Hudson “Big Boy “

50SuperFalcon · February 5

Hey all,

Im getting a Hudson pickup 46-47 , no driveline but a complete parts car . Going to do a restoration on it .

Im wondering what is recommended as a Hudson driveline , I’m thinking 262 . Everyone has a 308 and I have a 262 in my 50 Super and love it . Any thoughts? I’ve heard the 212 rad wont work with that motor upgrade.

Also I keep hearing that I’m not going to fit , I’m 6ft is this a problem? I don’t really plan on driving cross country but do wanna drive it around town and maybe to visit my mum 200 miles away on occasion.

Thanks a ton

-Blake

Courtesy Man · February 5

Hi I used a 308 in my 47 PU and a Hornet radiator. Also a 3:50 to one 71 Cougar 9 inch rear axle. Made my own motor mounts to drop engine slightly lower to avoid interference with stg arm. I had 3 speed with O/D. Sold the truck. Ran well. I am 5 ft 8 was snug but fine. Where are you located ? I am building 308 with new parts to sell. Also have other non running Hudson engines. Gert in SLC, UT

50SuperFalcon · February 5

Was the hornet rad any different from other step down rads?

Im looking to use as much Hudson as I can , it needs to be powerful enough to pull my 59 airstream 24’ . I know the Hudson rear ends are a slight weak link but still stout .

Courtesy Man · February 6

My opinion is to go with the Hornet engine and replace the rear axle - bad gear ratio and fragile components almost 80 years old - like me. Gert

50SuperFalcon · February 6

I’ll keep that in mind thanks!

paulrhd29nz · February 7

I’ve got a straight 8 in mine with overdrive. I love it. I’m 6’-3” and have no problems driving.

superwasp · February 8

Since you're planning to pull with it you'll want to give a lot of thought to number of gears and ratios given your location. Keep a Gear Vendors in mind as you can get more than 4 gears/ratios without going into the computer driven world. They aren't cheap even when used, but for your application I'd strongly consider one.

cchancel · February 8

262 wide block is a great engine that peps up with tuning and higher compression. It should throw less heat than a 308 - making cooling a bit easier. The radiator for a 212 is highly unlikely to keep a Big-6 cool. I would recommend talking to a a radiator shop about what might fit and still provide adequate cooling (A stepdown radiator might adapt, but I don't know). Of course shrouding and fan placement make a huge difference.

In 1951, the Hornet had a slightly better fan than the other models. The picture shows an older pre-1951 4-blade Hudson fan (bottom) compared to what was the Hornet came with (top). The "tweaked blade" style does move more air. There are other modern fans on the market that move more air.

The Hornet radiator was the same as the other stepdowns. Here is a new-made aluminum radiator that I currently have in my 1951 Super 6 (painted black): https://cgj.com/product/hud-3403b-aluminum-1951-54-hudson-radiator

I hear the truck cabs are fairly tight for the tall and/or wide.

50SuperFalcon · February 8

@paulrhd29nz - Thank you , I’ve been concerned about fitment of me in the truck .

@super651 - Id be pulling something every few years , I live in the airstream mentioned . I hate moving haha as I think a lot of us do .

@cchancel - one thank you for the in depth reply. I had problems with my 53 Hornet with cooling (it was a 7X granted ) .Maybe a shroud off a Studebaker hawk would do the trick 🤷🏻‍♂️. I’ll have a look at that fan. Thanks! I’m tall , no wider then a string bean though lol

50C8DAN · February 8

Wildrick sells an aluminum radiator just for this conversion: https://www.wrphet.com/hudson-cooling-system-parts

4th item down on the page.

Courtesy Man · February 8

I did not remember that I had the 212 radiator in my 47pu with 308 engine. When i shut the engine down the radiator would belch coolant out - about a quart. I improved that by installing an aftermarket radiator fan -non-electric- with a spacer I machined for proper spacing from fan blade to radiator. Helped but also added overflow recovery container. Could still have been improved with adequate capacity radiator. On a hot day I would have to turn on heater to help cool. Uncomfortable. Back then I was unable to find a better bigger radiator. Gert

50SuperFalcon · February 10

@50C8DAN- thanks for that! I had no idea Doug had that , that saves me a lot of time and phone calls . Expensive but worth it .

@Courtesy Man - The radiator fiasco has been one of the biggest concerns for me , I’m glad Dan mentioned Doug’s option of a proper replacement.

54coupe · February 10

Back when I had my truck, I had an an '47 eight cylinder radiator in it, and it worked really well with the 262.

50C8DAN · February 10

At Hershey we had a Canadian Hudson truck owner come by the both asking how he could keep his 308 cool. I asked him if he was still using the 212 radiator and he said yes but that was not the problem as he had installed an electric fan. Several others told him it did not have the capacity regardless of the fan, but he left unconvinced.

50SuperFalcon · February 10

@54coupe - I never thought of a I8 rad , that was only available in the commodore right?

@50C8DAN - I hate electric fans, more problem then there worth in my opinion, more rows better cooling . That’s amazing that people don’t understand it , I also don’t understand the whole aluminum radiator fad .

54coupe · February 11

Any Hudson, Super or Commodore, that was equipped with an eight cylinder engine in 46 or 47 would have that radiator. I have one in my shop that was supposedly gone through many decades ago, then only used for a short period of time, because the rebuilt engine leaked oil profusely. I'm not sure where you are located, (I'm in So. Cal.) but I'm sure freight would not be cost effective.

50SuperFalcon · February 12

@54coupe - I’m in No Colo , freight would be spendy . I know some of the guys in the local club would have some things like that . This is a project that probably won’t start till this summer if not this fall .

Courtesy Man · February 12

I am in SLC, UT and have a rebuilt 8 cyl 46-47 radiator - I believe it is w/o shrouding. Will have to look and probably check dimensions. Do not want to try and ship. If I still have it when you are ready save this ad and check with me on cash & carry price. HETgtkristi0@gmail.com (remove the HET) Gert

50C8DAN · February 12

Speedway Motors has a lot of different aftermarket shrouds that may work for you:

go to their site and search for cooling or fan shrouds. The link cannot be posted for some reason?

50SuperFalcon · February 15

@Courtesy Man - Thanks Mate! Will do

@50C8DAN - When I get around to it I’ll take a look if I have problems . Thanks!

Hudson “Big Boy “

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