How desirable is this coupe? (1942 Hudson)

Lol. Ah, I guess it's true. You're making me almost glad I sold mine. Truth is, I didn't' cry too bad over having to sell it. Having to sell my original barn-find '37 Chevy coupe however...now that's another story. "boo-hoo!"

To the OP. Somebody said it looks full of bondo. I'm not sure...hard to tell from pictures. If it is in fact "rustless" then the "lumpy" look is just due to a the very amature paint job...and maybe a few dings. But do be careful. Some people think that if the rust can't be seen then it's a "rust-free" car. Yeah right...lol. You wanna look in the usual places underneath the car. Make sure the body mounts are still strong. And be sure to check underneath along the very outer edges of the floor pan and underneath the running boards. (which are hidden by the doors) Step on the runningboards to chck for weakness...hopefully you don't hear "crunch". Check the very outer rear corners of the trunk, the tail pan, and the spare tire well. Also the wheel wells and look at the mounting flanges of the rear fenders too.

One more thought. That 3 speed shifter is a weird one. It doesn't use two rods as most other cars with a column shifter. It uses one rod and then a cable to switch from reverse/first to second/third. As I said, I was gonna change drivetrains. I had a SBC and a 3spd to put in it. But what to do about the shifter? A floor shifter looks out of place in '40s cars. I figured out that a 3spd shifter from an old Chevy car or truck will fit. They're both a clamp-on/bolt-on deal, and the columns are the same diameter.

That's all I've got. Good luck.

 

That wiiiiiiiiiiide top has always put me off about Hudsons of the early/mid 40s. I'd have to cut the whole damn top off and do a chopped carson-style top. Maybe a skinny Buick nailhead would fit the long, narrow confines of the engine bay.
I'd go 2500 and try to recoup part of my initial cost by selling off the Hudson mechanical parts.

 

Actually Rocky, the engine compartment is shorter and wider than you might realize. Width wise, most V8s would fit...no problem. But there's one hell of a deep cove in the firewall for the original inline engines to nestle into. The cove does nothing to help install a V8, except that there's plenty of room for a rear-mounted distributor. The flat part of the firewall is the limiting factor at the back of a V8 engine, and the car doesn't lend itself well to a recessed firewall. I test fitted a SBC in mine, and it fit real nice. The fan was no more than an inch from the radiator. The only saving grace is that they also put straight eights in 'em, and the radiator can be moved forward a bit. But both the Hudson six and the eight are short lengthwise in comparison to most others. I measured for a 460 Ford engine I had too, and it didn't seem that the width posed a problem, but it was way too long without some mods. Could be done though. I think that one of the most sensible replacement engines for '40s era Hudsons would be an overhead valve inline six, because they'll fit into the cove of the firewall just as the original engines do. But the radiator would still have to be moved forward a little.

 

If he won't give a price, offer $1,500 if you like it.
If he doesn't take it, that puts the ball in his court to say what he would take.
If they don't list a price, start low. Very low.

 

When all the pretty girls are taken, the not so pretty ones eventually get to dance too.

 

Can't hurt to offer 500 bucks and drive it... Do you like it or is this for selling later on?

 

Yeah, I agree it is ugly. Was just looking at it as a possibility, no super-serious interest. Just wanted to know if there was something special about Hudsons, other than being uncommon.

Chris

 

There's plenty of ugly cars that are quite desirable or pleasing after being customized.

 

Being a big fan of outside the box cars, I really think this is a knock out. It is fun to drive non cookie cutter rigs. I would love it! ~sololobo~

 

i like the 1926 better !

 

A face only a mother could love, comes to mind.
Full on custom..maybe.

 

These have a great ride to them; far better than a knee-action '42 - '48 Chevy, and WAY better than a damn buggy-spring '42 - '48 Ford!!! The 212 splasher Six is a very dependable engine, as Hudson used them from 1935 - 1947 without major issues. Many of these have overdrive, so you can p*** those Stovebolt Chevys all day long as they are stuck at 50 and you are at 65! Ride quality is comparable to a same-era Buick, to me.

Ugly is definitely in the eyes of the beholder! The Hudson was fifth in overall sales in 1947. The car in question is a '46 and not a '42, BTW. Bumpers, trim placement and grille are different. The '47 is slightly different, but not much.

A complete roller '46 coupe sold at the Hudson Nationals in OKC two years ago, not running, with ***le, for $4K. This car should bring anywhere from $7K to as much as $10K, depending if that "rustless" description is accurate. Look on this one where you would on any other '40s coupe - floors, cowl, rockers, body mounts, trunk floor, spare tire well, and also behind the headlight buckets.

Hope you pick it up, you'll love the Hudson, and there is a national Hudson-Es***-Terraplane club with over 3,500 members. There is a LOT of Hudson knowledge in the club, and a LOT of parts availability. A link is posted above to the Hudson forum. Good luck!

 

How much do you like it? That's how desirable it is in your world. Doesn't really matter what others think about it. I love Hudsons!!! I have 2. A '47 Commodore 8 (has a ford 390/C6) and a '51 Pacemaker(original drivetrain Flat 6/3spd). Both are 4dr. What makes these cars cool is that they are different and not common. I think they need nothing as far as custom work. They do look great lowered a little but I think that's about it. This is just my opinion. On the other hand I would love to have that coupe!!!

SOMETIMES COOL IS OUTSIDE THE BOX OF THE CHOPPED MODEL A HOTROD AND I HAVE ONE OF THOSE TOO.

 

Those just ooze DECO goodness. I think it's cool as ****. Like a lot of guys said, it's not common and I kind of dig that. Drop it, skirts, wide whites and maybe a chop in the future. If you can get it bought right, then I'd do it. The big question, do you like it?? If so, don't worry what anyone else thinks. I guarantee if you got it, people would dig it for what it is.

 

$500, $1500... some guys still think it's 1978 I see. Between that and the ugly comments it's a wonder anything gets built on here at all. A "#5" that runs and drives? Wow.


'42 has a bunch of one-year-only trim on it, little stainless pieces on the lower fenders. Also, it's a shorter production year because of the changeover to the war effort.

My guess is this car was hit at some point, and possibly the hood as well as grille changed out - they're hinged at the front. My '42 is a cheaper model, but it has small lighted badges on the sides of the hood front - super cool - which this one doesn't seem to have. But it looks like the other trim is present.

If it runs and goes and you can get it for less than $7K, you're getting a deal. Mine's nowhere near that nice and I wouldn't let it go for less than $2500.

 

wow....i drove through ILL last fall and the same could be said for your state.

 

FYI - i found it on CL and he has $7500 OBO on it.

 

Basically inconsequential, but my last name is Hudson...lol.

My dad's life long best friend Leo liked Hudsons. In later years, he completely restored a light gray early '40s Hudson pickup and a big beautiful shiny black '49 Commador 2dr. He had installed a 308 Twin H in the truck.

One day, Leo and his family were visiting at our place and said, "Yeah I sure do love my Hudsons. We all had a good laugh at the unintended double meaning.

 

This is wrong !Only thing is in that regard, is the steering box snout which sticks out pretty far, and would make it basically impossible to install a V8 with a driver side starter. Hudson offered the six or an inline eight cylinder engine, so there's plenty of room to move the radiator forward if needed.
I had a 1940 Hudson coupe . I put a Pontiac V-8 in mine coupled with a 39 Packard trany, Latter with a R-type Hydromatic. It was a very simple swap .I drove it as a daily driver for 9 years. It was a fun car . I did a full radius on rear fenders and removed the running boards. There was no major mod to firewall. Just a small patch cut to house the distributor, which could be removed by first removing the cap and rotor. I showed the car at the local winter show and won trophies 2 years in a row.

 

I think it's cool as hell! I personally (firesuit on) hate deuce coupes and tri fives because everyone has one. (I know I have a 53 AD chevy, so I'm a hypocrit.) But I have always and will always love the "odd ducks" of the car world. I love the idea of have something you'll never see another one of at a show. I think if you can come to a number you feel good about, you should bring it home.

 

For many of us there's no such thing as a cool 4 dr

 

I was getting ready to install a Chevy 292 with 700R4 trans in my old '46 four-door Hudson, before I sold the car locally. That was going to be a relatively easy swap, since the length of the 292 is slightly less than a Hudson straight Eight, and the accelerator linkage was actually looking to be the hardest part of the whole deal.

 

As I quickly glanced the thread, nobody mentioned the Hudson six at all ?!?
To me there are two things that make Hudsons special:
- Build quality
- The Hudson six, which was the most powerful flathead six of all times.
They dominated the road races and NASCAR in turn of 40's to 50's.

Well, of course there is the third and best known feature, the fabulous stepdown body, which was the best looking design of the 50's, but that does not apply to this vintage.

 

Are you building it to keep forever? Chances are if you build it it will be with you for a long time. Yes it may be rare but the could mean that it is so rare because no one wanted them.
One thing to remember, it cost just as much or maybe more to build an odd car as a desirable one. If you are building it because you love it or have some special attachment to it is one thing, but if you want to turn it, think twice.
It costs the same for the engine, transmission, rear end, paint, upholstery, chrome, wiring, wheel and tires as it does for a desirable style. If you have to discount it so much to unload it, you will lose lots of money!

 

It may be big, but is sure is ugly.

Brian

 

Unless it's a wagon.

Brian

 

In the eye of the beer holder! HRP

 

That would make a great tail dragger with a chopped top and fender skirts. Maybe change out the grille. Drop it into the weeds and cruise!!

 

And they still aren't

AMEN

But they still aren't pretty

this won't be one of those

Got that right

Nope, only two door wagons are cool, the others have just become acceptable

 

Before you buy it realize people do not like ugly or 4 doors no matter how much money is sunk into them. They are always a second choice. Don't buy either and spend money expecting to make a profit or even recover your investment.