The FIRST thing my Father did upon returning home from World War II was to marry my Mother. The SECOND thing he did was buy a HENRY J. And believe it or not, I think I had that distinctive grille imbedded into my memory even BEFORE I was born in 1953. Dad must have been thinking about his Kaiser while he was messing around with Mom. It's in my genes, I guess.

The Henry J was an American automobile built by Kaiser-Frazer Corporation and named after its chairman, Henry J. Kaiser. Six-cylinder production models began in July, 1950, and four-cylinder production started shortly after Labor Day, 1950. Official public introduction was September 28, 1950.

The car was the brainchild of Henry J. Kaiser, who sought to increase sales of his Kaiser automotive line by adding a car that could be built inexpensively and thus affordable for the average American in the same vein that Henry Ford produced the Model T.

The project also included a lot of government "designing" as various provisions of the 1949 government loan to Kaiser-Frazer specified various particulars of the vehicle. Kaiser-Frazer would be in violation of the loan terms unless the car in its base form retailed (including Federal tax and retail delivery preparation charge) for no more than $1,300.00. It had to seat at least five adults, it had to be available for retail sale no later than September 30, 1950, and had to be capable of going at least 50 miles per hour for sustained periods of time.

To accomplish this, the Henry J was designed to carry the fewest possible components, and built from the fewest number of parts. To save body stamping costs, early Henry Js did not have rear trunk lids. Owners accessed the trunk by folding down the rear seat. Another cost saving measure was to offer the car only as a two-door sedan with fixed rear windows. Also lacking in the basic version were glovebox, armrests, passenger side inside sun visor and flow-through ventilation.

Power for the Henry J was delivered by a four-cylinder 68-hp engine. Later models were available with an L-head six cylinder 80-hp engine. Engines were supplied by Willys-Overland, and the four-cylinder motor was the same engine used in the CJ-3 series Jeeps - with only slight modifications to component parts. In fact, the block and internal components were interchangeable with the CJ-3 jeep.

In 1952, Kaiser began selling rebadged Henry Js through Sears, under the nameplate of Allstate. Allstates were nearly identical to Henry Js but carried a unique grille, hood ornament, hubcaps, identification badges, and interior trim, along with Allstate-brand tires and batteries. (While listed for informational purposes in the Sears "wish books" the Allstate could not be purchased by mail order.)

After two years of disappointing sales, Sears dropped the car. The car was also available in Japan from 1951 to 1954, through a licensing deal with East Japan Heavy-Industries, part of the Mitsubishi group - the company that built the Japanese Zero fighters.

The Henry J proved to be a disappointment for Kaiser. While the Henry J was priced low, a Chevrolet 150 could be bought for a few dollars more, and the price included operating rear windows and a trunk lid. The Chevy, Ford, and other "low priced" competitors were also larger cars, offering more interior room.

Kaiser-Frazer started offering the deck lid as part of an "Accessory Group" (preferred equipment group) during the 1951 model year, and a variety of other dress-up items - but major advertising still focused on operating costs at a time when gas was unrationed and at about 27 cents a gallon. Sales declined each year the car was marketed. While the Henry J was inexpensive for consumers, its manufacturing and labor costs were high. Henry J. Kaiser had hoped to make a profit through volume; however, the cars' slow sales negated his plan.

While sales of the Nash's compact Rambler were successful, it was partly because Nash marketed it as an accessory-loaded convertible. The Henry J was a plainly-trimmed two-door sedan; consumers understood the difference between "inexpensive" and "cheap" and they perceived the Henry J in a negative fashion.

With the acquisition of Willys-Overland's vehicle operations in early 1953 by the Kaiser Manufacturing Company division of Kaiser-Frazer (the division changed its name at that time to Willys Motors, Incorporated). Then management decided to discontinue the car at the end of the 1953 model year.

Efforts to "fire sale" remaining vehicles were unsuccessful, resulting in an abbreviated run of Henry J automobiles by Kaiser Motors (Kaiser-Frazer got a corporate name change in May 1953) as 1954 models, using up more of the incomplete 1953 models scattered around the Willow Run, Michigan factory. (If I remember correctly, Willow Run was where U.S. bombers were built during the war. And I believe in the 1980s, tanks were being built there also.

Frank Zappa recalls in his autobiography the torment and horror of travelling cross-country sitting on the bench-like rear seat of a Henry J (he called it an "ironing board from hell") in the 1950s. (Ya think it had anything to do with his later naming of his son "Moon Unit"?

Originally formed as the Kaiser-Frazer Corporation in 1945, the corporation was reorganized in 1953 under the name Kaiser Motors Corporation after withdrawal of Joseph W. Frazer from the venture. The Kaiser-Frazer stock was redeemed, and Kaiser Motors stock was issued at that time. Kaiser Motors manufactured automobiles in a number of locations around the world with the primary facility and corporate headquarters at Willow Run, Michigan (USA). It was American's Golden Auto Years.

The company, founded by Henry J. Kaiser, a United States industrialist, and Joseph W. Frazer, president of the Graham-Paige Corporation, started making automobiles with the brand names Kaiser and Frazer almost immediately after World War II.

In 1948, after too many disputes with Henry Kaiser, Joseph Frazer resigned as president of Kaiser-Frazer. Henry Kaiser's oldest son, Edgar, became the company president in April of 1949. The Frazer marque was discontinued after the 1951 models.

Mr. Frazer remained as a sales consultant and Vice-Chairman of the Kaiser-Frazer Board of Directors until 1953. At the 1953 annual stockholders meeting, Kaiser-Frazer Corporation's name was changed by stockholder vote to Kaiser Motors Corporation.

Shortly before the stockholder meeting, Kaiser-Frazer's Kaiser Manufacturing Corporation division worked out a deal to purchase certain assets (and assume certain liabilities) of the Willys-Overland Corporation, makers of Willys cars and Jeep vehicles. Kaiser Manufacturing Corporation changed its name after completing the Willys acquisition to Willys Motors, Incorporated. During late 1953 and 1954, Kaiser Motors operations at Willow Run Michigan were closed down or moved to the Willys facility in Toledo, Ohio. Kaiser car production in the USA ended during 1955.

At the end of 1955, the management team of the Henry J. Kaiser Company used Kaiser Motors Corporation to create a new holding company encompassing the various Kaiser industrial activities. Kaiser Motors' name was changed to Kaiser Industries Corporation, and functioned as a holding company for various Kaiser business holdings including Willys Motors, Incorporated.

Vehicles

Kaiser includes Deluxe, Carolina, Traveler, Dragon and Manhattan sedans.

Henry J, a small economy car including Corsair and Vagabond.

Darrin, the first production fiberglass sports car in the USA, beating the Corvette to market by one month.

Willys, including "Aero-Willys" and all sub-trim levels include Aero-Lark, Aero Ace, et al.

Jeep, including pick-ups, CJ Vehicles, all steel wagons, Wagoneer, and Jeepster marques.

Allstate, designed to sell through and by Sears-Roebuck Department stores in the southern USA, a slightly restyled Henry J. The cars were equipped with Allstate products (tires, battery, etc.). The modest styling changes distinguishing the Allstate from the Henry J were executed by Alex Tremulis, the designer of the Tucker.

Production of Kaiser and Willys automobiles ceased during the 1955 model year, but production of Willys Jeeps in Toledo, Ohio continued. Kaiser continued automobile production in Argentina under the Industrias Kaiser Argentina (IKA) name and Willys passenger cars moved to Brazil under the Willys-Overland Brasil name, using the stamping dies formerly employed in the U.S. well into the 1960s.

The company changed its name to Kaiser-Jeep in 1963. By 1969, Kaiser Industries decided to leave the auto business, which was sold to American Motors in 1970. As part of the transaction, Kaiser acquired a 22% interest in AMC, which it later divested.

Included in the sale was the General Products Division, which Kaiser had purchased from Studebaker in 1964 as it prepared to leave the auto business itself.

AMC renamed the division AM General, which still operates today, and is best known as the manufacturer of the original Hummer, now called the H1, and also manufactures the Hummer H2.

This guide was assembled by booksuncommon.  Any errors are mine. For those I apologize.

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