It's getting easier and easier to build cars, thanks to the abundance of aftermarket parts available for the popular body styles. Almost any amateur builder with a few tools, a little talent, at least one opposable thumb, and the ability to order the right parts and follow the right procedures can put together a nice ride. It's not a bad way to go-but it's not the way Tony Cota wanted to go.
Tony's previous rides include a '47 Chevy Fleetline Aerosedan, and a '49 Chrysler New Yorker Club Coupe, so he's definitely "different drummer" material. So when he began planning a new custom project, his mind once again started straying from the same old thing, finally settling on a '51 Kaiser DeLuxe convertible. "I wanted to build it simply because there aren't too many of them out there," he explained. "Mostly what you see are Chevys and Fords. I thought it was time to build a car the way I liked, but yet have it reflect some of the cool cars like the Merc and the Shoebox." His desire to be different was helped by the fact that Kaiser never built a ragtop in 1951. They did build a bunch of four-door sedans, though, so that's what Tony started with.
"When I brought the car home my wife and friends all laughed at it. I told them to just wait and see how it's going to look." As work progressed, Tony made friends with a guy named Jim, also known as "Empty Pockets," who knows a lot about Kaisers and collects Kaiser parts, and who was willing to share his knowledge and his parts. Tony also thanks Archie's Automotive in Ontario, California, for much of the mechanical work.
By the time he was done, Tony had himself a Kaiser that wasn't just different from other '50s customs, but different from other Kaisers, too. The result is that not many people know what it is. Tony seems to like it that way, judging by a license plate that asks 51 WHAT. Unfortunately, most people don't know how much work it took to convert this once-homely sedan into a cool-looking convertible. Tony doesn't seem to mind that either. He built a truly unique car exactly the way he wanted it-and the only time his family and friends laugh now is when they get to go for a ride.
Tony CotaChino, CA'51 Kaiser DeLuxeDrivetrain: What were you expecting, a small-block Chevy? Uh, uh. Tony kept it Kaiser in the engine compartment too. The I-six flathead gets a lot of people to scratching their heads, but Kaiser guys instantly recognize the 226ci Super Sonic engine. Tony's features the stock Carter WGD two-barrel downdraft carb, and a stock head. Most impressive is the McCulloch centrifugal supercharger, introduced on '54 Kaisers. Tony modernized to a 12-volt electrical system, an electric fan, and a K&N air cleaner. The transmission is the stock standard three-speed manual with a column-mounted shifter. Sergio Torres, Emilio Gonzalez, and Rudy Diaz helped Tony while he was building the engine.
Chassis: Tony made very few changes to the stock frame. "I just added some steel," he told us. Otherwise it's a factory '51 Kaiser chassis, with a few suspensions upgrades in the form of springs from a '64 Impala in front, and Monroe shocks at all four corners.
Wheels & Tires: The 15x7-inch steel wheels front and rear were mounted with L78-15 Dunlop to maintain the '50s look. The rims were shot with body color red paint, which is just visible behind custom hubcaps created by Tony.
Body & Paint: Turning a four-door sedan into a two-door convertible took a ton of bodywork. Decapitating the sedan and chopping the windshield while maintaining the distinctive shape of the windshield frame is amazing by itself. All ornaments, emblems, and hardware was shaved, with the right amount of Kaiser trim kept in place, including the wide lower strip that identifies DeLuxes. Front bumper guards were removed to make way for custom teeth, and '59 Cadillac taillights were added below custom dual fins. The FX Candy Red paint is from Matrix Automotive Paint, shot by Tony. All of the chrome pieces were redone at Millenium Polishing and Chrome in Montclair, California.
Interior: In the cockpit, white tuck 'n' roll vinyl upholstery with red piping covers the '64 Impala seats, as well as the door panels and kick panels, and the rear bench. Ernie and Greg at Mission Upholstery in Chino, California, handled much of the work. Tony restored and modified the Tenite plastic DeLuxe steering wheel, and painted the dash to match the body, with the color carried over onto the carpet. One conspicuous departure from the '50s is the up-to-date Sony Xplod sound system with dual 800-watt amps and JL Audio speakers.