My Latest Acquisition

[joefrazer]

I told myself no more projects but once I saw this one I changed my mind. It's a 54 Corsair DeLuxe with 17K original miles and aside from one rusty spot at the bottom of the front fender, it's solid. A near perfect set of seats and door panels as well as a new headliner were included in the deal...I couldn't pass it up. The engine, though out for restoration, runs and it has OD. The car is about 75% complete and what it lacks, I have most of.

Should be Anchor Gray with a Persian Gray Whitman and Burma Brown Vinyl interior.

I will be posting pictures as the work progresses.

Wish me luck!

[Fid]

Congratulations Jim. Great find. That upholstery is the same as my '53 Corsair Deluxe. The '53/'54 Js have larger seats which are a bit more comfortable in my opinion. This should be a good project. I'm sure you'll keep us posted as to how it is progressing. A '54 is a rare one indeed.

[joefrazer]

And the questions begin...

The car came with a driveshaft that I've figured out belongs to a full size Kaiser. I have an NOS HJ shaft that's 60" long. I think that might be a standard shaft as it has the cross style u-joints on it rather than the Detroit style. Can anyone confirm?

[Fid]

It was actually the non-OD Js that had the Detroit style U-joints. Mainly to reduce vibration/noise from the higher RPM due to not having OD.

[joefrazer]

Interesting...both the OD transmission and the rear axle are flanged for the Detroit style joint. I'd rather swap out the flanged ends for yokes and use the cross style joints since they're much lower maintenance units, and easier to find and replace.

[kfnut]

I changed my 52 to Spicer style for the same reason . Lower cost and more availability . It was originally a non overdrive but I wanted overdrive and had the stuff to change it . I never heard that the non overdrive only used the Detroit style . Learn something new everyday . Thanks

[Terry T]

my '51 HJ non-OD came with Spicers

[Fid]

My '52 Vagabond was a non-OD car when I got it and it had/has cross-yoke type. According the HJ Parts book they went to the Detroit type on the '52-'54 HJ without OD, those with OD still used the cross-yoke type. So yes, the '51s and '52 Vagabonds without OD would have the cross-yoke type. I should have clarified that in my previous post.

[joefrazer]

Ok, I've decided to switch to the Spicer (cross) style u-joints on my car. So, if there's anyone out there with a transmission and/or rear axle yoke they'd like to sell, let me know.

And, another question. My car came basically disassembled and I'm coming to find that odds and ends are missing. I have the entire grille but I'm not sure if there's supposed to be something that holds the center bar in place. The 51s use braces but I'm not sure how the 52-up cars hold things in place. Anyone care to post a photo?

[Fid]

Jim, see this thread

http://kfclub.com/forum/index.php/topic,4494.msg19847.html#msg19847

[joefrazer]

A quick update. I've sanded and repainted the floors. The previous owner painted over the original gray so I took it back to it's original color. I know a mat's to cover it all, but I just wanted it right!

I also pulled the dash cover off as the cardboard backer had deteriorated. I'm going to try to use some package shelf board I have to reline the cover. The vinyl itself is in very good shape so wish me luck!

I also went thru the generator and starter...all they needed was cleaned and repainted. I did the same to the heater. By the way, I found a near match for the hammertone heater paint at Home Depot. They sell two shades of gray paint, I used the darker and it's close enough I don't think anyone will notice (but now that I've said that...)

A new wiring harness is coming from Bob McBride...the old one was frayed and spliced several times. I cleaned and oiled the instrument cluster and was fretting about the broken speedo cable with its rusty housing when I realized I had an NOS unit. I have precious few HJ parts so to actually have that was a real find!

And, whoever it was that designed the master cylinder mount should be flogged. If you've never tried to remove one, well, you're in for a treat. Not only did they employ phillips head machine screws, but they put the head end up against the frame. It took some doing, but I got the old unit off the car.

Well, back to it!

[Quadromaniac]

Going thru the same thing with my Allstate, and your right that master cylinder replacement was a real chore.
Looks good.

[joefrazer]

Question...is there any particular order to the headliner bows in a Henry J? The liner is out of my car and the bows are all neatly wrapped up in a bundle. I'm hoping the answer is no...

[AZ_HJ]

If I recall correctly the bows have numbers stamped at one of the ends. Number 1 is closest yo the windshield.

[Quadromaniac]

Yes there is an order for the placement. We found this out a few months ago when my Dad had his 52 Henry J done at the upholstery shop, but I am not sure of how to tell which goes where.