1953 Kaiser

[luvmykaiser]

hello, I just bought my first Kaiser; it is a 1953...I would appreciate any restoration hints or tips that you can give me...

[Gordie]

Hello, we would need specific questions as we could write a book on general car restoration.  1953 Kaiser's are very popular and you should get lots of pleasure from it.  Most parts are available for them.

[luvmykaiser]

The car is a deluxe; it has a vinyl top. Did these cars come with vinyl tops?

[Fid]

The 1953 Deluxe (model designation "Deluxe" on the fender) was not available with a vinyl top.  The 1951 Golden Dragons (which were Deluxe models but did not say "Deluxe" on the fenders) had a vinyl top as did the 1953 Dragons. Is yours actually a 1951 perhaps or maybe a 1953 Dragon?  The 1953 Dragons are pretty rare.  Does the car have a script on the front fenders that says "Kaiser deluxe?"  If so, it would not have had a vinyl top originally.  Look at the VIN tag inside the drivers door and post it on here and we can help you ID the car for sure.

[luvmykaiser]

I did check the VIN number and it is a Deluxe, it also has the insignia on the fenders. My brother has several Kaiser Frazers and he said that sometimes they did some weird stuff with those cars and it may be original. I was planning on removing it...it is not in the best of shape. I am out of state right now visiting family and don't have the VIN with me, but I will post it when I get home. Thanks!!!!

[luvmykaiser]

I did find the VIN...here it is            K531-002832   5311-2511    395 5000   1 7      20  38   

[mbflemingkf]

Yes, what you have is a 53 Deluxe 4 door.  I pulled the following from the KF Registry.  Did you buy it from this individual?  It could have been an old listing.  When you get the chance, please send an update to Harold Hagen so he gets your name with the car.  Congratulations!!  Previous posts were correct, the 53 Deluxes did not have a vinyl top.

The web site for the registry is:

http://www.eskimo.com/~hhagen/

K531-002832   5311-2511    395 5000   1 7      20  38    Yoas        PA   

I believe I may have some parts and literature for your car; if interested, please send me an e-mail.

Mike Fleming
mbfleming@aol.com

[luvmykaiser]

Thanks, I updated the car in the registry site and sent you an e-mail.

[Fid]

Correct, they did do some wierd stuff with these cars so who knows - I think the '53 Deluxe models are pretty cool. You don't see a lot of them. There was one for sale in Grand Marias, MN on ebay a couple of years ago. I thought about trying to get it but no room for any more cars in my stable.  In 1953 there were5 models - The Dragon was the top of the line, then the Manhattan which was quite fancy too, the Traveler (hatch back), the Deluxe and the Carolina which was a low-priced no-frills car but a very good one. If I remember correctly, all Travelers had Deluxe trim but I've heard some discussion that there have been some found with Manhattan trim.  Who really knows any more?  There was an article in the KFOC Quarterly some 30 years or so ago encouraging enthusiasts to restore and preserve '53 Deluxes as they were often passed over for Dragons and Manhattans.  Good luck with it and keep us updated on your progress etc. with it.  As I mentioned, you see very few restored Deluxes so you will have a unique car even among KF products.

[luvmykaiser]

The interior of the car is excellent, it needs painted and the vinyl top removed, but the car is really solid, my brother is a member of the club and has several cars...51 Frazer Manhattan conv., 48 Kaiser, two 49 Frazer Manhattans, 51 Henry J, he is a great resource and is helping me as well...there are some small things that I need, right now the wheel cyl. are being replaced, I had the head replaced (it was cracked), and some other mechanical stufff....I guess the car sat for awhile

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

I finally got this to work.

It is known that some Kaiser Deluxe models were retrofitted with Kaiser Dragon items at the factory.  However, they carry Kaiser Dragon (K530) door post serial numbers...this car does not.  K-F changed the trim numbering sequence during the 1953 model year from a 1---to a 5--- according to the Confidential Bulletins I have, but I have no info IN FACTORY MATERIALS on a trim #5000 for any 1953 Kaiser product.   I also know that in the 1970's the Dragon roof vinyl material was sold by Herb Scutt (I bought a roll for the 1953 Dragon I had at the time), so it is very possible that someone else bought a roll and added it to the car as dress-up back then. 

For judging purposes, they go by the firewall tag information with paint, trim, etc plus factory-branded accessory items.

Jack Mueller