Forum "Membership" and KF Owners Club Membership

[mbflemingkf]

Feel a need to make a point of clarification.  There have been some posts lately on this Forum by "neubies" who believe they are "New Club Members" of the Kaiser Frazer Owners Club by simply joining this Forum.  This recently caught my attention and was supported by a "New Club Member" I've been communicating with through e-mail today on items for his new Kaiser.  When I asked him if he only joined the Forum or had sent in his club application with the $35 for club membership, he said, "no he had not, didn't realize he needed to", and asked how to do that. 

So...I'm convinced his was not an isolated situation.  To clarify, joining this Forum provides the ability to join discussion with other KF owners, ask questions, etc.  However, it's always strongly recommended to join KFOCI through the membership process.  This gives you club priviledges such as receiving the Monthly Bulletin and other club publications.

Joining KFOCI is easy...at the top left of the home page for this forum (www.kfclub.com), there's a link which allows membership via mail in application or electronically.

While KFOCI membership is not REQUIRED for membership here, our club functions on new and continuing membership.  Having been a members for 31 years myself, I always find it hard to understand how one can maintain and/or restore these cars without the many benefits club membership has to offer. 

Hope this clarifies the club function seperately from this forum.  I can see where one can be confused; we welcome everyone to KFOCI membership!

Regards, Mike

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

I second Mike's comments.  We have a notable number of non-members who either in all honesty don't realize there is a difference between forum membership and regular club membership or are out to get everything they can for nothing.  One way I have found to tell the difference sometimes is when simple repair/restoration questions are asked and when I come back with a question about their having a shop manual and/or a parts book, they want me to scan the service information and email it to them.

C'mon folks.  You need the service information from the factory to work on these cars just like you need the factory service manuals, etc, to work on vehicles produced today.  I speak from personal experience on this as well as the value to joining the club.  If anyone doubts there is no value to looking for information and not joining the KFOCI, let them speak now!

[brian.b]

guys I will be joining very soon,,i didn't really know there was a difference ..is the 35 a one time thing or annual dues....either way 35 bucks isn't much for all the help this club provides...I do want to buy all the books and manuals for my car but right now im switching jobs..and im having to do a lot of work to my truck but hopefully by next month ill be ordering parts like crazy...thanks for all your help guys

[Roadmaster49]

A salient counterpoint. Mike and Jack bring up perfectly acceptable points.  The club needs new members and $35 is a decent price IF value is received and friendships are made that make the ownership experience more worthwhile (i.e. fun). 

However, many many clubs including the AACA have free forums as an enticement to join the main club. This is an ever growing culture, that is, marque and hobby specific forums.  I own an 87 Toyota Supra and "joined" [signed up] a SUPRA forum for free and there is no club behind that forum.  So, for those who purchase a KF, especially younger folks, it may not occur to them that there is a KFOCI club behind the forum.

Some marques require membership to get into their forums, but not many.   I was a KFOCI member for one year.  I am not presently a member because I don't own a KF and may not for awhile.  The newsletters, while nice, are not apples to apples to what I get from the Packard Club for the SAME PRICE, nor the BCA ($50 or $35 e-version) 

I never did receive my CD, as previously noted.  I eventually received a QUARTERLY with a membership roster and calendar.  I don't feel I am "piggybacking" on this site because I am not a member, rather, I became a member initially because I found this site and found friendly people to discuss my 49 Virginian with.  (Note:  I received ONE Quarterly, not 4)

Forums are relatively low cost opportunities to introduce potential new members to KFOCI.  Won't get everyone, but a percentage do join based on this website and these forums. 

[rlahammer]

I was one of those people and hope to get a lot out of the "club". I sent my membership check in on Monday and hope to be at the convention

I have joined the group because I have purchased two Kaiser dragons and want to make at least one a show car. It is a long story but the very short version is that my father in law sold Kasier's at NW Kaisers in Minneapolis all the way back to the 1940's. He is still around and i hope to pick him up in  few weeks in my Dragon and see the smile on his face (he really could use it by the way).

Way  more to this story but i won't bore you all.

I am already looking for various items but will post on those another time.

thanks all

Rob

[Fid]

Hi Rob,

I'm Lowell Fideler (Fid for short) and we spoke on the phone a few weeks ago.
I had Edgar Kaiser's Henry J at a rally in downtown Hastings last Saturday evening. The Hastings rally takes place every other Saturday between Memorial Day and Labor Day so the next one will be July 27.
I hope to see your Dragon there some time. Let me know how things are going with it.

By the way, here are pictures of the TWO Dragons that were at French Lake Auto for years.

and

They're both gone now. I did take pictures of the tags on them and the green one was registered with the club many years ago. It had a 1976 license plate on it.
The black one was even worse. They'd been pretty well picked over and nothing left on them. It is interesting that for as rare as the Dragons are, there would be two of them in the same salvage yard.

[Bulletin Editor]

I eventually received a QUARTERLY with a membership roster and calendar.  (Note:  I received ONE Quarterly, not 4)

FYI: the calendar & the roster each count as 1 issue of the Quarterly. So, you received THREE, not 1.