identify Essex Model A

[Max BURKE]

G,Day  to all       We need to identify a RHD export Essex touring as to its manufacture date. We need reliable  ID Car No and Engine No for the 1918 calendar year

I Thank You. 

Max BURKE Nulkaba NSW Australia

[Jon37]

Are you able to post the body and engine numbers here?

[1939_Buick]

Any photos?

http://hudsonterraplane.com/

http://hudsonterraplane.com/tech/tech_index.htm

http://hudsonterraplane.com/tech/other/1909-1957serialnumbers.pdf

Edited August 1, 2018 by 1939_Buick (see edit history)

[Max BURKE]

G,day to all. Thanks to the folk that offered advise. We did go ahead and buy the vehicle last Saturday. It was garaged about 15 minutes away. Since its restoration about 30 years ago the engine was run only once and  the car driven about one mile probably due to the fitting of 20 inch wheels.We collected the original 24 inch wire wheels with the car. The owner was well known to me and died about two years past only a couple of weeks after he had asked me to advertise the Essex for him   Although . he had asked me to find a buyer for the Essex  I could find no person interested in even looking at it. As the wife of the owner is thinking of taking  up residence in a retirement village soon, the family saw the need to move the Essex to new owners. We made an offer and as no other offers were forthcoming we bought the car

The important numbers are      Car No 35 261     Engine number 11991  Casting No 17  1 . 

Max Burke

Nulkaba  NSW

Australia

[Jon37]

According to my information, this would be a 1919 Essex Model A touring car (4-door open car) with right hand drive, in the "B" body style (as opposed to the "A" body style also offered that year). It was a series "2" car (they made series 1 through 4 that year)  I know not the differences between the A and B, nor do I know what differences were represented by the "series".  There was a total run of 308 in the series 2 "B" bodies, for what it's worth.  As you may know, Hudsons were shipped "knocked down" in crates, and assembled in Australia, so this is undoubtedly one of those.  My records show that this was probably made in 1919, as only 92 Essexes were shipped during 1918.

 

I'm afraid I can't find any engine number information.

 

I don't know if you're already involved with Hudson products but, if not, you may want to consider joining the Hudson AMC Car Club of Australia, which would be a great resource for technical and historical information, and parts.  (You do know, I assume, that the Essex and Hudson have a cork clutch that runs in oil?).  The club link is https://www.hudson-amc.org.au/

[Max BURKE]

G,day to all . Jon , I had never worked on an Essex Four prior to buying this one. What is the difference A to B type of body? This one has a chamfer through the bonnet and top of the doors.

As a small boy our family had a Gutless Wonder of 1925. During the war years my father sold most of it to folk for spare parts. There were two 25 Essex came to our workshop when I was an apprentice. We dragged one in with No6 rod bearing nocking. The boss poured a new bearing and I bored it in the lathe and we 2 lads assembled the engine and drove the car round in the back paddock.Soon it nocked out No 6 rod bearing. When we told our master he asked if we had primed the troughs. of course we did not know what this was about not being aware that the troughs filled slowly from the front. He sent us with the sump over the road to the fish shop and had the troughs poured full of fat which we then cooled with cold water till the fat set. We put the sump up with a couple of screws and turned over the motor and lo and behold there were the proof marks of the dippers not doing their work. The boss had us cut them all off and fit a set of scoops as used on Chev Blitz . We filled all the troughs before we put up the sump. No more trouble

Hudson Essex tricks I have learned. Do not adjust the brakes with the car on the jack. On F Head Hudson do not take of the cylinder head because of water in the sump before you clean the blocked water pump gland drain hole. The leaked water will go into the timing case along the shaft with the motor running. After putting Hudsonite in the clutch turn the flywheel until the plug is at 3 oclock and let the excess run out. On Electric Hand gear shift troubles see that the generator is keeping the battery voltage over 6 1/2to 7 volts with engine running first.

When our seller contacted the Hudson Essex Club he was told Essex never made a four cylinder car. No one in that group was even interested in looking at it.

We hope to get the original engine cylinder block which has been replaced because of cracked valve seats perhaps 35 years ago.

Max Burke

Nulkaba 2325

Australia

[Jon37]

I'm not sure who answered the phone at the Hudson Essex club, but I suspect he was smoking something. Anyone who knows anything about Hudsons, knows the early Essexes were four cylinder cars.  And as to the lack of interest: here in the States, four-cylinder models seldom come up for sale and are quickly scooped up when they do.  In the future please feel free to contact someone at the international Hudson-Essex-Terraplane Club and you'll get some better answers, I think!  We have an "Open Hudson Forum" at https://forum.hetclub.org/ and you can generally find answers to questions about Hudson automobiles from almost any era!  The Club's website is at https://www.hetclub.org/ .

 

Anyway, it sounds like you have plenty experience with Essexes and Hudsons!  

 

The two big "unusual" things about Hudson engines are the dipper system (which wasn't so weird; Chevy used that system up til the mid 1950's!) and the oil-filled clutch.  It was probably through ignorance of those systems that so many Hudsons were junked.  People didn't understand how they worked, and just disposed of them!

[Max BURKE]

G,day to all. Jon, Although I have tried to register with HET I have had no joy with getting signed in . Last try HET decided my Email and my name is incorrect After about 8 tries I gave up. You mention that the body on our Essex is a B body rather than an A. What determines this and how do they differ.  This job was probably commissioned by Dalgettys the importer. it bears their tag on the dash. .From the top of the radiator cowl right through to the back body corner there is a chamfer of say 45 degrees about 2 1/2 inches width through the bonnet hood and the top of the doors to the back corner. The corner of the body at the back has no curve, rather a knife edge   I have seen this style on another Essex A in Australia it is also shown in my book of instructions The  doors open to the front both front and back.

Max BURKE. 

Nulkaba 2325

Australia

[Jon37]

To answer your question, I do not know the difference between "B" and "A" body styles.  And if your car was assembled in Australia, "A" and "B" may have no bearing, since these terms might have been used only for U.S.-produced vehicles.  I'd get in touch with the Australian "Hudson AMC Car Club", they may know more about the Australian versions of the car.

 

I'm sorry you're having difficulties registering on the Hudson Open Forum.  (Are you sure that you weren't successful in registering?  Did you try posting a message there, just for fun?)

The registration page is here:  https://forum.hetclub.org/entry/register?Target=discussions

They only seem to want your e-mail address, username (no spaces between words), and a password at least 6 characters long.  And of course you need to check off that you're not a robot (you're not....are you?) and also the "agree with terms" box.  I hope that might be helpful.

 

If you'll e-mail me, we may be able to get to the bottom of this.  I am a moderator on that forum and can check to see if one of your registration attempts was actually (unbeknownst to you) successful.  XXXdetailed@verizon.net, drop the XXX before mailing.

[Max BURKE]

G,day to all. More Essex confusion under the Moonlight, Nothing is clear! Our copy of Horseless Age of May 1918 arrived yesterdays mail . Why? Because there is therein a single page article on the Essex Four being sold at that time in the USA. That's right the article is from May 1918. Is there a reliable first sales date on the home market? There are a couple of illustrations of the engine that clearly show the spark plugs on the carburettor side of the head.We do have an original Essex Service Instruction Manual for Essex owners and Mechanics. Unfortunately there is no publication Date on this Book. All of the engine photos therin show the spark plugs on the EXHAUST side of the engine,which is where they are placed on the engine of our Essex  BUT we do have another engine with the spark plugs on the carburettor side. Question ?. How are the plugs shown in the magazine pictures of MAY 1918 . Were a batch of the first engines tried with plugs on inlet side then for general production switched to exhaust side and then at a later production date changed back to Inlet side of the head. The master parts book for our 1916 Dodge gives the date that changes were introduced and the car numbers also the run out of the obsolete design . Does the Essex parts book carry this info. Are Parts Book or copy of same available for Essex Model A.

Max BURKE

Nulkaba 2325

Austalia

[AlanBDahl]

Jumping in kind of late but yes early 1919 cars had the spark plugs on the intake (left) side and later cars had the plugs on the exhaust (right) side of the engine. If you still have your car I suggest going our Essex 4 cars facebook group where we have almost 40 members now.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1587131908281767/