51 Kaiser restoration

[lacyf]

I have this idea of useing chevy disc brakes in front and drum in the rear..my thoughts are to use the existing master cyl...will the disc brakes work with out a power unit????thanx

[jreeder41]

That will work, but it is only a single well cylinder. You don't need power and you don't need a dual master cylinder but they are both good ideas if possible. You probably should put a proportioning valve in the system. Is your car auto or standard? Ours being standard has the clutch pivot running through the master cylinder. I think we are going to install a trans swap kit and run a turbo 350. Then we will have space for a power booster and dual master.

[lacyf]

Thanks for the info,I think there is a power booster in my future,,,,,,,,,,,,sounds like a much safer approach...

[jreeder41]

Finally got some shop time to work on the Kaiser again. We have the disc brakes all fabbed up. Unfortunately they will not fit under stock wheels and to make them fit would mean starting from scratch on parts and design. I will post some pics tomorrow of the progress. 

[jreeder41]

It's been a while but we have some time in the shop to start up again on the project. I will post some pics as we go.

[dpledger]

I just finished a similar hood lip repair on my '53-had rusted badly on both the inner and outer parts. What I did appears to have been the same as shown above-used 18 ga on both upper and lower (inner and outer)  sections, and used a stitch welder. I cut and shaped the pieces myself-took some time and required just a couple of cuts and welds to get the exact shape. Made patterns from the original and then duplicated in metal. I have no formal sheet metal bending equipment, but have some dollies I made from wood with the right shapes. Some hours of fussing for sure, but cost me practically nothing for materials, since I've been buying 18 ga in 4x8 foot sheets (four or five to date.) My time is in principle free.

[jreeder41]

That is the best way to learn. Too many people go out and spend a fortune on tools and have no concept of what to do with them.

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

Looks nice...frame should be black, engine block and cylinder head castings a shade of green rather than red, but color choice is actually up to the individual.

[jreeder41]

Yeah, we are building a mild custom out of this one.

[jmxkf1]

Is that the original rear axle?  What kind of rear springs did you use?    thanks and beautiful job!    Jim

[jreeder41]

Yes that is the og axle and springs. We removed the wrapping that was on them, broke the leafs down to single pieces and blasted them. We then primed and painted each leaf separately. Thanks for the compliment.