1941 hudson deluxe six going in for safety check wish me Luck

BernieBuechman

To all those people who have helped me along the way as I had purchased this car in nov-11-2017 I Thankyou.
I am very much new at this and Have been so Lucky to have found this Hudson site. I came home form work today had the safety check lined up and moved my car down the driveway at lunch so I would have it ready to get it to the garage later.
well if I did not see a coolant trail it seems the rad has a leak somewhere on the bottom.I checked how bad and decided to get it to the garage 2 miles away thank God I made it. So wish me luck with this special car as it is special in every way that I do not need a big bank account to have it put on the road.

                                                                                   Thanks to all those Hudson Lovers who Got me Here

                                                                                          Bernie In Pembroke, Ontario Canada

onerare39

Good Luck, hope you pass with flying colors.

Jon B

I still have "regular plates" on my '37 and run it through inspection every year.  (Where else are you going to find someone to give your car a thorough going-over, and let you know about possible problems, for a mere $16?)  This car isn't a trailer queen, but a "driver", and I don't intend to drive an unsafe car.

So, best of luck, but if you fail inspection you'll presumably have a chance to make things right, and drive with the assurance of knowing your car is in tip-top shape.

Val

Best of luck to you Bernie may she pass with flying colors and be the driver you want her to be

BernieBuechman

Well today was the Day the Day I would like to forget. my 41 went through the safety check it should have been easy since when I bought the car from the former owner from stratford Ontario it was to have been immaculate the add on kijjii said the same it looked damn good. after some 40 emails the car was delivered to me and it still looked great. so I bought it. Trusting the person who owned it on his word and reputation. 2 time Stanley cup winner why would I not take him on his word. well I am old school I trust people believe there are good honest people out there si I took my inheritance from my Dad and pulled some money from the bank and bought a car I thought was little wrong with.
the only thing wrong was me. pinion seal done, rear axle seal done and even some more serious issues. I work for minimum wage and the car looks like it will need some 5 to 6 thousand dollars in work. I had asked the seller to safety it but he said his mechanic said it needed a few things that's all. I am so let down I had know idea in hind sight I suppose I should have gone to Stratford and had a garage look it over that the seller did not know. I paid a good dollar for this car which right now is a parts car. shame on me for
trusting the sellers word my fault and well I should have been smarter than that. I bought this car on nov-11-2017 rememberance day in memory of my Dad I can only Hope I can
get through this and get my car road worthy one of the sadest Days of my Life. Thanks for all the  

MikeSheridan

What did they say was wrong with it?

Jon B

Perhaps the best thing right now is to open up a beer, sit back and relax, and review what exactly is wrong with the car.  Did the safety people find problems?  What are they?  Generally, when it comes to "mechanicals", these old Hudsons are repairable fairly inexpensively with a little elbow grease on your part.  I'm sorry for your experience with the seller, but as to the matter at hand: let's hear what's wrong with the car and we can perhaps lead you through this problem with minimal fuss.

BernieBuechman

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to understand my feelings on this as I paid a good amount of money for this car and well It is serious enough pinion seal gone,axle seal gone, I can not mention the next issue as it is very serious something you never want to see. So I sent a detailed email to the seller about all of the problems with my immaculate 41 Hudson and I am waiting for a reply, if I get No reply I will send a letter to him. this seller won the Stanley cup with Detroit and tampa bay and sold me the car telling me it needed few things for the safety as to his mechanic. I am not sure if I can save this car now but I am not done with the seller. I am waiting as I said to hear from him as if he is a caring person he will get back to me we shall see. Oh I forgot the rad is gone as well I had to ride it very carefully to the garage for the safety. The rad looked like new. This is my first old car I ever purchased I should have been more careful about my purchase. The car is at the garage and will be for over a week. I was so excited when I bought this car and I am where I am now very let down I can not believe I fell for all of the talk and photos of the car. Oh and by the way I am having that Beer now

                                                                        Thanks To All who Care about my car

                                                                                      Bernie

MikeSheridan

What do you mean, you don't know if you can save this car? The issues you have listed so far are minor. How much did you pay for the car in the first place? Why would there be a problem that you don't want to mention? Who cares what the guy you bought it from did for a living?  What has that got to do with it? Collector cars are old and require some level of upkeep. If you can't afford to spend $50 or $100 on a seal, you really should find a different hobby. Don't scrap the car, there are plenty of people who will buy it from you. 

Val

I agree with Mike on all points made. The issues you mention are easy fixes. And these old cars require a little TLC once in awhile. 

Jon B

I have to emphasize: your car (a 1941) was a very popular one.  Parts are available, new, from Hudson vendors (and some are actually still available through auto parts stores, brand new), at reasonable rates.  If necessary to replace something in used condition like a transmission or rear axle, these are available, used, from Hudson vendors as well.  This car is not a Duesenberg!  The mechanical components are simple and relatively inexpensive to repair.  You can replace the seals that you mention, by yourself.  A good local mechanic can also do this stuff (but do get a recommendation from fellow old-car enthusiasts in the area, before choosing one).  Enjoy that beer, let us know what the problems are, and we can work through this issue together.

ski4life65

I agree with Jon. Seals are easy and available. Not sure what the other issue is, but Hudson cars are easy to work on. Old cars need constant attention, but worth the effort.

MikeSheridan

So, Bernie - I saw you on this site last night. No further information on your Hudson?

BernieBuechman

Hi Mike,

No the car has been at the garage since last Thursday. I have little money left since buying this car and I really do not have the place to do the repairs. How long do you figure it would take a mechanic to change these 2 seals. Like I said I do not have a garage or a lift and I have a bad neck problem. So do  I need a pinion seal and a axle seal will I need a differential gasket as well.

                                                       Thanks again Bernie 

KustomKreeps

Dude you can do these jobs out in your drive way or side of road. Wont take long at all to do. If unsure what to do and what even a XYZ is then do a google & youtube for similar years even different makes as its all pretty much the same with these old girls.

And download the manual then get it printed off double sided and bound.  http://hudsonterraplane.com/tech/1941/1941HudsonOwnersManual.pdf

Then ask questions relating to what ever the job is. Even if you feel it is the most stupid rookie question that you are sure every guy must know but you some how dont. These HET guys here know an astounding amount of technical info on the old cars. and are alot more helpfull than many other classic car communities.

Hell they tolerate me with my hotrod ways telling every new guy to swap out the inline 6 engines (mostly just to get the old guys going I admit but dont tell them that)

As for the rad. It is not some new Alloy jobbie my man. A guy with a torch will get that sorted in five mins for you.

Give us a list of whats wrong. With luck the guys will let you know what order to tackle things and how serious it really is.

One good thing about restoring old cars compared to hotrodding is you have a manual and other guys with exactly the same machines to offer advice. Tell ya it was much easier restoring my 52 Buick than customizing my 49 Hudson.

Welcome to old cars!

KustomKreeps

ps.

Seems like a good time to....

Swap out the old inline and throw in a V8 or 12!!!

>.> just couldn't help my self.

Jon B

Bernie, it might be a good time to stop and take stock of where you stand.

By their nature, cars built in the 1960's and earlier, need more maintenance than more recent ones.  Nothing terribly expensive or time consuming, mind you, but they do need "looking after".  For example, they need to be lubricated every 3,000 miles or so.  And the oil will need to be changed about every 3,000 miles.  And from time to time, the engine will need a tune-up, with new points, condenser, and so on.  You will either have to pay someone to perform these tasks, or you will need to learn to do them yourself.  (If you are like me, you will put them off indefinitely!)  You don't need a garage or a lift to do these things yourself but you will have to get under the car on a creeper, or reach down into the engine compartment.  

More importantly, you just said you do not have a garage.  How are you storing the car?  Is it under a carport?  Covered with a tarp?  Is it sitting on the grass, on concrete, or on gravel?  These older cars do not survive when sitting out in the elements; they rust away and the paint fades.  Despite living out in the country, I myself have no garage or barn to store my '37, so I bought a used, enclosed car trailer for $3,000, and that serves as my garage.  Some guys have inexpensive portable plastic and metal shelters for their cars.  A couple of my friends purchased ready-built, one-car garages for their cars (for roughly $3,000) and had them unloaded onto concrete pads in their yards. There are work-arounds for every challenge, even if you don't have a lot of money!

Before you go much further, you need to consider storage and maintenance of your car.  These considerations need not present huge problems, but you do need to tackle them, or your new purchase will go downhill fast!

MikeSheridan

Bernie - the seals are maybe $20 (US) apiece. Labor might be $100 or $150. You don't need a differential gasket to replace these seals. These seals would not cause you to fail any safety inspection I have ever seen. They might note it. There are lots of these old cars with slightly leaky pinion seals. All the seals are suspect after 60 or 70 years if never replaced. As Jon said, you will require some maintenance every year. Should be in the $100's of dollars, not the $1000's. It needs to be stored inside.

iceblade10

I guess Tim "The Toolman" Taylor ended up just being a tool.  

Bernie, did the inspector give you a detailed list of what needs to be done?  Where is this $5-6K in repairs number coming from?  Perhaps if you post the list, we can take a look at it and give you some actionable advice to fix things cheaper and easier than you'd think can be done.

Do you have any pictures you can post?  Or the original ad perhaps?  I'm curious to what this car looks like.

Take a deep breath... things will get better as you learn more about this car.

KustomKreeps

Following on from Jons ideas of shelter for a car.
Many blokes over here use old sea crates. Can pick them up very cheap- translated to US Dollars it would be 1k - 2k delivered sometimes cheaper. All steel. Lockable. Some even cut doors in the side etc to make getting in/out easier.
It can be bleeping tight sometimes though but yes the old cars fit. Its how they all get down here to NZ. Seen wide fat Cadillac whales stashed away in them so your 41 would be fine. Took the pic below of the Buick that would be a tad wider than a 41 I think.