1951 Henry J Custom
Named after the founder and CEO of the Kaiser Corporation, Henry J
Kaiser, this car was meant to be a true economy car. In the true
sense of the word economy as it applies to this model car means
cheap/inexpensive. So much so that initial sagging sales led to the
car being upgraded from woven paper seat upholstery to tartan plaid
cloth on the seats and headliner, a blue painted engine, and a
Tucker style front clip. Oh, and did I mention it was sold at
Sears!
This embodiment of a Henry J is in the vernacular sense only. A
"gasser" highly modified for one purpose, to go down a track in a
straight line as fast as possible. A race car that is using the
Henry J design to the fullest.
Exterior
A fiberglass flip front end secured with Zeus fasteners, fiberglass
quarter panels and a Chevy Monza roof are seamlessly combined to
create the exterior shape of this Henry J. The hood has been
shaved, and lower bumper eliminated. Rear of the car utilizes the
typical Henry J "Felix the cat" like rear wings, as well as tail
lights. A chromed wheelie bar has been installed. Henry J style
headlights as well as the center intake nose are seen. The entire
car is draped perfectly in a Chip Foose Butterscotch paint that
hypnotizes you into a stare when you study it. It's deep!
Interior
Weight reduction would be the key term here, where as the entire
original interior has been replaced with polished aluminum and
stainless steel. Door panels drilled, flooring painstakingly formed
to the various contours of the interior. A full roll cage is
present, as well as custom formed racing style bucket seats. A fuel
cell and battery occupy the truck space. A Performance Plus shifter
mechanism sits proudly between the front buckets.
Drivetrain
A 392ci Hemi V8 drinks liberally from dual 4-barrel carburetors,
and gets force fed by a 671 Supercharger into combustion chambers
topped by Hot Heads. A TH400 TCI Performance 3-speed transmission
grabs that power and propels a Dana 3:73.1 rear and axle
configuration connected to 33x22.00R15 tires and 15x5 rear wheels.
A full race chassis including McPherson Strut front, and 4 link
rear suspension adorns the underside. This monster exhales through
a performance set of headers and Flowmaster mufflers.
A head turning, eye popping, tongue hanger that can conquer the 1/4
mile with ease and confidence. Utilizing the Henry J design, but
modified to be a blown gasser, this beautiful example can be seen
only at Classic Auto Mall.
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 150 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. A 450 barn find
collection is currently also on display.
This vehicle is in our showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania,
conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76
Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is www.classicautomall.com and
our phone number is (888) 227-0914. Please contact us anytime for
more information or to come see the vehicle in person.
