1951 Kaiser Special Hatchback

[lloyd3]

Here we go again...

[Troy]

Cool.

Troy

[dreamcatcher]

Not a thing wrong with that! 

[RallyeMike]

They have very uniques roof lines. Sure to be the only one at cruize night 

[lloyd3]

I was hoping my son would finish his Dart Seneca first, but he now has another distraction. Considering all the, shall-we-say less-desirable distractions that young men are prone-to, I've become allright with it (the horror stories other parents relay to me has calmed me down significantly). It's cute in a homely sort-of way I suppose.  227-cubic inch straight 6 with a 3 on the tree, a 6-volt system, archaic brakes, and the work remaining to get it even close to driving it is immense. My heart would quail at the thought (if I had to do it). Oh well...

[426HemiChick]

I was hoping my son would finish his Dart Seneca first, but he now has another distraction. Considering all the, shall-we-say less-desirable distractions that young men are prone-to, I've become allright with it (the horror stories other parents relay to me has calmed me down significantly). It's cute in a homely sort-of way I suppose.  227-cubic inch straight 6 with a 3 on the tree, a 6-volt system, archaic brakes, and the work remaining to get it even close to driving it is immense. My heart would quail at the thought (if I had to do it). Oh well...

Hi LLoyd,              25 June 2022

Neat car, won't have to worry about too many of them showing up. They were attractive and were the Car to have after WW II. If we're not mistaken, the steel they used was heavy duty.

Have fun and enjoy the time you have with your son . . . . while he's still young.

Best Always

426 Hemi Chicks

[b5blue]

The kid has a good eye for old cars. https://www.hagerty.com/media/car-profiles/kaiser-frazers-mid-century-family-cars-were-true-convertibles/ Check for chassis and floorboard rust issues.

[lloyd3]

That is how the back of it opens and the back seat folds down to allow for hauling significant loads of stuff. Evidently, this option became unavailable shortly thereafter?

[426HemiChick]

Hi Lloyd,               28 June 2022

We're sure you didn't find that gem in the Akron/Cleveland area. Cars from there and that era only lasted about three years before they disintegrated into a pile of salt encrusted oxidized metal. Only place in the Midwest where stainless steel rusts.

You and your son should have a great time working on it together.

Best Always

426 Hemi Chicks

[lloyd3]

I fear that I've created a monster...





Since my son now has the run of the junkyard where he got his '51 Kaiser (he's been camped down there working on it for well over a year now and has clearly ingratiated himself with the proprietor), he has used it to store other vehicles that have so-to-speak come his way. My Dodge truck & I were roped into a recent excursion where he'd just sold a running, high-miles, mid-90s S10 4x4 that was gifted to him by one of my buddies (who had also helped us on the '60 Dart). As part of that Facebook Marketplace(?) transaction (with a 15-year old, no less!) we then loaded-up and hauled away a non-running Mitsubishi 3000GT all the way back down to the "yard" (as part of the deal for the Chevy).  It's funny....the S10 looks like crap but runs surprisingly well, 4x4 and all. The also mid-90s 3000GT looks surprisingly good but doesn't run at all, but of-course....he has plans.

The price I may have to pay for placing a small child's car-seat in the back of my own old car, many long years ago now.

[Aero426]

A non-running 3000GT could be a piece of valuable tuition on cars to buy / not buy.    We all have to learn our lessons.    Hopefully he gets lucky.

[lloyd3]

Aero 426: So true! But...the car was a complete freebie and... it was shocking how many folks accosted us about it on our way south to drop it off. I suggested that he part it out or market it to the local rice-racers who seem to be enamored of such vehicles (this one is a 5-speed w/the Quad Cam set-up, evidently a desirable option). He starts school as a freshman in about a month so, he really won't have the time for too-much more of these shenanigans. Hopefully.

[426HemiChick]

Hi Lloyd,                14 July 2022

Be thankful he's into cars and not some of the other things some young folks do.

Don't know if I posted this here or not, but I'm going to do it regardless.

In 2006 I was taking care of my 95 year old father, which I had been doing for about 20 years. It was about the 2nd or 3rd week of September, my dad was about two weeks away from passing. I got out the old home movies, showed them, then started putting that stuff away.

I was 66 at the time; my dad walked up to me and said: "I realize now that I should have paid more attention to you when you were young." The first thought that came to mind was: "Yeah, you're just 66 fucking years late." I didn't say that to him, I did appreciate his finally acknowledging it. He died about 2 weeks later. It was a relief to have him gone.

A child is only a child once in their life. Let it slip by, there's no going back, no do overs, none. Fortunately, I had many good people in my life that intervened; I spent eight years with the US Navy, which gave me a lifetime in return.

If you have kids, they should be the most important person(s) in your life. Don't let their childhood slip by.

Time to get off my soapbox and get some sleep. Have my 2nd post op eye exam this afternoon.

God Bless

Best Always

Christine for the 426 Hemi Chicks

[lloyd3]

Christine: Thank you. Having only one child (we got a very-late start) has probably altered how he was raised (fairly dramatically). If he's not the center of our universe, he's darn close. One of us has always been home with him as he was growing up. He and I have shared the car thing since he was very small (starting with the Hot Wheels I've had since the '60s). As he prepares to head off to collage, my wife is of-course anxious and worried, but I am not. He's bright (got that from his mother), he's motivated, he clearly has a good work-ethic, & he doesn't seem to be attracted to intoxicants or the party lifestyle (can't believe he's mine). I asked him the other day about why he hasn't gone into the "hell-raising mode" that was so-attractive to young men when I was his age and his response was that trouble was all-too easy to get into anymore, and that because he worked hard for his money, he "simply doesn't want to waste it".  Kids today don't have all the protections that I did growing up, society doesn't cut them any slack (at least not anymore). He's probably more risk-adverse than I was (smarter, less-trusting) and more tech-savvy certainly. We have different perspectives, likely because we were born in different centuries, and he's the product of his time. It will be fun to watch.

[b5blue]

  My 3 kid's mom pretty much lost interest years ago and the resulting divorce had me being point man for the entire operation. I just did my best to teach to the end product of having 3 well equipped adults. Put aside your fears because soon if he wants a motorcycle he will get a motorcycle just like anything else he may desire.                 
  Worry more and be stressing about birth control and judging others intent and honesty.  Getting a good read on others around you is a highly nuanced skill for first time away from home kids.
  My oldest complained years ago when I sold the 6BBL he was so proud to have on our Charger. I explained to him that he had had about 18 years to take interest and learn about it but never did. When one of the best mechanics I know admitted to me I was the only one who knew 6BBL's I realized my kids would have no hope of maintaining it. (Our 70 Charger is to be passed down not sold off.) So selling off the 6BBL to pay for a 4BBL and A/C made sense. My three are all on track in their 30's and doing better than I did making my retirement extra nice.
  I'm certain you've done the proper ground work and the young man will do just fine. I'd encourage you to share as much time with he and the Charger as you can. (Get NEW tires! LOL.)   

[426HemiChick]

Hi Lloyd, b5blue,              15 July 2022

Your kids will do fine; having a parent that takes time and spends it with their children is a good parent. Oh, my parents spent time with me, just inside bars and tavern's. Learned to drink soon after I learned to walk and remain erect.

Thank God for other folks that noticed what was going on and took an interest in me. Had it not been for them I shudder to think where I would have ended up.

There was one person that really stood out and that was my second High School Dean of Boys, Mr. Howard D. Saurer. He was always respectful and gave me lots of advice. I remembered it and used it especially when I was in the Navy.

Thirty years later, in 1988 I went to visit him. To make this short I went to his house, knocked on the door. A lady answered and asked if she could help me. I asked if Mr. Saurer was home. She said yes, I'll get him. When he came to the door he asked what he could do for me. I said: "I don't know if you remember me ...." He stopped me mid sentence and said: "I don't see so well but I remember the voice, Please come in and sit down."

The conversation we had was the best I had ever had with anyone. He amazed me by knowing what I had been doing and where I had been over those 30 years. He knew more than my parents did. My biggest regret was that I hadn't gone to see him much sooner.

He and the US Navy are the two greatest factors that brought me success up to that point in my life. Later on I met Dena, She has been the Ultimate factor in my life, having saved it three times. Were it not for Her, I would not be here today.

To everyone out there that have children, please take a special interest in them, make them your number ONE Priority. They are the future. Just don't wait 66 years.

God Bless You All.

Best Always

Christine

[lloyd3]

It's all welded up and running on it's own gas tank (he drove it around the neighborhood in the semi-rural area it was in at the welding shop), it even has glass in it's windows now. Still needs a ton of work but....he's leaving for school Wednesday so back it goes into storage. He's learning that it's not always a "happy path" and that everything matters (that includes brakes and wipers and lights and....). It's gone from a completely hopeless basket-case (IMHO) to something that at-least resembles a viable vehicle (with the help of over 100 parts-donor vehicles close at hand).



The sad part will be when he decides to recover all his time and money from it. 1951 Kaiser Specials do not have much of a market in this world or ours and I don't see that situation improving anytime soon. He still doesn't have a title for it and only has a faint-idea of the convoluted process for resolving all of that.  Hoping that won't be too-painful for him either.  

Oh well....he's learned a lot and it's kept him occupied all this spring and summer.  His mother is troubled by his departure, but I'm excited for him because he's quite ready.  You're not really empty-nesters until the 2nd or 3rd year of collage but it's a big step nonetheless.

[426HemiChick]

Hi Lloyd,              15 August 2022

From what we've read, you are successful parents. Still more to do, after all, you'll always be his Mom and Dad.

There may come a time, hoping way down the road, when/where the rolls will reverse; he will gladly take care of his Mom and Dad.

Thanks for caring and sharing.

Best Always

426 Hemi Chicks

PS:
The Kaiser Special looks great. It will get done and we hope he never sells it.