new member and owner hudson six touring sedan 1937

alansking

Hi I am a new member based in the UK , have in the last few months acquired a 1937 Hudson six touring sedan in South Africa and have shipped it over to the UK where it arrives tomorrow , the car is pretty original and was being used as a limo, I have not laid eyes on it having bought it sight unseen but my two sons went over and said it's a beauty so I will know how accurate they are soon. The car is a right hand drive but chassis number indicates it was built in the USA.

Hope to learn from you folk about these awesome cars.

Jon B

Welcome to the Forum, Alan!  Feel free to post your comments or questions in any of our categories.  1937 was a pretty popular pre-war year (for both Hudsons and Terraplanes) and we have a lot of experts in those cars, on the Forum to answer your questions.


In the meantime, if you're not yet a member of the H-E-T Club you may wish to consider joining, as it can provide you a lot of information as well as a key to the worldwide Hudson network of owners and enthusiasts.  http://www.hetclub.org/  

RL Chilton

Welcome to the forum, Alan.  Please post pics when your "new" car arrives.  We all love pics.  You'll find lots of help and answers to questions here on the Open Forum.  

hudsonsplasher1

Welcome to the forum Alan!  Love the 37's.  I own a 37 Terraplane.  Like said before, please post pictures.  We love pictures.  

Gene.

PaulButler

Alan,

Good to see another UK member coming on board. We're growing slowly but surely! Joining the HET is a good idea as well ; I recommend it

Car sounds great. As Russell & Gene say pictures are always welcome!

alansking

Hi have added a pic of the car hope it's pretty clear .

alansking

For those in the know and who will undoubtedly know more than me here are details I have for my car, chassis no. 731510 and engine no. 366582 according to specs I have this means the car is 122" wheelbase and was built in the USA , the car is rhd which should indicate an Australian vehicle I believe but numbers not correct for this, but then perhaps more insight can be given from those on the site.

Jon B

I may be wrong but I think the American plant built its export cars there, including right hand drive.  I don't think they had to be built in Australia to have that feature.  (I've seen a RHD 1937 convertible sold new in South America with RHD -- and I'm sure they didn't bring that in from Australia, originally. 

My car was actually exported to Denmark when new in 1937 (it has a kilometer speedometer) and I know they had no assembly plant in Denmark, plus the serial numbers are "American".

As I'm sure you know, there was a Hudson assembly plant in the London vicinity, but you seem to be saying that the serial number would have been different from the U.S. number, for the car to have been built there.

hudsontech

Welcome aboard.  You'll find this is the greatest bunch of car nuts you'll ever associate with.  As the unofficial club slogan says - "Come for the cars - Stay for the people".  So true.

Your new car is a Hudson Custom 6 and appears to have been built near the end of the 1937 production run - serial numbers for your model were 73-101 to 73-6913.  We have no production figures for 1937 cars - but there were 19,848 shipped out.  Again we don't have a break-out of what the serial numbers would be for overseas shipments. 

Being RHD doesn't necessarily mean it was originally an Australian model - it could well have been shipped in knock-down to South Africa.  They drive (or did) on the wrong side of the road, just like most British colonies and home country.

The motor number indicates the engine is not original to the car - 1937 engine numbers ran from 90,000 to 97,082.  On the other hand that number may not be the engine number - but it could be a casting number.  Somebody didn't know where to find the engine number and took the casting number on the side of the block to be the serial number.

Anyway, enjoy you new Hudson.  They are great cars to own and play with.

Hudsonly,
Alex Burr
Memphis, TN

alansking

Hi thanks for all the info, I know little about Hudson's in South Africa so surmised it may have come via a more southerly route, it could well have been assembled in uk plus of course the engine number is very possibly wrong being read off the casting number. The car docks tomorrow and it looks like we will collect Monday or so.

I will then check all the detail.

Looking forward to picking her up.

Park_W

Welcome, Alan.  If you're not aware already, you'll find there are quite a lot of Hudson owners in the UK,  You'll likely want to join the Railton owners club there as well as the Hudson Club here in the USA.  Wife and I just got back from the Isle of Wight and the West Country.  Nine days and not a drop of rain!  Where do you live?

alansking

I am based in lincolnshire , used to live in the kopies ( bigger then hills smaller then mountains) of magaliesburg south Africa have been here for 5 1/2 years I am of Irish / Cornish decent so made move to uk easy.

46HudsonPU

Hi Alan,

Can you post a picture within a thread/post (attach a file, at the bottom, below the area where you type-in a response)? 

The picture posted within your avatar is small, but it looks like a very nice car.

Jon B

Stanley Motors, Ltd. in Joannesburg was a dealer.  I'm told that they also assembled Hudsons which had been shipped to South Africa ''knocked down'.
 
 A local company even brewed its own brand of clutch oil called Savonite or Savotex (can't recall which).

There is supposedly an independent Hudson club there.

alansking

Here is hopefully a bigger pic

alansking

Here is a pic of another Hudson available in SA.

alansking

Hudson pics I was sent

lostmind

That is the first 37 I've seen in white. The color makes it look different. Appears to be good condition.

Good luck with your adventure.

alansking

I think the colour is not original but we will see, the car has after I bought it featured in an article and a calender in SA , this was while it was waiting for a new water pump it needed, I want to find out its history if possible as by a strange twist it may have belonged to one of my uncle's in the old Rhodesia . Looking forward to seeing it in the flesh soon. Although my two sons had the privilege when they were in SA two months ago.

alansking

I have just been informed of four Hudson's available in SA
1. 1947 Commodore 8 coupe -  complete project motor starts
2. 1947 Sedan - complete project motor starts
3. 1947 Pickup - complete but a total project uncertain of motor condition
4. 1947 Super six sedan  - really only a spares car.

I am waiting for pics of these cars may be worth while, the agent selling them has sold me other cars and he is honest and reliable, if anyone is interested contact Tony at www.oldcarsandtrucks.co.za.

I wish I could buy them all but can help with advice for shipping etc. I want to see them back on the road.

hudsontech

There's a lot of 1937 info in the online library - check out the 1930-1939 section under Manuals, Bulletins, Reference Sheets, Sales and Merchandisers.  There is also a 1930-1939 Chassis Group Parts and 1930-1939  Body Group parts along with a 1934-1937 service manual.
Check it out at:  http://hetclub.org/burr/lithomepage.htm

Hudsonly,
Alex Burr
Memphis, TN

alansking

Hi Alex

Thanks for the info, must also add the price for all four Hudson's available in SA is R95000 which is approx $9000 for the lot, about £6000 , shipping for all four dependant on where they are going, but approx £3500 to uk if they can all be crammed into one 40' container.

I will check out the above info for mine thanks Alex .