53 Hornet resto-sled

[Deleted User]

Here are some pics of my (wife's) 53 Hornet that has bee passed down to us from my father. It has been in my family for over 40 years. I pulled it out of my fathers back yard about 20 years ago when I was in high school and got it to run, and have been tinkering with it on and off since then. About 10 years ago my wife expressed an interest in have her own car to cruise, and she really liked the old ratty Hornet, so I got it functional and sprayed some sealer on it, and she loved it, but it was time for a face lift, so over the last 2 weeks I put some paint on it and put all the trim back on it (hasn't been on it in 30 years!) The car has 75000 original miles, it is a .100 over, (yes 1/10 of an inch!) 308 with Twin-H and a Clifford 1956 mechanical grind cam, and it a Hydro-matic. I have a long tube Clifford header to put on it but I'm not sure how to run the exhaust because it sits so low. The paint I used was from Hot Rod Flatz, a mixture of there gunmetal grey met. and black met. I was not real happy with how it sprayed, but after it cured we scotch-brighted it and it looks much more uniform.

anyhow here are some pics of the exterior redo:
before:
before:






























Done:
tune up:

GrimGreaser

Sharp! Very nice, i dig the skull detailing on the roof. It's great having a wife as into cars as we are. I'm gonna need to find a nice stationwagon to hot rod for my wife. She might 'borrow' my Hud more often when i get some better interior in it.

segajeep

Duuuude, that is slick! How did you lower it in the front?

[Deleted User]

Congratulations!

Your Hornet looks good.

It's always nice so see another Hudson back on the street.


Kevin C.

[Deleted User]

I had some early bronco springs laying around that were the right diameter so I used them, the have been in for about 10 years and are about shot, so I'm on the search for some with a higher spring rate, the rear has 4 inch blocks

bent metal

Very nice! I really like the lace skulls on the roof too. Subtle, very cool.:)

HUDSONBROTHER1

In my 1947 super 6 coupe I used rear corgo coils from a 1970 Buick lasaber.These are a varable rate spring.The 47 has a 455 buick and th400 in it.These springs made all the diffance in the car and gave it the stance I wanted with no bottoming out.I am thinking about using a pair in My 1953 Hornett.I think I willneed about a 1/2" spacer to make up for the wieght differance.This should give me the rake I want.I hope this info will help.
Later Dave

chopperchuck

1st loose the out side visior{i need it}LOL:evil::evil:
2nd nice job,
3rd segajeep--ya might look at ford areostar front coils iknow they lower shoebox fords about 1 1/2-2 inch

chopperchuck

i knew-- i knew that car!man it's sure changed a bit..;)

MikeWA

HUDSONBROTHER1 wrote:

In my 1947 super 6 coupe I used rear corgo coils from a 1970 Buick lasaber.These are a varable rate spring.The 47 has a 455 buick and th400 in it.These springs made all the diffance in the car and gave it the stance I wanted with no bottoming out.I am thinking about using a pair in My 1953 Hornett.I think I willneed about a 1/2" spacer to make up for the wieght differance.This should give me the rake I want.I hope this info will help.
Later Dave

You wouldn't be one of the "Hudson Brothers" from Susanville (or Alturas or somewhere in NE California)? 3 of you, as I recall, and you came to the Kustom Kemps show in Centralia/ Chehalis, Washington a couple times in the early '90's. You had "Hudson Brothers" business cards. One guy had a stepdown with gull-wing doors, somebody had a teal colored one with vanity plate TEALNLO or something like that. Only name I remember was a big friendly guy named Willingham, who never met a stranger. Some or all of the cars ran big block Buicks.

KKOA quit their show after a few years, but if you ever have a hankerin' to come back, there's an outfit called Billetproof NW that now puts on about the biggest show around, at the same fairgrounds, in June. They like old-timey stuff- if you've got much billet, they won't let you in. Hence the name. If you ever show up, dinner's on me.

The red and white '48 coupe in my avatar is sectioned 4 inches (hacksaw, oxy-acetylene and lead), frenched headlights, etc. Built in 1952. No big block, though- '51 Hornet 308 Twin H. Needless to say, it passes muster at Billetproof without any problems!

[Deleted User]

Mike (WA):
How about a closer side view picture and some of the front and back? From this angle and distance, we cant see your work good enough. We want to see how you made it work. Thanks, Bob P

[Deleted User]

Added some 7.10-15 WWW tires, I think it really make the car look sharp.
By the way that is my son, named Hudson, in the pics.

[Deleted User]

Very nice!

segajeep

I think out of all the Hudsons I've seen, I aspire to this one the most. It has the trim and tail lights I like, Twin H, 308, It doesn't get any better!