early 50s hudson questions?

hey guys,

ive always dug the big bathtub/step down hudsons, i mean they looked choped right out of the factory. but i have no idea what kind of drivetrain these cars were running and how hard they are to find parts for.

im thinking for the most part about brake and rear end parts because any hudson id find thatd id be able to afford would surely be equipt with a stuck or missing motor. car looks big enough to swap just about any motor into but havnt given one a real good look yet.

also coils in the front leafs in the back i asume?

thanx
tim

 

actualy onthat note anybody have some pix of cool 50s hudson coupes done low and slow?

 

Tim, I've got a 49 sedan,308 flat 6,3sp w/OD will cruise all day at 70+.
Rides and drives good too. Check here for an overload of Hudson info.
http://www.cl***iccar.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=13

Mine was originally a flat 8 splasher motor, 308 went in with factory
mounts, Hudson board will answer most of the specifics. Parts availibility
hasn't been a problem for me. These came with "wet" clutches,clutch
disc is made from corks. Cool stuff! 51 or2 and later cars used a dana 44
axle that can be upgraded. Disc brake kits available also.

 

I’ve had a ’53 for about 5 years, but I’m not much help on how it drives/rides yet as its still under construction (Except that 2-3 block trip at the end of a towrope). I like ‘um and the prices seem to be on an upward trend. (But I guess that’s true of any old iron).

They were an early (Maybe the first?) unibody car, so rust is not kind to them. Try to get a western car. Built sort of like a 70’s Nova. Front stub frame and Unibody body. Front coils, upper/lower control arms and kingpins, rear leafs with a panard bar. Standard early Fifties stuff. Fair amount of room in the engine compartment, (There is a guy on here with an early Hemi in one) but the steering can be a little tricky to work around. Parts are out there; there has been an active club since like the Sixties or something. So lots of time for the “Hoarders” to stash parts, and large cashes of them come up from time to time as they p*** on.

 

I've got a '49 coupe. Parts are easy to find. Check the Hudson club website, they have links to parts reproductions and nos parts. The steering arm is a a bit of a pain to deal with for an engine swap. Mine has a 308/muncie 4-speed. Good luck.

 

I have a 53 Hudson Hornet 2 door. It has a Buick 455/400 ****** combo. Lot of room in the engine compartment. It has a 3 inch chop, 56 Chevy headlights, 53 Pontiac grill, nosed and decked, rounded hood and all seams are filled. Stock interior with the stock gauges hooked up. Lowering blocks in back with cut springs up front and a disc brake set up on it. Lake pipes running straight exhaust. I'm really lame when it comes to computers so I don't know how to post pictures here, or anywhere for that matter.

 

Here is a 1948 Hudson from Australia. Built by Paul Kelly.

Old styling with some more modern techniques.

 

there was a green Kustom Hornet on here from show footage last year i think, had a big *** sword for a shifter, anybody recall? sweet ride...

 

Here:

 

TTT

Any more Hudson pics or tips?

That's a nice looking Twin-H-Power six, Ramblur. Where do you get disc brakes kits?

--Matt

 

Matt, I don't have any info handy but I believe that there's at least
2 disc brake kits for the (48-54) stepdowns being sold now. Check
the link in my post above. I'm sure that they've been discussed there.

 

Thanks, Ramblur.

Anyone else?

 

One of the few Hudson forums. Not terribly active, but it's not bad.


http://www.cl***iccar.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=13

 

any more pics ?

 

Nice Kustoms!

 

Ideally you want to dig up a 53-54 Hudson rearend. They use a Dana 44 that's a lot easier to find parts for, and you can get more highway friendly ge****ts for it.

The rear frame rails are rot prone, they can be fixed, but the parts have to be fabricated.

You should have no complaints about the stock 308 six, a powerful, rugged and reliable engine that won a lot of early Nascar races. The cars handle well for the day, too, with a lower center of gravity compared to other makes from the same period.

I have a 4dr I picked up cheap that someone was running a Chevy motor of some sort with the stock rearend. It looks like it went in pretty easy, the mounts were fabricated and simple.

You can sometimes find cars in need of restoration - especially 4drs - cheap; a good coupe expect to pay $2000 and up for.


Edit: WTF is this, the night for recycled old threads? This one's almost two years old.

 

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=251575&showall=1