Kaiser Frazer Owners Club Forum
General Category => Cars For Sale & Wanted => Topic started by: Mr Manhattan on March 05, 2015, 06:25:29 PM
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http://eastidaho.craigslist.org/cto/4916258522.html
They just keep coming out of the wood work )
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So no rear quarter glass makes this a rarer club coupe if I remember. Also no Manhattans in 1951 Kaisers.
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This one is a deluxe club coupe but it seems to have special bumper guards on the rear and it has bucket front seats. Not a bad looking car and a tempting price. Most of the club coupes seemed to be automatics from the factory.
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In my opinion, this one is gone forever. Meaning it won't be restored and it won't be finished. It will sit right where it's at for another 20 years and then the widow will pass away and the kids will auction this off non running for $500, maybe.
It looks hacked up, an electrical nightmare. WE as a KF community know of it's rarity and would like to see it saved but to restore you would have to undo the seats and upholstery, strip this car to the chassis and start from scratch.
Wouldn't you have to source a rare front split bench seat? I hope they saved it and stuck it in the garage somewhere, but I doubt it.
For the most part the KF restoration community is not ambitious to over pay for a rare car like this to "save" it. Typically we will let these cars sit, overpriced, and they will end up crushed someday.
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It looks like they replaced the engine and steering column and then tried to figure out the wiring. The wiring looks like a mess, A
donor Kaiser steering column and new wiring harness would just be the beginning. If the car could had very reasonably it could
be saved. I doubt it will as I have seen similar projects where someone takes a car/boat/pane apart and then gives up. A car like
this will find few takers and I wish there was a way the KFOCI could save it.
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boatingbill
Your comments are right on. I did not notice the steering column. This guy got in over his head, then added up his costs, doubled it and now would be offended by a realistic offer of $1000. I am not saying $1000 covers his costs, his costs are probablt over that but to undo what he has done would mean Dragon like money to save an admittedly rare car.
Just because it is rare does not make it desirable BUT most of us agree this is a nice 2 door early 50's club coupe. As a Buick guy, I can tell you this 2 door club coupe is much more attractive then a 51 Buick club coupe or Pontiac or Chevy.
Dang it. It doesn't help it is so far away.
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As far as being hacked up.....it is a conversion never intended to be stock. One would need to speak with the seller to know if it runs and drives.Wiring is not that hard to sort out. If it does, it would be a pretty nice driver for that price.
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I have purchased this car and it is in process of transport. Haven't had a Kaiser since selling a '54 Henry J in 1982 !
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StillOutThere: We are here to help you any way we can. Good to see that you saved this car.
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Congrats on the purchase Still Out There! I agree with Barnum, the wiring may look a bit of a mess, but looks can be deceptive. I've seen wiring that looked similar thirty minutes before being turned over to the new owner on the show Overhaulin'. And if you keep the V-6, you'll be cruising the interstate while we "original" guys take the side roads.
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The Buick V6 is an excellent fit in a Kaiser. It has a center oil pan sump that gives good tie rod clearance. The Chevy v8 has it's in the rear and is trouble. It also has a front mounted distributor unlike the v8's rear mount that sometimes requires firewall modification. This is Paul Harrelson's Henry J with a Buick V6.He said it was an easy fit. It also has a S10 rear end that Paul said was almost just a bolt in change. Paul also has a 51 Henry J restored to the height of craftsmanship. He showed them both at KFOCI meet at the Turkey Trot in Daytona.
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Thanks for the encouragement and comments. Probably like most I have strong and weak "suits" when it comes to what I can do with a car. My weakest is the electronics so when I opened the front door and was greeted with the attached scene it was disheartening.
I'll have other questions and comments as I get into this. I have been informed the rear of this car is wearing one "Special" bumper guard (and one not chromed in the trunk) so I am looking for a very nice pair of Deluxe rear guards.
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Undoing and then redoing someone else's work on a customized car is always challenging. My 54 HJ had alot of patchwork wiring in it for things like extra lights, an aftermarket heater and other stuff and I finally resorted to removing the entire harness and starting fresh. It's turning out to be much less work than guessing what the PO was trying to accomplish.
Keep us informed...we'll help where we can!
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I'm curious, how much did you pay for it? The car was over priced and we seldom find out what a car ACTUALLY sells for. How far down did the seller come on price?
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Getting more familiar with the car. The wiring jungle is largely related to the late '60s Ford power steering and tilt wheel column. Wiring for turn signals, ignition switch, bright lights (I think), and cruise control. Then the K lower chrome controls panel was never reinstalled and all its attachments including e-brake remain loose. It can be sorted out.
Y'all know the asking price that was in the ad. Comments in this thread ran from "a tempting price" for desirable model to "gone forever, hacked up", unrestorable, as they do on many cars discussed in this forum. I'll tell you he came down. But the reason you very seldom hear actual selling prices is partly because it is private information for both the seller and the buyer and also because it is therefore impolite to inquire.
Perhaps some need to consider that a hobbyist like myself sees nothing damning about a collector car with some modifications to make it more drivable, safer, better mileage, more comfortable, etc. A car which outwardly, to the public, maintains Kaiser awareness, Kaiser presence, evokes "Kaiser in the family" memories should not receive insults, should it?
Thanks to those with a broad hobby perspective, offering positive comments, willing to help where they can.
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Y'all know the asking price that was in the ad. Comments in this thread ran from "a tempting price" for desirable model to "gone forever, hacked up", unrestorable, as they do on many cars discussed in this forum. I'll tell you he came down. But the reason you very seldom hear actual selling prices is partly because it is private information for both the seller and the buyer and also because it is therefore impolite to inquire.
Perhaps some need to consider that a hobbyist like myself sees nothing damning about a collector car with some modifications to make it more drivable, safer, better mileage, more comfortable, etc. A car which outwardly, to the public, maintains Kaiser awareness, Kaiser presence, evokes "Kaiser in the family" memories should not receive insults, should it?
Thanks to those with a broad hobby perspective, offering positive comments, willing to help where they can.
I appreciate the decorum you present here but respectfully disagree that it is impolite to talk price. Embedded here over the past several years are many posts referencing price and what is fair and what is extreme. Many cite price guides. How do you think price guides reach their over inflated pricing?
You as the buyer has every right to express price but you obviously feel you over paid for it and therefore we as a community will have raised eyebrows. I don't care what you paid for it, I care about the seller and how much he came down as a percentage of asking price.
Unknown to you is that I get as many as 10 inquiries a week from all communities asking for pricing assistance on purchases. You bought a neat car, a neat body style and I wish you well. I have no issue with the modifications made to any car because there is plenty of old car inventory out there, whether modifications are made or not, there will always be a selection of (potentially) original cars to supply those insistent of original stock.
Go to any small town "show and shine" festival show and 75% of the cars have some or a lot of modifications.
Private information? Ok, I just sold a 1972 Buick Centurion convertible for $1000, my asking price, for a car I bought for $1700. I just sold my 1950 Hudson Commodore 8 for $100 that I purchased for $1750. Big deal.
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No problem here with talking about car values speculatively, what the market is, whether an ad is high or a great deal. But to expect me to give you the figure for what the buyer received would be wrong and impolite as the buyer. He may not want you to know for many reasons and this is a public forum. He may read it. He may be a member.
For you to surmise that I paid too much and am unhappy with the car is simply ridiculous and unacceptable. You are imposing your opinions into this public place. RIDICULOUS, to repeat.
Where do value guides come from? What? - you haven't looked at their printed answer to that? They come largely from auction results. Also from input from major club officers of actual sales. Also they are moderated by a panel of hobby experts through a round-table discussion process. A personal friend was one of the experts for Old Cars Price Guide until his passing.
If you care to post your losses, wonderful. Do you also post the killer deals you make?
Anyone see ANY reason why the K-F club has trouble getting and keeping members?
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Fair points indeed. In reviewing my positions in this thread, I have stated definitive opinions, rather then luke warm topical conversations.
ALL old clubs are losing members that I know of. As recently as 2011, I was a member of 5 clubs, and all are losing members. It has far more to do with changing demographics and what potential younger members are into. It's not club joining.
Good luck with your car. Based on your owned cars, I see you are more then capable of sorting this one out.
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If you care to post your losses, wonderful. Do you also post the killer deals you make?
I wish. Of the 250 cars I have owned in the last 32 years, I may have made money on 35 of them, and in that case, the most profit I made was $1500. Mostly I lose about $500 per car. So, $500 x 215 cars = $107,500 loss in 32 years.