do you drive your Hudson?

Unknown

what i mean is,do you drive your Hudson a LOT? like every weekend,or once a month,or once a year? drove mine about 20 miles down 101 today,had to pick up a Rambler block that had just had hardened valve seats installed.car ran fine,although there's a little vibration that starts around 65 mph but clears up around 70 mph.the guy who owns the machine shop has a 1911 Hudson,along with some other neat stuff.i didn't ask him how often he drives it,but it looked ready to go,as did most of his collection.then again,there's Floyd, who lives in my neighborhood and drops by the garage to shoot the breeze.he says he's glad he met me,as now he has an excuse to get one of his cars out and blow some of the carbon out.

[Deleted User]

Yes I drive mine. This year I drove my 51 Hudson Hornet 3000 miles across Canada. I love driving the car. Its in winter storage now but in spring and summer I drive it every week. Just found some Hudson guys in my area and we are planning to go cruising this summer. 20 Hudsons cruising together should turn some heads.

Park_W

We drove our Hornet ragtop 5,000 miles the first year we had it ('98), and have put 12,000 miles on it since purchase, in spite of its being down for three years after being hit in early '01. I try to drive either it or the '47 C8 every week.

[Deleted User]

Although new to Hudsons, I can tell you that not driving a car is one of the worst things you can do. Mechanical marvels like cars need their various fluids circulated by driving. Mechanical parts need to move. That's how they were designed. The vehicle should be warmed up and driven a few miles or more now and then. Heat from the engine kills any insects that crawl into the engine compartment, it also dries up any moisture (that leads to rust). Tire get cracked from sitting, the list goes on and on. I drive my Mercedes Unimog (army truck) every weekend and this is what keeps it running reliably. How many miles is up to you but I think a nice mix of driving conditions is great for a car. I place more value on a beautiful driven car than a trailer queen. Typically, show only cars don't run as well. You don't have to put too many miles driving a car anyway. Most importantly, you only live once- drive it and enjoy it! Niels

Unknown

Cars are meant to be driven, and with care it is possible to keep your car in good condition whilst using it constantly. I drive my '28 Essex most days, my Jet at aleast weekly, and '29 Hudson regularly. I have one policy - never put them away wet. If it's been raining and the car is wet, I wipe it over with old towels, particularly the chrome. This way moisture doesn't sit and blotch the paint and cause rust to form under the chrome. The Essex has been driven constantly since I first bought it '56, and now covered over half a million miles total. Has had a few spells off the road for essential maintenance, been repainted twice, and re-upholstered. Otherwise it's like Granpa's good o'l axe - had three handles and two heads.

Geoff. N.Z.

Aaron D. IL

Well when my Step-down was driving I was driving it every weekend also. Now it is hibernating for the winter too. But I have to agree. I find that I have so many more problems with the car when it sits for long periods of time than when I drive it. Cars were meant and made to be driven and nothing from the early '50s can do battle with modern traffic better than a Hudson sitting on radials. I understand the anxieties when you pour a lot of money into a project but what's the point in owning it if ya can't drive it? Seems like a lot of money to pour into something just to stare at it. even if it is shiny haha. Have to agree with Geoff too....towling off the car after it rains is good preventative maintainence. Who knows what's in the rain in our atmosphere these days

Unknown

My 46PU w/ hornet seem to like the cold weather. Drive it 2-3 times a mo. I bought it in Minn. last april and drove it home to NJ, 1000 plus mi. Made some repairs the best thing I did was to change the battery cables . Now it starts with confidence and I drive it more. Have triple A (AAA) with 100 mi towing so I don't usualy go beyond that. Although the longer I have it the more I trust it.

Unknown

i tell people all the time,Hudson owners DRIVE their cars! farthest we've been was 150 mile round trip in september.not too bad considering it had mostly sat for the last 35 years before we got it in july and started work on it.drive it 2-3 times a week,i try to go far enough to get the oil hot.nothing worse than condensation in the crankcase.that's always the worst problem for cars that only get neighborhood use,i hate pulling an oil pan and finding an inch thick layer of sludge :eek:

Uncle Josh

Drove my newly restored 49 Commadore to Pitt Nats in July over 1000 mi rt. Drive it several times a week during the season, as well as the 52 Hornadore (with temp Hudson 8) and 36 Terraplane. Hope to have the 47 Pickup out in the spring. It will be a daily work truck.

hudsontech

Seeing all the responses of drivers, does give me hope. I speak here only for New England - seems like a lot of cars DON'T get driven all that much. Let me give you some of the responses I've rcvd at Hudson meets here in New England when I asked people "Where's your Hudson??"

"Looked like rain so I left it home."

"It's really to hot out today, so I brought the brand-x with AC."

"Felt like traveling in comfort, so brought brand-x." - Really!!!

and the best one I've ever heard???

"Well, the road coming over here is pretty rough!!"



Then we have brand-x meets.

"I don't take my car out to brand-x meets - they might charge an entry fee."

"Didn't have time so didn't take it out."

Secretly, I feel to many people are afraid somebody might actually want to "touch" their wonderful Hudson.



Yeah, yeah, I know - people keep asking me "why don't you own a Hudson??" Kids and bills got in the way - contrary to popular beleif military people do NOT make $50,000 a year and have all sorts of money to spend on things like old cars. But I can assure you if I did have one it certainly would NOT reside in the garage.



I've had a Hudson or two over the years - a '53 Hornet sedan in the early 70's comes to mind. Did it sit in the garage - NO WAY. I used it for a daily driver, and would do so today.



Now, for those of you who wonder if I'll sign my name to this - read on, MacDuff.



Hudsonly

Alex Burr

New England Chapter

HET Member since 1969

[Deleted User]

Although it is now in storage, due to my by-pass surgery, my 54 was driven at least 2-3 days a week and after I get the green light to drive it, from my doctor I'll be on the road again. I have already planned a trip for mid May/early June to Charlotte NC. About a 6/7 hour drive from here. If you don't use it you will lose it............Drive em or let em rust? I'll drive Mine....

Bob Hickson

BJ--TN

Club Coupe

I drove mine 140 miles today. 54 degrees, sunshine and a Hudson. Doesn't get any better.

TOM-WA-

Have had my car a little more than a Month and I drive it all the Time. Rain Hahahaha I live near Seattle and the Hudson Loves the rain...My car is probably the first Hudson many have seen in these parts for years.



Seems as tho many of the Other Hudson folk in these parts are afraid to take their cars out of the Garage als..What a shame...



Most of the enjoyment is in sharing the car and the Nostalgia with others...Amazed at how many Youngsters love the car also

Uncle Josh

First whole day to Pitt was in driving (npi) rain. Mostly w/o wipers. Made me a believer in Rainex. I love mixed make shows 'cause you're the coolest car there. I invite people to sit in the car. They can't believe it but they love the cars.

Unknown

Hudsontech, I really enjoyed your post. As another Hudson-less member it was good to hear from someone else who also does not own a Hudson. The members of this club are a great bunch of people and the ones that I have met since I have rejoined the club have made me welcome, but occasionaly you do get the feeling of being a bridesmaid. I wonder how many others without cars or only own a #5 there are.

Unknown

SRCraftsman2 wrote:

I wonder how many others without cars or only own a #5 there are.

what's a 5?

Unknown

i never cared about the numbers...

Unknown

the only thing keeping model A prices up are the hot rod guys buying them for the bodies,it's hard to find people who want a car that only goes 45 mph.every time i think Hudson prices are sure to drop i'm proven wrong.our car ain't pretty,but it's mechanically sound.

Unknown

George, are you driving your Olds-powered Hudson to the Hudson Natls, Reno, in July? If so I want to check it out. I'm still interested in the motor/tranny.

[Deleted User]

I can't seem to get started on my project for driving it.



I didn't grow up around these cars. I never took a ride in an electric o/d car until I got the Super Wasp. I never had a ride at road speed in a car of this age and was amazed at the ability to roll down the highway at 70 mph with every window down and not hear the first bit of wind.



In short, this car shocked and awed me. I may never get it completely fixed to showroom status - I'm having too much fun with it as it is now.



And, I was among the Hudson-less Hudson enthusiasts for years.



Long live the flathead!



Mark Hudson

Unknown

I had more fun this past year than I've ever had with my'48. The whole reason I made all those mechanical changes was so I could "DRIVE" more! Besides driving around town just about every day, we took it on our Vacation to Hardy,Ar., Family get-togethers in Mississippi, and really enjoyed how the car drove to Pigeon Forge,Tn. for a Chapter Meet. All this, without a single problem! The only bad thing, is that it takes about an hour to fill it up. 5 minutes to fill the tank, and 55 minutes to show-off the car and answer questions!(ha) I've taken the engine compartment apart again, so I can paint and detail it, but it'll be burning up the roads before long again!

[Deleted User]

wkitchens, how right you are about gassing up. I have yet to gas up my 51 Hornet without answering questions or taking compliments about my car. When I was on the road this summer I was in paying for gas at a rural station. when I come out my Hornet was surrounded by seniors. Seems a tour bus was going by and some of them saw the car and had the driver pull over. Took me about an hour to get going again. Everyone had a story. It was good for me as anyone who said they owned one got a complete grilling from me.