jimkf

All Dragons built were four door sedans. KF never built a production Dragon trimmed two door. With the exception of the dash pad, all of the materials used on the interior of this car are incorrect. While most everything to make it right is available, it doesn't come cheap. On the upside, the Oakwood Brown exterior does look very presentable.

No badging on the exterior tells me this car has had a repaint. I wonder what lurks beneath... I've owned two of these, one with and one without the carriage top. I loved both but a deer hit totaled the first and the second came from Hawaii and the salt air did that one in.

The exhaust manifold pictured above is for the F-head engine and will not work on the L-head six.

KF produced 152 Manhattans as hardtops for the 1951 model year to use up leftover 1950 Kaiser Virginian bodies. New front sheet metal and rear quarters were tacked on to the bodies and other Frazer specific bits were subbed in as well. Almost all were hydramatic equipped with a reported half dozen getting stick/OD transmissions. Assembly was essentially by hand for all but a few at a KF facility in Jackson, Michigan. Most of that building still stands and is in use today. At one time a nice example such as this would command $40k but prices have softened recently. While under powered, they are a comfortable car to drive and by their low numbers, guarantee to be the one and only at any show. I once owned a clone to this car that had all of 30,000 original miles. Mine was previously owned by a mailman who must have hit every curb and obstruction in town as every panel had a dent in it. When I found the frame was also bent, it went into barn storage where it resides today. And, yes, KF club members are a frugal bunch. It was once said they could squeeze a penny so hard it would make Lincoln cry...

As usual, all of the AC components have ended up in the trunk. I still like the car, dents and all. Might have to take a closer look since it's only a short drive from me.

Looks like someone added 68 side marker lights

Look at it this way, buy it and have a unique every day driver that would be the one at only at your local show.

A little under hood detailing would really help sell this car. And, even if it doesn't work, put the AC compressor back on. I always wonder what other short cuts were done when I see missing or rearranged components...

Nice car that looks pretty correct. Kaiser built the Special in two series for 1954 and they're known as Early and Late versions. The Early Special was built to use up unsold 1953 Manhattans and to do that, the front sheet metal, grille and bumpers - as well as the tail light assemblies - were swapped for 1954 units. The car was then repainted to match up the new sheet metal, the serial number and trim tags were updated and the car became a 1954 model. The Late Special was built using true 1954 bodies but unlike the Manhattan, none were equipped with superchargers. Lower grade exterior and interior trims were used and the car sold at a price point that was a few hundred dollars less than the Manhattan. Roughly 3500 were built in total for both series cars and few survive today since many were sacrificed to restore the pricier Manhattan.

The early series 1954 Special was the result of leftover unsold 1953 Kaisers. The 1953 front sheet metal was replaced with 1954 units and the tail light assemblies were updated as well. Aside from new serial number and trim tags, the rest of the car is the same as a 1953 Kaiser. A repaint of the lower body was required to match everything up. Today, if you find an original early Special, the paint is usually thin on the front end while from the doors back it will still be presentable, thanks to two coats of paint. Once all of these sold, Kaiser produced a late series Special using true 1954 bodies. Like the early series Special, there were no superchargers and lower grade trims were used both inside and out. Roughly 3500 two and four door units were produced as early and late series Specials. Oh, and the front bumper is upside down on the pictured car.

It figures...I only went back as far as 1931. Thanks for the ID!

A friend recently cleared out an old Dodge dealership that had been closed for decades. Most everything was easy to ID with the exception of this hood. I know I've seen this design before but I just cannot place it. Any ideas?

Because this is a two door in the Manhattan line, this car has more value than a four door in similar condition but I still think the asking price is a bit optimistic. With a lot of chrome work to be done and a fair amount of body work as well, somewhere closer to $4500 might be right. I've owned, and still own several KFs and while parts are reasonably priced, finding some can be difficult. For 1952, 1315 two door Manhattans were produced and a KF club registry says 14 are known. I'd say that number is probably closer to 50 given that several previously unknown examples have popped up lately. If I was in the market I'd strike a deal, lose the cheesy headlight eyebrows, put the mirror back where it belongs and drive it as it sits and fix it up as you go. You'll have the only one at your local show!

Wow...a rare car even for those of us who dabble in the K-F market. This one is a model 3404 six cylinder car and for 1953, 372 were produced. At one time I had one in the same color but with the factory correct interior - from what I can see the interior in this car is not correct. On the upside, this one does appear to have the correct full wheel covers, unobtainium today. The 161 cubic inch six that powers the Deluxe models is peppy enough to move the 2400 lb car along nicely and with overdrive, will deliver 25 plus miles per gallon. I currently own a 54 Henry J Corsair Deluxe with a six and OD and it's a very easy car to drive. And, it's the only one at the local cruise in a sea of Camaros, Corvettes and Mustangs. The asking price may be a tad high owing to the incorrect interior, maybe something closer to $7k.

Looks like the steering wheel is mounted upside down.

Nope, I'm saying I'm not sure the paint on this car would have been a metallic from the factory. That's why I'd like to see the trim tag - there's a code on it that will tell me what color the car should be painted. And, while I'm at it, I noticed that the Manhattan script on the fender appears to be the style used on the 52-55 Kaisers. I've seen that done before.

Yes, metallics were used in the KF line as early as 1947. I'd like to see the trim tag on this car - it would tell me what color it should be. I suspect it's Dubonnet, a non-metallic maroon similar to what's on the car now.

I am also in northern Ohio and may know the fellow you mention. Reaching out via PM.

This example is probably one of the nicest 49-50 Frazers extant. The 49-50 model year Frazers don't have a big following since few were produced (9248) and fewer survive today. A KF club registry says 61 are known so I suspect the actual number is a bit higher. Aside from the later Kaiser Dragon, the 49-50 Frazer is probably one of the nicest riding and driving cars in the KF lineup. Unfortunately, they're a bit under powered but will easily keep up with today's highway speeds. This one appears to have been nicely, but not quite correctly, restored. The dark green engine color wasn't introduced until 1951 - a mint green was used on the 49-50 cars with the two barrel carburetor and I'd like to see the trim tag to be sure the door panel material is correct as well. I like the fender skirts - they were a dealer add on option that was standard on the Kaiser Virginian hardtop (935 produced), Kaiser Vagabond utility car (4476 made), as well as the Kaiser and Frazer convertibles manufactured in 1949-50. About the convertibles, there were 22 Kaisers produced and 65 Frazers with KF claiming to lose about $3000 on each. As to this car's value, the earlier comment about the KF line being underappreciated is correct. The fiberglass bodied Darrin as well as the hardtops and convertibles lead the value line followed closely by the supercharged 54-55 Manhattans and Henry J and Dragon models with the rest of the line falling way behind. I doubt the seller will see anywhere near their asking price...having owned well over a dozen KF products over the years I think it's worth somewhere closer to the high teens just because it's a nicely done example.

Are you looking for the housing, bezel, or the lens. I do have a decent used housing and lens and might have a bezel. Let me know what you're looking for. Thx

This car is oddly equipped, no radio and no heater but it does have a clock. Likely it was added by an owner as would have been the chrome inner windshield reveal molding. On the Special, it would have been painted. A couple of other things that jump out at me...the radiator is not the correct unit and the seat upholstery as well as the rear center arm rest is incorrect too. The former is an easy fix as radiators to fit the 49-50 Kaisers are not hard to find. The seat material is another story. That said, bump out the dent and replate the bumpers and you'll have a nice driver. The 49-50 Kaiser and Frazer are among the nicest riding and driving cars in the entire line.

I do have an air cleaner but cannot help with the steering wheel. They were made of a type of plastic that disintegrated with age so NOS units do not exist. The KF club remanufactured some several years ago and occasionally one appears on ebay. I will post pix of the air cleaner

KF originally tooled for 500 Darrins. 435 were sold and tacked on to that number are a few prototype and factory experimental cars that still exist. This may be one of the cars that Howard 'Dutch' Darrin bought from the factory when it became apparent that KF was not going to be able to sell what was produced, let alone the full 500 planned. Dutch took a small handful of cars back to his studio is Santa Monica and modified a few of them in an attempt to sell them to celebrities and others with interest. Stories abound around the custom work Dutch's Darrins received, including the one where he installed Cadillac V8 engines in 50 of them. That number is actually one, according to his son. Any purchase of a modified Darrin should come with documentation that includes who made the changes and when they were completed. Quite a few lived other lives long after KF - and Dutch - gave up on them. Having owned a few of these cars - I have one in my collection today - I can tell you that they are a unique automobile and any that received special attention from Dutch are even more so.

Four or six cylinder Henry J?

It is a 1948 Frazer Manhattan, top of the line for the model year. One piece hood and trunk script is the giveaway. This one sports many of the available factory authorized accessories, fog lights, spot light, exterior visor and a grille guard. Trim rings were standard as was the two tone paint on the Manhattan. The hood ornament is probably aftermarket...KF heard from owners that they wanted hood ornaments so the factory started offering one mid way thru the model year.