  Roadmaster49 Member Username: Roadmaster49 Post Number: 105 Registered: 01-2008 |
I am looking to purchase a 1947 Frazer. Kaiser-Frazer made cars in Michigan from 1946 to 1955. Most of them at Willow Run plant. This one was a "very early" one built at the 'old Graham-Paige plant' in Detroit. 1. Is this plant still standing in some iteration? 2. If not, anybody have any history on it, when torn down. | ||
Lodgedodger Member Username: Lodgedodger Post Number: 1345 Registered: 05-2008 |
Are you referring to the plant in Wayne? | ||
Lodgedodger Member Username: Lodgedodger Post Number: 1346 Registered: 05-2008 |
Graham-Page, formerly Harroun Motor Car Company Wayne, MI (body plant) 6250 Woodward (see link below) 8505 W Warren (later DeSoto) Fort & McKinstry (export and service center) https://www.atdetroit.net/forum/mes sages/6790/40008.html?11109346 26 Look at Mikem's post number 1245. Shameless plug here: When in Detroit, let me know. I'll take you on Preservation Wayne's Automotive Heritage tour. | ||
Pkbroch Member Username: Pkbroch Post Number: 228 Registered: 02-2008 |
Here's a good site and a good picture of a Frazer. http://www.classiccar.com/phot opost/showphoto.php/photo/232/ cat/525 | ||
Roadmaster49 Member Username: Roadmaster49 Post Number: 106 Registered: 01-2008 |
Lodgdodger, not sure, will have to double check my Frazer history book for a more specific location. Thanks Pkbroch | ||
Mikem Member Username: Mikem Post Number: 1876 Registered: 10-2003 |
Your Frazer was probably built at the Graham-Paige Warren Avenue plant near the Dearborn city limits. Frazer took control of Graham-Paige near the end of the war and later joined up with Kaiser to form the Kaiser-Frazer Corporation. I'm no expert on any of this car history stuff, but if I have my history right, the plan was to build Kaisers in California (where Henry Kaiser lived) and Frazers (as well as Graham-Paiges) at the Graham factory on Warren. In the meantime, K-F acquired the Willow Run plant from the government after Ford decided he no longer wanted it. Graham-Paige was operated as a seperate company until 1947? when it was sold to K-F after losing much money. That's probably when Frazer production was moved to Willow Run. K-F assembled at Willow Run until 1953 when they moved production to the Toledo Jeep factory. General Motors' Livonia transmission plant burned down shortly after it opened in 1953, and they made an emergency move into the vacated Willow Run plant. | ||
Roadmaster49 Member Username: Roadmaster49 Post Number: 107 Registered: 01-2008 |
Mikem, You are correct. Frazer was old timer auto guy who wanted to run his own company. He needed the money of Henry Kaiser. Kaiser wanted a "volkswagon" basically i.e. a peoples car. (Model T) Kaiser in turn needed Frazers car guy skills. Production started at an old Graham Paige plant for FRAZER, then when it became clear Frazer couldn't make enough volume, after about 6100 units, production went to Willow Run. I have located the 3,043rd car made, one of the original 6100 cars built at the old Graham-Paige factory. About 10 are known to exist from the original batch. | ||
Abracadabra Member Username: Abracadabra Post Number: 183 Registered: 04-2007 |
I've got a pretty good book about K-F, "The Last Onslaught On Detroit" by Richard Langworth. My grandfather worked with Dutch Darrin on the design of the Kaiser, and the author interviewed him for the book. Anyhow, I highly recommend the book if you can find it, it literally tells the entire story of Joe Frazer and Henry Kaiser. There is little information on the Warren plant, however, but a ton on Willow Run. | ||
Jgavrile Member Username: Jgavrile Post Number: 221 Registered: 09-2005 |
That plant on warren was Sarah-Lil for a while in the 90's .Use to sell used machinery there | ||
Catch22 Member Username: Catch22 Post Number: 14 Registered: 01-2008 |
In the early 70s, part of the Warren Ave. building (approx. western 1/3) was an Arlan's store. The unused portion was full of all sorts of junk (old tires, boxes, pallets, 55 gallon drums containing who knows what, etc.). If the place had caught on fire it would have gone up like a Roman candle. | ||
Roadmaster49 Member Username: Roadmaster49 Post Number: 109 Registered: 01-2008 |
Abracadabra That's the book I have, signed by Langworth. My wife gave it to me as a Christmas present. I just wanted the book, bonus it was signed. And that's how I found about the numbering sequence so that I know the Frazer I am looking at was built at the olds Graham-Paige Plant. If I owned an old Packard, despite the horrific condition of the Packard Plant - I would still like to walk through the Packarad plant to sort of commune with the ghosts of the owrkers that built my car. Ditto on the Frazer, although I doubt it is still standing. I guess I need to dig further in the Langworth book for the actual address. I am sure it's in there, but the type set is pretty small. Thanks everyone | ||
Mikem Member Username: Mikem Post Number: 1889 Registered: 10-2003 |
Roadmaster, I don't think you understand; the factory is still there on the south side of W. Warren, just east of the Dearborn city limit. Part of it has been torn down, but some of the factory and the administration building are still there. Lodgedodger even posted a link to a posting of mine with several pictures of the plant I took in 2005. (Message edited by MikeM on January 31, 2009) | ||
Reddog289 Member Username: Reddog289 Post Number: 883 Registered: 08-2007 |
This thread got me back into looking at old car factories. My question about this thread is "Did the Wayne plant only produce bodies? or whole automobiles?". The photo in the Wayne history book says "Graham-Paige Body Plant Wayne Mich". I have driven by the plant on Warren and just though It was the back end of McGraw glass or something.Good luck Roadmaster in your search. | ||
Mikem Member Username: Mikem Post Number: 1890 Registered: 10-2003 |
The Wayne, Michigan plant probably produced only bodies. quote: quote: Unless I'm mistaken in what you are searching for, the Graham-Paige assembly plant on W Warren is located here: http://maps.google.com/maps?f= d&source=s_d&saddr=&daddr=42.3 43598,-83.151999&hl=en&geocode =&mra=mi&mrsp=0&sz=17&sll=42.3 43622,-83.152074&sspn=0.004425 ,0.012338&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=17 I had it reversed in my mind that the plant was just inside the Detroit city limits, but it's just west of the city limit (the railroad tracks) in Dearborn. | ||
Kathleen Member Username: Kathleen Post Number: 2161 Registered: 10-2003 |
Is the Graham St. 3 blocks below Warren Ave. named for the plant? Or just a coincidence? (I'm not at all familiar with the Graham-Paige history and who the people behind the names and their backgrounds are.) | ||
Hornwrecker Member Username: Hornwrecker Post Number: 1736 Registered: 04-2005 |
A Brief History of the Paige-Detroit Motor Car Co. | ||
Mikem Member Username: Mikem Post Number: 1891 Registered: 10-2003 |
Google Books has a limited preview of "The Graham Legacy" by Michael E. Keller: http://books.google.com/books? id=AzEyTU_S8EUC&printsec=front cover From a brief scan of the book it looks as though the Wayne body plant was built by the Harroun Motor Car Co in 1918, purchased by the Graham brothers in 1927, and used for production of Graham bodies from 1928-1936. The Warren Avenue factory was built in 1923. | ||
Tony_box_42 Member Username: Tony_box_42 Post Number: 203 Registered: 12-2006 |
Hope you don't mind me injecting some D.F.D. history.In Matt Lees' book D.F.D. Apparatus History he states in 1929 the largest single order for automobiles was for 14 Graham Paige coupes with hot water heaters. Cost was $ 1,675 each. | ||
Reddog289 Member Username: Reddog289 Post Number: 885 Registered: 08-2007 |
Had to find my Wayne history books. From what I gather the Wayne plant was built for a carriage maker{Pronty&Glass Co}. Harroun bought the buildings from them and in 1924 Gotfredson Truck bought the plant who then sold the plant to Graham-Paige in 1927. Then it has been many things since. | ||
Roadmaster49 Member Username: Roadmaster49 Post Number: 110 Registered: 01-2008 |
I kow that they built complete cars for Frazer (as part of Kaiser-Frazer) through mid 1948. |
