Kaiser Frazer Owners Club Forum
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: cwmc on August 07, 2015, 03:19:57 AM
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Hi everyone,
I recently acquired a 1949 Frazer Standard in pretty restorable condition. To assist in my restoration, I also purchased 3 1947-48 Kaiser specials to use as parts cars. Trouble is, the Kaisers seem to have substantial differences in construction details that I was not expecting. Specifically, the door hardware seems to be different, and upon closer inspection, the inner door stamping is also completely different. I was not really expecting this, as the doors themselves will interchange from one car to the other, I believe? Anyhow, I am now looking for a number of pieces for my drivers side rear door (basically everything but the shell, glass, and vent window).
A previous owner had started to disassemble the car, but health prevented his finishing the project, and the subsequent owner suffered a catastrophic garage fire. The car was outside at the time, but I am left to assume that the parts from the partially disassembled car were lost. I would like to save this solid, running car, but if the pieces cannot be located, I will be forced to abandon the project as uneconomical. I also own a trio of 1951 Kaisers, and it might just be easier to start on that project instead.
One of the reasons I am writing today is that I recently saw a beautiful 1949 Frazer go driving by my house, and I figured the owner must at least be known to someone on this forum? I live near Sherwood Park, Alberta, and I figure that if I can get in touch with the owner of that lovely restored car, he might be able to help me locate some of the missing parts. If not, well, it was worth a try and I am no worse off for trying.
The main things that are missing are: The trunk handle (broken), the aforementioned drivers rear door hardware (outside handle, latch and window mechanism), the hood badge and ornament and the stainless trim for the same rear door.
I am not trying to make this a show car, just put it back on the road and enjoy it as a daily driver. I can repaint the car and redo the interior, but there is no point if too many parts are missing.
Perhaps someone can tell me if there are interchangeable models / years I am not aware of? I guess I was hasty buying 3 basically useless parts cars, haha. I would be happy to trade for the stuff I need, as the 47-48 Kaisers have some nice pieces on them, and all 3 could be combined to make one good car.
Anyhow, sorry for the long-winded post; I am pretty new to these cars (for someone that owns 7 of them) and will gratefully accept any advice I can get. I'll attach a couple of pictures; one of the Frazer (complete with bizarre 2-toning!) and one of one of the Kaiser parts cars.
Thanks for your time, everyone; I look forward to hearing from anyone.
Cheers,
Scott (CWMC)
(http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i400/coldwarmotors/kk2_zpsd1i8v3kx.jpg) (http://s1091.photobucket.com/user/coldwarmotors/media/kk2_zpsd1i8v3kx.jpg.html)
(http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i400/coldwarmotors/kk1_zpsbds6hxj4.jpg) (http://s1091.photobucket.com/user/coldwarmotors/media/kk1_zpsbds6hxj4.jpg.html)
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Hello and welcome to the KF forum! Your assumption is correct, there are many differences between your parts cars and the 49 Frazer. The 1947 Kaisers used two different style doors. The car pictured appears to be one of the early versions as it looks to have what we call "individual letters" on the hood, rather that script that is connected together as one piece. Doors on these early cars used a shell and internal mechanisms that differ from later 1947 and all 1948 Kaisers and Frazers - as well as all later cars.
In 1949 the cars were redeisgned and while earlier doors will fit on the 49 cars, they have substantial trim and other differences. Inner and out handles differ, vent hardware is different, and the mechanisms inside differ as well.
Fortunately, there are plenty of parts for the 1949-50 Frazers available. If you're not a member already, consider joining the Kaiser Frazer Owners Club as we publish a monthly news bulletin that contains a classified section listing both cars and parts for sale as well as a wanted section. This would be a good place to look for what you need, as well as sell what you don't.
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Scott, are you one of the guys behind the Cold War Motors videos? Seems like I recognize some of the cars in the background ;),
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Hi!
Thanks for the help and the advice! It seems I am in a bit more trouble than I originally thought... Anyone want to buy 3 1947 Specials? haha.
No matter; I will think of something... I might even just swap the back door on from one of the parts cars fro now; it'll keep the rain out and I can carry on with the other things that need doing also, like brakes, windshield (where to get rubbers?), tires, etc.
And yes, Cold War Motors is my imaginary youtube car dealership. I didn't think anyone would notice, haha. I was going to put this Frazer together in a series of weekly installments, culminating with me getting it plated and driving it as a daily car. I may still, but it looks like it's going to be a lot more difficult to get the missing parts without getting killed on shipping charges. Again, any advice is much appreciated.
Cheers!
scott
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And yes, Cold War Motors is my imaginary youtube car dealership. I didn't think anyone would notice, haha. I was going to put this Frazer together in a series of weekly installments, culminating with me getting it plated and driving it as a daily car. I may still, but it looks like it's going to be a lot more difficult to get the missing parts without getting killed on shipping charges. Again, any advice is much appreciated.
Scott, a video series on getting this car up and running as a daily driver would be GREAT! I hope you push on and do that. There is a lot of knowledge on this forum, and thru the K-F club a lot of parts are available out there as others have noted.
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"...Scott, a video series on getting this car up and running as a daily driver would be GREAT! I hope you push on and do that. There is a lot of knowledge on this forum, and thru the K-F club a lot of parts are available out there as others have noted."
Hey, thanks for the encouragement! I will probably keep going on the videos then, if enough people would like it. I already filmed retrieving the car, and getting it running, so I might as well continue. A major part of this project was going to be my first attempt at upholstery including scratch-building a headliner, so I will continue with that end of the project while I search out the missing stuff.
Thanks everyone for their help and encouragement on this little project. I hope everyone understands that I do not have very much money for any of my cars, and therefore luxuries like rechroming and full engine rebuilds are simply not part of the program. However, I really would like to see this decent, solid car put back on the road for others to enjoy, and for me to drive and share the story of these interesting cars with the 99% of people that have never seen one.
Cheers,
scott
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Scott, let us know when you get the videos up on YouTube! :)
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have you had any luck ?? I have some 49 - 50 parts I can probably let go of that are decent. Send me a small list
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JUST CHECKED YOUR NOTE AGAIN....I BELEIVE I HAVE ALL THAT YOU NEED, I WILL BE AT MY GARAGE THIS WEEK. PLEASE LET ME KNOW ASAP. EASIER IF YOU USE MY EMAIL
billdell_nails@yahoo.com
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Jake--Please read reply # 7 regarding Autopride
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Members of the KFOCI (being a member of the forum is NOT the same thing as KFOCI) can post free ads in the club's monthly newsletter for things needed and you also have access to people selling parts, either regular vendors or people with the occasional surplus that they would be parting with
You also get KFOCI HANDBOOK, an action packed rollercoaster of a CD with information on K-F & Willys Cars, and other neat things pertaining to Kaiser-Frazer Corporation, related companies, their products & K-F or Willys collectables.
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I would love to see the youtube videos come to be....i love watching roadkill and to see a kaiser fixed up would be great....
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Hi!
Just a quick update...
I was able to locate a couple of local owners who are helping me with a few of the parts I need; this is thanks to the help I received through the K-F Forum here! Thanks again for the help and contacts!
The car is coming along a bit... I have got the engine partially dismantled to replace the fuel and water pumps at the same time as doing all of the hoses and fan belt. The rad is repaired and the rad support has been spliced together using donor bits from one of the parts cars. I have been concentrating on the dash; getting all of the heater controls and electrical circuits going. All was well until the car developed a short circuit in the signal light circuit, causing the flasher to burn out. This is a setback, but I am systematically eliminating possible causes. A bit sad because the signals were working a few days ago. I hope I can sort it out soon enough.
The brakes are next, followed by the glass and rubbers... still al lot to do if I'm going to have it ready by winter...
Cheers; I'll post more updates as I get closer to driving it!
scott.
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Hey everyone!
Just a short update on the Frazer; all is well and I've put a couple thousand trouble-free miles so far! The only stubborn problem I am having is a driveline vibration that only shows up under load, like going up a hill or accelerating from a stop. There is no vibration when driving at a steady speed or decelerating.
I have checked the u-joints and cant find any measurable sloppiness. Ditto the center hanger bearing and the rubbers that support it (new). I am left thinking it has to be the output shaft bearing in the overdrive unit itself? There is measurable (.020-.040) radial movement at the flange where the drive shaft bolts up. Does anyone know if this is supposed to be a "zero-play" fitting? It looks like a pretty involved job to change it, and I don't want to waste several days on replacing this bearing if it won't fix the problem.
Any advice / suggestions much appreciated!
Cheers!
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Hey everyone!
Well, I thought I'd share the good news that the vibration in my Frazer is finally sorted; it was in fact the output shaft bearings on the overdrive unit. Both bearings and the seal were standard-sized parts that I was able to source easily at a low cost.
The Frazer went in for it's "out-of-province" inspection, required of any vehicle that has not been registered since the computer system was installed. This inspection is supposedly in place to foil curbers from dumping thousands of rusty, east-coast auction heaps onto the unsuspecting local used-car market, but it really exists mostly to force people into new-car dealerships to continue propping up the worldwide financial ponzi-scheme that passes for an auto industry these days.
Nevertheless, I bravely submitted my Frazer to the skeptical proprietor of the local garage that does this type of inspection, along with the appropriate government-approved forms and a certain amount of cash. Of course, it failed, but only for some out-of-spec tie rod ends. I was actually quite happy to hear that, other than that, my field-find Frazer was getting the ok from "The Man". I have ordered the tie rod ends from Willow Run K-F Parts and am anxiously awaiting the mail every day now!
Finally: the only thing left nagging me and stopping me from undertaking a several-hundred mile trip this fall is a persistent tendency to detonate under even light loads at speed, like going up a long hill. My first thought was "Timing!", so I backed it off to behind the recommended setting of 2 degrees initial, all the way to zero degrees initial. I also started running premium fuel in hopes that a higher octane rating would stop the rattling, but no luck. I notice that it's worse when the car is warmed up, and better on cool evenings, but it's never completely cured. I can "drive around" it by being careful about loading up the engine, but it means I'm crawling up hills that should give no trouble at all, and I am reluctant to try a 6-hour journey until I know what to do.
I'm thinking at this point that the only solution is to pull the head and clean off the accumulated carbon deposits in the hopes that the detonation is caused by hot spots of carbon buildup in the combustion chamber. I am reluctant to do this, but unless someone here can recommend a solution, that will be my next step... I even tried running the engine at 2000 rpm whilst pouring s bit of ATF into the carb to attempt to clean up the chambers, but no appreciable difference after I was done...
Am I the only one dealing with this? Anyone else find their 226 is prone to detonation / preignition? Any advice/ anecdotes welcome...
Cheers,
Scott
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I have a military issued maintenance manual that says to rid an engine of carbon deposits , spray hydrogin peroxide in the carb will engine is running . I have not tried it but will if the situation presents itself .
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You might try adding some SEAFOAM to the gas, available at most auto parts stores, cleans out varnish etc. from the fuel system and is supposed to eliminate carbon deposits.
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Hey, thanks for those tips! I'll try them both; I'm not keen to pull the head if I can avoid it by doing something simple. Will update ASAP!
Cheers
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An old man I used to know would rev the engine at high rpm then dump water through the carb ........he said it would steam the carbon off......I seen it actually make one run better.....
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We used to pour a small but steady trickle of auto windshield washer fluid down the carburator. Hold the engine around 2000 RPM and watch the steam come out the back. Apparently the alcohol enhances the cleaning of the steam.
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Thanks for the the ideas! I will try them out and let you know how it goes! I even heard to use Minute Rice from an old local mechanic... apparently works well to remove stubborn chunks of carbon. Maybe I'll pour in the rice and water at the same time and not have to make lunch!
Cheers.
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Hey guys,
Well, it turns out that it was a timing related issue after all! I disconnected the vacuum advance and moved the timing back to it's factory setting of 2 degrees initial and the car runs fine, uphill or downhill at any throttle input. My next job is to try to limit the total advance that the distributor can provide. Once I have that limit set, I will reconnect the vacuum advance for the fuel mileage increase it can offer. Nevertheless, great news and I didn't have to pull the head.
In other good news, I passed my old car / out-of-province inspection yesterday and officially registered the car today! My tie-rod ends arrived a few days ago and I put them in right away and re-booked the inspection as soon as I was done. Thanks Willow Run K-F Parts; the tie-rod ends were just the ticket! I am very happy to see the car back on the road after probably fifty years of sitting around neglected. It was a lot of work, but not too much money and it's a real treat to drive around out in the country where I live.
Thanks also to everyone here at the K-F Forum for your advice and encouragement! I will be posting one or two more videos on Youtube, detailing the final projects on the Frazer and going for a final road test to show off the car. People get a kick out of it everywhere I go, and friends love riding in the spacious and luxurious interior.
I still have a pretty decent 1951 Kaiser Special to tidy up, so I'm sure I'll have more questions soon...
Cheers,
Scott
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Thanks for the update Scott! I've really enjoyed the videos, and love the methods you and the agents use to get a car back to a usable condition. Will be looking forward to some more videos, and........especially........Stella! :)