Photo Gallery

This Kaiser Darrin (#152) was purchased in 1971 by my father, Jack E. Koch. The car was purchased from Harold Raymond, a collector/dealer who had two Darrins at the time. Dad traded a 1949 Jeepster, a 1929 Essex and $1,500 cash for the car. Although the car was originally Red Sail, it was white when dad bought it. Dad had it painted light green (it was a DeSoto color from 1954, not the Darrin's Pine Tint) in the mid-1970's and drove it quite often until his death in 1982. After that, it was pretty much relegated to parades as we concentrated on raising our families. By 2004, the car had been stored in my brother's heated garage, but not driven, for about eight years. The sale of my brother's house and garage necessitated a move and we decided it was time to restore this car to its original beauty. We began the restoration process by going through the engine and fuel system. Fortunately, we have a mechanic that has worked on this car since my father purchased it 35 years ago. After a thorough cleaning of the fuel system, we were able to drive the car again for the first time in years.

After researching a number of shops (but apparently not enough research), we put the car on the back of an Allied Van Lines truck and shipped it from Quincy Illinois to Spooner Wisconsin. This was an odyssey that we would soon come to regret. The shop that we used boasted of having 40 years experience of working with Corvettes and, before that, working in the boat industry. Let's just say that if you are looking for a fiberglass restoration shop - I wouldn't recommend this one. In June of 2005, my brother and I drove to Wisconsin and trailered the car home. Once we got the car home, we started finding problem after problem with the finish and how the car was put back together. As soon as we unloaded the car, we found that the back bumper had only been attached with two bolts (and they were loose). The back turn signals had been wired incorrectly and several of the gauges no longer functioned. We also noticed that the doors had been incorrectly re-installed and were rubbing on the fenders when opened. A small fire in the nest of wires under the dash in September convinced us that the wiring had to be completely redone.

After driving the car all summer, we began preparations for continuing the restoration over the winter. We took the car back to our mechanic, Bob Askins. Bob found and corrected a number of other problems, including having the brake line go between axle and the body, so that it was crushed anytime the car hit a bump in the road. He also noticed that the spacers between the body and frame were not re-installed, causing the steering column to be at the wrong angle. By December 2005, all of the gauges had been reconditioned, the car had been re-wired, and a number of other issues had been resolved. On to the paint booth.

The biggest issue with the finish of the car was the omission of gel coat in the first restoration. While we wanted the car stripped to bare fiberglass, it appears that the media blaster used too much pressure and flaked the fiberglass. In other areas, part of the gel coat was left. When all was said and done (and more was said than done), the finish of the car was anything but smooth. The car was completely stripped again in January 2006. After inspection revealed additional cracks in the fiberglass, more body work was completed. A thick layer of gel coat was applied and sanded smooth after the gel coated cured. After the gel coat was sanded smooth, filled and recoated where necessary, the car was primed. In early April, the car was given its Red Sail paint and clear coat. We'll add more pictures as they become available.