Kaiser Frazer Owners Club Forum
General Category => Manufacturing Fund Forum => Topic started by: Gordie on March 15, 2013, 11:53:54 AM
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Do any of you old timers remember who made the aluminum club plaques in the 1970's? They are scarce now and you do not see them often and there were two variations. I recently bought the brass master that was used for manufacturing these plaques. It came from an estate in Louisville KY. Would there be any interest in reproducing these plaques? They were approximately license plate size and I have an original on my '48 Manhattan and have an example of both variations.
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Gordie,
I have one of the plaques. It has 4 studs coming out of it, I believe so it can be mounted in a package tray. Is that where they were usually placed?
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Hi Dave, The plaque that I am referring to is about license plate size, made of aluminum and usually mounted like a license plate on the front of the car in states which used no front plate. I did also get a smaller brass 3 1/4" by 3 3/4" plaque that has a KF with intertwined letters in a shield and it has two studs but I have never seen one and do not know where it mounts. It may have been someones idea that was never put into production. Both brass plaques are well made and nicely detailed. The larger one is 5 1/4" X 9 1/2" and is just like the aluminum plaques that were sold thru the club in the 1970's, about forty years ago and it has four studs. With the aluminum plaques those studs are threaded with nuts for mounting. I believe that there was also a smaller plaque that was offered thru the club but I have never seen one.
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Goldie, I got mine from Tom Hoffman at one of the Hoffman Hurrahs. Got the impression thatmhe was part of the process of getting the plaques made.
I am going to try and attach photos front and back. I also have a picture of one I saw on a car at the Portland National.
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Front
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Back
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Hi Dave, Your Plaque is the later style with the KF in a circle instead of being in a shield. Mine is just the same except for being made of brass and unpainted and it is very heavy. Thanks for sending the great pictures. These are very nice plaques and I wondered if there would be any interest in making them available to members again. Does any one remember who originally sold them? I've been looking thru my early Quarterlies and Bulletins but have not run across an ad for them yet. Thanks, Gordie
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Let me see if Leona Hoffman in SoCal Region remembers them. I just sent her a email. Think she checks email once a week. May be a few days to see if she remembers Tom being involved with that project. I believe Tom said he was involved with it.
David
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Thanks Dave, The Hoffmans' and the Hoffman's Hurrah were some of the hilites of the So Ca. region for many years and we will always remember them. So many members turned out that it was quite a car show. I still have some photos of my '51 coupe sitting under one of the Hoffmans' many trees and I am lucky enough to own one of the great redwood burl Kaiser-Frazer clocks that Tom made as door prizes for many years. I've been a member for over thirty five years and don't remember the plaques being offered for sale during my time so they must have been made a long time ago. Gordie
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Gordie , I am glad you enjoyed the Hoffman’s Hurrahs. I will share with you my last experience at a Hurrah. I had a gorgeous 53 ALLSTATE and drove it to the Hurrah, arriving about 9 am or so .A lot of people were all over it all day. About noon or so Rudy arrived in a 51 Kaiser convertible. After lunch, about 1 or 2.the games started and the awards were passed out .Tom called me up and presented me with the peoples choice award. My ALLSTATE received the most awards by far. Before I could even reach my seat ,Tom announced that obviously if Rudy had been earlier, he would have won and he gave Rudy an identical peoples choice award. I got up walked up to Tom, returned my award, drove off and never went to a SoCal event again.
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Interesting you should mention Leona. This clipping is from a SoCal newsletter.The finances of SoCal were controled by guess who. No one else was allowed to even run for treasurer.
C:\Users\brown\Pictures\leona.JPG
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Gordie, I have one of the beautiful clocks as well. Very nice piece over our fireplace.
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Well, guess what? Leona is still the treasurer even though we only meet about twice a year and the chapter has dwindled down to about thirty members, a far cry from all the activity of twenty years ago. I guess that we are all getting older and it is not as much fun driving our cars 100 miles to and back from a meet in the Los Angeles traffic. It is hard to get members out any more and the gasoline turns to jelly in our cars if we let them sit too long. I've got cars that I have not driven in years and it never was a problem in the old days.
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I served as Manager and then Spark Plug Editor, then manager, then editor again for several years. Once we had 3 kids, I had no time to keep the club going. I miss the old region and how active it was. It all changed when Aeroman moved away to Georgia and the club has never been the same. Bill Rheinhardt, Bill Metzel, Allen Hogle, John Parker and the Hoffmans were the heart of the club. Think we will just blame Aeroman for the demise. He's only one on chat room we can blame. :)
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Yes! I bought my first plaque from Chuck Schentlige. Hey Rick, when are you coming back?
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Chuck, and Tom Thornton, all back bones of SoCal region.
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Big Dave..... Guess who!
I was 6-5 @ 325 and Dave was 6-8 and I guess 240. The Henry J with it's huge front seat is the only car I know of that could house us both comfortably.
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Dunno if I'll ever get back to SoCal. Still miss the old days of the very active club there. When I left in 1990, I gave Tom & Leona a photo album that I made up of all the members and their cars that I had pics of.
And that's Bob Metzel, not Bill. Other regulars that were also "the heart of the club" at one time or another: Bob & Tom Thornton, Leona Hoffman, June Parker, June Reinhardt, Rudy & Don Phillips, Don Noska, Jack Edward, Stew Whitsett, Gary & Jan Cochrane, Walt Smith, Jose Fernandez-Caso, Andy Sanfelippo(?), Les Hensche, Bill Bruce, Don Naugle, Chuck & Pat Schnetlage, Irv Webster, Rock Brandt, Phil Hirsch, Mike & Linda McManama, Dave Ball (too tall) and Gordie. Give me a while, I'll think of some more.
I have one of those plaques on the front of Dad's Oldsmobile. I believe there was also a later one than you show, Dave. There was one that said International instead of National. I also have one of Tom Hoffman's clocks proudly hanging in my home office.
Is it really my fault that SoCal drifted apart? If so, I apologize, but I really think it is San Andreas fault....
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Remember Bob Curson from Poway that always brought his parents? He rarely missed a SoCal meet. And Art & Arlene Griffin when they lived in Lompoc were always at SoCal meets. And the Arizona Desert guys were always showing up: Doc & Helen Bromert & Chuck & June Ashton.
The first Hoffman's Hurrah in 1978 was my very first ever KFOC meet. It was a mini national every year with out of state members always visiting. Herb & Clara Long used to visit, as did Charlotte & Bob Dayton.
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San Andreas fault? You're giving me bad vibes!. Thanks for listing so many of the old members as they brought back many good memories. We did have lots of fun and Hoffmans' Hurrah's were almost like going to a National Meet. Rick, I remember when you came to the meet with your Father and your Daughter must be a grown lady by now. I just turned eighty last week but I still play with toys and intend to for many more years. Thank you guys for making the trip so pleasant. Gordie
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Wow, CorsairDeluxe, I always kick myself for not buying that car. Where is that car now?
why is the picture labeled Mean Dave? Was I mean to you? Lol
I am looking for a Henry J once I sell my 62 Nova. I hope soon.
I still have pictures of me with that Henry j. Don't recall this one though
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CorsairDeluxe, Here is the only picture I had of the Henry J until now. Geez I kick myself for not buying it that day.
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Dave,that Henry J had been A kfoci calender car when it belonged to Gene Meyer.29,000 miles and the smoothest transmission of any of the nine HJ's I owend. Just a few photos
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A couple more.It now resides in Denver in another members collection. He bought it based on photos and my description,sight unseen. When it came off the truck at his end,he called me and thanked me over and over. I had 2 Henry Js and an ALLSTATE. We moved to a two car garage. Something had to go. It was an exceptional car.
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Gordie - happy birthday! I hope you're taking a Kaiser or maybe your '39 Mercury for a spin - do you still have one of them?
I may have brought Dad to a KF meet or two when he visited me in California, but I couldn't have brought my daughter to Hoffman's because she wasn't born yet. Both ex-wives went to various meets in CA, but I didn't have any daughters back then. Wonder who you meant. I did bring my daughter to the 2000 VT National and the 2003 MS National. And she's almost all growed up - 11th grade in high school now.
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Hi Rick, Thanks and I never saw your Daughter but remember you talking about her. Geez, my oldest daughter is now fifty one. I still have about thirty cars but do not drive them much and am thinking about selling most of them. The '39 Mercury convertible is all finished except for the upholstery and that will be expensive to do. I guess my favorite is the original '51 Kaiser club coupe but I have owned the '40 Ford coupe for fifty five years now. I bought it in 1958 for three hundred and fifty dollars. I could have bought many for a hundred dollars but I wanted a real good one. How times have changed!
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Gordie - do you still have the Russian Gaz jeeps? I know the Dale is at the Peterson now. I also remember that you had two '39 Mercurys, maybe one was a '40.
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I never had any Russian Jeeps but I sold the two Playboys, the Crosleys' and the Pinto with 600 original miles and one of the '39 Mercs', the red one. I've bought and sold over 10,000 cars in my years as a dealer so have have had some nice ones over the years and was able to keep a few. I wish I could have kept more of them including a '68 Shelby GT 500 convertible that I bought for $700 and sold for $1,300 after painting it and installing a new top. The Dale I sold to the guy who bought my building. The one that the Peterson has is a mock up with no drive line or interior. Mine was the only running Dale. My buyer also bought the '59 Ford that Charles Manson used in the Tate and La Bianca murders. I don't miss that one!
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Gordie, I remember visiting you at your shop (off Olympic if I remember correctly and in a residential neighborhood) and you had three blue Russian Jeeps, the make was GAZ. That was at the same time you had the Dale. They were towards the right front of the main room as you walked in. They looked more like early Land Rovers than American Jeeps. The Mercs were towards the back. This musta been around 1984-'86. I think you had just gotten the Manson Galaxy from the police auction.
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Hi Rick, I just don't remember having any Gaz Jeeps but I did get some unusual stuff. I still have the three wheel Reliant car but I'm too tall to fit into it. The guy I sold the building to collects police cars and that is why he bought the Manson car. He displays his old police cars frequently at city functions.