Kaiser Frazer Owners Club Forum
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Gordie on May 31, 2010, 11:44:08 PM
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Wow, it will only be a few weeks and it will be time to head for Texas. I am going and wonder who else will. Lets wear our name tags and get to meet each other. We know each other well thru the forum but mostly only thru our forum names. It will be fun to finally figure out who everyone is! Are you going too?
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Barbara and I will not be able to attend this year's National. She cannot handle heat well, especially the triple-digit highs that you typically run into down in TX, NM and AZ during the summer. For that matter, it's not good for our old cars if you are driving them down there or any distance around town for that matter thanks to the current formulas for gasoline.
What are people thinking????????????
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I will not be there
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Sorry to say No ... Mac n Pat will be going from the PNW I believe. We had our mini Natl in Yreka. It was great to see everyone that attended. KFers are a great group of people. Jim
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Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend...compliments of a tight work schedule. I am, however, planning a day or two at the GP meet in NY, the Nash meet here in town and Studebaker meet in South Bend in late July. I'll get my old car fix...one way or the other!
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Well, since this is my 1st National, my wife and I will be there for the entire week.
As it happens, Thursday (24th) is also our 26 anniversary.
We may spend more time in San Antonio than is on the schedule, as this will be our 1st visit to the area, not just the National.
Am looking forward to meeting all and seeing the vehicles.
John
1951 Frazer Vagabond - in process of a frame off restoration.
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jerussel: Be sure and tell the people when you get your registration packet that 1) It is your 1st KF National and 2) Thursday will be your anniversary. If you are at the Banquet, the Hosts may figure a special recognition.
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Also, Hal Naumann has a special - free- event for Tuesday evening. If I can come, you will see me there.
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I am in Austin and will try to drive down in my 53 Dragon at least one of the days. I would like to make it Thursday, but may not get off work early that day, so we will have to see. Friday I could be there early.
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Logan: By Friday at 11 AM all the cars and most of the people will be gone.
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Oh, okay. Good to know.
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The Limey and I will be there
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I am leaving Thursday morning early for the three day drive to Texas from Southern California. I hope to see many of you there and it should be lots of fun! I am really looking forward to it! Next year you must all plan to come to San Diego.
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Gordie,
Your package should arrive before you leave. It was sent first class from here; post office ETA is Friday or Sat. this week.
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Gordie, are you driving a KF product? Just curious.
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It looks like Monday will be my only opportunity to get off work early and come, so I think I will be able to make it to Kerrville by about 4 o'clock in the afternoon. I haven't registered or anyting, and I'm not planning on being judged, I'd just like to bring my '53 Dragon and look at some of the cars that are there, so is there anything else I would need to do, or can I just show up?
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Just show up and if you want to talk to some Dragon owners, visit the Hospitality Room and talk to the people at registration to see if anyone has arrived and is on the grounds.
We don't bite.
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Sounds good. Looking forward to it.
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Just arrived.
A blue Henry J from Washington state and a Blue Manhattan arrived at the same time.
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Logan: The convention host will have a band here to greet you with your 53 Dragon at 4:00 pm on Monday.
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Ask Mac how the drive from WA was??
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Mac's trip was uneventful except a minor repair the the fan shroud on the Henry J.
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Oh great, should I put in my request for tunes right now? ;)
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Actually, I just noticed on the schedule that tomorrow people are going to Fredericksburg. Anyway, I'll be driving through there too, so maybe I'll see some cars there and in Kerrville.
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Logan: It was really great to see your Dragon. It is a very interesting car.
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It was great to be there and see all the cars. Got to see a couple of Darrins, which I had never seen before in person, and I saw a '53 Manhattan Saber Jet Blue over Australian Beige with a brown interior, same as one I had (and never got around to restoring). Loved the all-green vinyl dragon as well. Maybe in the future I can get off for a week and attend a full convention, but my family and I really enjoyed the cars and the people we were able to meet and talk to.
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The 2011 National will be in California, the 2012 National will be somewhere east of Ohio and the 2013 has not been officially announced.
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Convention sites:
2011 = San Diego
2012 = Sweetwater, TN (near Chattanooga)
2013 = Shipshewanna, IN (not official, they'll decide at the convention's business meeting). If not there, then Cleveland, OH.
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All -
Had a great time
Saw a lot of great cars
learned a lot
met a lot of great people
made some new friends.
Thanks much...
See you all next year.
John & Melanie Russell
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John, thanks for the convention report...It's the first i've seen. Usually there are pictures and reports on Facebook but not this year.
How many cars were there?
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These are MY recollections and not official numbers....
I believe there were 26 cars judged and 5 that chose not to be judged
1 Kaiser traveler
3 Darrins (1 rough, but drivable)
2 '53 Dragons
A number of J's of various flavors
3? Frazers - a '47, a '49 and a '51. I think that's right.
Some were stock, some slightly modified, some highly modified
I do have pics. I'll see if I can post some tomorrow.
No time tonight to figure it out. Drove home to AZ today. Going to bed... ;D
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Thanks John...pictures would be great. Maybe you can upload photos to a photo posting site and provide the link here.
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I'm sure others will be uploading more (and better) pics. Especially of individual cars.
(I took mainly under hood details - so I could figure out how to out mine back together!) :D
But - Here are a few of the gathered cars. More showed up in the days after I took these.
http://s781.photobucket.com/albums/yy91/jerussel/KF%20National%202010/
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I would like to see more photos of the Traveler.
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The Indiana site (according to my Rand McNally Road Atlas) has a population of only 524 people. Where are you goling to put at least 240 people in a town of that size? I also note that Shipshewanna is a number of miles from any city of substance. Someone want to explain what the group pushing for the convention there presented as a host facility, actual location, size, etc? Traditionally, Midwest Convention sites usually draw at least 200 people and 40-60 cars when held in the Michigan-Ohio-Indiana-Illinois area.
I'd also be interested in seeing who proposed Cleveland and what location in cleveland was planned as host facility.
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Hopefully, someone else that took pictures will post them. That one of the Traveler is the only one I had.
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Jack, I proposed Cleveland as a meet site and would use one of a couple different possible hotels. One that comes to mind is the Holiday Inn at 77 and 480. Close to the train depot in Valley View, an easy shot to downtown for a baseball game, a boat ride, a visit to the Rock N Roll museum and not far also from the Crawford museum. The Nash club will be using this hotel next week for the national meet, which I will be attending.
I've been to Shipshewanna and it is bigger than you think. There are quite a few larger hotels nearby and it's an easy drive to any of the bigger Indiana cities.
By far, the best midwest meet site I've found has been Auburn, Indiana. There, the hotel sat in a cluster of hotels, restaurants and better shopping. Museums and attractions were minutes away. I'd like to see us back there one day soon.
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Barbara and I have an interesting concept idea for a National in Cleveland. There are now several Extended Stay Motels along the interstates. Room rates (on a per day basis) run around $55-60 a night. I have no doubt that these places opened after the Nash folks established their location.
Auburn is a good spot. I stayed there on my visits to Auburn Clutch in the 1990's. The place with the big old wide wooden staircase is especially neat. I am just concerned about what to do for a week unless you are totally into the Amish sort of thing....commutes to Fort Wayne, Auburn or other larger cities may not appeal to people looking for things to do.
We've got contacts for the Valley View train ride and a lot of other places around town set up because we're hosting the Midwest Meet.
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The Auburn meet in 2004 was one of the best. I have to say, the best one I recall was Dearborn in 1974. I've never been able to find any record of how many KF cars were present but my memory wants to say 300+ that year. It was amazing. I was 14 and quite a motorhead at the time so seeing all those KFs and assorted other orphans and then the Henry Ford museam is a memory that has stuck with me all these years. My dad drove us there in a 1948 Kaiser Custom which we're looking at purchasing back again. It took us from Omaha, NE to Dearborn, to Toronto to Washington DC (past an empty Whitehouse that Nixon had just vacated). I doubt there will ever be another meet like that one. With 3 kids in college now, I'd likely not be able to attend one for awhile no matter where it is held.
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Well, the meet is over and it was lots of fun. I just got home last night as I went to St. Joseph, MO to pick up my '51 Kaiser club coupe and it is now back in CA. I drove modern to the meet. I enjoyed 106 degree temperatures thru Arizona and New Mexico. Although a few members drove their KF products there were over 20 trailers in the parking lot, the most I have ever seen at a National Meet and I would never subject my Kaiser to that kind of punishment in driving it in that heat. At least two of the cars that drove had V-8's so that made it a little more dependable. I was concerned about my modern car breaking down or blowing a tire in all that heat. I am getting too old to be laying under my car trying to change a tire in the desert. There were many nice cars but not a Willys in sight! Lets get ready for San Diego next year!
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Here are a few pics I took at the Texas National hope you enjoy them. It was a great meet not alot of cars but alot of great people.
www.hubgarage.com/mygarage/darrin502/vehicles/62143
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She cannot handle heat well, especially the triple-digit highs that you typically run into down in TX, NM and AZ during the summer. For that matter, it's not good for our old cars if you are driving them down there or any distance around town for that matter thanks to the current formulas for gasoline.
retouching (http://coolretouching.com/)
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You want hot? The Red River area of Texas (Wichita Falls to Amarillo) tends to be at 100 during the summer and it is too far inland to expect relief from hurricanes. I believe it was 1988 when the high temp was 100 or more for more than 90 days straight. They have a bike race about this time every year up there. They weigh you at every stop to make sure you have not lost more than 10 lbs. Lose more than 10 lbs in body weight and you are likely to plop over before the next check point.
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We're getting a lot of spam on here. Look at the post by raat475: he's only made one post, on the same day he "joind" the dicussion board; he has a link on his post undoubtedly to spam (I did not try it); and the text he typed is an EXACT copy of the second entry on this post, made by Kaiserfrazerlibrary. This is not a legitimate member and should be removed by the webmaster.