Kaiser Frazer Owners Club Forum
General Category => Kaiser Forum => Topic started by: rustanddust on August 31, 2012, 07:07:48 PM
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My 53 Deluxe came from the Factory with out a heater, however, in the trunk there's a Kaiser "air conditioner" heater with controls, any one know where I can find photos of how it fits under the dash? Thanks!
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If it actually says "Air Conditioner" on it, it's likely for a 1947-48 Kaiser. The body was totally different on the 1951-55 cars so it's hard to say what might have to be done, or if anything can be done, to fit that heater in later car. Some dealers did some creative things when it came to accessories though! A picture of the heater would help.
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I'll drag it out and get a photo... Thanks!
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Kaiser-Frazer, like other car companies of the time had the heater/defroster units set up as dealer install items for most models. If a retail customer was coming to the factory to pick-up their car and a h/d was desired, the dealer could specify that the factory install it for delivery & it would go in at the Courtesy Garage before pick-up. Of course, the kit and install labor were extra cost. 1951-54 Early special Kaisers used the same unit, which had the core in a black box on the engine compartment firewall, with inlet and outlet water hoses going to points on the engine. There was also a large blower unit with cage fan that the right side air duct flowed through (the vent port on the passenger side in the interior had a baffle with a lever so you could run the air through the heater or direct out of the vent into the interior). The 1947-48 model year cars did say "air conditioner" because the air duct had venturi's in them which sped up air flow naturally and in the process created condensation and drain off of some moisture. The air coming out of the venturi was considered "conditioned. A 1951 Nash TV commercial shows a diagram of how their version--The Nash Weather Eye System--works.
Ford was selling cars to dealers without heater/defroster units into the late 1960's. I remember looking at some 1967's on a Ford dealer's lot in Key West FL with my father on our last trip down to Florida; some had no options listed and did not have the h/d units.
Now, they are manditory along with air conditioning for the most part in order to make meeting EPA emissions easier (one model year it was found that Cadillacs would not pass with the a/c turned off).
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Early Kaiser Frazer cars could be ordered with a heater only option and no defroster as is installed on my GP Frazer. I located a defroster kit which was available as a separate part but I will probably not install it and leave it original. It has a plug on the top of the dash where the defroster switch would be.
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Here's a photo
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That is indeed the heater that was used in the 1947/48 cars. You may see it installed in later cars as dealers may have done so. I've even seen at least 3 early Henry Js with that heater, one as recently as last month in Sublette, IL. You can get a bit of a glimpse of it on the right in this picture
(http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a2ce24b3127ccef11e4169ec7f00000030O01SatmLdmyB7efAA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/)
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This is what I call a heater in a box!
(http://circlekf.com/henryj/Photos/Inspect/Heater.JPG)
:D