1947 Kaiser

[joefrazer]

47K pix
http://fargo.craigslist.org/cto/1690241252.html

[NoDak]

Thanks ben, both right side doors have sill plates that say Special but the left doors are both missing them. I know when my grandpa restored the car he ordered most of the parts he needed from catalogs and over the phone from salvage yards so maybe he just could't find some for the left side doors. I am still trying to attach some pictures but for some reason it says the file is to big. Any help?

[Thomas]

Not really sure if joining the club will help, as I joined over a month ago received an email with membership number, and nothing since, sent 3 emails to club including president, no answers, checked & paypal paid $45 .  However on a good note the help from this group has been the best of any club I have been in in over 50 years of cars, racing & rods.

[NoDak]

Thanks Joe for getting the pictures don't know why I didn't think of that but i'm not real good at computers.     
Don't know how the club would be but I gotten a lot of great information from these guys already and I thank you all.

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

The car color is the lighter Airway Blue (753) that was one of the original colors of the Kaiser (Bulletin #3, 10/1/46). 

As I said in an earlier post, the car is one of the earliest production Kaiser cars still around.

Also noted the post from Thomas about not getting publications.  In the last 3 months, the only thing that's come out is the Monthly Bulletin; the last Quarterly went out last fall, along with the 2010 calendar and the KFOCI HANDBOOK CD.  The mailling list Barbara uses for the Bulletin comes out of the Membership Secretary...we are not involved in the editing,printing and distrubution of any other publication.    Barbara and I are supposed to see Mike Knittel, the club President over the weekend.  Also, Thomas, have you talked to the Membership Secretary and/or the Treasurer of the club directly?

Jack Mueller

[NoDak]

Thanks again Jack. I never knew they had a blue colored car. Of all the people that have seen my car none of them ever remember a blue one.  Thats cool. The pictures of the  blue cars that i've seen, I just thought they didn't like the green or brown color that most of them are painted.
Is there a blue book for older cars online somewhere?

[joefrazer]

Try http://nada.com/

[NoDak]

Thanks Joe, Think I'm underinsured.  Does anyone have any idea how many of these cars are still on the road or around the country?

[Orphanauto]

Hey Nodak, I just wanted to jump in and welcome you to the club. There are some really great people in the KF club. I have only met a few in person, but here in the forum I have met quite a few. Lets face it, one of the best parts of a club, or job or.. is the people. They won't toot their own horn, but Jack is fantastic with helping people on the history stuff. He has a GREAT book out on Kaisers Frazers, I would very highly recommend it, as you can learn alot about the cars, and the history of Kaiser Frazer. This Forum has been very helpful to hobbiest like myself. A few people commenting to you such as Bentex, Gordie,and Joefrazer, ect..  I've never met, but have read thier post, great bunch of folks here. Anyway, Just wanted to welcome you to the club. I am in the s.w. part of Mo. if your ever in the area I would love to meet you. keep the photos coming as you progress, thanks, and WELCOME.

[NoDak]

Can anyone tell me the difference about the exhaust pipe mounting to the exhaust manifold up front or under the carb/air cleaner?

[joefrazer]

The early KF engines with the front mounted exhaust pipe tended to vapor lock because the fuel pump was located downstream of the exhaust pipe so the change was made to help solve the problem. As anyone who drives a Kaiser or Frazer knows, it helped, but not much...

[NoDak]

I've never had that happen so that must mean I don't drive it enough. The only problem I had was that it would not want to turnover when it was hot after a long drive. but I think that the starter might need new brushes, but since I went with an 8 volt battery it starts everytime.

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

The problem you describe is vapor lock.  The 8 volt battery turns the starter faster and with less current load than the 6 volt and that moves the air bubbles of gas through the system and brings up good fuel before the battery starts to wear out.

The original Kaiser and Frazer 226 was a slightly bored out version of the prewar Graham 217 cu inch motor.  The layout of the Graham engine compartment had better ventilation (as was the case with a number of prewar cars compared to postwar machines).  The actual test program for the original design in a prototype Kaiser or Frazer was confined to the first 6 months of 1946, before the really hot weather came along.  Based on reports from the field (dealer and customer) the company got with Continental engines to re-design the block and exhaust manifold to put the fuel pump ahead of the heat radiating from the exhaust manifold and exhaust pipe. 

The situation became worse in the last 20 or so years because of gasoline reformulations mandated due to EPA restrictions on additives.  As a result gasoline today evaporates at a lower temperature than when the cars were new...40 degrees inside the engine compartment made the difference between vapor lock or proper operation for the Saturn SUV;  I had a modest role in the fuel system for the L-850 4 cylinder.

[pnw_oldmags]

My 53 Manhattan always vapor locked on hot days.  I always blamed it on the rear end sag.  Lowering the gas tank lower than the fuel pump up front.  An electric fuel pump in the rear would do a better job of pumping up hill than a mechanical fuel pump up front will do pulling up hill.  Just my thoughts.

[NoDak]

Does the paint lighter airway blue have mixing instructions or did they just add some white to lighten it up from the airway blue? I am trying to got a half pint to touch up a some paint chips. Is the number 753 airway blue or lighter airway blue? The auto supply store got in some airway blue but the person said it looked a lot darker and grayer than my car.