MTFCA Forum

When I Googled the address it all looks a bit dodgy to me. The language used throughout sounds a bit off too. Dare I say AI generated! Has anyone heard of this outfit before?

Allan from down under.

I also saw the same add on Facebook if I remember. Wasn’t a whole lot of information. Comments about it wondered the same thing.

I bought new Hayes style rims from "Vintage Rims" in Australia, they are very nice. Here is a link to the website.

https://www.vintagerimsaus.com/

An earlier MTFCA forum thread is here:

viewtopic.php?t=35342

I have heard thru the grapevine that there is a place in India reproducing the Rudge wheel and hub components. Have to assume that this fella is somehow related. His rim pics are strangely familiar, and suggest that he could be an importer of rims from the UK (formerly NZ)

As far as I know, the NZ equipment for rim making was exported to the UK but has since never been used.
Vintage Rims Australia does make really good products. Steve is a good supporter of the Model T clubs in Australia.

Allan from down under.

The tooling is up and running in the UK, I have received a couple rims from them and quality seems to be equal to NZ. I miss the USD to NZD currency exchange rate tho…!

Langs does have non-demountable rims in stock for those wood felloed wheels.

Kevin, the US$ - Au$ rate would be almost as good. All the more reason to contact Steve at Vintage Rims.

Thank you for the update on the UK maker. They certainly took their time setting up.

Allan from down under.

Steve at Vintage Rims AU does make very nice rims in almost every size and rim style, and have used several sets of his clincher rims. However, he does not make the lock rings for his lock ring rims. Luckly this is only an occasional problem for me, but lock rings are only available from the UK

I've been talking to the guy in Florida about his rims. He says they're all made in the USA, at his facility. He apparently makes them for a lot of brands, not just Model T's. He invites anyone visiting Florida to call and stop in to look at his operation.

I may order a rim just to check them out. I lost a lot of $$ on the useless rims I got from Australia so am being cautious. If I end up getting a rim I will post about it and let everyone know what I've learned.

He did send me a pix of a Chevy rim which I include here.

Can’t tell if it is the way photo was taken, all the “real” Chevy rims I have seen the notch in lug was at an angle. Not square with the rim. ???

The Chev rims we are using on my son's 10 cwt lorry do have the slot straight up. It needs to be that way because the the valve stem is so close to the mounting stud. This allows the valve stem to go through the felloe as the rim is lowered. Also, an original Chev rim is 3/16--1/4" wider than a T rim.

Allan from down under.

Had another chat - the fellow in Florida started his business in Argentina 19 years ago and while he still has a presence there, he moved to Florida a while back and has expanded his business to the US. He admitted to being new to making Model T rims and wheels, having concentrated on wheels and rims for the more high-end classic cars. I'll have more to report later.

Interesting…

I just purchased some non-demountable rims from Langs. Wonder if I need to drill the valve hole or if Stutzman will do that? Can I have these rims powder coated before I send them to Ohio?

You can powder coat the rims before rewooding, but I would never do it. When the wheel is built it will be tight on a paint layer, rather than on the steel of the rim. The paint will break down with use and there goes the tight fit of the felloes. You could give them a coat of metal etch primer that is nice and thin.

Allan from down under.