it was 30 miles away and i just couldn't resist

hoggyrubber

i saw this junker on ebay a couple of days ago and it was so close i just couldn't resist. i was the only bidder so i guess it didn't have much interest. haven't seen it in person so i'm not expecting much.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Other-Makes-3-window-coupe-2-door-1928-Essex-3-window-coupe-rat-rod-street-rod-or-parts-/190698394218?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item2c6682926a
i talked to the seller on the phone and he seemed like a nice guy and was hoping it would get a new home. can't wait to get it this weekend.

Geoff

F.Y.I., it's a '27 model. Happy rebuilding!

ESSX28-1

Agree with Geoff that it's not '28
I can help with 28 Rumble seat lid, Hood & Radiator surround ( got both 27 & 28) if you can figure an economic way to get them from New Zealand. Always good to see another Coupe on the road!!

hoggyrubber

thank you both for the info. i am not going to jump right in on it, i still have a bunch of work to do on my '53 hornet. i am trying to sell one of my old chevy trucks and that will give me some room in the shop. my plan is not really a total restoration, but NO chops or NO tractor grilles. i would like to keep it all hudson parts if i can. i have a 55 twin h with auto tranny. well anyway, we will see when i get around to it.

hoggyrubber

i have been working on the 30 hudson axle i got for this 27 essex. i finally got 2 kingpin bushings made on the lathe today. the first one took 3 hours, the second one took 1 hour. i thought i would inclose a picture. at this rate the 3rd will take 20 mins and the last one 7 mins! i know wishfl thinking!

hoggyrubber

here is a picture of the spindle i cut down to accept hornet hubs/ wheel bearings. also another picture of the hornet backing plate i adapted for this spindle

MikeWA

Could you post some pics of the whole car, for those of us who didn't see it (or more likely, can't remember seeing it) in the original post? Its long since gone from Ebay, of course.

Thanks-
Mike

hoggyrubber

i wouls but the car is in a hundred pieces scattered out the shop and in a storage trailer. the seller on that ebay listing had totally diassembled the whole thing. it was only the body and frame. it was missing engine, tranny, interior, guages, sterring, front axle and springs, and rearend. i got the 30 hudson axle last summer and am working on using it. here is a picture of the front cowl sitting on the frame with christmas lights on it from last winter. when i get the front axle done i will roll it out and take a good picture of all the pieces. have a bit of rust repair to do!

hudsontech

Had a buddy of mine picked up a 1941 Chevy coupe in that totally disassembled conditon - I mean TOTALLY disassembled. Took him 3 years, some help from some Chevy buddies, and a lot of sorting to get it done. He called me one day and asked me to stop by along with some of his friends who;d helped him put together, while he rolled it out of his garage. Bunch of us standing around heard it start, and out she came. What a beautiful job. We all stood around admiring the work - absolutely beautiful. He says "I got one more thing to do" and walks back into the garage returning with a hammer in his hand. He slid under the back of the car and we heard a thump. He slides out with a grin on his face - "There", he says, "now i got a dent in it and I can ejoy it!!!" Some 30 years later he still has the car and he's enjoying the hell out of it. LOL

Hudsonly,
Alex Bur
Memphis, TN

hoggyrubber

well i finally got the first side completely done brakes, bearings, inner seal and all hardware. i thought i would ad a couple of pictures of the finished result. now for the other side! ) it should go a lot quicker.

Browniepetersen

This was what my English Built Hudson looked like when I brought it home. It had only been apart for about a year when I got it. The wood was about half way replaced. Took 14 months to build (got it the week I retired) It was a fun project. It is my avtar......

Uncle Josh

I have an Essex block w/crankshaft 2 3/4 bore I think, I would donate. Located 50 mi N of Albany, NY

hoggyrubber

thank you for the offer uncle josh, i have a 308 w/ hydromatic i was planning to install. we'll see how that goes!
this will prob take me 3 years too, i don't do anything too fast. i have already thought of hitting it with a hammer when i ripped my jeans on it trying to skoot by to get to my toolbox. i hope i don't want to hit it after it's all done. i know that first scratch is a lot of stress.

hoggyrubber

i finally got the other side completly done on the front end. also have the front spring mounts done. i don't really like the look of them. but i will guess they will have to do. i am starting on the rear front spring mounts. i sure wish i would have got the orig front end with this junker. i will try to post pictures as soon as i get the back ones finished. i am trying to use as much of the orig hardware and stuff that i can.

hoggyrubber

I tore into the 308 I am going to be putting in this Essex and I had great luck in getting the 3 valves freed that were stuck open. the 308 I got for my 53 I had to totally take apart just to free them. I think I will do a leak down test and check the compression now. I did notice a clicking or slipping sound coming from the hydromatic tranny when I spin the motor is this normal?

Ol racer

I wouldnt worry about sounds when rotated out on floor. Do pull pan and clean mesh filter though then mark to add Dex11 or Dex111 later. Its normal to see a little discoloration, but shouldnt find any debris that would indicate abnormal wear... Ive found Hydro's usually work fine after been setting but 'rarely' they may not make the 1- 2 shift until warmed up. There are Kits available to rebuild Hydro's but the Tech's that know how are hard to find.
Example. I had one not shifting and went to Chain Trans Shop and he said bring a Hydro Manual and get the parts then they would do the Rebuild but I just installed another used Hydro from the yard and its still runs good....

hoggyrubber

I have been on vacation the last 4 days and been working a lot on the Essex. I moved it around and got a picture of it with front end finished an rear end installed. the cowl is sitting on before I got the engine sitting on it. also here is a picture my buddy took of me ridding the twin h like slim pickens.

hoggyrubber

I made a bonehead mistake and didn't remove the pan and clean filter on the hydramatic before I put it in car. I finally got the pan off. what's the best way to clean the screen filter assembly with brake cleaner? the front tube is wired up, is that original? I started to unwire it till I noticed the screen just slips off. this is the first automatic I have ever tore into. I also read it's good to drain fluid from the tourus.

hudsontech

Word of advice - if you're going to put a 308 in that car you'd be smart to put disk brakes, at least on the front. Believe me I've "been there - done that". Back in the 50's I built a couple of late 30's Dodge coupes with the 1953 241 small block hemi in them. I'm a lot smarter about that sort of thing today - I would, doing it again, definitely put disk brakes, preferably all the way around. Those Dodges would do everything - except stop.

Hudsonly,
Alex Burr
Memphis, TN

Lee ODell

Alex, you brought back memories. About 1963 I put a cool looking Dodge or Ply tube axle with hydrolic brakes to replace the mechanical brakes on my B/Gas Supercharged 35 Chevy Coupe w/blown SBC engine. I would barely get her slowed down before the last turn off at the San Fernando Drag strip before going under the bridge. Beyond the bridge was a rocky river bed. Remember we did not have disc brakes available on U.S. cars then. But Hydrolics were a huge improvement at the time from mechanical brakes. I agree with you about adding Disc brakes for todays projects. Another huge advancement especially if power disc brakes are added.
I added a after market under the floor power disc brakes kit to my 35 Chevy Sedan. The X Member was in the way so I made a mounting bracket behind the X member and then I lenghened the push rod. The mounting braket in the kit was wrong. The disc brakes worked great. I will be doing the same thing with one of my 1947 Hudson PUs when I add power disc brakes. I don't have the strenth in my legs I used to have so power brakes is better for me. My first attempt with master cylinder choice in the 35 Chevy was with what came with the kit, 1" bore master cyl. The pedal effort was way to sensitive. When I barely toughed the pedal I was headed for the windshield, so to speak. The best pedal feel for me was changing to a master cyl with a 1 1/8" bore. Brake pedal length to pivot ratio to master cyl will determine what bore master cyl will suit you best. Also, I plan to keep the secondary braking on the truck. They work great when adjusted properly. For example, when I bought my hornet I did not know the master cly was out of brake fluid and it stoped so good with secondary brake system I did not know the master was dry until I got home. A 5 hour drive from Las Vegas to Burbank.
I have gotten carried away. Bye.
Lee O'Dell

hoggyrubber

Mr Burr, thank you for the advice, and thank both of you for the stories. I sure may end up going to disc brakes sometime. since I have a lot of time in the hornet hyd brake conversion I would like to see how it does. honestly I never plan on driving this car fast. it is funny the engine/tranny combo looks to weigh more than the car! )

Lee ODell

The Hornet brakes should work much better than what I put together way back when since your coupe will be about 1,000 lbs lighter than a Hornet. Thanks for sharing your project build. All the fabrication and machine work is remarkable. Well done.
Lee O'Dell

hoggyrubber

thank you Mr O'Dell, the good thing is I haven't spent much except time. I took the oil pan off the 308 and checked out the bottom end last night. everything looks good. I haven't had the head off so it still might need a valve job but I think I will try to start it soon. I was trying to think of the easiest way to try the engine out. I know the carbs have been sitting long enough, they need rebuilt.
I hate to put the cost into getting them redone by someone if the tranny is junk. maybe I should try rebuilding them myself? I have done Rochester carbs on chevy trucks. I wish I could just put a single carb on to test it out. I have a 262 with double lever 3 speed I just traded for if this tranny is bad.

hoggyrubber

I have most of the sheet metal repair done. I still need to replace the metal on the bottom of both doors and one of the front fenders. I have not been able to post on here for a while after the forum switch over. here is a picture on the bottom of the cowl I made with the shrinker stretcher.

RL Chilton

Looks good.  Been wonderin' how your project was progressing.  Post some more pics when you get a chance.

hoggyrubber

I jut finished making the the lower door piece this afternoon. I had to hand roll the lip on the bottom, it was too short for my brake to start. it was pretty rotted out to start with.

hoggyrubber

here is a few pictures of the steel floor pans I made.

hoggyrubber

and one of the car with most of the panels put on! at this rate maybe only a couple of years left. ha ha!

RL Chilton

It's looking good.  One panel at a time, and eventually you'll run out of panels.  

hoggyrubber

her is a updated picture of the coupe. I have most of the sheet metal done. still waiting on the exhaust valves to get the head back on. need to do the back glass, make the rumble seat lid, wiring, finish the front seat, I got a 27 Essex dash cluster on ebay and install that, door handles and latches, battery box, and about a million other small things.
I am really keeping my fingers crossed and hope the hydromatic works!!!!!

essexcoupe3131

looks like you have the top 1/2 of a 31 grill and mesh in her
cool looking