Hudson Daily Driver?

[Guest adam78]

Hey everyone. I am new(ish) to the world of classic cars, I have had 70's camaros, but thats about as far back as I go. Well my 2005 Jaguar XJR is giving me non stop electrical and computer issues. To the point where fixing them will just cost more than half the blue book value of the car. So, I have decided to sell my newer unreliable car and try to get something with a little more..character. I have came across a 1946 Hudson Commodore Eight for sale locally. Runs and drives well (so says the owner) needs a little touching up, but i am not afraid to work on cars. My question would be, am I crazy for wanting to trade something newer for something built in the 40's and use it as my primary vehicle? How unreliable would such a car be? I know these old cars are easy as anything to work on as long as you can still get parts. Are parts for these things still made? Thanks for the help in advance. Any other information on these cars would be great, such as what to look for when I test drive it this coming weekend. Thanks again! -Adam.

[StillOutThere]

Adam,

The mechanical parts for that Hudson are readily available - any and all of them including the cork clutch running in oil. These Hudsons were always considered high maintenance cars because they had many more grease zerks than the average car, because the clutch fluid must be changed (correct fluid is available) regularly, and because this is still one of the Hudson splash-lubricating (dipper rods) engines. The oil pan should be dropped annually if you drive it daily, cleaned out and put back up with two new gaskets. Hudson 8s can have rear of engine overheating problems if the water distribution manifold on the outside of the engine has rusted out internally. New stainless ones are made today. If it is an overdrive car, I would personally change it to the standard shift rear axle ratio. OD cars came with 4.56 and std. came w/ 4.11. This will give you better capability to keep up with daily traffic. And while the drum brakes were fully adequate when new, for daily use I would personally want disc brake up front for that heavy car. And I'd put it on radial tires the same diameter as the factory tires to get a bit better fuel mileage.

I drove a '53 Hudson Super Wasp for 120,000 daily miles and all over the country up until about 1995. You can do this if you are willing to do the work as all car owners had to commit to back in the day. GOOD LUCK. Let us know if you buy the car.

I'm driving a '34 Terraplane today but only for hobby enjoyment, not a daily driver.

[Guest adam78]

Thanks for the reply! Grease points are no problem, my old Camaro had to be greased. I greased it every 6 months or so and that was a Daily, granted this was a 70's not a 40's car. As long as all of the parts and oils are readily available I have no problem working on the car. Being a 21yr old college student, I crave an "Unusual car" but my bank account won't allow it. The Jaguar was a great deal, and now I see why. Just cant keep up with repairs when a tranny flush is $650 and you cannot do it yourself and a shock is $600 and then it needs its software updated for the new shock lol. I understand that most "straight" engines are very reliable, but that usually classifies for I6's or Mercedes' I5, would a longer I8 be just as reliable? Aside from the overheating problem you mentioned. (looks like there is more than adequate room to work on the engine, no problem changing things) I found this Commodore for 3k about 2 hours away, So I want to make sure the brakes work and maybe put radials on it before I take it down here. (i'll be driving it home haha) Should I get lucky enough and get the car, you guys will be the first to know! Maybe i'll start a very slow resto thread too!

[Guest adam78]

Oh yes, one more question. I know there used to be somewhat of a debate on my muscle car forums, however I'm not sure how the older car crowd feels about lead additives to these engines. Many people said zinc was much better, others said nothing at all is needed. Any thoughts here? Or should this be in a different thread in a different section? Thanks!

[carlisle1926]

DO NOT try to drive the Hudson as a daily driver. Unless you have deep pocket books, you will not be happy. There are a lot of parts available for the car, but most likely you will have to have the parts shipped in to you and they won't be from your local auto parts. Keep in mind that a Hudson is designed to cruise at 55 mph with the engine revving up pretty high. It won't get good fuel mileage trying to keep up with modern traffic and with the original brakes, you will most likely plow into someone. A Camaro is much more suited to daily driving unless you are an experienced mechanic. My daily driver in the 1980's was a 1954 Chevrolet and it was tough on a young persons budget and hell to keep up with 1980's traffic conditions when most people didn't have overdrive cars and the traffic was a lot slower than now.

Yes you need lead additive in the gas to keep from hammering the valves if you drive it a lot. Modern oil no longer has zinc in it and with an antique engine the life of the camshaft and lifters is shortened greatly without it. Use zinc additive in the oil of any antique engine or any engine that does NOT have roller lifters.

[carlisle1926]

I just noticed that you said the car was priced around $3000. Here is a big tip that many forget about. If the car is that cheap, chances are it has been sitting a while. Gasoline that sits in a tank for any length of time is going to sour and turn a very dark brown color. That stuff is death to an engine. You can get the engine to run on it, but what happens is that gas produces a glue like substance that gets around the piston rings and valve guides. Eventually that gunk will cause the piston rings to stick and the valves to stick open or closed to the valve guides. In a flat head motor that will wear down the cam shaft real quick or bend the push rods in an overhead valve engine. Also, to just drain the gas out and pour in fresh gas doesn't work. The old gas will leave behind a thick sticky substance that as soon as fresh gas hits it, it melts and behaves the same way as the old gas you just drained. The solution is a new tank, have the old one vatted out, or drain the gas and pour in a few gallons of lacquer thinner and allow it to sit overnight before draining. The fuel lines will be bad as well.

So the idea of just buying the car and driving it home are not advisable--- unless you have money saved up for emergency road side repairs. I learned all of this the hard way from the age of 15-21. Old cars are simple, but they bite hard when mad.

[Guest adam78]

My first Camaro sat for 10 years before i got it. Fresh Vacuum lines, Gas lines, brake lines, ect... were all on the top of my to-do list for the car before I began driving it regularly. Also, I only drive from college to work and home, fastest street I encounter is a 45mph road haha. My grandfather used his 45 Chevy daily until he was unable to drive, so I somewhat know what i'm getting myself into. However I do appreciate your insights. Chances are I will have my fun with a classic, and then sell it for some other whacky car. If this does happen, it'll be my 11th car in just 5 years of driving haha. I buy and sell a lot of them =P

[Guest adam78]

Good news! Just heard from the owner of the Hudson. It's a running driving car with a brand new gas tank and lines! Not driven often, but driven with all interior rust repaired. Attached is a picture of the car. I'll be trying to get a look at it sometime next week. Wish me luck!

[StillOutThere]

Looks like an outstanding starter car. One place to save money is to keep it era-correct and leave it on blackwall tires. Keep them dressed with something like Meguiar's #40 and you'll be pleased by the responses you get. Be sure those new radial have the same outside diameter as the original 15 or 16" tires that came on the car. Many owners simply ask for the interchange size and that yields small diameter hurting fuel mileage and handling. GOOD LUCK.

[carlisle1926]

Good news! Just heard from the owner of the Hudson. It's a running driving car with a brand new gas tank and lines! Not driven often, but driven with all interior rust repaired. Attached is a picture of the car. I'll be trying to get a look at it sometime next week. Wish me luck! [ATTACH=CONFIG]169499[/ATTACH]

That sure is a nice looking car. I bet if the paint was buffed out, it would look fantastic. If your only going to be driving around everyday at 45mph, then I have to say go for it. I hope it works out great. I'm a bit envious.

[Jon37]

Adam, you might want to continue this conversation over at the Hudson club's forum, where you'll find a lot of people who are intimately acquainted with these cars. The address is Hudson Discussions on Classic Car Forum

If you end up buying the car, you really ought to join the Hudson-Essex-Terraplane Club because that's where all the expertise / parts / enthusiasts are. Home - Hudson Essex Terraplane Club Site

"Carlisle" is correct about the trying to keep up with modern traffic in an older car. If you live in a large metropolitan area and have to deal with a beltway or interstate daily, this will be a concern. However, the lack of lead in gasoline won't be a problem; I removed the valves from my 1937-vintage Hudson Terraplane several years ago and there was no sign of any problem due to using lead-free gas. The zinc is another matter entirely; just to play it safe, I use oil with a higher zinc content (I buy it by the case and it really isn't much more than regular oil).

Higher maintenance will be a concern with any old car, especially one built in the 40's. That's just the way they were made. But remember, these cars were once driven daily, and driven hard, and they managed to survive.

As to the parts situation, you will find them harder to get (though the "wearing parts" aren't that difficult to find if you know where to look). For this reason, we older car owners tend to collect a lot of "spares" and they ride around in our trunks, ready to bail us out at the drop of a hat. Points, condensers, rotors, bulbs, fanbelts, even bearings and a spare fuel pump -- you're gonna need it some day so why not pack it away when you happen to find it, and have the peace of mind?

[Rusty_OToole]

When I was a kid our family car was a 1947 Commodore Eight with Drivemaster transmission. This was a real luxury car at the time, comparable to a Buick or Chrysler.

The engine wore out about 1952. I put it down to my father's habit of driving everywhere at 70 MPH. The car handled beautifully. He told me he never drove a car that handled as well until he bought a Mercedes in 1972. But the rod bearings wore out. The engine was never built for high speed use.

I don't recommend ANY forties or early fifties car for regular use these days. There was just a huge improvement in all cars between 1945 and 1955.

If you really want a daily driver that is an old car, chose one from the late fifties, or even better, the late sixties or early seventies. Best choice would be a Chevrolet just because they are so easy, and cheap, to keep in repair. Personally I like Chrysler products as I consider them a better built car but I can't deny the convenience of the Chev.