Jon37

Too bad Fred Long isn't still around. Bet he could diagnose it!

According to the list I'm looking at, that would be the serial number for a 1915 Model 6-40 six-passenger phaeton (4-door open car). Is that your body style?

I think someone with a '29 Essex would probably love to have both of these. You've done right by listing them here at the AACA web forum. You may also want to list them at the Hudson-Essex-Terraplane Club's Open Forum (registration requires merely your e-mail address and a password). You might want to offer both of them for a single price, plus shipping (maybe $10 or $20), and add "or best offer". Or, if you are intending to offer them for free, you could at least ask for someone to reimburse you for shipping charges. Here is the link: https://forum.hetclub.org/

I believe this version of overdrive has a kickdown (to 3rd gear) that is electrically activated by the electric solenoid that bolts to the side of the overdrive case (which is located behind the actual transmission). There is no electric governor, however (that came in the next version of overdrive). The governor was mechanical (centrifugal) and built-in. However, the overdrive functioned in the same way as the next version (all electric). So, to answer your question: yes, the overdrive stays engaged manually (through the centrifugal governor). And yes, the solenoid is only used for kickdown. The wiring diagram (Figure 9) at the start of this discussion is, I believe, for the "next version" OD (1941) because it shows an electric governor. At least that's my assumption, based on the belief that the 1939 and 1940 Chrysler overdrives were alike (and the 1941 overdrive was the next version). However, I am not a Chrysler expert.

Maybe you could make the old battery case into a cover for an Optima battery.

You might also want to post your questions at the Hudson Open Forum, at https://forum.hetclub.org/

I installed LED's all around, including turn signals (in my car the taillamps are dual filament: one for the taillight and one for the brake / turnsignal). I would recommend the electronic flasher (as opposed to the old style thermal type flashers -- which may not even work in the case of the LED's). Although the LED supplier said that all lamps that share a circuit, must be LED's, I used incandescent lamps on the front signal lights, and LED's on the rear. The electronic flasher works very well and the intermittent flashing is precise. The supplier recommended red LED's for the rear lights, not white. The result is a very bright taillight and brake/turnsignal, even though this is for a 1930's car with six volts (positive ground). The company also makes LED headlight lamps with the "American Prefocus" flanged-type base typical to 1930's cars. Several companies offer these retro-fit LEDs. I happened to use this one in England: http://www.dynamoregulatorconversions.com/online-shop-for-led-bulbs-and-light-boards-etc.php

You may also wish to place this note on the Hudson Open Forum, https://forum.hetclub.org/ Meanwhile, here's a '31 listed on the internet: http://topclassiccarsforsale.com/other-makes/161713-1931-hudson-8-rumble-seat-3-window-coupe-333-per-month.html .

I thought I'd revive this discussion, to see if anyone has additional input on LED headlamps focusing correctly and projecting their high beam down the road. A friend of mine said, this morning, that he'd un-soldered the upper portion of his LED headlamp from the base, made some adjustments, and re-soldered, thus improving on the high beam focus. I don't know any details and have not yet visited him to observe the results of his adjustments. My hope is that the second generation of these antique car retro-fit LED headlamps will have improved pinpoint focus.

Otto, I assume that your horns (like most) are wired through a relay. And I'm guessing that the relay is mounted somewhere in the engine compartment where it's accessible (you didn't mention the make or year of your car, though.). Have you tried running a wire direct from the battery's hot terminal to the terminal on your horn? If it blows then, this would indicate that the relay -- or even the horn button -- is bad, not the horn itself Just to cover yourself, run a wire from the body of the horn to the ground terminal on your battery, at the same time, so you'll know it's not a grounding problem between horn and car body. (Sorry: it sounds like you have not yet mounted the horn(s) to the car, so I guess you would indeed have run a separate wire from the horn body to the ground terminal on the battery.)

I am guessing this is the dial from a particular brand of "aftermarket" radio, which was made to fit a number of cars. The original purchaser elected not to order his car with a factory radio, so he had a choice of any number of "universal" radios he could buy at his local auto parts store, which would fit his car. Before the War, radios were usually in 3 components: the "control head" with the knobs and dial, the speaker, and the "receiver" with the tuner, amp, tubes, etc. (The control head was connected to the speaker and the receiver by cables, both electrical and mechanical.) After the War these components were usually incorporated into one radio unit. Aftermarket suppliers usually had radios available, in either type, that were tailored to fit most brands of cars. They usually were installed either under the dashboard, or with the control head (only) clamped around the steering column, or they fit into the openings in the dashboard that the factory had provided for installing its own radios. The control head (or dial portion of a one-piece radio) would often come with a trim plate that finished off the installation, and blended in with the design of the dashboard. Each dial plate or control head, then, had to be designed to fit a particular make and year of car, but the dial itself could be of one "universal" design, regardless of car. Thus the aftermarket manufacturer could achieve some economies of scale by using the same dial (and possibly knobs, as well). It looks like all of your dials are of this one "universal" design, while the control heads themselves are mated to one specific year and make of car. Here is a website which may help you: https://sites.google.com/site/identifyingcarradios/ However, I did not see anything that matched your control heads when I quickly scrolled through. However, if indeed your radio dials are indeed "aftermarket", I would not think they are worth reproducing. Most restorers want the authentic "factory" radios, not aftermarket, so I'd think there was little demand for the aftermarket dial faces.

A friend once said that he put a steel chain into his gas tank, put the tank in the bed of his pickup, and then drove around for a few days! (I assume he poured some sort of cleaning solvent in, as well.)

In case someone stumbles onto this discussion, and they're looking for a Hudson gas tank ('48 to '53 only), they are now being reproduced by "MoparPro" and sold through their Ebay store at https://www.ebay.com/i/184009184672?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&itemid=184009184672&targetid=884317096469&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9007592&poi=&campaignid=9423618903&mkgroupid=95066781785&rlsatarget=aud-496202329659:pla-884317096469&abcId=1141016&merchantid=101491398&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjsmZr7Dc6AIVjYTICh3JJQSsEAQYASABEgLtG_D_BwE Or just Google "Moparpro" to find their website.

I am sure that you will be given many ideas on how to do this, but have you considered 1) buying a new tank https://www.ebay.com/i/350579245222?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&itemid=350579245222&targetid=885504760305&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9007592&poi=&campaignid=9343999167&mkgroupid=103102855428&rlsatarget=aud-622524040998:pla-885504760305&abcId=1139336&merchantid=8121094&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0p-34qDc6AIVAZ6fCh085wd-EAQYBiABEgJl4vD_BwE , or 2) having the old tank re-done by companies like Gas Tank Renu? https://www.gastankrenu.com/

Based on this Wikipedia photo https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1927_Hudson_Super_Six_Coach_(5755620285).jpg I would say this is from a 1927 Hudson. You may also want to place a notice on the Hudson Open Forum, at https://forum.hetclub.org/

Fixing them might be as simple as putting some neats foot oil into them and letting it sit for a couple days. At least it's worth a try, and you might save $100. You could also for a NOS wiper motor on Ebay. Several years ago I'd tried to have my motor rebuilt and was told the body was warped, and it could no longer be rebuilt. Almost immediately I found a NOS one on Ebay for $45, and it runs great. Last year it had slowed down, so I soaked it in some more neats foot oil. Now it runs like new again.

I assume you have a particular Hudson in mind (your's, or your customer's) -- which transmission does it have? If Hydramatic, it is a good transmission (as noted in the several replies) and worth rebuilding (and there are people around the country who can do this). If it has Super-Matic drive, these too can be rebuilt by various Hudson specialists (consult the Hudson club) but another "fix" would be to simply remove the complicated Super-Matic gadgetry and use the car with the manual transmission and overdrive that it already has.

Gosh, I just grease the thing once in awhile. At least once every ten years. Also, when cranking the cradle into the door, I always give it a helpful push downward, to relieve the strain. (You do know that you can buy new molded rubber seals, right?)

My suggestion -- if you haven't done this already -- would be for you to send out e-mails to the vendors who advertise in the WTN (if you're a member of the Hudson club). Long-time parts dealers have piles of stuff like that, hanging around. A photo will help them to identify the part, if it's in their stash.

The owner (Chad Ehrlich) says he has over 1,500 cars and trucks from the 1920's through 1980s. He has a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/nobodyelsesauto/ Open by appointment only. He prefers phone calls: 620-786-4428 - 8 AM - 8 PM CST. Address is: 332 N US Highway 281, Great Bend, Kansas 67530

I bought my LED lights at Classic Dynamo and Regulator Conversions Ltd., http://www.dynamoregulatorconversions.com/online-shop-for-led-bulbs-and-light-boards-etc.php . I purchased dual-filament taillight lamps, single-filament front turnsignal lamps, instrument lamps, a license plate lamp and (pre-1940 style) prefocus headlamps -- 9 lamps and one electronic turnsignal flasher. This was in March, 2019. Total was $171.96 including shipping from England. All lamps fit the original 1937 sockets. My car is 6-volt, positive ground. The vendor advises using only LED-style bulbs on the same circuit, and not mixing them with incandescent or halogen lamps on the same circuit. My impression is that the lamps are brighter (especially the instrument lamps and headlamps). I am generally very happy, with one caution: when I hit the high beam switch, the headlights don't seem to extend down the road, they simply illuminate a wider diameter (lighting up the undersides of tree limbs hanging over the highway, for example). This may be the one problem of LED's: that they don't have a pinpoint filament like incandescent or halogen lamps, as was noted by one forum member, above. But, possibly others have had better luck with high beam LED's.

If you haven't done so already, why not share the location and contact information of your junkyard (and possibly the years / makes of some of its inhabitants) with other forum members, by posting these photos at the JUNKYARD FORUM ?

I'm not sure why the subject of this topic shifted from Slant Sixes to Hudsons. But, in reference to the T.H.E. Greater Super Six Club, Inc.: The Hudson-Essex-Terraplane Club had been formed in 1959 by Merrit Marks. At its first national meet in 1960 the membership resoundingly rejected the idea of the new Club's sponsoring judging. The feeling was: Hudson people should be helping one another with their cars, not competing against one another for trophies. Carl Horton of Indianapolis (who had a collection of very nice Hudsons) felt differently about judging. So he organized the T.H.E. club in September of 1966. I don't know how long the T.H.E. lasted; possibly 6 or 7 years. The H-E-T, on the other hand, has lasted 60 years, as of 2019. And it still does not sponsor judging.

A photo would be helpful!

Yes, the Hudson company only referred to them as Terraplanes in 1937. I think the only place they referred to "Terraplane Hudson" would have been on the trunk ornament, the hood ornament, and possibly on the door sill plates. As far as I know, no documentation exists for production numbers by body style. When Nash merged with Hudson in 1954 to form AMC, most of the company files were thrown out.