body & door tags

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

All 1954 Manhattans are the same; there are no early or late Manhattans.  1954 Kaiser Specials are either Early version with a one-piece rear window and 1953 dash (and interior) while later 1954 Kaiser Specials have the 1954 dashboard & interior along with 3-piece rear window.  Neither version of the Special has a supercharger.

Door post serial number tags for Manhattans begin K542, Specials begin with K545. Later Special serial numbers start at 022177 and go up; Early Specials are lower than 022177. 

[pnw_oldmags]

So an earlier 1954 had all three plates (Serial, Body and Data) removed and new plates installed.  Luckily the Serial numbers were a continuation of the 1953 series.  Is this correct?

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

As far as is known for now, the sequence used on the 1954 early specials seems to be running off Manhattan numbers; from a trim standpoint, these cars are done as if they were 1953 Manhattans with 1954 tail lights and front sheet metal.  When the regular Specials (3-piece rear window setup, 1954 Manhattan type interior and dashboard, etc) came out in the summer of 1954 (the Trade Letter announcing these cars--and at the same price as the early Special version--is dated in July) they continued to run the sequence.

Only the prefix was changed.