Motor swap

[shawn_and_his_kaiser]

Did Kaiser purposely make it nearly impossible to put a different motor in? I have a 1951 Kaiser Special and I'm considering taking out my all original motor/transmission and replacing it with something stronger and easier to work on. Suggestions?

[joefrazer]

Not an uncommon problem with any old car. A GM small block will fit under the hood with just a few modifications. Most swapped also drop in a more modern transmission as well. Both make a Kaiser easier to service on the road.

[HJ-ETEX]

shawn: start looking in the older listings in the Kaiser forum. I have posted numerous comments about Kaiser motor swaps. Basically, the SBC Chevy could be called the most practical, but there are several other alternatives.

[shawn_and_his_kaiser]

I can only wish... Right?

[Carpenter]

On another thread someone wrote that the new 3.6 Chevy V-6 fits rather easily.  If i understand correctly that's the 350 with the last 2 cylinders chopped off.

[Gordie]

Another way to do it is to use a complete Chevrolet Caprice or Buick chassis and switch bodies.  That way you have a complete modern drive train with dependability and ease of finding parts and you can add air conditioning from the donor car also.  The Caprice and clone Buick have the same wheelbase as the 1951-55 Kaisers.

[Carpenter]

Thanks, Gordie.  I had checked and the 1972 Grand Prix frame matched also.

[Carpenter]

What years on the Caprice and Buick?

[Gordie]

For the Chevrolet Caprice you want the fourth generation which was built from 1991 thru 1996 either sedan or station wagon.  They were very popular as police cars and they had the most powerful engines and beefed up suspensions.  I believe the the Buick's were also the same years.  I once owned a 2010 Honda larger series with a four cyl. engine.  I don't know what the wheel base was but the car was about the size of the '51 Kaiser and it had lots of power and was very economical to drive.  I would like to find out what the wheel base on those cars are as I think that that would make a great drive train for a Kaiser.  Some of the Mercedes Benz should also work even though they are front wheel drive.

[joefrazer]

Another possibility is to use the subframe from an early camaro or firebird. I’ve seen a couple Kaisers where the builder cut off the front of the Kaiser frame and welded on the GM subframe. This gives you the modern suspension and steering as well as ready made V8 engine mounts.

[HJ-ETEX]

Unfortunately if you splice in a new front frame section, the motor mounts that go with that new section rarely line up. Typically, the motor will be too far forward.