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.