Still Sizing It Up

After removing the bumper, it was quite evident that the inner splash pan was "toast". Fortunately, Bill Dalzell had a nice one from the '54 that I was able to obtain from him. The trunk lid has been removed, and it too needed to be replaced due to massive rust. I was able to obtain a really good used trunk lid from another member out in Iowa, so that piece of the project is also taken care of. As I mentioned earlier, the chrome on the whole car was shot, and even though the tail light lenses look somewhat decent, they too are beyond using. There have been many very happy Kaiser Part Vendors to-date in my quest to ensure I have all the parts necessary to put the car back together and make it a show car and regular driver.

Knowing that this is going to be a "body off" restoration, I decided to get this car down to the "basics" early-on. Removal of the front clip from the body was almost too easy! It's surprising (and somewhat scary) that there are fewer than 10 bolts that hold the whole front clip onto the body and frame. Throughout the disassembly, I took numerous photos of what each portion of the project looked like before I took it apart. When I finally get to the point that I start putting it together again, I sure hope I am able to find all the pictures! Every single nut, bolt, knob, etc., that I removed from the car was "bagged and tagged" in a clear plastic bag with notation of what it was from, along with any special instructions regarding its reassembly (i.e. - must put on flange and bolt from item "x" prior to installation of this piece). I found that in my earlier restoration project of a 1949 Kaiser Traveler, this worked for me very well.

Upon removal, my earlier fears were realized, as it was quite evident that the hood and front fenders were shot, and I would need replacement sheetmetal. I obtained both front fenders and hood, again, from a "quick" trip out to a KFOCI member's home in Iowa. Actually, I ended up coming home from her house with a pickup truck and utility trailer full of various and assorted items, not only for The Manhattan Project, but also for further "upgrades" on my 1949 Traveler. As I hoped earlier, the inner fender wells and front splash pans on the project car did prove to be in surprisingly good condition. After removing them from the outer fenders, I carefully sandblasted them, and at this stage they are now in primer awaiting the rest of the body to be re-worked. The Radiator support arch was questionable, but I managed to obtain one in near mint condition, so that part of the project is also taken care of.