Author Topic: Kaiser or Frazer that only had 3 doors  (Read 2387 times)

theohiodude

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 2
    • View Profile
    • Email
Kaiser or Frazer that only had 3 doors
« on: September 20, 2009, 11:01:21 PM »
Hi
When I was a kid my oldest Sister and her Husband came to our home driving a1946 or 47 or 48 Kaiser or Frazer that only had 3 doors, only one door in the right side rear. I suppose it was built as a taxi? Any one know about this or maybe have pictures?..........Thanks.......... Dave

FrazerWill

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 153
    • View Profile
Re: Kaiser or Frazer that only had 3 doors
« Reply #1 on: September 20, 2009, 11:22:46 PM »
Dave, I'm shooting in the dark here but it might of been a vagabond or traveler. They have the drivers side rear door closed for the spair tire.

theohiodude

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 2
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: Kaiser or Frazer that only had 3 doors
« Reply #2 on: September 21, 2009, 12:57:18 PM »
Thanks for the response,
I have wondered about that for more years than I care to admit. I worked for Ford Motor co. many years, many of those years in the body bucking area where the two sides of the car came together. One man would use a hoist and carry in one side of the car in to the  body buck and another man use another hoist to carry in the other side of the car in. Now and then a (mistake) “wink-wink” was made and one man picked up one side with two doors on his side while the other man’s side only had one door. Thus a three door,of course the quality control inspector always caught it before if got out of the body shop, and it was disassembled.
I told the story of three door Kaiser or Frazier, but no one really believed me. However, I knew what I had seen. A three Door
Had one of those three doors Fords got completed it probably would be worth a fortune today.
 Does any one have pictures of the Three door Kaiser/Frazier to post ?

Fid

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3858
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: Kaiser or Frazer that only had 3 doors
« Reply #3 on: September 21, 2009, 03:35:18 PM »
To add to this, on some of the '49 and '50 Kaiser Vagabonds and Travelers they simply locked the driver side rear door and mounted the spare tire against it with a flat panel and no door opening hardware.  I have seen some where the door was actually welded shut - we had a '51 Frazer Vagabond that was that way - four large welds in the door jamb area and the outside handle was a dummy which did not pull.  The car looked like a four door, but it was a 3 door and the spare tire was mounted against the dummy door.  I've also heard people refer to some Henry Js as "three doors."  The Henry J used a two door coupe body but some of them had a rear seat that folded down as well as a trunk lid so owner's sometimes considered the trunk lid the "third door."  I have one like that and I've heard more than one person refer to it as a "three door sedan."
« Last Edit: September 21, 2009, 07:45:55 PM by Fid »
1953 Henry J Corsair Deluxe
Edgar Kaiser's custom 1951 Henry J
1951 Kaiser Special
1952 Allstate Deluxe

Need your classic car radio repaired? I repair vacuum tube radios

jerussel

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 122
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: Kaiser or Frazer that only had 3 doors
« Reply #4 on: September 21, 2009, 05:26:38 PM »
I have a '51 Frazer Vagabond.  My left rear door is welded shut in 3 places with a dummy handle on the outside.  And yes, the spare tire attaches to the 'dummy door'
It IS interesting, to say the least.