Kaiser Frazer Owners Club Forum
General Category => Collector's Corner => Topic started by: Gordie on February 09, 2018, 07:42:07 PM
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For you Kaiser-Frazer history buffs there are several books on our favorite subject but here are a couple of recent ones that I was not aware of and I found them available on eBay. "Henry J Kaiser: Builder in the modern American West". Available at $37.95. This one has information on Kaiser-Frazer Corp. The other is "Build 'em by the mile and cut 'em off by the yard". This is about the building of Liberty ships in Richmond CA during WWII. The best price I found for this one is $25.00 but shop around and maybe you can beat these prices.
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Here is a list of KFW Related books on the self.
http://circlekf.com/share_collect.php?&cat=bk&action=list_kollectibles
If you have additional ones go to CIRCLEKF and add them please.
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Thanks Jim for forgetting BUILT TO BETTER THE BEST, which came out in 2005 and received most favorable reviews from OLD CARS, HEMMINGS CLASSIC CAR and most recently, ANTIQUE AUTOMOBILE, the magazine of the AACA.
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I did not forget your great book! Chase the link and you will see all 10 of them listed so far.
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jake should read PNW's text that accompanies the images.
Here is a list of KFW Related books on the self.
I take it as it is written. Any reason why I shouldn't?
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At the present time, BUILT TO BETTER THE BEST is the only KF history book available from its publisher, MT Publishing. The book's had several print runs and is still priced at $44.95 US plus shipping and sales tax (depending on what state you life in). The website you can order it from is mtpubhishing.com
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If you want a good book on how HJK worked during WWII, read the book below, it was awesome and gives a lot of insights to his automobile production. It is much more than just the ships HJK built!!!
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=freedoms+forge
New York Times best-selling author and Pulitzer Prize finalist Arthur Herman pens this fascinating look at how two businessmen turned the U.S. into a military powerhouse during World War II. In 1940, FDR asked General Motors CEO William Knudsen to oversee the production of guns, tanks, and planes needed for the war. Meanwhile, industrialist Henry J. Kaiser presided over the building of "Liberty ships" - vessels that came to symbolize America's great wartime output.
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Thanks for the good tip! I got one on Amazon for $18.00 and free shipping. I am looking forward to receiving it.
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If you want a good book on how HJK worked during WWII, read the book below, it was awesome and gives a lot of insights to his automobile production. It is much more than just the ships HJK built!!!
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=freedoms+forge
New York Times best-selling author and Pulitzer Prize finalist Arthur Herman pens this fascinating look at how two businessmen turned the U.S. into a military powerhouse during World War II. In 1940, FDR asked General Motors CEO William Knudsen to oversee the production of guns, tanks, and planes needed for the war. Meanwhile, industrialist Henry J. Kaiser presided over the building of "Liberty ships" - vessels that came to symbolize America's great wartime output.
Thanks for the tip on this book. My copy just came in the mail and it is a hard book to put down as it is really full of fascinating history of WWII and what large parts Henry Kaiser played as well as William Knudson once the President of General Motors. These guys really made things happen during the war and got ships and planes built when we barely had any to fight a world war. One chapter tells about Henry Kaisers partnership with Howard Hughes and the Spruce Goose. It was built under government contract and Hughes was a perfectionist and procrastinator while Kaiser was a do it now type of guy and they parted company and the plane did not get finished until when it was of no value to the government. I rode my Whizzer motor bike to the top of Signal Hill overlooking the Long Beach harbor in 1947 and watched the Spruce Goose make it's only flight. Hughes was a very rich and eccentric man and after months of delays the government cancelled the Hughes-Kaiser contract and Hughes used eleven million dollars of his own money to store and maintain the plane in a climate controlled building with a crew of fifty men right up to his death in 1977. In 1952 I was in the US Navy reserve at Santa Monica Airport and Hughes had one of his private planes stored near the building that was used for the reserve meetings. The neighbors apparently complained about Hughes coming in after midnight and waking everyone up and Hughes never used the plane again and it just sat there for years. I don't think that we will ever know that sort of lifestyle.. The book is available on line at Amazon and used for a very reasonable price, I am certainly enjoying it,
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I have 3 copy's of that book..
I may list them next year for sale..
We all will be waiting for that sale
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You know that BUILT TO BETTER THE BEST is still in print and available from MT Publishing in Evansville iN for $44.95 plus shipping & where applicable, sales tax. Why spend the $89.95 or more from Amazon.com or other places on eBay when you can get it from the source for a lot less?
PS: I get no royalties or other payments on the books sold by anyone other than MT Publishing.
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A small but very interesting book called Kaiser-Frazer-Willys is recently available from England for $10.00. It is book number 127 from Zetec Publishing and is available on line from Amazon. It is 32 pages of very interesting short stories about K-F-W and many were new to me. I have certainly enjoyed it.
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I haven't heard any on talk about Western Colossus!!! It's a very good book. I learned about it at the Nationals.
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Another book that I recently discovered is not new but from 2006 and available on Amazon. It is called Kaiser Steel Fontana and does not have much about K-F but is the history of Kaiser steel which was so big that it really became a small city. There are many pictures and stories about the plant and several employees who worked there. Kaiser had his own hospital there and he bought house trailers for the employees to live on the grounds. 128 pages and soft bound. I found a copy that was used and for only about $2.00 plus postage. The plant has since been torn down and California Speedway built there and that has since been torn down also. An easy and interesting read.
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I thought that part of the Fontana complex was purchased by a private company and left in its delapidated and partly demolished form for use as a location site for filming various types of motion pictures & movie segments such as parts of the old ROBOCOP franchise films.
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When I was new in the club and Kaiser Frazer automobiles, I got "The last onslaught " as well as Jacks Built to best" books. I REALLY enjoyed then and still use them for references as well as reading up to learn more. Just curious, Is it possible to get a signed / inscribed copy of your great book Jack?
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I thought that part of the Fontana complex was purchased by a private company and left in its delapidated and partly demolished form for use as a location site for filming various types of motion pictures & movie segments such as parts of the old ROBOCOP franchise films.
A Google search shows that it is now called Auto Club Speedway and they are currently holding drag race events there.
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Did you know that Kaiser-Frazer made airplanes during WW II and the Korean war? In addition to the different transport planes that Kaiser-Frazer built at Wlllow Run during the Korean war Kaiser also built a plane in 1943. It was a Navy carrier based single radial engined with low wings and single place ****pit. It was a good looking plane and was made by Kaiser Fleetwings and was numbered XPTK-1 which means experimental torpedo bomber by Kaiser-Fleetwings and 1st model. The book about them is named "Ginter Naval Fighters #48" and it is a softcover book with 32 pages and 52 pictures and contains 8 pages of drawings related to the plane. They are available from Amazon for about $12.00 plus postage. An interesting read and a little more history about the huge Kaiser Industries.
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I know this is an old thread, but I'd like to add another KFW related book that was released to the public at the 2018 KFOCI convention: Willys Aero: A Reference Guide to the Cars Built in Toledo, Ohio from 1952 to 1955. Let me know if you're interested in a copy of my book on CD or USB flashdrive.
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The Willys guys that I have talked to really like your book. Is there any way yet to get it in print form? If you could print out 100 or so of each page a buyer could hole them or buy clear plastic pages and insert them in notebooks and you would have many in print to sell for not much investment. Some of us are still not too computer literate and would like to have a print version to add to our book collections.
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I don't think people recognize that this book on Henry J. Kaiser covers all the other books mentioned in only one volume!!!
A paperback can still be had for $4.34 plus shipping!!! It's an amazing read!!
https://www.amazon.com/Henry-J-Kaiser-Colossus-1991-08-03/dp/B01FGL3Q94/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=western+colossus&qid=1570983110&sr=8-2
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When I was new in the club and Kaiser Frazer automobiles, I got "The last onslaught " as well as Jacks Built to best" books. I REALLY enjoyed then and still use them for references as well as reading up to learn more. Just curious, Is it possible to get a signed / inscribed copy of your great book Jack?
Sorry this has gone unanswered for so long, but I just stumbled upon it. Yes, you can get your copy signed ... just send it to us and indicate whether you just want it signed or also inscribed. It fits perfectly in the padded USPS Priority flat rate envelope, which also includes $50 insurance. Call 253-252-7073 (Pacific - evenings preferred) or email historian@kfclub.com to make arrangements or if you have any questions.
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Just published is a new book by Don Narus on the Kaiser Traveler and Vagabond called the American Traveler. It is 6x9 and 60 black and white pages and tells about the history of this interesting part of our Kaiser Frazer history. There are lots of photos and text describing the different models as they evolved. There are several errors in early K-F history but still an interesting read and available from Amazon and other sources.