'51 Hudson Tire sizes & recommendations

[Deleted User]
[Deleted User]
edited November -1 in HUDSON
Hey everybody, I'm new to the site and fairly new to Hudsons. It's my dad that owns the Hudson, so I'll kinda be the middle man for him and the site until I get him online and accustomed to the site.



My dad got a hold of his '51 Hudson Pacemaker 4 door a couple years ago, minus the drivetrain. Recently he acquired a straight 8 & auto tranny out of a '53 Hornet. After a little coaxing, he got the engine running and we're going to be dropping in the drivetrain and replacing the 3 speed column with an auto one. He's begun what little bodywork needs to be done, and is currently on the search for some new tires.



It has stock steel 15" wheels and his owner's manual recommends a 760/15. Obviously a 760/15 isn't still made, so I'm hoping that someone could give me the modern equivalent of such a size and perhaps a dealer. Whitewalls, blackwalls, it really doesn't matter, he's more concerned with the cost to be honest.



Anyhow, any help or info anyone can provide would be greatly helpful.



Thanks,

Charles

Comments

  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    HotRodHudson wrote:
    Hey everybody, I'm new to the site and fairly new to Hudsons. It's my dad that owns the Hudson, so I'll kinda be the middle man for him and the site until I get him online and accustomed to the site.



    My dad got a hold of his '51 Hudson Pacemaker 4 door a couple years ago, minus the drivetrain. Recently he acquired a straight 8 & auto tranny out of a '53 Hornet. After a little coaxing, he got the engine running and we're going to be dropping in the drivetrain and replacing the 3 speed column with an auto one. He's begun what little bodywork needs to be done, and is currently on the search for some new tires.



    It has stock steel 15" wheels and his owner's manual recommends a 760/15. Obviously a 760/15 isn't still made, so I'm hoping that someone could give me the modern equivalent of such a size and perhaps a dealer. Whitewalls, blackwalls, it really doesn't matter, he's more concerned with the cost to be honest.



    Anyhow, any help or info anyone can provide would be greatly helpful.



    Thanks,

    Charles
    First, there were no 8's in 53. Check the serial number on the right front by number one exhaust manifold, that will tell year and model. If it's a Pacemaker it takes 710x15 bias ply tires or 215x75R-15 radials. If it was standard transmission when new then you have a little work to do to install an auto-matic trans. Walt.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Thanks for the info Walt. I'm obviously not certain on the year of the drivetrain. I'll ask him to find the numbers and I'll try and find a pic of the Hornet we took them out of in the mean time.



    He'll be happy to hear good news about the tires. What kinds of problems will we run into with the swap that you know of? We have a deal with the guy we got the drivetrain from so we can get whatever parts or pieces off the automatic Hornet that we need for the swap on the Pacemaker.



    Thanks again,

    Charles
  • RL Chilton
    RL Chilton Administrator, Member
    Charles-

    Not sure of all the specifics, but keep in mind that the "troubles" you'll have are length issues. Hornets are about 5" longer than Pacemakers, and the difference is from the cowl to the front of the car. Pacemakers (PM's) and Wasps used shorter front clip, fenders, hoods and are considered the "Junior" cars, while Hornets and Commodores are considered the "Senior" cars, one, due to the shorter vs. longer wheelbases.

    You're trying to put an 8, which I think is slightly longer than the 6 and a automatic transmission, which is longer than a std. tranny into a car that was not designed to hold them.

    Keep us posted on the progress.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    RL Chilton wrote:
    Charles-

    Not sure of all the specifics, but keep in mind that the "troubles" you'll have are length issues. Hornets are about 5" longer than Pacemakers, and the difference is from the cowl to the front of the car. Pacemakers (PM's) and Wasps used shorter front clip, fenders, hoods and are considered the "Junior" cars, while Hornets and Commodores are considered the "Senior" cars, one, due to the shorter vs. longer wheelbases.

    You're trying to put an 8, which I think is slightly longer than the 6 and a automatic transmission, which is longer than a std. tranny into a car that was not designed to hold them.

    Keep us posted on the progress.
    Russell, all 8's are the same length as the Hornet engine, and will bolt right in. The Hornet will bolt right into a Pacemaker, the same with the 8. I've put Hornets into pacemakers, coupes, sedans and convertibles and never had a problem. The 232 and the 262 are all the same mounts as Hornets. Walt.
  • Uncle Josh
    Uncle Josh Senior Contributor
    Having installed a Hudson 8 in a 52 Hornet, You'll notice that the engine room is short by exactly 2 inches. You'll need to remove the sheet metal at the top front of the radiator that covers a 2 inch gap, and shelve it.



    The 4, L-shaped brackets will be facing the rear and mount the radiator one inch to the rear. Rotate these brackets 180 deg facing the front, and the radiator will move 2 inches forward, giving you the room you need.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Uncle Josh wrote:
    Having installed a Hudson 8 in a 52 Hornet, You'll notice that the engine room is short by exactly 2 inches. You'll need to remove the sheet metal at the top front of the radiator that covers a 2 inch gap, and shelve it.



    The 4, L-shaped brackets will be facing the rear and mount the radiator one inch to the rear. Rotate these brackets 180 deg facing the front, and the radiator will move 2 inches forward, giving you the room you need.
    Just goes to show Hudson had all things planned. To install the automatic he will need the auto cross member from the old car and cut the standard out and fabricate mounts for the auto cross member. This will be the only welding he will have to do. Walt.
  • RL Chilton
    RL Chilton Administrator, Member
    That was part of it, I was corrected on the other part. Also, isn't the crossmember different for std. vs. automatic?

    I thought it was a completely different piece.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Well, just an update as I am talking to my dad on the phone right now...I was mistaken, it is a straight 6 not a straight 8...sorry for the confusion.
  • onerare39
    onerare39 Expert Adviser, Member
    In reply to HotRod Hudson... "Obviously a 760/15 isn't still made"



    Try here - www.cokertire.com



    Ten years ago I purchased two sets of bias ply-tires from Coker and have had no problems with either set, other people on this forum have had trouble with Coker tires though. There are other companies that have these tires available in bias-ply and radial also. Get a copy of Hemmings Motor News, or just use the internet to search.



    John
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Thanks for all the help and info guys. Once we get to the point of actually installing the drivetrain, I'll start a new thread with any questions that arise. To keep confusion to a minimum, I'm going to make a list of all the specs of my dads car.



    Hudson308, to be honest, I'm just more acquainted with other flathead engines and so I mistakenly said 8 instead of 6. LOL, I even helped him take it out of the old Hornet it was in, I just goofed on the number of cylinders. I myself own a '58 Buick with a nailhead, a '46 Ford with a flathead V8, and a '48 Plymouth with a flathead 6. Gotta love old iron!!
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