Customs Lost custom found need help identifying

Oh no, this is disturbing! Now I wont be able to sleep, somethings are just best kept hidden.

 

I don't want to take this thread in the wrong direction however Dr. Google research on this car established that Kaiser Frazer built 1 x convertible in '52 and possibly another 3 in '53? A lot more aesthetically pleasing IMHO. Normal service will now resume, back on topic.






https://saleofcar.com/other-makes-henr/0151643
https://www.mecum.com/lots/IA0710-96075/1952-kaiser-henry-j-convertible/
http://oldcarandtruckpictures.com/HenryJ/
https://barnfinds.com/factory-prototype-1953-henry-j-convertible/

 

I use it & like it. My only welder, been using it since 2011.
(Got my hands on a conventional style AGA X11 torch last year, but winter froze me out of the garage before I had the opportunity to really use it.)

 

Found these in some old Restyle your car magazines...back in the time's when this type of customizing was being done, alot of car owners had visions of sports cars so they were taking sedans or whatever could be bought cheaper and building there own versions of sports cars.....but that must not of been the thoughts on this Jay...to spend $21.000 on that ...it had to have been built for a special purpose in mind....like tourism of some kind....

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Looks to be the same car?

 

Lots of comments on the appearance

Obviously not trendy but definitely interesting. Do you own it ?
If its yours what are your plans?

 

Henry Js always remind me of Topo Gigio, I guess it's the backwards slant of the nose.

Just wanted to get that off my chest, been weighing on me.

Anyway, sorry can't help with the history on the custom. If it never made any publications it may be the wealthy owner just wanted his own personalized car, not after publicity.

 

You do realize that particular Henry J is wearing '51 Studebaker front sheetmetal, right?

 

Oops. I do now. How about his one?

 

Actually it's wearing 50 Studebaker nose parts...in 51 the center "bullet" was chrome center with painted outer ring on both Champion and Comanders...I own a 50 Champion Starlight Coupe....

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I like it much better than this one.

Gary

 

The $21,000 was probably inflated over the years like a fish story verbally passed along. No invoice, it didn't happen.

 

Looking at all the "Specials" on this page it occurred to me; those were done with arc welders, oxy/acetylene and lead. Not a million MIG tack welds or micro TIG welds. No matter what you think about the style there's a lot of skill and hard work in those cars. Makes me want to revisit those methods.

 

I was thinking that all along, kind of like a bunch of Old Drag racers. The Older they get the Faster they were. Then there's the Horse Power story's, very few backed up with Dyno numbers. Yada Yada yada,,,,

 

Quirky, odd, unique (charitable reference), but $21K? C'mon, ya gotta be jackin me! Yes, stolen line from the movie "Used Cars". Unless as referenced above that it was a development project which included several for tourism there's not enough car to spend that much in period dollars. The lack of love and enthusiasm for how it ended up should be expected.

 

Yeah, I'm from a longtime Studebaker family and know pretty much all the clues.

My brother had a '50 Champion and replaced the front sheetmetal with a complete '51 doghouse (including the '51 bullet) after a wreck. He kept the '50 bullet as a keepsake.

 

PUT IT BACK WHERE YOU FOUND IT
AND RUN L.IKE HELL

 

Looks like the Kaiser with the sliding doors. Maybe it is. If so very rare.

 

It is not....where would the door slide too? Most definitely unique!


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I think the obvious thing that kills it, is the rear windshield. Ditch that, and it would be more "exceptable". Definitely looks like somebody got carried away with making it unique.

 

No, it really doesn't

 

My friends dad Erik built a custom Henry J back in the day.. It too was topless and had lots of custom metal work involved in it.. His car got some magazine coverage in Rod & Custom June of 62 issue. He sold the car and lost track of it many years ago but has expressed interest in finding it.. Maybe somebody here has seen or knows something of its whereabouts..

 

I didn't need the first few posts to tell me what I thought about it. It's ugly. It might be interesting, it might be an alternate view/expression of the car world when it was built, it might be well done, but it is still ugly.

 

A lot of it is the rear windshield and the doors. This would help imo.

Along with a supercharger and zoomies.

 

Opinions vary here, as the HAMB usual...much like prognosis' submitted by staffs of 'doctors' in a state hospital.
One says "He's fine, nothing abnormal witnessed..."
Next 5 or 6 say, "Definitely crackers. Lock him up."
Finally, a resident physician states, "Completely cured. Now we just have to march him upstairs to Plastic Surgery to get that crazy look out of his face!"

Are you guys that like this abortion reacting to a late night St. Patrick's drinking fest that resulted in a... 'HAMBOVER'? heh, heh