What is it? I need help with make and model

Unknown

The car I have used to belong to my grandfather. He always told me it was a 1926 Hudson. He's not around anymore, so I need to find other places for information.



I've recently started to work on it again. I got a copy of the Data Sheet for it, and according to that, it's a 1926 Hudson 7 passenger Sedan (did they really consider that 7 passenger back then?)



Now, I also got a copy of the wiring diagram. It looks correct, including the type of ignition and light switch. However, my car has a brake light, brake light switch, and a pair of wires that go up the post that appear to be for a dome light or maybe the windshield wiper motor. The motor is missing and the wires are hidden behind the upholstery, so I don't know for sure. The funny thing is that none of that appears on the wiring diagram for 26, but it does for 27, however, the ignition switch is different on the 27.



So, in searching some more, I noticed that there are door locks inside on the driver's side, but not on the passenger side. And, there is a hole for a door lock on the passenger's side, but not on the driver's side. I suspect it's just the way it went back together when my grandfather did the work. I remember back in the '60's it sat on his lot completed gutted, so who knows where some of the parts came from.



One last piece, the VIN on the title says 57228 but the Car Number on the firewall plate says 577281. No wonder the insurance company questioned the VIN when I switched.



Anyway, I recently re-joined the HET club and ordered the 1920's Hudson video so I have something to work from, but I thought you all might be able to help in the mean time.



Any information you can provide would be appreciated. I've inserted 2 pictures of the car, and you can see more at my web site link below.

hudsontech

Actually, what you have is a 1925 Hudson, according to the serial (vin) number. Followiing from Hudson Reference Sheet No. 17 (1930);



1925 numbers ran from 563493 thru 672227.

1926 numbers ran from 672228mthru 713809 for 1st series and 713810 thru 749999 for 2nd series.



7-P sedans had a pair of jump seats up against the back of the front seat - thus you had 2 Pass in front, 3 on the bench seat in back, plus one on each jump seat. Still a bit cosy for the back seat passengers.



Both 1925 and 1926 Hudsons used the American-Bosch electrical system; for 1925 models: Starter - 926 (used from 1923-1925), Generator - 1276, tho may also use 1281, Distributor - TC-6100 and Ignition Coil - TC-30 (1925-1926);

for 1926 models: Starter - 949; Generator - 1282; Distributor - TC-6322 and Ignition Coil - TC-30 (as above).



One more bit of information. From a Hudson Reference Sheet No. 36 (July 1927) the following colors were assigned to Hudson Serial Numbers 500,000 to 708,000 (Exterior) Body - Dibble Dark Blue; Bonnet - Black Enamel; Wheels - Black;

Interior - Seat Cushions and seat backs - Stripped granite weave no. 167½A; Side walls and headlining - Plain Granite Weave No. 173B



In any event you have one beautiful car there. Enjoy.



Hudsonly,

Alex Burr

[Deleted User]

JC, Many cars of the 20s and some 30 only had an exterior lock on the right front. Wether this was a money saving strategy or what I don't know, but this is why there is an inside lock on the driver side but not on the passenger side.

Nice Car!

BJ--TN

Unknown

As many may not know, in most states and cities exiting your vehicle on the driver side while parked at the side of the road or in a parking space is illegal. In the teens and twenties it was habit for most drivers to exit the passenger side while in these circumstances and thus the key lock on the passenger door. Long time ago (in the 70's) I had asked my grandmother that same question. As she was born in 1894, I figured she would have the answer. True or not? I'll leave it up to you.

rambos_ride

backtohudsons - I'd have to say g-ma was probably right. Remember in the day of this car most roads were still dirt and mud. Pulling the car over you would have most likely exited the car from the passenger side to step onto the curb.



or maybe your grandpa was just way ahead of his time and was in the process of shaving the door handles and locks!

EssexAdv

Lots of States in the 20'ss did not title cars when they were sold. Later, like in the 30's or 40'ss, the State would start titiling. Then the car was titled based on the sales receipt date. I knoe an old fellow who was a Hidson dealer in the early 1920's in MD. He bought a car for his dealership and it took 3 years to sell. That car woudl be a left over in todays verbage. HOwever, it would have been titled as the later date. I also have a 1921 Durant. It was sold in 1922,. Therefore the care is titled as a 22. This is a very common pratice.

hudsontech

Lewis is correct - many states, in the 1930's, at least, and probably earlier, required registration to conform to date (read year) sold, regardless of model. I know of at least one 1929 Essex that turned up as a 1930 model - simply because the date of original sale was in January 1930. There are others running around the same way.

Comes down to the best way to identify year is thru the serial numbers as most manufacturers issued block numbers, ie 500,000 thru 562,599, in most years.

Of course Hudson being Hudson, they had to do things differently - in the 1920's into the early 1930's they ran a "series" system whereby the 2nd series of a given year became the 1st series for the next year. Thus a 2nd Series 1926 model, intro'd in, say July 1926, became a 1st Series 1927 model in either December 1926 or January 1927. This in turn became a 2nd series 1927 somewhere in mid-1927, and so forth.

About the only reason one can come up with for this mish-mash is that Hudson, long before VW's came along, did the same thing as VW did - from about 1920 or 1921 Hudson made line-changes on the cars - thus modifications or changes were done at the beginning of the year or mid-year. An example of this would be the 1927/1928 Essex. After car #610276 the engine size was increased from 144.6 to 153.1 by changing the stroke from 4¼ to 4½. In the case of Hudson it may have been a change in headlight shape, change in the length of the visor over the windshield or some other change or improvement.



Hudsonly,

Alex B