Henry J. Kaiser dreamed of bringing a new type of automotive to the American masses, affordable, yet sturdy. When launched in 1951, the model called Henry J was initially quite successful. However, consumers in that era had a lot of leftover cash and wanted to splurge, not save money.
And so the durability of the car turned it into a popular toy for hot rodders, just like the Fords that it was inspired by. We've seen lots of dragsters from that era, but nothing like what just got featured in this video.
Owner Goose brought over a 1951 Henry J hot rod nicknamed the "Hemmi J", making somewhere around 700 horsepower. It's like a 1950s dragster that had access to today's engine technology, and we love that idea. It's amazing to see something out of an old magazine fitted with such an engine.
Let's start looking at the mods that have been done to the car. When Goose got the car it was already on its way to becoming a gasser but didn't look anywhere as sweet as it does now.
In true hot rod style, he moved the hood about three inches lower. The bumper is from a first-gen Camaro, and the headlights have been "Frenched." It's an old term meaning that they were made flush with the body and given that little lip. The name comes from the end result looking like a French cuff of a shirt sleeve, which has a ridge.
Down the side, they got rid of the drip rails and moved that massive axle forward 10 inches. Obviously, the mods at the back are quite extreme. There are no taillights, the gas cap is super-flush and there's a big wheelie bar sticking out.
The motor is not from a modern car, and it came out of a 1957 DeSoto, which is another company you rarely hear about these days. The 392 cubic-inch HEMI and it's been blown to the tune of around 700 horsepower.
If nothing else, you guys are going to get a kick out of the no-nonsense guy who brought the car along. He knows how to drive one of these old-fashioned rigs. And if you'd like to know more about the 1951 Kaiser Frazer Henry J, check out the commercial in the second video below.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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