VAGABOND

[Terry T]

could you get a trunk lid on a Vagabond?

[Fid]

Only my observation but I've never seen one that didn't have a trunk lid.
Pictured are the one I owned up till last month (green one)
Jerry Johnson's (four cylinder Caribbean coral)
Glen Warden (far right in bottom pic)

[Vagabond Russ]

Hmmmm, my Vagabond 4 cylinder doesn't have a deck lid or continental spare.  Never did, either.  Does have the "Vagabond" script on the front fenders.

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

It's in the KFOCI HANDBOOK CD.  The deck lid was part of select Accessory Groups (a forerunner of today's Perferred Equipment Package or PEP) for both 4 and 6 cylinder models into the 1953 model year.  For 1954 all HJ's had deck lids as part of standard equipment.  During the 1951, 1952 Vagabond and 1952 Corsair programs, you could also (through the Accessory Group) get the combination of deck lid and folding seat back which created a kind of mini-hatchback;  It was like the late 40's DeSoto and Chrysler Carry-Alls but the HJ trunk opening is higher.  According to correspondence between the factory and a dealer in Texas, you could not easily swap out the fixed seat with the folding seat back type. 

[Fid]

Hmmmm, my Vagabond 4 cylinder doesn't have a deck lid or continental spare.

A lot of them did not get the Continental tire even though it was advertised and promoted as standard (or at least implied in literature.)
When I hosted a meet in 2005 there was a former KF employee who came and spoke to us and he informed us when they were converting the cars at dealerships if the dealers did not have paint facilities (and many did not) then the cars did not get the continental kit.  Mine did not have it originally.

[Gordie]

The early literature did say that the continental kits would be standard equipment on the Vagabonds but a bulletin came out announcing that henceforth the continental kit would be an extra cost option.

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

Here's the story ...

As I have listed in the KFOCI HANDBOOK on CD item on 1951-1952 Vagabond Henry J's, When Confidential Bulletin #73 (Direct Dealers series: #70 in the regular All Dealers series) Accessory Group's 17 and 26 (4 cylinders) have Deck Lids among its items...17 also had fold down rear seat back, 26 had fixed rear seat back.  You could also get a 4 cylinder with no Accessory Group (so no deck lid) if you wanted a bare bones version.  If your 6 cylinder Vagabone was equipped with Accessory Group 8, you didn't get the deck lid; Accessory Groups 24 and 25 featured a Deck Lid with fold down rear seat back (group 24) or stationary rear seat back (group 25).  When the cars were announced to dealers, the documents stated that the Continental kits were an option, at around $94.00 including Federal Tax.  The kits were also offered by dealers as a dealer installed option.  Accordingly the dealer-installed price might be a bit higher depending on service department labor charges at the dealership.   For the 1953 model year, changes to the rear bumper area made the "older version" kits arder to fit and were not recommended for the 1953 and 1954 models.

More information on this will be found on the CD, including the Parts & Accessories bulletin on the item as a dealer installed option. 

[Fid]

Good information Jack, I'm sure I read it a couple of times but it's good to see it again.  There's also those "dealer/owner enhanced" versions.  This K513 was purchased from a former salesman in Red Oak, Iowa in '74.  This was a low-mileage car but it was a '51 with no trunk lid but it did have opening wing vents and cigar lighter and radio. I don't know what AG group it was but most observations I've had indicate that a K513 without a trunk lid was not fitted with an AG so this person added a lot of "Stuff" to it even going so far as adding '51 Frazer 'Vagabond' scripts (with screws!) to the fender in addition to the Continental kit. He also added the newer tail lights to the fender crowns. It was tutoned and had beauty rims on the wheels.  There was a set of wide whitewall snow tires (Which I still have) in the trunk. All of these items were added by the original owner who worked for the dealer in Red Oak. The car had been sitting in a garage since 1954 when the original owner passed away.  It also had a Southwind gas heater and an anti-sway bar. 

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

Fid, the 3 items you list were optional items that could be dealer installed on a K513.  Later in 1951, opening vent windows were also added to the 513's dealer-installed option list to dress up the stripped down (no Accessory Group) versions.