Next up, inner fenders and firewall.
**See my disclaimer above.**
- Unless otherwise stated, NONE of what's noted below applies to the Darrins.
- On all KF cars, the front clip (fenders, inner fenders, front valance and sheet metal) was assembled before it was installed on the car. The fenders were painted at the same time as the body and then they were attached to the rest of the front clip.
- All inner fenders are painted a gloss black. This includes inspection pans, radiator cradles and any vent tubes not an integral part of an inner fender. Henry J cars used a heavy paper vent tube and they should be a flat black color. Clamps used to attach any vent tube should be natural (cad) color.
- Any time a screw was used to assemble two parts, it was done after the parts were painted so any screws, nuts, bolts, washers, tabs, speed nuts, etc, will always be natural color.
- On the firewall, the body and trim tag is painted body color. It was installed before the car was painted.
- If a car with overdrive, the relay, kickdown switch and switch actuator are all natural color, as are all mount nuts bolts and screws. The mount plate for the kickdown switch itself should be black.
- Hood hinges are natural color. On some cars, the springs are black.
- On 1947 thru 50 cars and 51 Frazers, there's a metal cover that covers the wiring harness as it passes thru the firewall. It is painted black and the screws are natural color.. On 1951 thru 55 cars, Kaiser used small two piece rings to secure the harness as it passes thru the firewall. It and the screws used to hold it in place are natural color.
- On cars with turn signals, the flasher unit strap is painted black.
- On 1947-50 cars with a radio, some have an external flat strap mounted to the top of the firewall. It and any attaching bolts are natural color.
- On all cars, including Darrins, wiring terminals, (some cars have more than one 3, 4 or 5 prong terminals), all should be natural color. Darrins used rubber grommets to pass wiring thru the body at the front. They are available thru the manufacturing fund.
- Horns on all cars, including Darrins, are painted black.
- Radiators on all cars, including Darrins, are painted black. This includes the short pipes used on the early cars as part of the lower radiator hose assembly.
- On all cars, including Darrins, radiator and heater hoses should be black.
- On all cars including Darrins, hose clamps are of the nut and bolt contracting style, not the worm and roller style used today.
- On all cars, including Darrins, the radiator cap should be natural color.
- On all cars, if there is a windshield washer bottle, the cap should be natural color (Trico supplied and painted them a silver/grey color). The mount bracket and mount screws should be natural color. A decal was affixed to the bracket front (available from the manufacturing fund).
- At this point is important to mention the brand of components used on the cars. It is as follows:
- All 1947 thru 1950 Kaisers and Frazers as well as 1951 Frazers used Autolite generators, starters, distributors, vacuum advances, and voltage regulators.
- Some 1951 Kaisers were the same as above.
- All 1951 thru 1955 full size Kaisers used Delco Remy generators, starters, distributors, vacuum advances, and voltage regulators.
- All Kaiser Darrins were the same as 1951 thru 1955 full size Kaisers.
- On Henry J cars:
- All 1951 and 1952 Vagabonds used Autolite generators, starters, distributors, vacuum advances, and voltage regulators.
- All 1952 non-Vagabonds and all 1953 and 1954 used Delco Remy generators, starters, distributors, vacuum advances, and voltage regulators.
- On all Allstate cars, Sears brand components were substituted for the spark plugs, battery and voltage regulator. Otherwise, follow the Henry J standards.
- All KF cars used Autolite A5 spark plugs as original equipment. A7 and Champion J8 and J8C are accepted in KF judging.
- All 1947 thru 1952 KF cars used park plug wires without boots at the plug end. In 1953, a "beehive" style boot was incorporated. Wires and boots in all cases should be black.
- All KF cars, including the Darrins, used a Group 1 6 volt battery made by Willard. Today, as long as it's Group 1 and black, it is accepted in judging.
- All Kf cars, including the Darrin, used a black painted battery hold down. All attaching hardware should be natural color. On 1947 thru 1950 cars, and 1951 Frazers, the hold down was a flatter style than the 1951 and up unit. (I am going to post a few pictures of various components to demonstrate what things should look like.)
- On all KF cars, including the Darrin, the hood latch striker plate should be natural color. The hood pin and safety latch are also natural color, as are all mount nuts and bolts.
- On all KF cars, including the Darrin, the negative battery cable is zero gauge, black plastic or cloth shielded and has an offset head. The positive cable is braided and should be attached to the front engine plate, not the water pump or head. In addition, there's a short jumper strap that runs from the same engine plate mount to the frame.
Attached is a picture of the front end of a 53K to demonstrate what should be painted and what shouldn't.
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