'51 Frazer Vagabond

[burusu]

My father is working on a 51 Frazer Vagabond.  I joined the forum for help with details, but we've been lucky enough to figure things out with just phone support and occasional visits with other KFOCI members, so far.  So I thought I'd just share the story and pictures, to date.

Dad bought the car in 1980 (I was 2 at the time), drove it up and down the driveway, and decided it needed a valve job.  So he parked it in the garage, pulled the head off the motor, ran out of time/money and there it sat for over 28 years. He pulled it back out this spring, got the motor out and took it to a neighbor with a machine shop and lots of experience with Continental 226 tow motors.

He got the motor back a couple of weeks ago, drilled out to 30 thousandths over and with the new hardened pistons, plus assurance from the machinist that we'll be able to set a glass of water on the motor while running and the water won't even move. (This remains to be seen!)

The motor is now green again (if a little off shade) and the fun of reconnecting parts that have been disconnected for months, or even years, is beginning.

Along the way the car has also acquired new brakes, a gas tank sending unit, and the ever-so-important, almost-impossible-to-find Vagabond door script. It also has license plates, in anticipation of getting a working motor in it after all these years.

I have pictures of the Vagabond in my MySpace photo album: http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=387871395&albumId=1086209

[mbflemingkf]

Great, and wonderful looking car.  I'm sure you will have years of enjoyment out of it.  Have you joined KFOCI?

[Fid]

Wow, that car looks like it's got a lot of promise. Once you get it running, and then go through the brakes, you'll find it's a very nice driving car. You'll probably want to make sure the rear end and trans are full of lube. I once bought an old Frazer that had not run in 12 years and we got it running great, drove it about two miles and scattered the transmission all over the street as it was bone dry with no lube. Rear end was the same.  Having gas tank redone is a wise move.  When you get it roadworthy, you'll really have a unique car that's for sure. The '51 Frazer Vagabonds had pleated vinyl upholstery and what you have looks quite nice.

[burusu]

Dad's a member of KFOCI, has been on & off since he bought the car.  We're considering attending the National meet, but the car won't be ready in time.

The upholstery has some cracks but not too bad, the wood definitely needs more attention.  We have rocker panels that need to be installed, and there's other body work to be done.  Prior owner apparently had trouble backing out of the garage, lots of dents and dings on the passenger side despite a fender-mounted mirror (which we recently removed).

The floorboards are probably the worst, I looked under the mat on the driver's side and saw daylight! 

Forgot to mention a few things already done: The brakes are all new so we can stop before we can go     The gas tank has been pulled out and steam cleaned, so that's in good shape, and the exhaust pipes have been patched up and painted well enough to last a couple of years.  I don't know about the rear end, but the transmission went to the shop along with the motor and some parts were sent out for refinishing (I forget what all just now!)  I know there was oil in the transmission because I got dripped on while helping to clean it up. The carburetor turned out to be actually missing pieces, presumably someone tried to fix it before we got it and couldn't get all the parts back in.  They might not have even known the pistons and valves needed attention too!

Our goal for now is to get it road worthy, take it to a few shows, and worry about the body later.   So assuming we finally got the right carb kit, we "just" need tires, weatherstripping, a battery, and keys. 

Anybody know where to get keys made?  We're lucky the ignition isn't locked because we never got a key for it.  We do have the original key number, but I doubt there's any record left of what that number means.

[84RabbitGTI]

This car looks identical to my friend Gene Meyer's 51 Vagabond down to the color and interior.  Really nice!  This was the first KF product I had ridden in and it really left a good impression on me!  Enjoy driving it!

[Logan]

Rudy Phillips 760-789-3608 can sell you an ignition lock cylinder and key for $35.

[burusu]

Rudy Phillips 760-789-3608 can sell you an ignition lock cylinder and key for $35.

There are also locks on the doors, hatch, and glove compartment.  Did they take the same key originally?  If so, would we be able to get a matching set again?

[ben-tex]

That color and interior combo are one of my favorites. My Vagabond is Oakwood Brown paint with Green vinyl interior--both are OK alone but in combo looks like Sunday morning after Saturday night to me.

[burusu]

Those colors should be fine together, but more naturally the other way 'round I'd think.  Is that another Frazer or the Kaiser model?

[ben-tex]

Yes the brown interior would look ok with the green exterior I think but the reverse is not very impressive to me. I have a 51 Frazer Vagabond.

[burusu]

We got it running!  Got the carb kit and battery, still looking for the keys.  Found weatherstripping advertised in a Restoration Specialties catalog, which we need to get ordered.

Dad applied a second coat of the proper color paint to the motor, after getting a slap on the wrist at the nationals for using too bright a shade of green, and it was installed in the car about two weeks ago.  Then we had to rebuild the fuel pump, change some lines and some bulbs, etc.  Last Saturday, we took it about a mile down the road and back.  Burning off oils from the engine rebuild so it smokes heavily, but it starts and runs very well.

We're hoping to find a couple of license plate bracket light bulbs tomorrow, then it should be ready to pass state inspection.  With that done, there's a car show about 10 miles from home next week where we're hoping to make it's first appearance.

The wiper motor works but is sluggish, and there seems to be a third vacuum connection on the motor.  Vacuum from the pump comes in to the left, and a line goes through the firewall from the top.  A third port points to the right, towards the washer fluid jar. The washer fluid jar has two lines connected, both running through the firewall.  Are we missing something?

There is a whirring in the transmission when the clutch is out, which seems to be diminishing with time.  Is this normal for a transmission that has set idle for 30 years?  Or might it be a sign of something we need to remedy?  We thought it might be the throwout bearing until we realized it's noisy only when the throwout should be disengaged.

Last, a minor electrical issue.  The dome light comes on when we open the functional back door, but not when the front doors are open.  Is it likely that both front door switches have failed, or is there a relay of some sort we should look for?

[Logan]

As far as the dome light goes I know that on my '53 Dragon the front doors turn on the lights under the dash, and the back doors turn on the lights on the B-pillars.  So it might be true that only the back doors turn on the dome light on yours, but I'm not sure.

[Doc]

On mine the rear lights are in the back of the front seat down low. Front door jamb switches activate only the lights under the dash and the rear door jamb switches activate the lights in the rear. Only on my Late Special is the pillar light illuminated via a door jamb switch rather than the slide switch.

[burusu]

Our dome light works off either the door post slider or the rear door switch.  A toggle under the dash turns a light on under the glove compartment, but I haven't checked to see if it turns off when the door is closed.  I have to wonder whether that toggle was added by former owners to bypass a problem with the door switches.

[Logan]

No, I also have a toggle under the dash that turns the under-the-dash lights on (that the front doors also turn on) when the front doors are closed.

Also, the door post lights can be turn with a slider when the back doors are closed.