New Kaiser guy, lots of questions

[Wildcat]

Hey everyone, I just picked up a 51' Deluxe and I am going to bring it back to life.  Everything is original and all there from what I can tell.  My first question is the 6V/12V thing.  I know they are 6 volt originally, however mine has two voltage regulators on the firewall that are labeled "12V to 6V regulator".  Is there any chance that it has been converted already, or are these original?  It also has 12V headlights. 
Actually,  that's the biggest question I have for now, I'm sure there will be lots more when I get this thing running.  A little more about me an the car, I am 26, so I was not around when older cars were new and because of that I missed out on a lot of experience with things like this.  The car has the original 3 speed with manual overdrive, it is a 2 door, convertible, not sure if it was originally a convertible or not, and is in pretty decent shape.  I know parts availability is pretty scant, however I have pretty much everything I need to get this car done.  Any help would be appreciated as this is my first car project that isn't an Oldsmobile, so it's dark territory for me.
Thanks,
Zach

[GA Kaiser]

Zach.  Welcome to the group.  Wow.  You will generate a lot of discussions.  Kaiser did not make convertibles in the second generation body which is 1951 and on, so it is a custom job.  Apparently there are a few around, though, and they look really nice.  I've only seen photos of them.   

I have a '54 Manhattan 4 door.  It still needs work, but I have a great time with it at shows and cruise-ins, except when it is scalding hot outside, like right now in Georgia. 

Good luck with it. I will watch to see what you write about.

[joefrazer]

All 47-55 Kaiser automobiles were 6V so your car was converted at some time. As mentioned before, KF never made a 2 door 51-5 convertible, with the exception of one or two prototypes that were built by Dietrich for KF so that they could decide whether to go to production with such a car. I know of one in Missouri that is more or less original and another is supposed to exist. Maybe that's yours!

The engine in a KF is fairly easy to work on and most parts can be had at places like NAPA and AutoZone. If your car has an automatic transmission, it'll be just about the same unit as what GM used in the same time span since KF bought transmissions from them. If yours is a standard transmission with overdrive, then it's a Borg Warner unit and parts for them are easily obtained.

Post a picture or two...it's not often that we get to see a 51 Kaiser convertible!

[Wildcat]

The trim code is 2450, and judging by the registry there aren't any others.  A lot of this car is a mystery to me, but it should turn out pretty nice.  I would hate to slap a 12V battery in and hope it doesn't start on fire, but like I said I just picked it up this week so I have a little work to do before starting it and driving around. I doubt it was originally a convertible, but who knows.  The rear firewall is a cobb job with regular sheet metal.  The voltage regulators are about the size of hockey pucks and they are connected together on the drivers side firewall.

[Fid]

Welcome to the hobby and best of luck with the project.  A few things a 26 year old may not know about old cars:
There is a separate button to run the starter on a 1951, at least there was originally. If it's been converted to 12 V it may not have that any more but  originally, you had to turn the ignition key to the on position and push the starter button to start it.  A three speed with overdrive is really cool and fun to drive but you need to remember if the overdrive cable is pushed in, then you have to park the car in reverse it will roll as the OD had a freewheeling mechanism in it and just putting it in gear will not hold it as the wheels will turn independent of the engine in the three forward gears. If the OD control cable is pulled out, then the freewheeling mechanism is disengaged and you can park it in the forward gears.  I keep my OD in all the time so I always park my cars in reverse. Works fine. If the car has set a long time, the gas tank could be full of sludge so when you do try to start it, you may want to disconnect the fuel line at the pump and use a gas can with clean fresh gas to start it.  If you have to install plug wires, the distributor turns counter clockwise on the KF engines so don't make the mistake of getting the firing order backwards.  Check the lube in the transmission and rearend before driving it very far.  If either is empty, the standard 80/90 gear lube is what you fill them with.
Keep us posted.

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

Factory prototype convertibles were all built off the Club Coupe body, not the 2-door sedan (model on the tag would be  512 and body would be 4 if a 2-door sedan, 7 if a Club Coupe, or 3 if a Business Coupe which used the Club Coupe platform).  There would also be a number beginning "K-" on the firewall tag at the SPEC-FO heading on the lower row of the body tag.  That would identify special equipment put into the car...factory prototypes should also have a 999 and 888 number for paint & trim. 

Please post the car serial number (the door post tag, begins with K512), paint & trim #'s and the body serial number off the small firewall tag (please include the prefix as well).  If you post that, I may be able to tell you a bit about the car as it was buiilt.  Please also include the SCHED and ITEM numbers.

Thanks
Jack Mueller
Club Historian

[joefrazer]

Actually, that car doesn't look all that bad. I think you have a very solid foundation from which to build a unique ride.

It's light years better than what we're facing with this project:

http://kaiserfrazercars.com/51f%20Nbr1.JPG

It's a 1951 Frazer Manhattan hardtop and is serial number 1. After a good power washing it should look a whole lot better...I hope!

[Wildcat]

Well the rest of my tags are:
Model 512
Body 4
Paint 265
trim 2450
dr 1
TR 4
AG 4
The body number is 5124-2929 and the serial is K512-022367.  I have some floorboard work to do on the drivers side, but other than that it's pretty straight with no rust.  The fuel tank has been empty for some time, so I might have some rust issues there, but it has been inside and it's pretty dry in Utah so it might be okay.  What is the best source for brake parts?  More specifically cylinder rebuilt parts and shoes?  I really should go through all of that before trying to roll anywhere.

[boatingbill]

Wildcat: If it has been a long time since the engine was turned over, I recommend that you go to any marine parts supply and pick a spray can of Marine Fogging Oil. Remove all the spark plugs and spray into each cylinder a short 3 second burst of oil. It looks like shaving creme, but will quickly dissolve coating the entire cylinder bore. This is a well known boaters trick that is done to prevent damage on a "dry start" engine that has been stored for a long time. After doing this, wait several days and try to turn over manually. With fresh oil in the crankcase and a new oil filter, you are now ready to turn over with the starter. Do this before putting any gas in the tank. If you have already cleaned the lines and carb and put in fresh gas, pull the coil wire out of the coil to prevent starting the engine until you have successfully turned it over with the starter. You don't want 1500 rpms on a dry engine. My buddy poured fresh gas into his carb on a vintage corvette that had sat for several years and with a new battery it fired right up and then blew up due to a "dry start" condition. The engine block was destroyed.

[Gordie]

There was a 51 Kaiser convertible conversion for sale in Utah a few years ago and I understood that it had a '54 Chevy top assembly either installed or available.  The owner advertised it in the Bulletin I believe and then the widow offered it for sale for about $3,000 which was about what he had in it at the time.  I thought about going to look at it but it was a long way from home and after I found my own convertible conversion I forgot about it.  The picture does not look like it has any top assembly or side windows.  It looks like it will be a great looking car when finished.  It is too bad that K-F did not go thru with the convertible experiment as they would sure be collectible today.

[joefrazer]

Gordie...are you ever gonna restore that K convert you bought? If not, I just might be interested!

[Kenn Evans II]

for many parts your local autostore may be able to help you out.  Kaiser Bill has a cross reference list of parts available and his number is 435-454-3098 and he has some online at http://kaiserbill.com/Parts-Cross-Reference/Parts-Cross-Reference.pdf   I hope this will help you out.

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

Ok, from the numbers posted

car is (or rather, was) a 1951 Kaiser Deluxe 2-door sedan.   The original color was Garden Green Metallic, with Garden Green upholstery.  Transmission when built was 3-speed with overdrive.  The body was the 1,929th 2-door sedan built.  If I had SCHED and ITEM number I might be able to better date it.  The fact that Accessory Group #4 indicates this was the original group for 1951 Kaiser Deluxe models, and was replaced by Accessory Group 6 in June of 1950. The Operating Report for the 10 months ending October 31 1950 shows that Over 8,700 2-doors were built by this point and over 8,300 were already sold to dealers or distributors.  Bottom line is that the car is an early 2-door, that had a body built prior to June 15, 1950 and was probably finished and shipped during June 1950.

[Wildcat]

Wow, thanks for all of the info and help.  I am working a lot of overtime right now, but when thats done it's time to get at it.  I know Kaiser Bill isn't too far away, so I might have to make a trip down there sometime.

[Gordie]

Gordie...are you ever gonna restore that K convert you bought? If not, I just might be interested!

The '51 is now residing in MO and I have not done much with it other than gather some needed NOS parts and I have been thinking about what kind of drive train and suspension to use.  Because it is already modified and the frame is nicely reinforced I thought about making a great driver out of it by having modern drive train and air conditioning.  The supposedly rebuilt 226 is installed with a chain holding up the rear of the engine.  If interested threaten me with an interesting trade!  This car has been in the club for at least 40 years.  There is a before picture of it in the 2006 roster at the beginning of the CA section and is probably from 40 years ago at a K-F meet.