Decode my 51 2- door tag ??

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Guys,
Not that it matters much since my car is hot rodded, but I have the numbers from the body tag if someone can decode for me - just being curious ??

Model 512    Body 7   Paint 140    Trim 2711   1   6      9

TLS1234    56

Thanks,
JD

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

Hi,

In the fall of 2009, KFOCI HANDBOOK VERSION 4.0 on CD was sent out to club members; new members since then should have received a copy of the CD in their New Member information. 

Here's what your tag reads like:

512 starts the identification as a 1951 Kaiser Deluxe.  The "7" at body number identifies the model as a Club Coupe (no rear seat vent window in the glass and space on the rear deck between hinges and top).  140 was the color for Onyx Black and 2711 identifies the upholstery as Explorer Gray Stockholm & Volta material.  I assume the 1 is at the DR header, which means that the car was built for sale in the 48 United States of the day.  Again, I have to assume as you did not list any headers...if 6 is at the TR header, the car has a GM-supplied Hydra-Matic transmission and the 9 should be under AG or Accessory Group.  That covers the Perfered Equipment Group type items put on the car at extra charge.   I have no idea what this TLS 1234  56 is...you need to re-check and identify the headers or if any part of this is off the body number area (which may be a separate smaller tag below the big firewall tag).

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

here is the list for Accessory Group 9 and 9A:

Oil Bath Air cleaner 
Directional Signals
Tilt Type Non-Glare Rear View Mirror
Full Stainless Steel Wheel Covers (not small hub caps)
Tenite Plastic Steering Wheel (good ones extremely hard and expensive to get)
Tail Pipe Extension (K-F labeled flat type)
Bumper Guard Ends and Deluxe Guards (caps for the bumper guards and extra piece bolted on to the top of the bumper)
Electric Windshield Wipers (rather than engine or fuel pump vacuum type)
Electric Clock

Padded dashboard, the stainless lower dash runner, horn ring, wide stainless belt moldings and other bits and bobs were included in Deluxe, not available or extra cost on the base line Specials.

The Club Coupe with the rear seat is exclusive to the Deluxe line.  Although listed, no Special Series types were produced;  instead the Special used the body shell for a Business Coupe with a covered plywood package shelf instead of the rear seat.  One of these is in the Ypslianti Automotive Heritage Museum in Michigan; Barbara and I donated it to the facility when we moved to Kentucky back in 2000.

Barbara and I now live in a suburb of Cleveland Ohio.             

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Excellent information !!!   Thanks so much !!!

JD

[Kaiser Ranchero]

Hot Roded to what extent? Drive train, interior, body work, suspension, brakes, etc ?

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My 51 coupe has a '54 nose on it (I really liked the toothy grille and droopy headlights, not to mention the cool hood treatment).
The car rides on a stretched Crown Victoria chassis (yes, I had to add to a crown vic 4 - door to meet the wheelbase of the Kaiser 2-door !!). The car has all of the Crown Vic running gear and every stitch of wiring that came in a crown vic. I even cut pieces from the vic's firewall and stitched them in so that my master cyl. and AC would bolt through factory holes.
The car has; 4.6l sohc v-8, AOD, PS, PB, Tilt, cruise, 4 wheel disc, even a driver's side air bag and keypad keyless entry. I added air ride all around, as well as police exhaust with an H-pipe and flowmasters. I also added a Jaguar gas cap (necessary because the crown vic tank sits high, protruding up into the trunk, and it looks cool).
The car runs and drives, and I have since started metal / body work, right now battling the ever-so-much-fun inner and outer rocker panels.
I took it around the block on saturday (minus passenger door !!), I just had to take a short trip after doing bodywork all day.
I have a very decent pair of 51 front fenders I am obviously not using if someone needs them.
JD

[Kaiser Ranchero]

Well we have something in common. I have a Town Car that may get similar treatment. But minus a top. Could use some tips if you are willing to share. Haven't found a Darrin so building a convertable is a second best idea. Will use a business coupe and like the 54 front end also.

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

Are you talking about starting with a K5113 or a K5127?

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           As far as tips for using the ford chassis - I should probably suggest to use the chevy (Impala/Caprice) as they are closer dimensionally. The crown vic worked fine, but needed 4 3/8" added to the frame - the town car may not need this. Basically, I went to the bone yard and flipped a crown vic donor upside down and cut out a piece of frame and used that to get the extra length with diamond bracing and gussets.
           The Vic wheel track is also slightly wider, but makes no difference using backspaced wheels. (the wheels on my car in the pic are Velocity R178  18" w/ 40 backspace, no issues - even with the air ride lowered down. The crown vic fuel tank is mounted almost vertical - the town car should be the same, will (does) protrude up into the trunk, but is unitized and easy to mount. I shrunk some angle into horshoe shapes and built the trunk floor up and over the tank. The stock gas cap is now too low - I remedied by mounting a Jaguar gas cap above the driver's rear quarter panel.
           I used everything from the vic - so I narrowed the dashboard at the glovebox and retained all of the gauges, climate control, etc. The blower for the heat and AC must be relocated (inside passenger's front fender). The air intake for the 4.6 must also be relocated, I removed the silencer and ducted into the inside of the driver's front fender with a K & N.
            The body mounts used are ones I trimmed off of the vic I cut the piece of frame from. The 4.6 has a terrible lower radiator hose location, managed to find a 2001 Expedition in th bone yard that had the right bend and went to Autozone and got a new one, trimmed to fit an Ebay bought aluminum radiator.
            The key to disecting the vic and making it run again when rebodied was the FORD Electrical and Vacuum Shop Service Manual (purchased on ebay for $15). It has every wire and vacuum line in easy to follow diagrams. I am an automation engineer, so I could have figured it out, but the book made short work of it. I will not do another swap such as this without the shop manual - it saved TONS of time in tracing things. I was also careful to mark everything during disassembly.
             Mistakes made - I cut away too much of the original dash, ended up welding most of it back in to use for mounting the vic dash. I was too careless with the AC lines and now need to get another set to modify for use, the ones I removed were too manhandled to use. Double up on the firewall where the master cylinder bolts up, with the angle and length of the pedal, there is a lot of force placed on the master cylinder mount causing movement - followed by cursing - followed by removal and subsequent proper bracing.
            The car drives spectacular, excellent ride. I thought I would regret not using a 4 cam 4.6, but as it turns out, the sohc motor has plenty of power after all.
Hope this helps.
JD

[Kaiser Ranchero]

JD thanks for the descriptive details and suggestions. And to the previous post. The car is a 51 coupe that is gutted and I haven't verified the tags. So it could be a business coupe or a club coupe. Will look and see if there are welded bracket for a back seat. My other 51 is a business coupe with a back seat and it is going back close to factor specs, but will retain the back seat. Picked up a water pump from Rudy so with a few hours work it should be on the road for some short try out trips. The transfer car that will become a convertable needs a little more planning and measuring. Might do just a front clip and motor transplant with all modern equipment. Might do a lift off aluminum frame canvas top to avoid the trunk hydralicks and storage space headaces.

[ben-tex]

The business coupe I owned for years (now being restored by a club member) came with the factory brackets for rear seat. Someone had mounted a non-KF seat in it using boards etc but I found the correct brackets for a KF seat were there when I junked the custom seat.

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My rear seat was missing when I got the car. I lucked out and found a factory rear seat on ebay. I was the only bidder and won it for $75. I called the guy and asked if I could come pick it up that night, at the time, I was living in Delaware. 5 hour trip to get my seat. The guy who sold it to me asked me how much I would have paid if there was another bidder... hard to say !!