on the other ones to determine the angle I needed. All are striped, primed and ready for paint tomorrow.

Darren

Looks as if you've done a great job!

Jerry VanOoteghem wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 21, 2026 7:54 pm

Looks as if you've done a great job!

I second that emotion.

Darren

you are someone whose future posts I will make sure to follow. You have the interest, skill, and smarts to ask good questions and obviously have the ability to apply yourself to achieve really impressive and solid results.

Kudos.

That rim looks great.

One thing to consider is using a black/dark primer. (assuming a black/dark top coat)
A light primer will show thru when scratched or paint flaked requiring constant touch up to continue looking nice.

The Model T Ford was designed for the average person to repair their own car.
There is no reason that you can not do it today.
Especially when you do a nice job.
Keep up the good work.

Mike

Darren,
You've been praised by some of the most knowledgeable guys on the forum so you must be doing something right

Kelsey had a plant in Windsor, Ontario and their wheels ended up on a lot of Canadian and export cars. For what it's worth, the Kelsey felloe is a bit narrower than either the Hayes or Ford. Rims made to fit a Kelsey may not properly fit a Hayes or Ford. I have three brand-new 30 x 3.5 clincher rims from Australia that I can't use because they won't slide on far enough to contact the rear flanges on my Ford and Hayes felloes. The attached photo shows there was a great difference between the wheels available for Model T's.

If your rims fit snug against the felloe's rear flange and are tight to the circumference of the felloe itself you should be good - that assumes the lug bolts extend far enough that you can get a nut on them with some thread remaining.

The first incarnation of demountable T rims were held on the wheels with loose U shaped lugs. These rims were designed to wedge on the outer rolled in edge of the. Tim's photo shows this type of felloe on the left. There should be a punched in land on the inner diameter of the felloe, which serves as a land for a foot on the loose lug.
23" and 21" rims with fixed lugs wedged on a wider inside land on the felloe, as shown on the right in Tim's photo.

Allan from down under.

Allan is correct although the photo doesn't show it very well. The felloe on the left is "loose lug" but when I bought the car there was a fixed-lug rim mounted to the wheel. No two wheels were alike on my car when I bought it so I've spent some time acquiring felloes that match. Even so, I have a pair of Hayes on the front and Ford's on the back. That's left me with a few spare wheels but I've had good luck with my current arrangement.

Changing the discussion a bit, there are some strange wheels out there. One of the wheels I removed doesn't have a hole for the tenons - it has a rounded spot the end of the spoke rests into. It makes it impossible to check the condition of the tenon. The felloe has a notch like a Hayes but is not Hayes-made.