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November 2002: After I pulled the 19 bolts connecting the body to the
frame, then all the assorted wires and linkages, I assembled a crew of
highly experienced car guys who would work for beer and food, and we met
one cold day to get it done. After attaching bolts to secure lift points
between the body and inner fender, we hooked up a chain to those bolts
and began hoisting the body. Luckily, Kaiser engineers placed small round
holes in just the right places for me to insert those bolts (with big washers
and nuts on either side of sheet metal to prevent warping). Miraculously,
the body effortlessly separated itself from the frame after over 60 years
of bonding! Yippee! Steve, official greeter for the team, is shown here
doing his best "Hi and welcome to Wal-mart." |
| Steve Rasmussen and Jim Lorenz, you'll no doubt recognize both of them
here, are shown making modifications to the attachment to finish lifting
the back end of the Kaiser. Give us a big smile, boys! |
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With the back end up, we slid a 4x4, perched on concrete blocks placed
on either side of the body, underneath the Kaiser's body, unhooked the
hoist and rolled it around to the front to repeat the process. While I
manned the hoist Jim checked the Kaiser's tires for tread life. "Hey Ric,
you're down to 7/32 here!" It was this kind of typical attention to the
task at hand that motivated me to add Mr. Lorenz to The Team. |
| After sending Jim off to check the tires on someone else's car, I got
down to business lifting the front. Note the beheaded Kaiser engine in
the upper right hand part of the picture. |
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With both ends of the Kaiser's body then safely perched on its new
high-rise home, the Kaiser Team just rolled the chassis out the back door
of the garage. Slick! I don't think any of us so much as skinned our knuckles
in the process. Jim is shown here displaying that he still has all his
fingers, ready to inspect tires for wear, or in this case, securely grasp
a Sam Adams Lager! |
| It's true what they said in the ads, the head and leg room in the 1951
Kaiser really is something! Shown here is the entire crew: Kaiser Kid at
the wheel, Jim-Bob riding shotgun, Ronnie, Matt, and Steve in back. A job
well done, gentlemen! Sierra Nevada Pale Ales all around! |
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It's a snug fit in the garage now, but it works. The frame resides
in front and at a 90 degree angle to the body, while Steve's pick-up
is wintering in there too, just for giggles. Of course, there's the usual
garage crap in there too, which will probably prevent me from acquiring
another money-sucking old tub, like that very cool Divco delivery van I
saw in a field outside of Redfield, SD. Of course, I could throw the Kaiser
frame on top of Steve's truck, then . . . |
| Here is how the body is supported - concrete blocks, some scrap wood,
and two 10-foot long 4 x 4's. The body really does need to be up that high
so the frame, with its front shock towers, can roll out from underneath
the body with adequate clearance. |
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Fly Kaiser Air! Here's better shot showing the body way up high, in
a pretty convenient position to do body work. Fellow Kaiser-Frazer Club
member Mike Neubecker guided me through this lifting process via e-mail
- thanks very much, Mike! |
| That's actually gravel in this cross member that resides over the rear
axle. 61 years of driving had deposited 1/2 inch of road debris in that
narrow space. That's the kind of task I was then faced with - the glamorous,
highly skilled jobs of scraping, wire-wheeling, and, in this case, shoveling.
It's just a darn good thing I have a Ph.D. In the next couple of
weeks as the mercury dipped steadily lower, I pulled brake, fuel, and exhaust
parts. As for what's next for the Kaiser . . . stay tuned. |
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