Kaiser Frazer Owners Club Forum

General Category => Henry J & Allstate Forum => Topic started by: Corsairdeluxe on October 13, 2015, 09:59:43 AM

Title: A thinking man's Henry J
Post by: Corsairdeluxe on October 13, 2015, 09:59:43 AM: I am admittedly a Henry J afflicted person and can not be held accountable for clarity or continuity of thought on the subject. In addition to my other delusions ,I have often thought about bringing a J into modern driving condition. Definitely not a hot rod, but a moderate dependable condition with a minimum of change to the simplicity that appeals to me. I have spoken to the author and he is still using this car as a daily driver. It was done with a minimum budget .

http://www.henryjcars.com/hjc69/daveb/daveb.html
Title: Re: A thinking man's Henry J
Post by: kaiserfrazerlibrary on October 13, 2015, 10:13:10 AM: As with many other countries around the world, there are those who view their automobiles as an expression of their personal desires, etc. In this case, part of the "unknown" here is if your plan for an everyday driver is that of a second car for things like going to/from work, local or area shopping trips, etc with a late model or current model year vehicle for road trips. If it is as a second car for those purposes, you might want to consider the following ideas based on your area's geography (fairly flat land, etc).

1. Even the Henry J 4 cylinder engine is good for running around town. Also, as its guts are based on the CJ Jeep of the time, basic parts (distributor cap, points, condenser, spark plugs, etc) are available to keep it on the road.

2. If you do not have overdrive, consider the installation (keeping in mind that the unit would not match the firewall tag any longer). When overdrive is engaged, your drivetrain gets the equivalent of a 3.185:1 rear axle; considerably less engine stress than with the 4.55:1 & gets you better gas mileage.

3. For safety considerations, variable electric wipers may be desired along with a sturdy blower motor and other cold weather updates. This would entail a 12 volt electrical system for best results but outside of the battery, the "conversion" items could be well hidden.
Title: Re: A thinking man's Henry J
Post by: Corsairdeluxe on October 13, 2015, 10:25:03 AM: Either engine in 2nd gear overdrive is almost the equivalent of an automatic in around town driving.