Re: The (1955 Kaiser) Manhattan Project

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Re: The (1955 Kaiser) Manhattan Project

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Re: The (1955 Kaiser) Manhattan Project

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Re: The (1955 Kaiser) Manhattan Project

The October 2015 issue of Auto Restorer magazine has a four-page article on a 1951 Kaiser/Frazer Manhattan, including a history of the brand.   http://www.autorestorermagazine.com/ar/

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Re: The (1955 Kaiser) Manhattan Project

CowDriver wrote:

The October 2015 issue of Auto Restorer magazine has a four-page article on a 1951 Kaiser/Frazer Manhattan, including a history of the brand.   http://www.autorestorermagazine.com/ar/

Where exactly might I find a copy? They don't seem to have anything available online and I can't imagine a 2-month old issue is gonna still be hanging around B&N...

Re: The (1955 Kaiser) Manhattan Project

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Re: The (1955 Kaiser) Manhattan Project

Well, it's been since December that we've had this heap parked in one place or another. Currently it has taken up residence in my friend's backyard in Morgan Hill. With other things taking focus (loosing my job, getting married, finding another job, in that order) we haven't really had time to devote to this. That has all changed.

Though the project will be making incremental progress over, likely, the next 6-8 months, it will be steadily made into a race-able car. This weekend we started that path by stripping the interior to prep for a cage. We pulled the seats, the badly sagging headliner and the window glass. It was blazing hot down in Morgan Hill this weekend, but our friend from SF had made the trip down so we were determined to make progress. Here's a photo set of the day.

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Next up will be taking some tires I've had sitting around after swapping wheels on my '06 Magnum and putting them on a set of wheels I picked up on Craigslist for $100. Thank god wheel lug patterns haven't changed from the '50s. 5x114.3 is still used a ton these days.

Currently plan for the engine/trans is a blown GM 3800 as Judge Phil suggested, mated to an S10's 700r4.

No idea yet as to the state of the brakes... hoping a simple pad set will get it up and going again.. we'll see.

Re: The (1955 Kaiser) Manhattan Project

If there is a special section in Heaven for Lemons racers, I am certain that they will hold a place for your team...

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Re: The (1955 Kaiser) Manhattan Project

I am super excited to watch this unfold... big_smile

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35 (edited by CPT_Trans_Continental 2016-07-25 09:59 AM)

Re: The (1955 Kaiser) Manhattan Project

Reminds me of when we started working (cleaning out) the Corvair. I hate mice! You might want to go see a doctor in case that car was a "host".

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Re: The (1955 Kaiser) Manhattan Project

MZAVARIN wrote:

If there is a special section in Heaven for Lemons racers, I am certain that they will hold a place for your team...

swindrum wrote:

I am super excited to watch this unfold... big_smile

Thanks guys. We're excited about this too. We'll definitely be documenting the whole process with lots of photos.

Picked up the wheels today. Pretty darn good shape for Pick-n-pull prices. The tires are toast, but I've got some nice fresh ones that have just been sitting around waiting to go on.

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Re: The (1955 Kaiser) Manhattan Project

Something to inspire you as to what can be done with a Kaiser:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/thre … ra.999651/
Wonder if they saved the roof? You obviously need one that's less porous.

Re: The (1955 Kaiser) Manhattan Project

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEvMSkRWOK0

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Re: The (1955 Kaiser) Manhattan Project

Another weekend of work going into the project. This time around: wheels. As my last post showed, we got some great wheels and decent tires for a pretty darn good price: $100 for the wheels, and the tires I happened to have sitting around. Getting them mounted cost another $100-ish so all-in wheels and tires for $200 is pretty good in my book.

The tires are Uniroyal Tiger Paws. Not what anyone would call "track tires" but for the speeds this heap will be pushing I'm sure they'll suffice.

The cool thing about the Kaiser is that it uses the still standard 5x4.5 lug pattern. So we had our pick of various manufacturer's OEM wheels. Infiniti, Jeep, Chrysler, and many others all had at least a few vehicles with this pattern. In the end we got these Nissan Murano 18x7.5 wheels.

This morning we did a test-fit. Cue sad trombone. The hub centers were, predictably, too small for the front spindles. So, we spent the rest of the day modifying them with hole saws and dremels! Turned out to be about a 3-hour job including a lunch break, so all in all not too much effort. Fortunately the inner part was exactly 2.5", and the shoulder was 2.75" and the Murano wheels were already VERY close, needing only to have the outer lip removed, and the inner bevel squared up.

Tomorrow we'll be heading back to give them a try on. Hopefully we haven't overlooked any other potential fitment issues (besides back-spacing, which might end up still being a problem).

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Re: The (1955 Kaiser) Manhattan Project

Well, day 2 of the weekend was a pain in the butt. Not that day 1 wasn't, but day 2 was worse.
My only goal today was to get the wheels on to get the car off the ground and rolling. I got halfway there. The car is off the ground and all four wheels are on, but I don't think it'll roll. Sure enough, the back spacing on these wheels is going to be a problem. One thing I did find out is that the wheel bolts are 1/2"-20. I found this out at Autozone looking for wheel spacers and longer wheel bolts. They had the wheel spacers, but not longer wheel bolts. So, a trip to the hardware store got us to where we needed to be: wheels on. Unfortunately the spacers are just a hair too short and the wheels are certainly rubbing on the springs. Fortunately, the overall spacing needed is not massive, just a touch.

Ultimately the long-term plan is to drill out the threads on the hubs and use press-in studs and a slight spacer on the rear. Front spacing is TBD. At least she's sitting pretty, and it's a helluva lot easier to get a jack under her now.

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Re: The (1955 Kaiser) Manhattan Project

Here's an interesting article about the brief history of Kaiser Frazer motorcars.

http://ateupwithmotor.com/model-histori … -part-1/4/

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Re: The (1955 Kaiser) Manhattan Project

Hey all, while I REALLY wanted to build this up, I've taken on other more important projects.. So this is available to anyone interested...

It presently is sitting on fresh tires and Nissan Murano rims. Interior has already been stripped of the nasty stuff, so you can start right away with your build. We had plans to put a supercharged Buick 3800 from a Grand Prix or something with the 700R4 out of an S10. But, you know... life. So just trying to pass it on. The wife is pretty insistent on getting $ for it, so lets say $500 and we can haggle from there.
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