Author Topic: Frazer Thread  (Read 3142 times)

Mac_Frazer

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Frazer Thread
« on: January 26, 2014, 10:06:06 AM »
Good Morning Frazer owners, beautiful morning in Colorado. Enjoying my coffee and perusing the club sites.

So is the lack of input on the Frazer Forum, due to lack of owners, or they just don't break and have issues as much. ;D

My 47 is progressing nicely, after a new set of Slippers, and installation of the electric fuel pump (backup) it will be ready for a nice road test. I put it up on jack stands, and did a roll around underneath and it is extremely clean, No grime build up whatsoever, you can even find all the zirks without wiping dirt away. Its had a restoration done but my guess its about 15-20 years old. I know the car has been sitting for 10-12 years. I've had it for almost 3 yrs now, But didn't have anytime for it till this past fall.  It used to belong to a Mr Charles Conley, who took excellent care of it, and was a member of KFOC. So I'm extremely lucky to have acquired this car. I'm hoping some one on the site can date the restoration for me a little closer.
I belong to a local VMCCA club who likes to take monthly tours around the state, so that will be my first venture after a successful road test. I understand we have quite a few Kaiser-Frazer owners in Colorado and a Club Chapter(?) in Denver, so it will be my goal to seek them out this year as well.

Well, morning coffee is done, story telling over, hopefully this will incite folks to share stories of upcoming plans for 2014 relating to their cars. Need material to read.  :D have a nice Sunday, 57 here today, tomorrow, snow!!   Lol....

The date on the photo is invalid, its the date I took a picture of a picture.
« Last Edit: January 26, 2014, 10:11:02 AM by Mac_Frazer »
Steve McKee
47 Frazer Manhattan, only project now!!😉

JFerriss

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Re: Frazer Thread
« Reply #1 on: January 30, 2014, 12:09:18 AM »
Looks like a beautiful car Mac. Thanks for sharing.

Wish we had the weather you are having. Here in south central Michigan it has been brutal. I have had my farm for 42 years and this is nearly the worst winter since we moved here. I have had to depend on my neighbor with his huge 4WD John Deere tractor with bucket to dig out our 100 yard long driveway so that we could get out through the deep snow.

I am a fan of the Frazers, and owned a 1951 Frazer Manhattan 4 door hardtop for 5 years and put over 16,000 miles on it driving it everywhere without any problems. I even used it as a wedding limo for a friend in Cincinnati 6 hours away from here. I never tired of driving it for long distances, noting that the seating was more like comfortable old hotel furniture than car seats and the wide armrests were also appreciated by my wife. Hope you have many happy miles with your Frazer.

joefrazer

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Re: Frazer Thread
« Reply #2 on: February 02, 2014, 11:11:01 AM »
Ok...a little reading material.

I do not currently own a Frazer, but I did at one time own 51F convertible #129. It has an interesting history. Sold new in El Paso to a fellow stationed there in the Army, he kept the car until 1960. One day, he stopped at Charlie Miller Chevrolet at the corner of Euclid and Superior Avenues in East Cleveland, OH and was smitten by the new 1960 Corvair. Charlie Miller, always a character was also taken by Jim's Frazer convert and after some negotiation, a trade was made...Jim now owned a new Corvair sedan and Charlie had a rare and very nice Frazer.

Charlie kept the Frazer for many years and occasionally displayed it in his showroom. Here's where I come in the first time. In 1964, we moved to East Cleveland from PA and the barber shop we went to was a few doors down from the dealership. One day, while walking home, my father spied the Frazer so we stopped in for a closer look. Painted Arena Yellow with a black leather interior, it was a sharp car. I was a 7 year old kid so I barely recall the car...I was more interested in the Corvette parked next to it. After all, my dad had a few Kaisers so I had little interest in another!

Fast forward about 30 years and one day, my phone rang. It was a KF club member who found that same convertible now resting in the back yard of a home not too far from the Chevy dealership. After finding the car and speaking to a neighbor, the house where the car was sitting had just been torn down, I was able to locate the owner. He bought the car from Charlie's estate after he passed away and proceeded to drive it into the ground. The seats were gone, the floors rotted...but it ran. I bought it, dragged it home and started to amass parts for a very ambitious restoration.

Not long after that, a fellow stopped at the house and produced the original registration for the car. It was the original owner and he was amazed that the car still existed. He bought the car new and put well over 100K miles on it before restoring it after a near fatal t-bone collision. It was soon after that he decided to sell the car and that's when he ran across the Chevy dealer and the new Corvair.

I kept the Frazer for a few years but soon realized I would never be able to tackle such a huge project. I ended up trading the car off to Fred Walker for parts and cash to fund another restoration. The car is in his wife's collection to this day.

I've attached a pair of pictures. The first is of the car in the mid 50's and the second shot shows what it looked like when I found it.

Quite a story!

Fid

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Re: Frazer Thread
« Reply #3 on: February 02, 2014, 11:33:23 AM »
Doc,  an easy thing to do, and over-look on KF cars is the fact that the distributor turns counter-clockwise. It's easy to install the plug wires on the distributor in the opposite sequence assuming clockwise rotation. I've done it more than once! And  you're correct, you will have fuel and spark but the car won't run or will run very poorly. So, since it's a newly rebuilt engine, make sure the sequence of the plug wires is going counter-clockwise as opposed to clockwise. That issue bites people quite often.
1953 Henry J Corsair Deluxe
Edgar Kaiser's custom 1951 Henry J
1951 Kaiser Special
1952 Allstate Deluxe

Need your classic car radio repaired? I repair vacuum tube radios

Mac_Frazer

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Re: Frazer Thread
« Reply #4 on: February 03, 2014, 08:17:10 AM »
This is cool! 8), A friend and I are supposed to go over to Ms. Walkers when the weather improves. Now I can look at the car based on your picture.
I want to scrounge and negotiate some 47parts, mainly, chrome pieces, and some arm rest pieces, that I'm looking for.
She's only 10miles down the road from me.
The weather is the other factor holding me up currently, too cold lately to work on it as its stored in a non-heated garage and I only have limited access at the moment.  Still have a goal to have it ready for the St Paddy's Day parade. Guess we will see.
Steve McKee
47 Frazer Manhattan, only project now!!😉

FrazerWill

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Re: Frazer Thread
« Reply #5 on: February 20, 2014, 01:27:18 PM »
Morning KF Friends !!
    I was poking around on my computer ( I should be working...) and ran across this link to a nice 49 Frazer for sale.
                http://car-from-uk.com/sale.php?id=29729
I got my hopes up thinking it would be easier to get this one, great price, then to do the 49 I have now...
 It was sold  :(    I wonder who was the lucky guy who got it.

My Frazer motor runs but the wiring needs help. I think I'll get new wiring from the guy I see in the bulletin each month.
 I've redone the brakes too.  It does have more rust then I care for but not too bad. I'm also into the older
60's Ford econolines. I've seen some of the econo's the guys are redoing... Lots of rust and work!!

 I have a 5 window pickup my Dad bought and I learned how to drive in when I was 9 yo.
I also have my 64 econo van I use every day for work.

Well Just thought I would chime in with my stuff here. It's nice to hear what everyone is up to with there KF cars!!

Will in Whittier, Ca.
 
   

Mac_Frazer

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Re: Frazer Thread
« Reply #6 on: February 20, 2014, 01:54:23 PM »
Hi Will,

Thanks for chiming in, glad to hear stories, sorry about missing out on the 49, think it would have not been cheap to ship from the UK though.  Been to cold here in CO to do much, even though we had a pretty nice break in the weather, the guy thats storing my car decided to take off for the week, so I had no access to it.  Was hoping to have it up and ready to run in a St. Patricks day parade, but doesn't look like that will come about now. So will shoot for the 4th of July parade.....
Have a good day....Steve
Steve McKee
47 Frazer Manhattan, only project now!!😉

FrazerWill

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Re: Frazer Thread
« Reply #7 on: February 25, 2014, 03:58:37 PM »
Hi, KF Friends!!
    I was looking at my first 49 Frazer Manhattan and thought I would post pictures of it to see if anyone knows
where it is... I don't think I've posted these yet though I might have!!

Also whats this I'm hearing about Rudy P. ? He's a few hours from me and I could really use some part. Cash is low right
 now, but soon!!

Will in Whittier