Hey all. I went to look at a 1924 Essex Coach the other day and wanted to get some feedback from everyone here. From what I gathered, the car has been sitting for the past 30 or so years, but always indoor. The body is in excellent shape and the entire car is all there. I thought this would make a great project and loved the shape of the body. So the question is...what does anyone think it's worth? I know there are some Essex guys on here so lets hear it!
cant say I know what its worth in the US but definitely worth grabbing. If its the same as the early 20s your on to a winner. Motors have a great reputation. Grab it before a restorer paints it periwinkle blue.
A few more pics. The motor is worth pursuing as a radical banger. If your going to drop a SBC in it then leave it to a restorer and go find yourself a Ford.
Wow awesome pictures! Unfortunately, for the 1924 year Hudson put a flat head 6 in the the cars and the motors were plagued with lubrication problems. The car I looked at had this same flat 6 in it :-( So given that info is it still worth getting?
very sad Buy it and resell to a restorer if you can get it for a reasonable price what ever that might be. I presume its a wood frame and all the work that that would entail makes its a major. Just my 2 pence.
Honestly I think it should go to a restorer. If it were a ford of the same year I'd say rod it, but I can't imagine there's many Essex's like that left. Its survived a long time and deserves to be restored. Just my 2 cents.
Thats a nice original 24. I think that one should be saved as original, not many of them. My Son has a 28 that we made into a street rod when he was in high school many years ago. At that time no one wanted them, but to day I think they should be saved.
Ok thanks for the input so far. Wouldn't mind getting the 24 and getting it to run as is for now and then getting it to a restorer. But what's it worth? The guy wants 4k for it but I'm not sure if that's fair or not.
Same here, I dropped a hemi in a '28 50yrs ago. With the '24 you found all I can say is, how many have you seen in this condition, how long since you saw the last one and how long do you think it'll be until you see another one ?? It definetly deserves to be restored. JMO It's nice and all there, can't beat a combination like that. I love rods but if I had to do it over today I would not rod mine. As for price that is up to the buyer and seller to decide what the value is. Good luck.
It hard to say what it is worth. But I would say 4,000 is a safe buy. You just are not going to find many 24's that good. From the picture it looks solid and straight with most of the parts. I,m sure if you do not want it some one will set up to the plate and buy it.
Ok I checked my one year old price guide. Here is what it says, but remember you will not find many as good as that one. condition 6==440 5=1,320 4=2,200 3=4,950 2=7,700 1=11,000
Here is a picture of the 1928 Essex My Son and I done way back when he was in high school. He still has it.
Check if the body is wood-structured. Essex changed to all-steel(except roof) construction doors and all in the mid-20s but Hudson remained wood-structured for years after. That much older Essex may also be wood structured including the doors. That's the only negative to the car. Built as a real nice cruiser hot rod fullfendered would be the right way to do that car in my opinion. The older bodies are a little too "primitive" for chopped channeled RR use.
George that 28 is beautiful! And I'm pretty sure that body is all steel as I saw the inside of the door and there was no wood, but tough to say for sure since the inside was filled to the roof with crap. Thanks for all the input guys, this place is the best! I will update this thread if I end up picking it up.
man that is an awesome find , i know we are a hotrod site , but that car should be restored , what a classic
It's nice to see a car like that these days, looks like it's been inside all its life. Not a car that would bring a lot of money, it should go to someone that just wants to get it roadworthy and keep the exterior as is IMO. Check out the Hudson / Essex Forun on the AACA site, just scroll down till you find it. If you can flip it for 500-1,000 profit that is a good deal.
I'd buy that in a heartbeat for $4K. I'd rod it, too, but I'd leave the body and fenders all stock. Neat car!
Another vote to restore her, It is a great car and all there but needs to stay as is. Not many cars from that vintage that are non ford are still found in that shape. Leave her.
Well after all the opinions and info, if I end up with the car (most likely) she won't be touch unless its a full restoration. Hopefully I can get her running and cruise her around as is! The guy claims that the motor will turn over but I have yet to try it myself. Any precautions I can take to not damage the motor? Maybe pull the plugs and throw some oil in the chamber before trying to crank it? I would hate to damage anything if its bone dry.
If you are going to get it going and run it as it is it is worth remembering that this is a very small engine by the standards of the time. The first of the sixes was only 130 cubic inch (2 5/8" x 4") and later in the season they bored it out to 2 11/16" for 144 cubic inch. I am not a Hudson expert but I believe that essentially the same three-main-bearing block remained in Essexes and later Hudson sixes until the 1940s when it reached its maximum size of 3" bore x 5" stroke for 212 cubic inches. The early Essex sixes all had low geared (numerically high) rear ends which meant they revved hard which contributed to their lubrication problems. I don't have the information for 1924 but for 1929 and 1930 the rear end ratio was 5.6:1. In comparison my 1926 Pontiac has a rear end ratio of 4.18:1 and Chev fours were 3.78:1. The colloquial name for the Essex Super Six was Sloppy Six. Like anything I am sure some care and attention will overcome any problems.
If it was mine knowing the kind of oil they used back then. I would pull the pan and clean out the sludge. Also like you said put some oil in the cylinders, take out any old gas, clean the points and fire her up. I,m glade you are going to save it, and this comes from a guy that has built many hot rods. They are great cars with a frame like a truck. I don't know about yours but our 28 only has wood in the top. The vacuum tank is the fuel pump, I hope it is not full of rust
Thats a great ride very rare. I really like the off brand models of the 20s and 30s. Essex, Overland, Federal Motors, and Franklin's are awsome rides.
i have just come up with a 1926 essex and its as straight as can be for the body part mostly there fenders are usable on front rear are in need of work i was going to streetrod it but i think its a little too good to chop and cut up?what should i do it has the 6 cylinder as well and turns over by hand even the breaks still work
My Mom's family had one when she was little, growing up in the 20's. In the family it was affectionately known as "the Ass Aches"
Well, first post an intro-people kind of like those. Then, read the thread you dragged up-we're hot-rodders but kind of like to preserve the old rare ones that can be restored. Third, don't tell us you're "street rodding" it-that's only slightly better than "RR-ing" it. Finally, go over to the AACA site and dig up their Essex forum for tips on preserving your car. Nice find, BTW, and welcome to the HAMB
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