Those Electric Hudsons

pseftoncomcastnet

I've been very intrigued by the Hudson electrification projects that have been described in the White triangle and other places over the past couple years. It's been a while since I saw an update. This is a coming thing and it would be gredat to heafr about what progress is being made.

Peter Sefton

superwasp

A few months ago a friend and I were discussing classic electrification projects. Both of us have noted a lot of posts on various forums about electric projects that begin and then quickly disappear into the ether. It's pretty common it seems.

pseftoncomcastnet

Agreed but eventually someone is going to pull opne off. My bet is that they won't go public before it is an accomplished fact.

Peter s

50SuperFalcon

it’s old, why electric. Imho it’s useless to electrify anything older than 1980 cause then it looses its charm as an old car , the smell the sounds the taste( yes taste rich mixture never did taste right ) 
no fun being electric 

cheyenne7271

I don’t even want an SBC or LS in my Hudson’s much less disgracing it with electric power. 

35 Terraplane

If they want to jelly them all up fine, OK by me. But the fun part for me is operating a machine from back when you had to actually operate the machine. Like 50SuperFalcon said, the smells & sound, the mechanical interaction.  

superwasp

I haven't seen an electric conversion at a show yet, but I did see a Lucid dealer bring a new unit to a classic show and park it with the classics. I never did see anyone stop and look at it. That guy had a very boring afternoon and evening. 😆

Toddh

Well IMHO, I drive antique cars for the experience. I’m not interested in hot rodding or any ‘modern’ improvement.  The whole point to me is having the time travel experience behind the wheel of a stock antique vehicle.  That’s the fun for me, even dressing up in period attire. I just don’t understand the desire to butcher original cars and make them into something they’re not.  

superwasp

I agree 'butcher' is an accurate term in many instances. The EV setup is really not a drop-in solution and the threads I've read show builders going through amazing lengths to get the system functioning. Some conversions make dropping a big block in a Step down seem trivial. I also think some of these builds become huge $$$ commitments regardless of the approach you use (salvaging a wrecked EV or crate motors). And don't get me started on Ford and their Eluminator debacle. They sold a bunch of people 'crate' motors and have yet to deliver controllers, etc to support them. There are a lot of Eluminator builds stalled from what I've read.

pseftoncomcastnet

Ah, but would Hudson have built an electric Hornet had the modern technology existed? 

Toddh

It wasn’t available and they did not build it. What’s your point? If you want to engage in fantasy by creating a ‘what if’ electric-powered Hudson, it’s your car and your $.  If you’re looking for some sort approval or consensus to support your project on this forum, you’re going to get multiple points of view.  You have mine.  Good Luck

superwasp

I think what this illustrates is electrification of classics is a matter of personal taste just like v8 vs I6, vintage vs modern engines, etc. It comes down to what a person wants to burn his 'Benjamins' on. As far as manufacturing, well, that's a whole other thread... Personally, I think US auto makers are about to re-live the mistakes of the 70s while the Japanese watch... Again.

pseftoncomcastnet

i agree, but it might take Grovers rather than Benjamins to accomplish.

pseftoncomcastnet

I think its about the Hudson spirit, be different!

37 CTS

Electric may have already been done in a Hudson.   Bernie Siegfried the Hudson Engineer, told the story of seeing a 1954 Hudson operating on the plant grounds that drove away making no sound at all.  Was it steam or Electric he wondered.   I have not ever seen
anything more about this, Has anyone else heard of this Hudson lore?

pseftoncomcastnet

Fascinating about Bernie's remenisance! Sadly, a road not taken! 

rusty_apache

I’m excited to see more electrified antiques on the road. My dad always said “I lived that and know what it’s like “ with respect to the sights smells sounds and vibrations of the original drive lines. 

However I would limit conversions to rescuing non running examples as an alternative to total drive line restoration. Destroying a survivor for such a project would be an abomination in my opinion.

pseftoncomcastnet

Yeah, it seems like the best experiments would be to exorcise an SBC or reanimate a basket case. To me an electrified Hudson would be a compliment to, not a substitute for, the running originals.