Hudson Rat Rod?

Unknown

Hey was just wondering if anyone out there has made a rat rod out of a hudson hornet?? Trying to get some ideas for when i do mine in the spring thanks-lucas

rambos_ride

Greenwood65 wrote:

Hey was just wondering if anyone out there has made a rat rod out of a hudson hornet?? Trying to get some ideas for when i do mine in the spring thanks-lucas

Welcome to the Forum!

There are lot's of examples and pictures contained within the Hudson Forum of all kinds of builds...you'll find yourself spending some time looking around!

I'm customizing my 49; it will be primer black - but it isn't any kind of rat('cept the motor ) or rat-rod and I'd be offended if someone called it that :mad:

Rat Rods fall in 2 categories for me

1. Unsafe
2. Safe

Everything else is subjectable because after safety it's more about budget, parts, look etc.

Whatever you build - have fun and just make it safe to drive!

bent metal

I built a rat rod once, not a Hornet though. A 24' Essex, proud to say it was a rat rod all the way and NOT safe to drive on the road. I did cruise it real slow in the parking lot at a Hudson meet. But not safe enough for the streets, just a fun car to make.:D If you wanna' see it it's on Youtube under "Hudson Western Regional". It's the right hand drive, flamed 1924, with a three foot long shifter handle and a beer keg for a gas tank. ...Can't miss it.;)

Unknown

Well i plan on driving it so its gonna be safe. I was thinking of buying a 51 hornet i found and lower it a bit, black primer it, and put some whitewall tires on it, and some sick side pipes. I'm on a tight budget cause most of my money goes into my racecar, but i've always wanted to make one, and i think at age 16 its about time. Thanks for the responses and keep them coming!!!-lucas

[Deleted User]

Hey Lucas, welcome to the forum. I've done a lot of searching on the net to try and find as many Hudson Hornet custom rides as I can possibly find. I've got a '51 4 door, and was also really curious to see what kinds of kustoms and rat rods were out there and what was possible. I haven't seen anything truly 'rat' yet, but thought I'd upload a couple pics that were closest















Here's how mine started out, definitely on the rattier end







I ended up going with flat black for the time being, here's where it's currently at







Keep us posted on what you end up doing!



-Arik

Unknown

Thanks def. will keep you guys posted, ArikEhle your car is almost what i was thinking haha. Do you know if there is such thing as a 51' 2-door? o and what do you have for an engine in yours?just curious thanks

[Deleted User]

Oh yeah, the Hornet was available as a 2 door coupe, a 4 door sedan, as well as a convertible coupe. I've got the original straight-six engine, which thankfully runs pretty well, and I'm definitely planning on keeping it. It's got a surprising amount of power, plus I don't have the budget to really do a full blown custom. I'll probably end up doing a light custom in the long run, and figure giving it a little bit of the rat rod look in the short term will help since there's a still lot to do.



Did you already find one that you're considering buying? Good luck with it!



And 'Bent Metal', that Definitely is one heck of a Rat Rod! Must've turned a lot of heads when you cruised it at the meets.

Unknown

Yea i found one its a 4 door 51' with original engine(just needs to be worked on a bit) and original drive train, pretty much a complete car just has some rust. But the great thing is that this guy is selling it for only $1500!!!! i consider that a steel !!hah

Unknown

Wow that's simply one beautiful ride, is it a commodore?

Unknown

Simply Kickass under the hood !!! wish i had an amazing hudson like yours!:)

Unknown

Even better in the second shot!!! Great ride!-lucas

[Deleted User]

Wow!! Killer ride, I love it! Keep those pics coming, I'd love to see more! What did you do to the rear end (frenched lights, bumper, etc)?

[Deleted User]

sanitary... nice!

MikeWA

The head looks like a polished aluminum model- how do you keep polished aluminum looking good?

bent metal

Great looking engine comp., I like the polished copper lines and brass freeze plugs. Nice touch.:)

[Deleted User]

Where did you get that radiator?

[Deleted User]

Thanks for the info. Can I ask how much they charge for one?

[Deleted User]

Looks great and price is fine. You want quality you have to pay. Besides I only plan on putting one radiator in the car for life so not bad. Want better cooling for the 54 sedan and Hollywood I am restoring. Thanks for the info.

RL Chilton

Hudson308 wrote:

Six hunnerd bucks is alot a' scratch for a radiator to a workin' stiff like me. Heck you can still buy a restorable stepdown these days for that much. But when a local member was quoted $400.00 a few years ago for a complete recore of his original radiator, well... made this deal seem half decent. And it's shiny.

That's true. Also, keep in mind that radiator shops used to be a dime a dozen and now they are few and far between. New cars use plastic radiators that you throw away and replace. Modern technology tells us to repair nothing . . . replace everything.:mad:

[Deleted User]

I just paid $300 for just the core for the radiator in my hornet. That was without labor. My family used to own one of those radiator shops (Hudson's Radiator Service, Inc.) that have now gone because of the modern throw away crap. My uncle still works in a shop which is how I avoided the labor costs of having mine recored.

Unknown

Hudson308 , I'd love to see pics of your ride front to back . i'm in the process of doing my 51 in a mild custom and always like to see others.

mike

[Deleted User]

ArikEhle wrote:

Hey Lucas, welcome to the forum. I've done a lot of searching on the net to try and find as many Hudson Hornet custom rides as I can possibly find. I've got a '51 4 door, and was also really curious to see what kinds of kustoms and rat rods were out there and what was possible. I haven't seen anything truly 'rat' yet, but thought I'd upload a couple pics that were closest



Keep us posted on what you end up doing!

-Arik

This one belongs to good friend of mine. My ol' suspension now sits under this one after a crazy woman took out one corner! It now is being updated with some body work and such.

[Deleted User]

Thanks so much for posting those pics Hudson308!! Very cool stuff. I've been curious about flames over flat black, and it's great to see yours so closely.

[Deleted User]

Hudson308 wrote:

Attachment not found.

The radiator cap is about the nicest touch I've ever seen on a Hudson-Rod.



One heck of a nice nostaligic piece of Hudson lineage.



How did you manage to pull that one off? I have one of those hubcaps, had planned to make a floor shifter knob out of it - but like your idea MUCH better.

Sarah Young

Are you sure we can't convert you into a Jet owner?

bent metal

Hudson308 wrote:

I'd love to see someone do a full-on Jet custom... chopped, sectioned, lowered, louvered n' shaved...

My brother has a Jet that I wanted to customize like that. It's a four door like the black one above and I wanted to chop it about two inches, section it about two inches, lengthen the front doors like a two door would be. Eliminate the "B" pillar and move the back window forward so that the quarter windows would look like a step down hard top. Then make new quarter panels that look like a step down, along with the trunk lid. But, he won't let me touch the car.:( Oh well.:)

bent metal

LOL. That would be a good trick to do all of that in a week.:D Would have to have a hundred people working on it, like they do in those shows.