New Orleans early 60's I saw an ad for a Kellison - went to look at it - it was #905 - the one in all the magazine ads! $3000 - I think it had a Pontiac engine. Didn't buy it (I was only 17 at that time for crissakes)...
There's a j-6 for sale now in philadelphia. the add says its Ford powered but its on a '59 corvette chassis. They are looking to get $5k for it. I imagine if its a '59 vette chassis, that alone would be worth 5k. fryguy
I answered an ad last summer on craigslist about a set of SW gauges, I went to get them and the guy told me him and his son pulled them out of a kellison they were restoring. He said it was one of 3 convertible models that were still registered. I looked the car up when I got home on google to see what it looked like.. man they are cool!! This was the photo he emailed me.
nice pics.. my uncle owns one..had it for 30yrs ..still in storage..its a Kellison " Astra" covette frame corvette engine.. ive always tried to get him to get working on it..i asked him to will it to me. neat cars.but with alot of hang ups... ive got a paper manual on it somewhere..has alot of specs and explainations for source parts..like hinges,glass ect...what those parts came from, the production vehicles they used parts from to make the car trim and such.. with all of the build specs and directions.ill see if i can find it maybe post them if there is interest.. chepast
This Kellison was just restored over here for Lord March who puts on the Goodwood Festival of Speed over here each year. It may be the only Kellison in the UK, all I know apart from that is that it runs a 289ci Ford. The pic was posted up on a forum over here discussing the recent Goodwood Revival meet. L.P.
I owned a Kellison on an early corvette chassis. Only thing I thought it good for was a 1/4 mile car. No protection. The "A" pillar is a joke...No side impact protection. Sits low you get squashed. Get rearended you are dead! The quality of the f-glass is ??? The lines of the car are beautiful tho. Makes an attractiver coffin. Sold it to buy a '64 XKE coupe...sexiest car ever built, IMHO.
Let's bring back a dead post just to rub in Ryan's face! I am the newest owner of a kellison J-4 roadster that never got finished I' ll post pics in a bit...
I got one of these 1/25 slot car bodies to make a resin version later. Excellent detail on this one down to the emblems and correct tailights. I would love to have a real one. Mean looking cars.
As for all the Cobra kit car companies, I thought it was pretty interesting to read what Carrol Shelby had to say about them ......said they all had to rip him off because they couldn't come up with their own car.
It was about 25 years ago when I owned a Kellison/Astra Gt. I came across some photos of it, last week. I'm sure there are more somewhere. I got rid of it to make room for a 1961 A-H 3000, and a 1964 XKE coupe.
I want that 55 shorty wagon. I do have a Kellison dune buggy pickup and a Kellison custom buyeye nose that looks like the front of the J cars.
I had the "pleasure" of sitting in a Kellison at Back to the Fifties this year. It was the most uncomfortable thing I have ever sat in. I am 6 foot and I was unable to relax into the seat. If I did there was something poking into my leg, arm, back... it just plain hurt to sit in that car. But it was so cool! The exhaust pipes formed a tunnel that went over my legs and the engine (383) was just inches away from my right leg. I can only imagine how hot and loud it got in there. Chris
A guy I used to work for in the 60s had one as a drag car with an injected SBC clutchflite and pontiac rear, it was called THE HIGH HEELED SNEAKER if you look at one from the side it acually looks like a high heeled sneaker, there were some pics of it on here somewhere, the car has been lost , sure would like to find that one! just bought the Jones mechanical tach out of it last weekend from its second owner , a guy I grew up with. always thought they were cool! Chris
Can't wait to see the pictures of your Kell No Respect.. that is if it really exists.. ha-ha Just took a ride in Bo's (Bomonster) X300 last week.. Its tight in there and a bit of a trick to get in and out of.. doesn't help that I'm 6' and 270... but what a kick in the ass.. Take a late 60's Vette.. drop your butt down 6" and loose the better part of 1000 lbs.. and you get the idea.... Made me want to run home and jump on the J-4...
Ha ha ha that's funny coming from him. All he did was buy an English AC and stick a Ford motor in it . The guys today who build Cobras from scratch build a lot more car than he did.
My brother and I had a fiberglass shop back in the 60's. we worked on one of those Kellisons. did some body work and painted it and replaced the windsheild. I think it had some year Corvette windsheild. painted it light green w/yellow cobwebs, pretty hokey but we thought it was cool back then. Remember the quality wasn't real good but back then most stuff wasn't
Well, he created the Cobra one way or the other. His real gripe was when the kit cars came out, he could have sued but didn't. He just sent a letter to each company asking they send a donation to his children's heart charity fund and none of them sent a nickel.
dave hotaling here,you have J-5 body?! Got parts, cars, cash. When I get a J-5 it'll get a 392 Hemi, hiborn F.I. or 48 IDA Webers on a Keith Black intake,mag, girdle,set up and flowed heads,MT valve covers..the works! Got all these parts now. I just really love the front-end on these bodies. mean and nasty. Not fooling myself though at 6'2" and 260 lbs it'll be a squeeze! Well, one day i'll have a J-5, hopefully, and the world will never be the same again, what with the ringing in the ears, thanks for listing, dave h.
Here's a Kellison project for sale if anyone is interested......found on Craigslist in Alabama http://bham.craigslist.org/cto/4279625316.html
Now that is something I have never heard and they've been around under various names for better then 40 years.
I have breakfast every Monday with an owner that hides it in the garage. unfinished. I put exhaust on a couple over the years !..what a POS.
I owned and drag raced a red 59 Kellison J5 back in the 80's. It was on a 58 Corvette chassis, the frame inverted at the knees in back to make it underslung. it hooked up really well. I sold it in '88 to someone from NJ, never saw it again.
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