1915 6-40

[Franklin Olympic]

The paper work on my car shows a number 84924. Is that an engine number or a serial number. If it is an engine number, where is it Dave\

[Jon37]

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?

[Franklin Olympic]

Yes, it's a 7 passenger touring. Apparently there is no engine number. It starts when we put gas in the priming cups but won.t keep running. Probably a carb issue. Dave Phillips

[Jon37]

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

[Marty Roth]

FRANKLIN OLYMPIC,

 

Where are you located?

maybe I can help,. (or at least offer sympathy)

 

I also have a 1915 6-40,

actually the one which Fred Long owned, showed, and toured extensively for many years

Edited June 18, 2020 by Marty Roth
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[nsbrassnut]

Hi Dave

 

Congratulations on picking up a Hudson 6-40. There aren't too may left and from my correspondance with a few others, most appear to be in west and midwest. Although I'm on the east coast of Canada with an early model 6-40. Mine has has repairs over the years, but has had not yet had a proper restoration that it needs.

 

The serial number can be found in two places. One is on a brass data plate which should be on the front seat heal board below the seat cushion. Most of those are gone however. The other spot is on the right front frame horn on the inside of the vertical web. Its usually buried under a layer of paint.

 

There should be an engine number on the aluminum crankcase. Look for a flat spot above the cover plate for the Delco starter gears cover. The engine number is shorter than the serial number.

 

Perhaps you have already sorted out the running issue. But just in case, these cars have gravity fuel feed systems from the tank under the cowl. To help prevent the gas dripping out through a miss set carburetor, they installed a shut off valve on the tank outlet. The original is a ball valve with a rod under the gas tank to under the dash so that you can shut the fuel off from inside the car. If the valve is missing, install one, even a modern one is better than nothing.

 

Sounds like step one is to make sure that the fuel is flowing freely to the carburetor. You should be able to check by taking the cover off the float chamber and then open the gas valve and see that the gas is free flowing.

 

Be sure tho check the timing also. Its easy for the timing to drift off as the rotor is only held in place by screw and clamp in the distributor (its like a bicycle fork clamp). The instructions for setting the timing are in the manual, which hopefully you have found a copy.

 

A good spring shop, either automotive or truck should be able to help with spring leaves and repairs. Mine had 3 broken leaves spread over 3 springs. It still doesn't site quite right though.

 

I'm less sure of the 1915 models, but when they were introduced in 1914 Hudson they still had bugs in them. And when you dig into the construction you can also see where Hudson cut some corners trying to keep the cost down. I have found in mine and heard from others that they didn't use the best quality wood in the bodies often either. Mine was eaten out by carpenter ants and a mixture of oak, maple(?) and perhaps other stuff. There were several changes between 1914 and 1915 models.

 

I got a lot of help from Bob Hopkins in the Sacremento CA area that has been campaining his 1915 for decades to the point he had to rebuild his engine for the second time a few years ago. I got a ride in it a few years ago and it could really perform. He knew of at least two more of them in his area.

 

Good luck with it.

 

Drive Safe

Jeff

Nova Scotia