Q&A: June 20, 2019 Edition

Q. My 1949 Chrysler has a MoPar sun visor on it (ref. Q&A Mar. 7 and Apr. 11). Attached is the accessory page that describes it, from catalog D-12710, which is dated “Copyright 1949.” I also have the instruction sheet for installing the visor, Form D-12206 Rev 12-48 (Dec 1948).
— Victor Berman, South Windsor, Conn.

A.Thanks for contributing Chrysler’s part in the postwar sun visor story. The catalog pertains to the so-called “second series 1949” MoPar models. As many readers will recall, Chrysler Corp.’s postwar restyle took longer to reach production than planned, so a “first series 1949” model year that began in December 1948 continued the 1946-’47-’48-style cars until March of 1949. I see some photos of the “old style” Chryslers with Fulton-style adjustable visors. The one from the MoPar catalog presents a much cleaner look, clearly tailored to fit the new second-series cars.

Q. In reference to the person who needs a craftsman to do pot metal repair (Oct. 25 and Dec. 13, 2018, Mar. 21 and Apr. 25, 2019 Q&A), such a person owns a welding shop by the name of “Knights Welding,” in Box Elder, S.D., near Ellsworth Air Force Base. When I first met him, an old car grille was in his shop, waiting for repair. I stated that “you can’t weld pot metal.” He stated indignantly, that he’d “been doin’ it for 30 years!”

Over the last few years, he has repaired many other pot metal items, including a 1959 Corvette speed-o dash missing its tabs. He created new ones that looked like they had never been broken. His name is John Knight, owner of Knights Welding, Box Elder, S.D. telephone 605-923-6513.
— Jerri Petersen, via email

A. Thanks for your suggestion. All the recent hints have been forwarded to Fred Allen, who posed the original question about restoring the broken die-cast grille on his 1937 Buick. He thanks everyone, and reports that he’s pursuing the reproduction stainless-steel solution proposed in the Apr. 25 issue. It would also be interesting to learn of other readers’ recent experiences with pot metal repair.

Q. I wonder if any of your gurus can tell me what kind of car this door pull came from.It is nickel-plated and rather ornate, so I don’t think it came from an economy car. I know the Kissel Kar hubcap is pre-1917, but would like to know more about the pull.
— Richard Salmi, Daphne, Ala.

A. I think it’s highly likely that they’re from the same car. It seems odd that anyone would prepare a display piece comprising random found objects from different cars. As you know, “Kar” as dropped from the marque name because it sounded “too German” in the aftermath of World War I. The definitive book on “Kissel, The Classic Kissel Automobile” by Val. V Quandt, puts this in mid-1918. Thereafter, the cars were simply Kissels and adopted a badge with an image of the Roman god Mercury, the fleet-footed messenger.

Kissel built coupes and limousines from 1912, so it’s very likely the pull handle is “Kissel korrect.” Does any reader have a “klosed Kissel” with handles like this? Unfortunately, the Quandt book does not have any interior illustrations of closed cars.

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