Kaiser Frazer Owners Club Forum
General Category => Darrin Forum => Topic started by: pjkaiser on December 22, 2019, 04:55:58 PM
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Ok, just finished with most of the frame components. I still have to find where I put the Governor. I find myself looking for the parts I need at the moment more than for anything else. I can't find it when I need it!!!! I do ultimately find things though.
Here are the pictures of the frame before I put a cover on it an put it away until the body is ready to go on it. I didn't want to start it up because it won't be ready for the body for about a year at my nearest calculations at the speed at which I work.
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Here are the pictures of the body (which was covered while I worked on the frame) ready for me to put all the parts in the boxes underneath and around the body back on to it. I first have to sort through everything!! I can't find the painted bolts I need to start the assembling process.
I don't want to scratch any of the paint while I am working on it. I all ready found a tiny ding in the paint. The Dash, seats and spare tire are at the upholsterers. I'm just trying to get a head start. The doors will go there next and then after the body is on the car with the windshield installed, it will go to the upholsterer for the final parts.
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Beautiful work! Compared to my project, advancing at a blistering pace. I know what you mean about paint. I managed to give one of my doors a nasty scratch while working the wing window rubber lip over the door top...……...and back to the painter it went.
Don't know where you are but the shop I used in Bloomington IL did nice work and said they'd done some Kaisers & Darrins in the past. Twin City Upholstery.
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Maybe I can get you to help me on my cars your car looks awesome. Some scratches will be hard to eliminate. Keep up the great work.
Lee
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Here is the latest on my Darrin. I have been fitting the windshield parts, lots to do because chrome adds thickness. The windshield will be put in the frame next Tuesday and will be put on the car when body and chassis are united again.
I am down to 4 bins and some loose parts. My Darrin now has eyes!!! And they are all wired up and ready to go.
I sent a picture of the engine compartment to show the progress there. Moving right along. I can see light at the end of this long, long, long tunnel that started in Jan 2015.
Once I get the Dash back from the upholsterer, I will be able to wire up the dash.
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Moving along nicely!
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The Darrin Windshield is put together and waiting to be installed.
The next thing will be to put the body on the chassis, probably in two weeks or so. Will send pictures of the event!!
After the body and chassis are together, the windshield will go on.
There is light at the end of a very long tunnel!!
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I'm getting ready to put the body on the chassis. I have already supported the car by the straps to the roof of my garage. The 2 x 4 braces are there for my sanity and safety. The straps will more than support the body, these braces just give me peace of mind when I will remove the cradle holding the body and replace it with the chassis. I am waiting to get a few people to help with the process. Maybe next week and it will be done. I will be gone this weekend, or it would be done sooner.
Even though I have the new to me Henry J that needs TLC to get it roadworthy, I am still making progress on my Darrin.
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I started the process of uniting the body to the chassis as you can see through the pictures.
I still have some adjustments to make as some of the brackets are not in the correct place to let the body sit down correctly. I know which ones they are and will change them tomorrow.
I was able to most of it myself. I needed a little help to adjust the chassis to be directly under the body. Onward and upward.
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Looks good Phil - can’t wait to see the finished product!
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I asked a friend to help me put the windshield in my Darrin. When he came, I got the shock of my life. The bottom of. the windshield was over an inch too long, there was no way it was going to fit!!! So I called the person who put the windshield together and he came out today. When we put the windshield on the car to see where the problem was, he said the windshield will bend and it will pull right in. So, I started with the center bolts and started tightening them toward the outside and after a half hour of coaxing, the window is installed and in place and the side screws are started. I have to trim the fenders where the windshield posts meets it and then shim and snug up the posts to the sides, the way Lee Abrahams suggested. We then had a discussion on how to install the Dash, as you can see, most of the wiring is finished. We are moving right along, with this forced stay at home, I've been working much more on the Darrin than normal. I thing it will be running by the end of the month, then it will be off to the upholsterer to finish what he started. The next big item after the dash, will be the doors!!
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I am putting the convertible top parts on as I get my Darrin ready for the upholsterer to finish what he started a month or two ago. At that time, he did the Dash, seats and door panels. It should go within the next two weeks. The engine is running well and it's almost ready. There are a lot of little items to be added like the front air dam, grille, doors and emblems. There isn't much of a rush since there are no car shows to take my cars.
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. There isn't much of a rush since there are no car shows to take my cars.
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Don't tell the upholsterer that!!
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Actually, with all the "non-essentials" shut down, my upholsterer has three cars he can't work on because he is unable to get material from his suppliers. He has everything he needs for my car, so we'll see how that works out.
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Here are two pictures of my Darrin under the hood. The Oil lines have been tumbled and Zinc coated as is the
Accelerator Linkage, cable housings, Hose clamps and hood hinges. They look like they have been chromed.
I think it adds a lot to contrast.
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Where did you obtain your vent hose?
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There is a Corvette restoration shop with available parts near me. These are cloth 4" tubes that fit early Corvettes and fill the restoration requirements for them. However, they are too short for our use, so I had to buy three. On the passenger side it was about 1' short, just perfect for the seam to fit under the Bracket. I used a 4" drier vent, cut to three or four inches and fit (slid) the one whole one and the one cut one, then covered the seam with cloth medical bandage tape sprayed flat black. I glued the ends of the tape so it would not come off.
On the Drivers side, the vent tube was about 1 1/2' too short, so you can see the seam just below the bracket. I don't think anyone will notice, would you????
I used JB Welded T-nuts for the bracket screws. I saw no sense to having nuts that could only to accessed when the doors were off, if I needed to take the vent brackets off. My doors are still off and the heater is out until the upholsterer finishes the top, trunk, rugs and inside of the cars. He already did the dash, seats and door panels.
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I bought four foot lengths of flexible hose from Corvette Central and they fit without any modification. Installing the hose and brackets might seem an easy job but I’m here to tell you that it was not. But it’s done and looks good. Now, all I need is some warm weather...
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That's awesome. The ones I purchased came pre-cut otherwise I would have done that as well. And, yes, trying to put them in when the car is together is a pain. I put mine in before I attached the body to the car. Now I am looking at removing the front of the passenger side, to allow access to align the front suspension. It is a very tight fit.
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Just took my Darrin out for a test drive around the block, first time its been on the road since January 2015. It sure is nice to be back behind the wheel again!! There is something different about driving these cars verses any other Kaiser/Frazer. Different ride and feel, maybe its the length and lightness of the car.
Will keep you all informed about the rest.
Now that the car will be done within the month all the car show have cancelled. No place to go!! However, I will drive it around as I do the other cars I have.
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You do realize that car didn’t look that good when it was new!
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Yes, I do. I stopped twice to talk with people just going around the block. I love the way this car stops traffic!!!
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On my way to the upholsterers!! Yea!! When it comes back, I will just need to add the cosmetic stuff and the bumpers and it will be done!!!! All dressed up and no where to go.........
I will just drive it around town, it'll stop traffic where ever I go.
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Here's the latest! Trunk carpet is done and the interior is almost done. The convertible top starts on Monday.
I went with black carpet because I didn't see any red carpet that looked good. The black, white and red really pops.
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I'm basically done, just need to do a few clean-up items. The Horn will be the last thing I do.
On the Front picture, I chose two rectangular mirrors from a 1958 Ford T-Bird. I like the look!
The Passenger side is self explanatory.
The Rear view, I was fortunate to find a license plate frame from Kaiser Motors California.
The Drivers side shows the pocket door feature that make this car look great but is a pain to enter or exit.
When I get back from my 3 week trip around the midwest, I will return my Darrin to the upholsterer to put the top on. He wouldn't do it without the doors installed, which I agreed to.
It's been a long, long road and it is done with no where to go. Out governor just shut down more of our state, again.