52 Kaiser I.D.

[kfnut]

I picked up a 52 Club Coupe and would like to confirm just what it is . Looking in the handbook ( I have the paper version ) there are several pages on different  2 door club coups and i'm confused . Would someone please decipher the numbers for me and tell me what I have here ?
 Stuff off the firewall plate
model # 522
body #  7
paint # 427
trim # 2712
I.P.   # 3
D.R.  # 1
T.R. # 4
Schedule #352
Item # 70
Body serial # 5127-6504
 
Stuff on door pillar
Ser. # K-522-1078773

 Which serial number do you use for a bill of sell ?
The paint codes say Gunmetal grey over Caribbean coral. It is white over Caribbean coral and I don't think it has been painted .
 

[rrdcorvair]

Hi Mike,
   The K522 makes it a 52 Manhattan, The 7 in 'body' makes it a Manhattan Club Coupe. [ a 3 in 'body' would mean business coupe, which doesn't show up in production figures]. The production figures show a possible 'club coupe' in the Deluxe models but shows no production figures.  Also the model number would have to be K521 to make it a Deluxe.  You have a 1952 Manhattan Club Coupe, one of 263 made.  Up north here we use the body serial number for bills of sale.  Between the one on the fire wall and the one on the door post...the door post is referred to as Car serial number plate.  I have found, on our registrations either/or show up and as long as DMV can be shown the plate (with rivets anyhow and not screws) they've issued us plates.  With southerners - who knows.   Bob

[joefrazer]

This car is in the KF Registry as a 52 Virginian Deluxe Coupe. The owner is (was) shown as someone named Mathews.

Serial No.    Body No.   PAINT TRIM  DR TR AG  SCH ITEM  OWNER     STATE
K522-1078773  5127-6504    427 2712            352 70    Mathews     AL

[kfnut]

Thanks Guys . I did not realize there were so many Club Coupe combinations .

[rrdcorvair]

I stand corrected, thanks Jim.

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

1952 Kaiser Virginians were offered in Special and Deluxe series; they are either unsold finished 1951 models that got new paint jobs and a bit of trim change.  They also have the 2-piece 1951 Kaiser windshield.  Production counts for Virginian models is unknown at present as the cars used the 1951 serial number sequencing with 1952 prefixes.  The factory production counts I have don't break out the number of Virginians produced by series & model.

1952 second series Kaisers (1-piece windshield, larger tail lights, fender script with make/model year, etc)  had a Kaiser Manhattan Club Coupe model.  This is also a 5227 on the body information tag (large firewall tag) but the body serial number tag (small tag on the firewall) starting at 5227-001001 to 5227-001263.  250 came off the line at Willow Run, the other 13 were assembled and considered products of the overseas plants in Rotterdam Holland, Haifa Israel and/or Mexico City, Mexico.  Records breaking down assembly by plant except for Leaside Ontario, Canada are not available at this time.

1952 Kaiser Virginian Special models were Business Coupes only.  There were no 1952 later series Business Coupes made.  Willow Run still had 1952 Virginian Special Business Coupes in inventory as late as July 1952; the factory did not convert them into Club Coupes with addition of back seat and appropriate interior trim.

[kfnut]

I was able to start the engine today putting gas in the carb with an oil bottle . I don't dare try to run it off the fuel tank and lines until the tank is boiled out and fuel lines purged clear . I'm still curios about the paint combination . Is it gunmetal over Caribbean coral or the white color over the Caribbean coral ? Like I said in the first post , I don't think it has been painted . I can't find a picture of the gunmetal top over Caribbean coral . Has anyone seen this combo ?

[joefrazer]

Paint code 427 has the Gunmetal on top and Caribbean Coral Metallic on the bottom. Interesting color combination!

[kfnut]

I have new questions on the interior cloths . The hand book says Caribbean Coral Stockholm and Volta interior cloth . Is the Volta the corduroy ( I know I didn't spell that right ) looking stuff or something else ? What is the best color match from the colors listed in the manufacturing fund list ? Is Stockholm a type of cloth or color name ?
  I need an understanding on the cloth used in this car .
Thanks in advance for your help .

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

Here is a picture of stockholm cloth off a piece of color 1951 Kaiser showroom literature.  This design had often been equated to certain types of cloth towels; it is a durable fabric but will, like any other type of cloth succumb to the ravages of time, exposure to the elements, etc.   Volta is also a type of cloth that I know very little about other then the name covers a type of weave, base material and so on.  I am only guessing here but it may reference the cloth insert on the door panels.  Also check recent postings in the Manufacturing Fund department of the Forum.  You may get some additional info on Volta Cloth.

Your best course of action is to contact the Chief Judge and get this information from him.  He is the person who has say on what's right and where to get materials if they are currently available.

[kfnut]

The picture helps me ask the question better . THe material on the seat , is it the Volta or Stockholm ? The manufacturing fund has Volta listed but was not sure which material it was .
  Also there is a question on the headliner . As I was taking out the remains of the headliner and it appears to be a reddish color or some version of Caribbean coral . It being as old as it is , it is hard to tell . Also what are some recommendations on where to purchase a new headliner ?
  It might be awhile for all this to happen as I have only had the car two weeks . It's a new toy and the novelty hasn't wore off yet .

[51ksrluxe]

sorry I realize this isn't a recent post. I wanted to reply that I am in contact with SMS Fabrics in Canby, Oregon. They have all types of fabrics and materials that very nearly match the original patterns and colors.  email: info@smsautofabrics.com website: https://smsautofabrics.com   They sent me samples for my car and they are a very close match.

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

There were around 5,000 or thereabouts leftover 1951 Kaisers, various body types and series that were still in factory hands.  The decision was made to make minor changes to the cars and re-tag them as 1952 Kaiser Virginian Series vehicles.  The number of 1952 Virginian Deluxe Club Coupes is not known at present as production counts by body type and series.  I've attached photos of a 1952 Virginian type club coupe (with optional Continental spare tire kit) and an actual 1952 Manhattan Club Coupe.    There were only 246 of the 1952 Manhattan types produced, all of them in the spring of calendar year 1952.  Seems there was not enough interest within what remained of the dealer body to run the type any more and the short run reflected inventories of Club Coupe items (stampings, upholstery already cut to size, etc) in factory hands.