Author Topic: id 53 Kaiser  (Read 3491 times)

kenneth

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id 53 Kaiser
« on: January 10, 2011, 01:11:34 PM »
Hi I need some help with the id tags on my -53 deluxe and I want to know if there is any way to tell what month the car was made.
This is what the firewall tag says:
model body paint trim     IP  DR KI TR RD HR AG SL SB AR CT M M M M M SPEC-FO M M SCHED ITEM NO
531     4     208   5205   34  1       6           31                   1  2 3 4  5               6  7

BODY  NUMBER
5314   1772

Door post tag:

SERIAL NUMBER
K-531  005643
And what is the correct horn button,black looks nice but its the other one on the car.Hope anyone can help me,Thanks.

An



Fid

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Re: id 53 Kaiser
« Reply #1 on: January 10, 2011, 02:35:11 PM »
A 1953 would have the black horn button. The 1952 looks the same except it's silver. 
« Last Edit: January 15, 2011, 11:08:28 AM by Fid »
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

Jim B PEI

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Re: id 53 Kaiser
« Reply #2 on: January 10, 2011, 05:02:24 PM »
Somebody should be able to narrow down the production date- It looks like an early car, but I could be mistaken. 1953 is the only year I think for which production stats were saved from the fire/flood of the basement storage at KW in Toledo? in 1955? I seem to recall. There are dates for some very specific models in other years based on other historical facts known, such as Hardtops and convertibles, I do believe.
KF
49 Kaiser Special Glass Green, Saskatchewan new
Studebaker
64 2dr 170-6 auto Astra White Commander Special
63 4dr Wagonaire 259V8 o/d Blue
57 4dr 185-6 auto Glendale Green/Turquoise
57 4dr 185-6 o/d Glendale Green/Turquoise W6 clone
lawn art
57 Stude 259V8 auto. 56 Panhard

joefrazer

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Re: id 53 Kaiser
« Reply #3 on: January 10, 2011, 05:34:20 PM »
Model 531 = DeLuxe
Body 4 = 2 door sedan
Paint 208 = Anchor grey
Trim 5205 = Blue Satin Stockholm and Leather Tan Vinyl
IP (interior Paint) 34 = Persian Grey Metallic
DR 1= Delivery Region US
TR (transmisson) 6 = Overdrive
AG (accessory group) 31 = Oil bath air filter, directional signals, chrome horn ring, narrow rub rail mouldings

kaiserfrazerlibrary

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Re: id 53 Kaiser
« Reply #4 on: January 11, 2011, 06:08:10 AM »
Since the ITEM and SCHED numbers are not listed, the date for production of the body cannot be identified.  What is this about numbers saved for 1953 production?  Who has them?  The figures I got via a club member who had the sister who visited the Bancroft only showed a daily production count for all Kaisers lumped together (no break out by series or model), and I would like to get something that at least shows 1953 model year activity by make/series/model each month.

The body number indicates it is the 772nd body number produced; Numbers started with 1001 in 1953 model year.  This is over 200 units higher than what was listed in KFOCI HANDBOOK THIRD EDITION (which is what I had to work with when I did VERSION 4.0 a couple years ago).  I can now update counts off this.

kenneth

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Re: id 53 Kaiser
« Reply #5 on: January 11, 2011, 11:20:46 AM »
Thank You all for the answers,if it can put any light on this quiz I have found a chalk marking on the firewall it reads 300 Don't know what this means, maybe it can point in some direction? Thanks again.

Jim B PEI

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Re: id 53 Kaiser
« Reply #6 on: January 11, 2011, 01:21:58 PM »
Oh Dear! Have I led anyone astray? I seem to recall--maybe ten years ago or so or more--that the only figures for production of any sort found, were for 1953 production. This, I think, had been contributed by someone who worked at KF at the time, and kept a carbon? copy showing production by 'month'. My memory is *very* tenuous here....perhaps it only applied to the full size Kaisers, but not the HJ/Allstate?? so, for the full size cars, at least, with some degree of certainty, the SCHED & ITEM and this info could more or less determine when a certain car was built with some intuition and deduction of the process used at KF.

Everything else had been lost in the fire/flood at KW in 55? Including the AMP car, which was saved although the "paper mache" paperwork was thrown out.  So, unless some other documentation somehow turns up in someone's private files, no real hope of getting any other figures for other years. Thats what I recall fuzzily. I remember reading this and thinking that my (at the time) 53 Manhattan had likely been built in the 2-3rd week of a certain month, like October, but definitely not really near my date of birth in September 53

Around that time--*I think*--maybe it was Jim Betts was giving his informed opinion on the Portland production. Jim, if it was he, had done quite a bit of solid detection and deduction of the information on Sched Item to serial# and body numbers used in the Portland Virginians and some felicitous timing/production co-incidences.

There were also bits of information on other years and models--ISTR the production of the first 6 51 Frazer hardtops?/convertibles? and how all subsequent ones had Hydramatic, rather than stick. Part of this was related to getting the adaption done to the transmission hump so that the Hydramatic could fit in the early bodies. And bits and pieces of the KF161 production based on various moves which were known dates.

Thats it--its all fuzzy.

KF
49 Kaiser Special Glass Green, Saskatchewan new
Studebaker
64 2dr 170-6 auto Astra White Commander Special
63 4dr Wagonaire 259V8 o/d Blue
57 4dr 185-6 auto Glendale Green/Turquoise
57 4dr 185-6 o/d Glendale Green/Turquoise W6 clone
lawn art
57 Stude 259V8 auto. 56 Panhard

pnw_oldmags

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Re: id 53 Kaiser
« Reply #7 on: January 11, 2011, 02:56:58 PM »
Portland Production of Virginians was not my research.  I believe that was Harold Hagen.  His conclusions and results have been printed and Reprinted in the PNW Traveler and the Quarterly.  That is probably how you attached my name to that research.
Jim Betts  LM6945
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https://circlekf.com

Jim B PEI

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Re: id 53 Kaiser
« Reply #8 on: January 11, 2011, 04:05:14 PM »
Yes, Jim, I guess that would be Harold Hagen, not that you aren't a wonderful fellow too  :)
KF
49 Kaiser Special Glass Green, Saskatchewan new
Studebaker
64 2dr 170-6 auto Astra White Commander Special
63 4dr Wagonaire 259V8 o/d Blue
57 4dr 185-6 auto Glendale Green/Turquoise
57 4dr 185-6 o/d Glendale Green/Turquoise W6 clone
lawn art
57 Stude 259V8 auto. 56 Panhard

pnw_oldmags

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Re: id 53 Kaiser
« Reply #9 on: January 11, 2011, 06:20:35 PM »
So polite ... I love it.   You must be Canadian ... AYE or is it EH??
Jim Betts  LM6945
PNW Traveler Editor
CircleKF Webmaster
https://circlekf.com

Jim B PEI

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Re: id 53 Kaiser
« Reply #10 on: January 11, 2011, 11:38:10 PM »
Of course!  And it eh? as in (h)ay as every good Canadian and Scot knows that aye is pronounced eye ;D

Now that we have that sorted out, next lesson will be to learn how to pronounce place names like Outaouais and Meagher's Grant without herniating the tongue. Mrrs Chomondeley and Fetherstonehaugh will lead the class.
KF
49 Kaiser Special Glass Green, Saskatchewan new
Studebaker
64 2dr 170-6 auto Astra White Commander Special
63 4dr Wagonaire 259V8 o/d Blue
57 4dr 185-6 auto Glendale Green/Turquoise
57 4dr 185-6 o/d Glendale Green/Turquoise W6 clone
lawn art
57 Stude 259V8 auto. 56 Panhard

kaiserfrazerlibrary

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Re: id 53 Kaiser
« Reply #11 on: January 12, 2011, 06:08:01 AM »
SCHED and ITEM numbers refer only to the body; when it started down the fabrication line.  While it appears to be different at the Portland Oregon assembly plant, typically Willow Run and Long Beach tied SCHED 1 date to the first calendar day of model year production and it goes from there, only counting production days (no weekends, holidays, down for inventory days, etc).  ITEM places the body during the course of that day (higher the number, later in the day the body started down the line). 

Please note that I have no factory document that states this; the research involved existing cars and various running changes date identified through Service Bulletins as well as date codes on speedometer, clock and other parts installed in bodies.

The 772nd body is 222 units higher than previous estimates for number of deLuxe 2-door sedans built in the 1953 model year.  SCHED and ITEM would be good to have as I would have expected actual total to be over 1,000 but some may have ended up 1954 Early Kaiser Specials with different interior upholstery and trim.

kenneth

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Re: id 53 Kaiser
« Reply #12 on: January 15, 2011, 09:10:55 AM »
So does anyone know what the chalk figures written on the firewall behind the engine means?On my -53 2door it reads 300.By the way the car is from the willow run plant.

joefrazer

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Re: id 53 Kaiser
« Reply #13 on: January 15, 2011, 10:00:45 AM »
Numbers written in chalk or grease pencil are generally inspectors marks. As the car passes thru different points in the assembly process, KF had people stationed to make sure everything was put together correctly.