54 HJ 4 cyl with overdrive

[Jim B PEI]

One on Ebay right now. I asked and had it confirmed that it does have overdrive. Even so, its a secondary road car, but it looks nice. Another car for "The Slow Lane Life" (TM) that I have, that I'd bid on if'n I had the money LOL! (well, I'd buy the 54 Manhattan and the 51 Frazer Vagabond FIRST, then this one) I happen to like that colour

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280562668992&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

[Fid]

I noticed the OD cable in it too. It's about 70 miles from me. I asked the seller if I could come and look at it. He replied that I should call first. It's interesting that it's a four cylinder and yet it has bumper gaurds and full wheelcovers so I'm sure it was updated by a loving owner which is a good thing. Looks like it was originally Sabre Jet blue. I'll post updates if I do look at it.

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

A lot of these items were available as dealer installed accessories.  They are not in the P&A list but do show up in a Confidential Bulletin that covers the various items that could be put on cars being picked up at the factory by the retail customers.

I plan on adding copies of these bulletins to the next release of the KFOCI HANDBOOK (which will be several years from now).

[Fid]

Many four cylinder Js had Overdrive. Many, if not most (especially post 1951 models), had trunk lids as well.  When I had my '53 Corsair Deluxe at a rally a couple of weeks ago, a guy walked by and told his friend "That must be a six cylinder because if it was a four cylinder it would not have a trunk lid"  which is not true at all. I didn't bother to say anything or correct the guy, but I do wonder where that notion came from because I hear it regularly.

[HJ-ETEX]

Just remember that the OD added nearly $100 to the cost of a HJ.  That was a big chunk of money if you were buying a HJ and hoping to get out less than the cost of the cheapest Chevy. If the original buyers had known how import OD is to the driving experience of a HJ, probably more would have been equipped.
I remember at the Queen Mary National a 53 HJ turned up that did not have a trunk. I did not have an opportunity to examine it up close - it left after a short time - and I suspect it was made out of several other HJs rather than being an untouched 53.

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

1953 was the last model year you could order an HJ without a deck lid.  The $1,499.00 figure in the ads was for the Corsair without the lid.  Unfortunately, 1952 Corsairs were the last standard (4 cyl HJ's) that you could order with both the fold down rear seat and the trunk lid.  For 1953 it was either deck lid and fixed back seat or no lid and folding seat.

[Fid]

The 1953s without deck lids are very rare indeed. A friend of mine, here in town, called me a couple of years ago after fetching a couple Js home.  He told me one was a '53 without a trunk lid. I always believed, and Langworth claimed in the article in Collectible Automobile, that all 1952 and later Js had trunk lids.  I figured I'd go to this guy's house, look at the body tag that says "K51xx" and tell him it's a '51 with '53 fenders and grill which I've seen before.
I looked the car over - VIN number was K533x, body number K533x, it had a factory dome light (standard feature on all and only '53 Js), a glove compartment (which no '51 had), and... only the 1953s had the Delco voltage reg which mounted on a bracket above the lip on the firewall, which this one had. It was, indeed, a  1953 without a deck lid.  It was AG 34 which does not list a deck lid so I'm sure it was legit.  I was surprised.  Unfortunately, the car was junk, unrestorable, and eventually sold for parts.