Help identifying a Hudson

[Guest Vic7542]

Hi there:

 

My brother got a Hudson Essex model in rusted condition. We are trying to figure out what year is it.

 

Can anyone help us to identify it? Its plaque says it´s a Hudson Essex STD serial 906077. Attached are some photos of the car.

 

Thanks In advance,

 

Vic

 

 

[Barney Eaton]

The standard catalog of American Cars says the 1929 Essex serial numbers started at 706270 and ended with 928657 ....your number would be in that range

[StillOutThere]

A photo of the grille shell would be very beneficial. 

 

[Jon37]

The Hudson club's serial number listing indicates that this is a 1928 Essex, "second series".  (Serial numbers 816865 to 928657). However, the instrument panel you show, does not match that of the 1928 Essex.  Your car looks like an open car, so possibly this was a special body with a different instrument cluster, or maybe the "second series" featured a different instrument panel.  Here's an image of the '28 dashboard from an on-line car ad:  http://www.oldcaronline.com/photos/742782/742782_5.jpg

 

Incidentally, if you intend to keep this car and restore it, you may wish to join the Hudson-Essex-Terraplane Club, at http://www.hetclub.org/  

 

When you have more questions, I would suggest you post them not only here, but at the Club's "Open Forum" at http://forum.hetclub.org/

Registration at the Forum is free and simple, and the forum is active and helpful.

Edited January 14, 2017 by Jon37 (see edit history)

[Guest Vic7542]

Unfortunately we don`t have the grill. We are trying to identify the year to search for parts, including the grill.

 

[Guest Vic7542]

Thanks for your comments. Indeed it's a convertible car. We were looking for photos in the internet, but we found none exactly the same.

 

I will post more pics as soon as I can.

 

Regards,

Edited January 19, 2017 by Vic7542 (see edit history)

[Guest Vic7542]

Thanks dor youe help.

 

Regards,

[StillOutThere]

There were some custom bodied cars on Hudson /Essex chassis late '20s.   Keep that in mind when you "can't find a pic like it".   What is the wheelbase?

[spencer yarrow]

Serial number indicates 1928.

1928 did not have a fuel/oil gauge, the fuel gauge for that year was a red dye in glass tube in the dash.

The dash photo is the back of the dash which I think is common with 1929.

I have never seen a windscreen like that on a 28 Essex so it may be a custom body but the part the windscreen sits on is 28 Essex.

More photos of what you have and measurements would make it easier

[Guest]

Actually they did have a fuel gauge.  You are right it is a tube filled with red fluid that tells you how much fuel you have.  It is manufactured by "King Seeley".  They called it a "king seeley hydrostatic fuel gauge".  Lots of "Classic", antique, and vintage cars used them.  Henry Ford used them which I suppose is the reason parts are available more readily today.

[Guest Vic7542]

On ‎31‎-‎01‎-‎2017 at 1:50 PM, StillOutThere said:

There were some custom bodied cars on Hudson /Essex chassis late '20s.   Keep that in mind when you "can't find a pic like it".   What is the wheelbase?

Hi there:

 

Thanks for your interest, wheelbase is 2510 mm.

 

My best regards,

 

Vic

[wac]

There's lots of mis-information in these responses.

It is a 1928 Essex serial number and the cowl looks right for a 1928 H/E open car.

The dash in hand is the back piece.  The link to a photo is not of a 1928 dash, but a 1929 Essex dash.

The instrumentation is the same, but the trim is different - 1928 is more plain, 1929 has the "pine cone / pine needle" pattern and hexagonal cut-outs.

They both do have electric combination FUEL / OIL level gauges.  1927 H/E used King-Seeley gauges.

Open cars did not have different instrument clusters from closed cars.

There isn't a nickel's worth of difference between first series and second series Hudson or Essex cars of the same model year.

The 110" wheelbase is correct for 1928 & 1929.

[WLKile]

This is a 2-door roadster body. In 1928, the roadster body was built by Biddle & Smart. The sedans and coupe bodies were essentially all metal. The roadster body is sheet metal over a partial wood frame. If you have the drivers door, there should be a number stamped into the wood member that forms the top of the door. This is the Biddle & Smart "serial number". There is a body parts catalog for this car on the HETclub website.

There can be some confusion about model year and serial numbers for 1928. The original model year for 1928 was from June 14, 1927 to June 4, 1928. Your car serial number 906077 was produced between June 5, 1928 and January 1, 1929, and when produced, was considered to be a 1929. Shortly after 1928, Hudson aligned the model years with the calendar year and considered cars produced during the June 5, 1928 to January 1, 1929 period to be 1928 models. Consequently, the 1928 models were produced for a total of 18 months. Your car is a 1928 model.

The windshield frame appears to have been modified. The red "blocks" at the bottom of the windshield posts below the pivot point appear to have been added to raise the windshield. Remove the blocks and the pivot points should fit down into the brass casting on the cowl with no significant gap between the bottom of the frame and the brass casting on the cowl.

There are not many 1928 Essex roadsters.  I am aware of only three of these cars.