Daily Driver Hudson

[Deleted User]

Hi all. I have a 50 Commodore Club Coupe that I am restoring, and my question is this....I want to use it for almost a daily driver and I plan on some long trips out west with it (with the wife) from our home stste of Florida. I want the car to be as reliable as possible, and I would like to keep it ALL HUDSON. the straight 8 thats in it now is supposedly totally rebuilt, and I do have receipts for most. The trouble in my mind is that its splash lube only, the piston rings are pinned, the Babbitt Main Bearings are shimmed, etc. These are things that are long forgotten about today, and I am not sure I have the expertise to figure them out on the side of the road....Now, I have access to a 262 and a 308 six which of course have insert bearings, full lube, but still have solid lifters to adjust (on the side of the road), but are very durable. Then we have the looming GAS CRUNCH which really blows. So I am in a quandary. I know there are many smart Hudson Fanatics on here to steer me in the right direction. Please have at it and thanks for all replies....

[Deleted User]

Wow! sounds like a great adventure. You are going to get at leased 20 opinions on this so here is the first---. I have always liked the 262 for smoothness, economy,durability, etc. Keep the 8 because they are hard to come by but the 6s are a much more durable engines. I have drivin 8s and 6s since 1955 and have never broken down due to the engines. Walt is still doing this and will probaly have the best advise. Good luck in your adventure and wish I was younger and could would join you.

RL Chilton

For a daily driver, I believe I would save the 8, put it on a stand and drop in a 262 with a single carb on it. Get good gas mileage, have a very reliable and able-to-use-on-today's-highways type of car. I would make sure to utilize an OD tranny, as well (even better gas mileage and longer engine life).

A 308 with dual carbs and Hydramatic is a good choice, as well. Properly tuned, you can get 15-16mpg. With the 262 and single carb (properly tuned) and OD, you can probably get closer to 20mpg.

This is a great question and glad to see your are examining all avenues before moving forward. Please let us know of your decision in the end. Look forward to seeing y'all on the road!

[Deleted User]

Excellent answers so far! My car has the overdrive installed already so thats a good thing. It also has a great history going for it which I have paperwork to prove. It was given to Mr. Turvaville as a parting gift when he got out of the Hudson selling business (Cordell Turvaville Motors) in 1950. I have the original order sheet and everything! The story of the dealership was in the WTN back a few years ago. How often does the lifters have to be adjusted on the 6 cylinder engines? I have rebuilt 3 engines in the last 15 years so mechanics are a natural for me, just some of the intricate things that Hudson did back then are a little confusing is all...

[Deleted User]

I would if it ain't broke leave it alone .The last 8 I had was a 1948 coupe with overdrive . Bought a used engine that needed valve job for it. Did valves on it and put about 15,000 miles on before selling. Mostly highway miles 55-80 mph depending. Fuel mileage would vary from 15- 21 depending on how you drove and hills.
So don't let any one tell you an 8 can't be trusted. Remember the showdowns were the last Hudson's.. The old splasher motors are what built the company and its reputation.
Do like I do get towing insurance in case of trouble an a cell phone to call for help . I even set up the lighter plug with a power inverter to charge my cell phone.
That being said the 232. 262. & 308 are definitely better more modern design engines. And will perform well for you , I just think it's a shame to condemn a perfectly fine drive unit,
Roger

Browniepetersen

I have an older 8 and a newer 308 with the single carb. I resently sold a 262 car and a 308 car with twin H. If properly built, and good care, the 8 or the 262 or 308 will give you good dependable service. However, these cars are old and not necessarly easy to fix on the road. Walt has more modifications on his car than most of us could figure out how to use--and the expertise to change, repair and adjust whatever needs adjusting. I have also heard Walt report that he does some extensive inspections/work before going on the road. In my case I would go with the 308, rebuild it with all the goodies (Al pistons, slotted racing rings, solid seats and so on) go with the automatic tranny, single carb and SBR tires I think the engine is as dependable as any new engine and with the upgrades it is a modern engine. (that is what I now have) Happy driving....

Kdancy

Where in Florida are you located?

[Deleted User]

To clarify my remarks above. Yes pull the 8. Use the 262 with single carb. Beings it is 50 Comm. with an overdrive you have the best gear (3.9something) that I believe was only offered in 1950. for the rear axle. My father had a 50 Comm. conv. that he drove for years and it was great on the open road. I believe he could of out ran my Hornet with 4.1 gears. We never tried it because I didnt want to be embarassed. If his spedo. was right he had more top end than I did.There is nothing wrong with the 8 but, highway speed has increased through the years and the only one I know that could get those 8s to hang together with the speeds we drive today was Terraplane Kelly. However he never said what he had to do to them after he got home. lol. I always carried a spare set of points, coil,condenser, water pump, and generator with me on trips. I am of course talking about the 262s from 51-54.Ido agree it is a shame to change a nice 8 . Have you ever thought about leaving the Hudson as is and just buying a used KIA and driving that??? LOL All kidding aside make sure your gear on your oil pump is OK too.

Geoff

If the 8 has been rebuilt it should be good for at least 80,000 miles without any adjustments. How long is it going to take you to do that??? As far as valve adjustments, the 8's are much easier than the 6's to do. And no matter what engine you have, if you get major failure you are not going to be able to fix it on the side of the road. So it's really up to you to assess what you consider the condition of the engine. They are reliable, smooth, and powerful, and providing it has an alloy timing gear, you have nothing to fear. If you have overdrive you are never going to over-stress it at sensible speeds. My two cents worth.
Geoff

oldhudsons

I think a consideration for you might be how fast you intend to drive it on these perhaps extended trips to the West. If you intend to keep up with traffic on interstates, where here in some parts of the West the speed limit is 75 & the "big rigs" will be cruising at 70-75, then I think I'd suggest you go with the 262. The mechanics at the Hudson dealership where I worked felt the Hornet engine overstressed due to the bore, & it will wear out quicker because of that, and said "the best engine Hudson ever built" was the 262.
Personally I've always liked the 8s, the smoothness, but in the heavier stepdown bodies, not much performance as in the pre-stepdown cars.
One of my best HET friends has a '42 8 in his '34 Railton sports tourer into which we put a '40 o.d.; with the alum. body etc. it "loafs" at 70-75 mph.

54SuperWasp

My suggestion would be that, if you're not already a Hudson-Essex-Terraplane Club member, you should get into it and then, you would be able to take the Roster with you with hundreds and hundreds of people willing to help you along your road trip if needed. And don't forget to send us pictures of that trip! Good Luck! Michel

[Deleted User]

I have been a member for awhile now and that is some great advice about the roster! I have read many a story in the WTN of willing members helping out other members in need. Love it! I have most all the receipts from the rebuild, but being a mechanic myself, I really want to at least pull the pan and see for myself inside if its clean, inspect the troughs, etc. How/Why would you shim a Babbitt Bearing? I still have plenty of work to do on the body before any trips are made so I have time. I am looking for slightly wider rims to mount radial whitewalls on too. Someone said late 50's chrysler wheels are wider and bolt right on. Anyone else ever heard this? Also trying to find out if I can still purchase Disk Brake changeover for front from Bill LaBud, club member, or Scarebird but havent done all the homework on that yet. All things to make it safer for road trips. Could be changed back to stock without much work.....

faustmb

I think the key as mentioned by most already is being prepared, ie car in good order, maintenance complete, basic spare parts, tools, manuals etc. For occasional long road trips west, I don't think the engine type is a huge factor if speeds are kept within reason for your setup. I've been told the 8s with OD cruise nicely. Last I spoke with Bill Labud, he was not interested in selling anymore brake kits as he was working on his own projects. Richard Pridemore was in the same situation, so I have since assumed offering the Pridemore kits. PM me if you would more info on those.

Keep us posted,
Matt

[Deleted User]

PM Sent. Thanks!

hudsontech

If you really want to take road trips take the old highways - slower, yes, but there are things to see over there that you won't zipping by at 60 per on the interstate.
And if you really want to experience the thrill of two-lane travel consider joining a bunch of crazy roadies at American Road = http://www.americanroadmagazine.com/ They have a great magazine with lots of interesting ideas and their web site has a forum with people ready and willing to answer questions and give advice.

Hudsonly,
Alex Burr
Memphis, TN

Richard E.

My wife and I drove 8,000 miles last summer in our 1950 Commodore 6 sedan, coast to coast, up to Canada and back to Escondido, CA. We picked up the longest driver award at the National. The car is all Hudson, 262 w/overdrive, '54 power steering, Pridemore disc brake conversion and 6v/12v system so we could have modern AC. We had a great summer, no problems that I couldn't resolve overnight in the hotel parking lot. Keep your HET Roster in the glove box. There is a lot of help and expertise out there in the club. We did interstates when we had to, but the old 4 lane highways are where these cars really belong. Enjoy!

[Deleted User]

Love it!

[Deleted User]

Shims in the babbit bearings are mentioned above .Hudson realy was not big on shims in the 8 cylinder motors .You may find some on a main bearing but basicly the bearins on the rods and mains were honed to size and that was it. Very close fit also , no shims you pull out as the bearing wears like most old engines,
Roger

Geoff

No shims used on Step-down 8's.

RL Chilton

You don't need disc brakes, either. A swap to Hornet front brakes would give a lot more stopping power. Hudsons in general had great braking ability.

[Deleted User]

Hmmmmm.......

Browniepetersen

There has been a lot said in days gone by about the chrysler rims from the late 40's and early 50's. The subject of this rim is strength that is provided by the design of the rim (a small stamped recess about .500 in wide it the area outside the attach plate of the rim). This additional stamp in the metal gives additional strength to support the movement of the sidewall of a SBR tire. It was a big subject ten years ago. A lot of Hudson folks will tell you that they have driven mega miles and never had a rim fail. Not too sure that this is a big issue any more.

lostmind

It is an issue with 54 rims. had one split on the back side and have had several guys tell me they had 54 rims split.

Park_W

I agree withe the recommendations for the 262. If that's an original overdrive car, you'll want to check to be sure you don't have the 4.5 rear axle gears that were standard in most of the OD cars. You want the 4.1 or the aforementioned 3.9.

[Deleted User]

Which recommendations Park?

[Deleted User]

And is there a tag on the rearend signifying what gears are in it?

Park_W

Sometimes there is a tag. Otherwise, jack up one wheel, and see how many driveshaft turns result from two wheel revolutions. The referenced recommendations are the several that appear above, i.e., those suggesting the 262 over a 308 or 232.

Geoff

Possibly, but more likely not. To ascertain the ratio, jack one wheel up, turn it over exactly twice, and count the number of turns of the drive shaft.

[Deleted User]

Maybe this will help you identify the axle ratio-- There were three ratios offered in 1950. The numbers were stamped on the flange of the differential carrier where it is bolted to the housing.4 1/10 is identified by the stamped number 1-10, the 4 5/9 is identified by the stamped number 5-9, the 3 9/11 is identified by the stamped number 9-11. I live in the flat lands and have owned two 1950 comm., a 6 and 8 with overdrives and they both had the 9-11 ratios. you may have to look hard for the stamping. It has always looked to me they were done by hand by a worker with a hand ingraver with not very good penmanship and not very deep.

[Deleted User]

I will check tonight, Thank You!

[Deleted User]

I cant see through all the grease and rust...will try again on the weekend. I am definately leaning towards a warmed up but dead reliable 262 everyone. So many modern parts made for them now by Randy Maas, Uncommon Engineering, etc. Hopefully the old Oil Bath Clutch will handle it!