Hudson Jet

parkerm

I am going to look at a Jet tomorrow. It has twin H a continental kit, 4 door, that is all I know at the moment.
What should I look for?

Thanks for your help.

Marvin

StillOutThere

Rust. Worn front suspension. Play in the distributor. VIN number so you know what model it really is and what equipment it should have.

parkerm

StillOutThere,

Is there any particular place to check for rust, e.g., frame? The Jet was unibody construction so is there any place that is more likely to have rust? To check the distributor do I just grab on to it and try to turn it? Is that how you check for play in the distributor? I assume the VIN is on the passenger side door frame; is that correct?

I appreciate you responding to my question and giving me the information.

Thanks,

Marvin

LHudson

The Jet has a perimeter frame much like the stepdowns, this is one place you should check for rust. Floor boards and trunk is another place that should be checked. The Jet is in the stepdown family, so check it like you would any other stepdown. L Hud

[Deleted User]

As far as distributor play you want to look for play in the bearings . Wiggle the rotor back and forth to see play if any. Some up and down play is ok but none left to right.
Realy though if the distributor is worn out it's not going to run too good ,
Roger

super-six

Is a bad distributor a deal killer? Are these distributors or parts for them hard to find?

[Deleted User]

They are around - every Jet had one .Like any old distributor has replaceable bearings .Made by Autolite and not particular to Hudson so parts are around. I have a couple if needed,
Roger

parkerm

I looked at the jet today. I got underneath and I checked for rust in the perimeter frame and did not find anything. I also so no rust in the floor pans or in the trunk.

I pulled the distributor and I was able to turn the rotor at least half an inch right and left. I suppose as Roger pointed out the bearings must be worn. When I first got there they could not get the engine to start. They tried pull starting and that did not work. Finally one of the guys held the carbs open and finally got the engine running. Once it was warmed up it seemed to run pretty well and it would idle after the choke was adjusted on the carbs.

I test drove it and there is something wrong with the transmission, could have been the linkage but I really don't know. I could not get the car to shift out of first gear even though I could move the shift lever to where second gear would be it was still in low gear. Same thing with third gear I could shift the lever to the third gear position but the trans was still in low gear. Once I had stopped I was actually able to get it to go into second gear.

It is a four door and none of them close very well you have to close them pretty hard to get them to latch. Once they are latched the line does not look right too much gap at the edge. The hood does not line up well either there is a large gap on the passenger side towards the windshield. The gap was large enough to put my little finger through. The trunk has no latch so does not close and lock. It also looks to me that it is out of alignment. The sides of the of the body look straight. I used a magnet around the body and did not find and bondo.

All of he chrome is missing including the badges that should say Twin H. The only chrome left is the jet on the hood and on the front fenders Jet Liner is still there.

The brakes pulled to the left pretty hard.

Someone has painted the engine bay bright red including the cables and pulleys for the windshield wipers. I saw bright red paint on the interior around the dash also. It also looks like they painted the vinyl on the inside door posts white.

None of the gages or radio work It seems like the wiring is in bad condition.

They say they have $7000.00 in it and they know they got beat on an Ebay auction. They would like to get $5000.00 out of it, but I don't think it is worth it.

Any comments?

Thanks,

Marvin

hudsontech

IMHO I think $5k is reasonable - it runs. Everything can be repaired/restored within reason, it seems to me. Depends on how much work you want to put into it. And money. But it appears you have a fairly solid platform to work with.
If I had the money - and was about 20 years younger - I'd consider it.
Hudsonly,
Alex Burr
Memphis, TN

Geoff

Sounds like most things easily fixable. The transmisison problems will be in the selector at the bottom of the column shift - too much end play allowing the pin to disengage from the hub of the shift link. Door strikers are probably worn and will need replacing or building up Check for wear on the two-tooth striker plate. Hood is fully adjustable, just needs perseverance to get it right. Try to beat him down as much as possible. do a compression check of the motor. The play in the distributor could be a worn bronze gear, not easy to obtain these days. However these usually last at least 150K, so check how many miles it has all up. Good luck, I've had my Jet for 42 years, wonderful cars!
Geoff

53jetman

The hood alignment is probably due to unlubricated hood hinges. The doors should be able to be readjusted so the doors close properly. The alignment on the deck lid is also most likely due to lack of regular lubrication. If you have found one with a good sound and solid body and frame, I would think it would certainly be worth considering. The trans. cross shift is also probably needing lubrication which would help take care of that problem, along with proper adjustment of the shift linkage from the steering column to the trans. The first order of business would be to invest in a mechanical procedure manual which would give you all the ins and outs of maintaining and restoring the car.

LHudson

I have been watching Jets sell on EBay. The highest one I saw was in the high 3000 range. Most of them were older restorations. A lot of them were in the mid 2000 range. Jets do not seem to have much of a resale value. The demand for Jets is far less than the other stepdowns. L Hud

53jetman

Resale value is all over the place. A really great '54 Jetliner Club Sedan that was at the 2009 International Meet sold after that meet in five figures, and later resold after an ad in the WTN in the same price area. So, if the restoration is done right, and the car is presented in as built by Hudson presents, it will have decent value. No, no Hudson is going to bring the ridiculous prices you see being ask for '57, '58 or '59 Dodge D-500 coupes, but who's to know if they ever get what they are asking, or are they just bragging about their perceived "High Dollar" car.

Park_W

Anyone wanting a very nice 1 owner '54 Jetliner, there's one in Gainesville, GA. One of two cars remaining from the Herbert Bell collection. Car has between 50,000 and 60,000 miles, as I recall. All options . . . Twin-H, Dual-Range Hydramatic, Continental spare, fender skirts. Paint is 2-tone, green and cream. Family is asking $16,000. Contact Bryant Dunn, bdunn@mingledorffs.com.

[Deleted User]

I have three Jets, The one I restored sounds like it was in about the same condition mine was, But I got mine for far less, (just lucky I guess) the shifter problem is probably in the colum, mine did the same thing, the rest of the problems are all fixable. If you really like it go for it, but try to beat him down some!

barry Smedley
53 Super Jet
and a bunch of Crosleys

Park_W

The Jetliner now on E-Bay for $10,500 looks very nice. Would be good leverage for talking the $16k price down a bit.

parkerm

Thanks Park,

I appreciate the information.
I just got back from the Hershey car show. It got rained out yesterday and today (Thursday & Friday) really too bad.
There were some very nice cars there especially two very fine step down Hudson's.

Regards,

Marvin

nick s

http://chambersburg.craigslist.org/cto/4071979078.html
try this for 5500

parkerm

Nick,

Thanks for the lead

Marvin

ski4life65

That looks fairly decent for the money

parkerm

That car sold for $4800.00. When I spoke with the guy he said he is not a Hudson guy but he really likes old cars. He said it was in very good condition, no rust and everything was tight and smooth.
http://chambersburg.craigslist.org/cto/4071979078.html

I got there too late.

Marvin

hudsonjeff

i just bought a 53 jet 4 door with 38k original miles perfect original interior real nice older repaint and nice chrome and stainless fort 5k. it is a basic model i belief a 1c. i rather have bought a 54 super jet but this one was to nice to pass up

[Deleted User]

Hudsonjeff:

Was that Jet the one for sale in Ohio?

53jetman

HudsonJeff - Please send me your complete name, address and the stats on the Jet. I am the HET registrar for all Jet modesl 1953 & 1954. If you send me your serial number and model and body style, I will include your car in the registry.

hudsonjeff

yes it was the one in ohio. 53 jetman i will send you the info after i pick up the jet