I was out in North Dakota two summers ago looking for AMC parts and stumbled upon a 1949 Frazer Manhattan in a junkyard that was pretty much complete with minimal rust and a free engine. I was in no way looking for such a thing, but having grown up in Belleville, Michigan, I was very familiar with the fact that they were built in the former Willow Run bomber plant and felt that it would be appropriate to bring it back home to Michigan and get it roadworthy again. From paperwork found in the glove box, I estimated that it had spent it's life in or around Minot and ended up in the yard in the late 60's. The only rust through I could find was a small area around the right rear wheel well where it had been hit, leaving a sizable but repairable dent in the quarter panel. It was otherwise complete except for the radio and one wheel cover and trim ring. It even had the original spare in the trunk. After getting back home and thinking about it, I had a friend in ND purchase and store it for the winter and my wife and I went out last summer and brought it back to Michigan.
The car is currently being stored in my building in the U.P., but I brought the seats home to re-upholster over the winter. We are in the process of relocating up there, so I'm going to be working on the car as time allows. I figure upholstery this winter, mechanical's in the summer and bodywork the following winter if I am able to get my building heated and functional by then. I'm more of a custom hot rod guy myself, so a total restoration will be a new (but fun) experience. I can think of a lot of ways to customize the Manhattan, but am striving to keep the restoration as original as possible. About the only improvement I can see implementing is to convert the electrical system to 12 volts. The original six volt system just sounds like a real pain in the ass waiting to happen.
I only have one upholstery job under my belt, a 1968 AMC Rambler American, so this will be the most time consuming part of the restoration. Sewing wool and learning to work with the cotton batten padding is all new to me and a LOT different than foam and vinyl. I was fortunate to find an original bolt of Frazer fabric on eBay for a 1949 Manhattan. Unfortunately it was green, but for $6 a yard, I couldn't complain.
So far I have reupholstered the front and rear arm rests and rebuilt the rear bench seat. The mice had a field day with all of the coils in the bench, so I had to completely disassemble everything and start from scratch. Every coil had to be enclosed in a muslin pocket and after going through all that labor and over a pound of hog rings, it's no wonder KF went out of business. I'm currently at the point where I can start making the seat cover for the rear bench, but the front bench and both seat backs still await my attention. Hopefully they won't be as bad as the rear, but I'm not holding my breath. And speaking of holding my breath, it'll be nice to get to the point where I don't have to work with a respirator and deal with scrap that should be considered hazardous waste. Yes, that is mouse crap in pic #2.
I was able to find a radio that was not only complete, but in working condition. That was a welcome surprise, considering it was only made for two years, 51 years ago. I'm still looking for a hub cap and trim ring, but have found many tune-up and brake parts on eBay.
I'm off doing a bit of woodworking at the moment, but hope to get back to the upholstery work soon.
Tom
