Carolina Registry

[pnw_oldmags]

For all of you Carolina lovers please provide feedback on this attempt to create a Carolina Registry. 
If your Carolina is not listed do send me a message with your ALL your Data Plate Info, Serial Plate Info and a photo!!!  So you can be added to the Registry.

http://circlekf.com/kfreg/

[JFerriss]

good luck Jim on your "de-manhattanizing" project for your Carolina. Is the interior still Carolina or do you have to change that also?

[pnw_oldmags]

An entire herd of naugas lost their life in the seventies.  Finding the material will be a challenge but I do have some pretty good samples.  The other gulp for me is plugging the 3 X 22 holes left when I removed the Manhattan wide molding.

[Aeroman]

Jim,
Good thing SMS is not too far from you. I matched the cloth inserts for the 1953 Aero Eagle seats with them.

[Carolina Fan]

I'm a bit curious   Are you restoring a Carolina that was turned into a Manhattan or turning a Manhattan into a Carolina?

I am also curious about why you're restoring this car.  Why?  because I was told by a club member that Carolina's weren't in the same class as other Kaisers. If this is the feeling toward this model, why restore one? This comment made me feel like I owned Kaisers' ugly, cheapo step child which was not really a welcome part of the club. 

I do plan to register my Carolina and hope others will too.   I like my car alot but, when it comes to Kaiser gatherings, maybe I should just keep it at home in the garage.

[pnw_oldmags]

I am restoring two Carolinas - a two door and a four door.  The two door was converted half way to be a Manhattan and I am taking back home to be a CAROLINA.  I truly believe the Carolina shows off the Darrin Dip and the other Kaiser lines beautifully.  There is only a handful of them left and they all should be saved as they are a rare vehicle and a valuable part of our history.  Get yours out of the garage and show it off.

[Carolina Fan]

Thanks Jim. 

We are going to get the Carolina out & ready for summer shortly.  My car is a 4 door with hydramatic.  It also has "bumper bullets", "bananas", 2 sun visors and a horn ring.  I believe these were all installed by a dealer to dress it up a bit, as it once belonged to a funeral home. It is in great shape (could use a repaint though) and now runs well. 
I guess that I should disregard that condescending comment about Carolina's, although it still irritates.

How rare are Carolina's?  I've heard many were used as parts to restore Dragons & Manhattans.  Does anyone have a rough idea how many still survive?  It will be interesting to see how many show up in the registry. 

Good luck with your cars.  I hope you will post pictures at some point.   
Tom Nichols

[pnw_oldmags]

In the body of the attached article.  The Hemmings Reporter indicate 3 2-Doors.
http://www.hemmings.com/hcc/stories/2009/10/01/hmn_feature7.html
The KF Registry is listing around a dozen of each 2-dr and 4-drs.
http://circlekf.com/kfcars/k5384.htm  2 Doors in the KF Registry
http://circlekf.com/kfcars/k5381.htm 4 Doors in the KF Registry
You have a rare vehicle ... cherish it, dont hide it!
Send me the information on your Dash Data Plate and Drive door post serial Plate with a photo and I will get yours in the Registry.
 

[Carolina Fan]

  Sent the information.  Got her up and purring for the summer, she's ready & raring to go!

[JFerriss]

In the body of the attached article.  The Hemmings Reporter indicate 3 2-Doors.
http://www.hemmings.com/hcc/stories/2009/10/01/hmn_feature7.html
The KF Registry is listing around a dozen of each 2-dr and 4-drs.
http://circlekf.com/kfcars/k5384.htm  2 Doors in the KF Registry
http://circlekf.com/kfcars/k5381.htm 4 Doors in the KF Registry
You have a rare vehicle ... cherish it, dont hide it!
Send me the information on your Dash Data Plate and Drive door post serial Plate with a photo and I will get yours in the Registry.
 

just read the article, thanks for sharing. Would this Carolina by any chance be the one that was shown at the 2000 KF Nationals in Burlington, VT? It sure looks like it. I don't recall the owner at that time and I can't find my Quarterly with coverage of the Burlington  2000 Nationals but this car sure looks like that one which I think was a big winner.

[pnw_oldmags]

New Carolina in the Registry.
http://circlekf.com/kfreg/DSPvehRES.php?vehid=3972&Submit=Search
Hopefully pictures soon   

[pnw_oldmags]

Jack,  Could you comment on where in the production run this Carolina was produced.  This is very close to the end of the Carolina production it appears.  THANX Jim

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

At this point in K-F production history, bodies were painted up and trimmed based on combinations and colors that the factory EXPECTED dealers or distributors to order.  There were times when finished bodies might wait for weeks to go down the final assembly line in some cases, as orders placed for customer delivery (rather than inventory) had priority for slots on the assembly line.

Like the deLuxe and Manhattans, the Carolina serial numbers started at 1001; if the estimate of 1,812 is correct, the last car built would have serial number 2812.  The car in question would have been one of the last 50 Carolina's built, and at least 1,346 4-door bodies were built to that point, and possibly 417 2-doors.  Because the information I have on K-F production detail by series and body type ends August 31, 1952, I can't do the break out for 1953 cars that I could on earlier models.