Heidi Hezter now in Argentina

ken1962

G'Day all,

Heidi has now driven through Bolivia and now is in Argentina. The car looks like its blown a head gasket and is full of water as of yesterday. Hopefully she'll have the local chaps flush and clean it and be on her way again.    

fastdagmailcom

Heidi says that the water pump failed and is totally frustrated with mechanics that don't know what to do, according to her posts with pictures.

fastdagmailcom

The instagram website to follow Heidi's travels and picture travelogue is:

https://www.instagram.com/heidihetzer/    

posts are in German with some English translation. 

ken1962

On a side note, if you use the web browser "chrome" you can right click the Instagram site and select translation which converts the German into English making her site easy to read and follow. One thing I don't understand is if the water pump failed how did the water get into the engine crankcase? Doesn't it just bolt to the front of the engine?

Geoff

I'm amazed she has got as far as she has.  This car is totally unsuited to what is expected of it.

fastdagmailcom

http://www.caach.cl/

If Heidi is taking the car to Santiago, Chili to replace the engine,  the above website is for the antique car club and a contact in Santiago.  There is at least a 1929 Hudson six in the club and maybe someone to help her.
Click on the FIVA logo in lower left corner to bring up a contact person.

Wish we could help her!
Del

Jon B

Del, I contacted a handful of Hudson people in South America three months ago and have advised Heidi of their whereabouts.  They seem anxious to help her whenever necessary and (being in local all-make car clubs) have connections to mechanics who can deal with this older stuff.

Of course, if any of our Forum members is aware of specialty mechanics in Argentina or Chile, I would appreciate their either passing this information along directly to Heidi, or to me (and I'll send it to her).  My e-mail address is xxxterraplane@verizon.net (drop the xxx before sending).

ken1962

l'm amazed that Heidi found a workshop that as well filled in the huge hole on the engine block side also recreated the piston crank from nothing Real 1920's solution :-)

Jon B

What's the story about the hole in the engine block?

ken1962

Hi Jon Heidi put pictures of the hole and its repair on Instagram. Seems one of the piston cranks let go and went through the block - probably the real reason why she had fluid loss - Heidi said the car was running rough during the day before it started overheating - I suppose running on 7 cyl isn't much different to 8 cheers ken

Jon B

Could this perhaps have been the result of replacing a "left" rod with a "right"? 

What would cause the rod to twist so?

ken1962

Sounds like she's driving the Hudson as fast as her 1911 Opel racing car

Jon B

Well, she has consciously slowed down, so it might not be that.  At some point recently she had to replace a rod but, not having a "right", had to use a "left" that she was carrying.  (or vice versa.) 

I was not aware you could do that, and wondered if that might have been the cause of the calamity.  I have not asked her yet, if the bent rod was the one that was put in.  In fact, the rod that failed might have been the correct one for its position on the crankshaft.

Geoff

You can use a r. or l. rod in any position simply by reversing the cap, but you must then ensure that the bearing is fitting correctly.  The  chances of getting it bored exactly on centre are very slim, so some scraping and  fitting will always be necessary.  When  Heidi came through N.Z.  with the "new" motor  I had grave doubts she would complete the journey without catastrophic failure, particularly the way she was driving the car.  And Murphy's Law  has a clause that says "All modifications will have  an inverse effect on performance and reliability. "

Geoff 

Jon B

Interesting, Geoff.  So they ARE interchangeable then, in the 1930 eight?

One reverses the cap simply to orient the dipper correctly (to scoop up the oil), correct?  That orientation is the only thing that differentiates a right from a left rod? 

As to scraping the bearing, that must be done for any bearing (of that era of car) not just the 1930 eight...right?

Besides the speed, what were the indications that you observed, which led you to the "catastrophic" conclusion?  Simply the way it had been modified along the way, or were there any specific things you observed?

Geoff

They are only interchangeable in that they must be hand fitted when you  reverse the relationship of the rod and cap.  Obviously the cap must have the scoop pointing the right way.  In theory, if the  bearing was bored exactly on the fore-and-aft and lateral centre-lines then you could just turn it around and away   you go, but the probability of this happening is very low.    As to my premonition,  my ear-ometer told me there were severe problems with the assembly of the internals of the motor, but she would not allow me to  explore further, because it was a "Newly rebuilt" motor, that had been shipped out from Germany.     I did fix one obvious  oil leak, but there was an inherent problem with misalignment of the  retro-fitted alternator and the drive coupling which could only lead to further trouble.   And having only an electric fan was also a problem leadign to overheating.  A friend of mine installed a heavier duty fan, but even this would not shift as much air as a conventional  belt driven fan.  

Jon B

I'm not totally "getting" why the bore through the babbitt would be asymmetrical, but I'll take your word for the fact that these were definitely meant to be "lefts and rights".

But, isn't it true that all "stock" rebabbitted rods must be fitting to (used) crankshaft journals, by scraping of the babbitt?  If so, I wonder if any of Heidi's rods have been thus fitted?  I also wonder how wekk-acquainted the German engine mechanics were, with 1920's-30's U.S. engine technology?

Granted, Hudson engines could be quirky, but when correctly rebuilt they certainly should not have given the kind of problems that poor Heidi is experiencing.  Of course, she has not "babied" the car, that's for sure.

(I remember seeing photos of the Japanese alternator, which appeared to be "cocked" slightly so that it was stressing the drive shaft.)

Jon B

The adventure continues!

Heidi is now in Chile. 

During her drive through Argentina, Heidi found that the engine was developing more and more problems, many of them having to do with the connecting rods.  In fact there is now a hole in the side of the engine.  

One repair followed another.  Modern mechanics are clueless.  The "old school" mechanics are dying off.

In Mendoza, Argentina, Heidi gave up, and had the car trucked 407 km west to Vina del Mar, Chile, northwest of Santiago.  There, members of the local car club -- Club de Autos Antiguos 5ta Region -- are delving into Hudo's engine, trying to scope out exactly how to get this thing running RIGHT so Heidi can continue her trip in peace.  Mr. Lars Sorensen, a resident of Chile and old-car enthusiast (among his cars: a 1934 Terraplane roadster and a 1928 Hudson 7 pass convertible) is a member of the club and arranged all of this. 

So, now, Hudo is at last in the hands of some sympathetic people who know and love old cars.

And in fact, tonight (Thursday) Heidi will attend the Club's Thursday night meeting and supper, as the star attraction!

Tonight the