Kaiser Frazer Owners Club Forum
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: konrad on January 16, 2020, 12:14:29 PM
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I just wanted to introduce myself to the group. With a bit of luck, tomorrow I will be the owner of a relatively recently restored '51 Kaiser DeLuxe 2 door Sedan. In my research on these cars (after having looked this car over on a previous trip to where it's located) I found the club and this forum, and I look forward to joining the club, contributing to the manufacturing fund, and hopefully meeting many of you at upcoming events and get togethers. :)
I've already been in contact with Jack, Barbara and Gordie via email, and Larry was kind enough to talk to me for at least an hour on the phone yesterday. Thank you all for all your help!
Larry, you are a fount of information on these cars...I'll probably bug the crap out of you with questions in up coming months. Fair warning! :D
Anyway...just wanted to say 'Hi' to everyone, and let you know I'm very happy to have found you.
konrad
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Hi, and welcome to the hobby! Let us know if you get the car and of course, pictures are always a plus on this forum. Good luck.
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What state do you live in?
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I'm in Wisconsin Superk...Madison area.
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Right across the river from me in Minneapolis
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Well...we done went and did it. We put 10% down on the Deluxe...already pre-approved by JJ Best for the rest...just have to complete the paperwork...yadda, yadda, yadda...
With a bit of luck, it will be home with us within a couple of weeks...
Engine strong, starts every time, hydramatic flawless. A couple of issues...brake lights and wipers don't work, radio and clock non functional, some sticky knobs on the other dash controls, but all gauges work. Have already ordered the shop manual. A bit of work and it should be road ready. :)
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I was just looking at that car! It's pretty nice and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. It has a Hydramatic and a factory radio. Should be a nice cruiser for you. Bring to St. Paul for Back To the 50s in June, I'll have my '51 Special there.
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Fid...radio doesn't work...looks like I may need to send it to you for fixin'? :)
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We highly recommend him!!! He rebuilt our 54 Kaiser radio and it plays sweet!!
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It looks like a really nice car. It's best to buy it restored than try to do yourself, much much cheaper!!
Enjoy your car, they turn heads wherever they go and you have a color that catches the eye!!!
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It looks like a really nice car. It's best to buy it restored than try to do yourself, much much cheaper!!
Enjoy your car, they turn heads wherever they go and you have a color that catches the eye!!!
The color was one of the first things that drew us (the wife and I) but then the restoration was so nicely done as well. :)
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Well...we done went and did it.
Congrats!
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The wife was poking around on the interwebz yesterday and found this video of our car, made about a month ago by a chap who posted it on his youtube channel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDLqdalnGTM
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That video really shows what a nice Kaiser you have purchased and at, what I consider, a very reasonable price! Welcome to the club and enjoy going to car shows. The people will love your car.
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That video really shows what a nice Kaiser you have purchased and at, what I consider, a very reasonable price! Welcome to the club and enjoy going to car shows. The people will love your car.
I should mention...that spot on the driver's side of the hood? Bird poop.
And on the price, I talked 'em down to 12.1K It was kinda funny...I offered 12, the guy I was working with said the owner was in that day and he'd check with him...emailed me a bit later and said the owner was firm at 12.1...whatever...wasn't gonna quibble over a c note. :D
I think the wife and I definitely lucked out, finding this gem...right time, right place, meant to be...
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I know what you mean. Barbara and I were looking off and on for a Henry J since around 2012 and either they were 4 cylinders (didn't want a four, having driven one many years ago) needed too much work or in the wrong part of the country. We found our 1952 in Yakima thanks to Jim Betts (club member in Yakima) and I drove it home over the mountains crossing the Cascades at White Pass. In the 90's that day and no complaints from the car, with 26.24 MPG recorded for the trip. Turns out it came off the production line on or around my birthday.
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I think a Henry J may be in my future one day as well. I love driving a three on the tree. Had a '62 Plymouth Savoy years ago...225 Slant six, three on the tree...I loved that car...Nellie was her name. She was kind of a junker, but I only paid $700 for it, drove it for about 5 years until the frame cross member broke. About 2 to 3 years after I bought it, the previous owner showed up at my door, wanting to buy it back...told him "NO WAY!" :D
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Our baby is on transport and on its way to us...should be here in about 4-5 hours!
ExCITed!!!! :)
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Let Us know More When You Get it...
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It's here...arrived in the condition it left Country Classics. It's beautiful! Now under wraps and put to bed till warmer weather...
One weird thing...when we took it for a test drive, the headlights worked. After coming off the covered carrier, they didn't. My guess the bumps and jostling of transport.
Any ideas where to look first for the disconnect?
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A good starting point is a check of connections for tightness and corrosion. You have an old 6 volt system on the car (and it's positive ground, like early 1950's Chrysler Corporation cars). Grounds must be tight and clean or you' may get intermintent contact.
Konrad, you are not far from a great source of ideas. Dale Hammon in Beloit may have ideas on your situation. If you got the 2019 Membership Roster with your new member stuff, he's in there. Otherwise, give Barbara & I a call and we'll give you contact information.
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Thanks Jack! For the moment I'm not going to worry too much about it as the car is under wraps until nicer weather (and until I can clear space in my garage for it...if my damn step-son would get all of his crap out of there, I'd have the room...lol).
At any rate, once the weather gets a bit nicer I'm going to start going through and looking at the various issues I have to take care of to make it road worthy. :)
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If the parking lights work but headlights don't, check the dimmer switch. The switch can get stuck between low and high beam causing neither to work. If you have no lights anywhere (head or tail lights), then it's more than likely the headlight switch.
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It's weird because when we went to test drive it, neither the brake nor rear turn signal lights worked, but the headlights and front blinkers did, as well as the interior lights. Now the headlights are kaput too, though the interior lights still work. I did try the dimmer switch, hoping to at least get high beams, but no soap...
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I have a Standby Headlight Switch to swap Out. You can get Dust & intermediate Problems.
I clean then put back in then back to Normal.
Long Trips I take Extras Parts, Just in Case.
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1951 Kaisers used a pressure switch that's mounted at a junction near the master cylinder. You can see it on the frame rail below the voltage regulator. Replace it and your brake lights will work. Standard Products switch number SLS-27 will do the job. Plenty on eBay.
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Thanks again Joe!
Damn...I love this place. :)
Edited to add...Ebay's vehicle compatibility selection says that part is not compatible with the 51 Deluxe...
Edited to add again...hmm...some sellers do say it's compatible, others show an SLS-25 as being compatible...and a few state the SLS-27T as being compatible...
Are they all essentially interchangeable? Is one better in any way than the others?
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Same part, available from a club vendor.
http://kfparts.com/store/product/brake-stop-light-switch-1947-1951-kaiser-frazer-51-54-henry-j-darrin/
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As far as trusting Ebays 'parts compatibly I have seen lately a listing showing a 1955 Chevy front fender as working on a Kaiser, as does a 1951 Ford door. Ebays listings are getting like an old J.C. Whitney catalog, real suspect.
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I agree rrdcorvair. I've learned never to trust what someone on ebay says.
The brake light switch is also available at NAPA it's an SL-134. I just replaced the one on my '51 Kaiser last summer.
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Ordered the SLS-27 from Amazon a bit ago...$11 with free prime shipping. :)
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As far as trusting Ebays 'parts compatibly I have seen lately a listing showing a 1955 Chevy front fender as working on a Kaiser, as does a 1951 Ford door. Ebays listings are getting like an old J.C. Whitney catalog, real suspect.
Absolutely. It's been that way for years, unfortunately. I am constantly dealing with the incredible amount of misinformation, ignorance and outright dishonesty from all manner of sellers in the automotive parts world, especially with vintage stuff, double especially with online sellers with almost no accountability. Just last week, I was trying to source some seals and such for a '62 Ford Ranchero with a Fordomatic two speed. O'reilly claimed to be able to get some of them, but when I made a comparison with the ones in the transmission, they were totally different. Their computer had a completely different transmission listed for that car than what they actually came with. The kid behind the counter didn't have a clue of course, had no idea what the difference was. That is unfortunately par for the course in the mainstream auto parts world now. If they can look it up easily for a common vehicle, you may get the right parts. If you have something uncommon or totally out of the mainstream, you're going to get a lot of blank stares.
Thankfully Trans Pac had a complete seal kit for me, for a reasonable price. That's what I worked on today.
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Fatsco transmissions is good also. Not long ago we were working on a 54 Kaiser hydramatic and we called them for a few seals and they pointed out a subtle difference between the 52/53 trans and the 54 before I got to it. I was impressed.