Hi all, I want to convert my 4 door '48 Hudson to a 2 door. If there is someone out there that has experience in doing this or knows where I can find out information on how to do this would be greatly appreciated. I want to make my Hud a unique car and with the help of the HAMB I hope to do it up nice and right! Thanks in advance, JD
Hey, Check out the search feature on the HAMB board....... 'been some great photos and real world info. on this very subject: '60 Plymouth 4dr ta 2dr, '50 Mercury or Lincoln 4dr ta 2dr etc. This is very 'doable', if you've good welding skills, and can find or build the two-door shells/skins to pull it off. Given what a 2dr. any- thing is bringin these days, will be seein alot of this in the future. Good luck,
I've done it, and I do***ented my progress here on the HAMB. Check out this link. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78120 I think the Hudson would be a little harder to do, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try. I'd like to see your car as a two door sedan, with the fastback four door roofline, but longer two door front doors and a long rear quarter window. Post up a picture and I'll photoshop some ideas for you.
Thanks for the help guys! Squablow, here is a link of a chop and slam of my Hudson that JonnyRockets, a.k.a. avatar guy, did for me. I would be interested to see what you could show me, in photoshop, with my car as a 2 door. http://www.crystalandjonathan.com/components/com_ponygallery/img_pictures/chopslam1.jpg
I'm not the best at photoshop, so you'll have to excuse my relatively crude photoshop work. But if you're determined to make a two door out of your Hudson, here's how I would do it. First, you need to find a pair of doors from a two door Hudson of the same body style. You could extend your existing doors, but getting some two door doors from a donor car would save you a ton of work. One side at a time, pull both doors off of one side, and cut the door pillar out of the car (You need to be sure that you have a solid floorpan/frame structure in this car before you start doing this, because the door pillar could be structural. If your car needs floorpan or framework, that needs to be done first) With the doors and pillar removed, hang the longer two door sedan door on the stock hinges. Then line up the door pillar that you removed so that the longer door closes on the stock door striker. Weld the pillar in place wherever it fits best. Now you have a functional door, but a gap behind it. Cut sections from your original back doors to fill in the gap. You'll also need to eliminate the pillar between the back door and the rear quarter gl***, so that your rear quarter gl*** is all one piece. When you have one side done, you could move onto the other side. Doing both sides at once would risk warping the body out of shape from lack of structural support. When you're done, you'd have something that looks like this. Would be a neat looking custom, although I've always liked the "stepdown" Hudsons with the sweepy fastback, even if it is a four door. It's up to you to decide if you're up to the challenge.
Thanks a lot Squablow, the photoshop looks great! I knew it wasn't going to be an easy change over, but your tips should come in useful to get me started on the right path. I am in for a ton of work... Thanks again.
Gl***guy (Dave Paras from up Saugus M*** way) did it to a many door Merc. Says that now that he knows what it takes he could blow out the rough work in a weekend. You out there Dave?
It's easy. TAkes a while. I did my truck from a 4 door. Take the doors off and put them aside. Decide if you want suicide or front hinged. Utilizing the center post, build the front hole like you want it hinges or latches on front, whatever size fits your fancy, then fill in the back hole. Build the door to fit the hole you ended up with using whatever combination you need from the old doors. Joints? Weld, solder, bondo, whatever your expertise is. Hang in the window regulators, build window grooves/felts, don't be afraid to use wood to hang them on. Getting gl*** to fit the hole will be about $50 each. Grind smooth, beat to fit, paint to match.
When you fill the hole where the back door was besure to cut the stock jam out so the panel will flex there. nothing worse then the tell tale line of where the rear door jamb was.
Why not start with a brougham body? I saw one on ebay not too long ago for less than 500.... Essentially you want to turn the car into a brougham. See if you can find the doors from a coupe or brougham, it'll make life easier. This used to be a four door....out of Australia....Pm me your email address and I'll send you an article on it....
Hudson actually made a few of those flower car trucks from the factory. I have a Collectible Automobile mag around here somewhere with an article on one.....
That's something I hadn't thought of. Will that really make a difference? Why would the rear quarter panel flex? And if there's a door jamb beneath the skin, wouldn't that just keep it solid/square? Any experience with this? I may have to rethink my method if this is going to be a problem.
Hudson did make a 2-door fastback these years. Seems to me thing to do would be to find a rough/rotty one, cut the quarters off with the B-post, and blend the whole thing onto your car. Or, find a solid shell and build it. Speaking of which I know where there is a solid, but gutted, Hudson 2-door hardtop body in a junkyard, if someone wants one of those.
Hey, I wouldn't worry about the Hudsons'body flexin' too much, Hudson's 'Monobuilt construction' was the toughest in the industry at that time. They were seriously over built to prevent any rattle or squeekin, some- thing ya would get from a bolted together body. I would make damn sure that where that B-post and rocker tie in together, that that union is dead nuts-on. If not, that area will become a hinge! IF you're at all worried about the old C-post, and dog leg area bein' an issue, just sink that area below contour, and flange your new quarter a little farther aft than the stock location. Do make sure that all of the welds ya make to the body are fully welded out, not just tacked and mudded over.
the problem becomes when the body flexes it stops flexing at the seem and will show. I had done a conversion years ago and saw it not to long ago and could see where the old 1/4 ended it was not even noticable to the guy i did the car for but i saw it. seem was welded solid with added bracing added into the inner rockers where the b pilar was to be located, extra body mount added to the floor.
Thanks to you all for the helpful hints and ideas! Hudsoncustom I sent you a pm for the article you had mentioned in your post. The El Hudimino was a nice touch, thanks Hotrod1940.
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