Hudson "Woody" Junker

245

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  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Some pictures of the Wood Hudsons that have been spoken about follow:











    Peter K, I remember well some very good times with Carl and Charlie while visiting thier stomping grounds. Late nites at the AM garage and swaping Hudson yarns over coffee at Bobs Big Boy. Seems like a long time ago... but the memories are crystal clear.
  • oldhudsons
    oldhudsons Senior Contributor
    RL - what a very nice compliment, TY!
    Reminds of another "woody" I know of, ostensibly a '41 that belongs to the owner of K-GAPs father. I've never seen it but Perry has told me about it, supposed to be a '41 (kept in a garage not at their house).
    There is also a wonderful '37 T wagon floating around somewhere that was restored by a guy in N. J. many years ago. I used to have some good photos of it he sent me but I'm afraid I lost them. Ah, I remember his name was Fred, don't remember last name. They were large color prints he sent as I'd "turned him on to the car" in the 1st place.
    Reminded me of photos Janet & Press sent me of a very nice looking '37 T conv. they saw in L. A.
    Always seemed odd to me that there seem to be some really outstanding HETs floating around the country, and world for that matter (such as Swedish Italia who's photo just hit the posts here), and often don't belong to HET Club members.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    So, where's the pictures awready!:woohoo:...slim
  • lostmind
    lostmind Expert Adviser
    Are those trim pieces on the bottoms of the fenders original Hudson
    or put there by the custom builder?I have some and I'm trying to identify them.
    Any ideas?

    Thanks Roy
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Update #5

    Last night I stopped and took shots of the whole shebang, using a flash, but the shots were taken at dusk and when I downloaded them to my computer I found that they all came out too dark to be of much help to anyone. In effect, they would each have had to be explained and even then, they weren't clear enough. I need to take them over again, and because I am away from 6:30 am until 6:30 pm, and sometimes later, every day of the week. I will somehow have to make arrangements to be able to shoot them during a sunny day. When will that be? I can't say. I will do my best to take and post them ASAP.
  • oldhudsons
    oldhudsons Senior Contributor
    Roy - those were optional accessory items.
    R. L. - having found hundreds of photo as per note to Slim below think I'll start scanning some of them along with accompanying story. Many are black & whites, would never come out, but will do my best with the best of them that I think group might find interesting, rare, etc. Won't be able to begin this in earnest until return from sojourn to Calif. next week.
    Slim - "seek & thou shall find", LOL. Did just that. Have 2 large 3 ring binders of photos my 1st wife & I took beginning in the mid-60s - I hadn't looked at them for years, just did & tucked in there was one of the big pictures of the '37 wagon. I'll try to get it scanned & posted before have to leave tomorrow for All-Calif. Meet.
  • oldhudsons
    oldhudsons Senior Contributor

    here's the '37 T wagon - Jon may know more about it's fate since this photo taken in '77.
  • 53jetman
    53jetman Senior Contributor
    The four piece trim set on each of the rear areas of the fenders was a dealer installed item that an owner would purchase to dress up his new car. I had a set of them in my stash some time ago, and "41 Hudson" purchased them from me thru ebay. They were first made available in 1940 I think, and then carried over thru 1941. Of course, they could also be used on the '42 woodies and commercial vehicles since no trim was installed at the factory.

    Jerry
  • lostmind
    lostmind Expert Adviser
    Thanks Jerry,
    I was pretty sure they were Hudson because they came from
    a place where I worked that was a Hudson dealer.I have 9 pieces.They do match the rear fender curve.I will consider them
    1940-1942 acessory.There's a lot of knowledge on this forum!

    Thanks again Roy
  • oldhudsons
    oldhudsons Senior Contributor
    yes, they were an accessory, came in a package. I had a set of them in the original sack & sold them, perhaps to Bill A. for his wagon which as you can see from photos above, have them.
    If you have the part # you can look it up & it will tell you when they were available (such as in Interchangeability book).
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]

    Update #6

    OK Gentlemen, this is what you've been waiting for. Try not to wet yourself when you see these photos. I took them this evening, and they seem good enough to post, and let you drool at the results! [Actually, now you will see what a hot fire and 50 years of weather can do to a rare old Hudson!]

    Feel free to comment as you will, you won't hurt my feelings.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    There is talent within the community that can take this chassis and use it to recreate the wooden Hudson it once was. Difficult as it may seem, there have been restorations of similar Hudsons. Thanks for posting the pictures and bring this car to the attention of the folks who visit this BBS.
  • SamJ
    SamJ Senior Contributor
    That's definitely an 8 in there. Looks like a job for Paul Schuster!

    Here's a photo of Hedley Bennett's terrific '38 from London, Ontario.



  • bent metal
    bent metal Senior Contributor
    edited September 2011
    Well, it's what you said it would be. Burnt down and sitting outside for fifty years in upstate New York.:dry:

    I see some things there, it was a woody. It's a forty-two.

    But I still need the numbers. I've just gotta know if the numbers match. Was this really an eight?!?!?!:) Originally.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    edited September 2011
    Whoa. It's everything you said it wasn't.
    We asked for it and here she is in all of her glory!
    I think I may see a restorable fan blade in there.
    Guess I'll just slowly back away and let her continue to decay with dignity...slim
  • Marconi
    Marconi Senior Contributor
    Yup, looks like a 42 Super series woody to me. I've seen a lot worse cars than this brought back and it seems like most of the "woody only" parts are still there and fairly intact. Wouldn't be that hard to graft the upper cowl/ w/s header onto a sedan cowl for a start, then you'd need a good cabinet maker. Rough but doable!
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Just a reply to several comments that have been made since my first post

    - We have established that this is a Model 1942 Hudson Woody Wagon.

    - 1942 Hudson Woody Wagons are rare in six cylinder variation, perhaps less than five known correct restorations in existance?

    - This vehicle has an in line eight cylinder motor.

    - There are no known eight cylinder Model 1942 Hudson Woody Wagons known to have been produced, or to have survived, if ever manufactured, even for company use.

    - Although in extremely poor condition, consensus is that this vehicle is still restorable.

    I haven't as yet found the serial number which might verify the production of this vehicle as originally containing an in line eight cylinder motor, thus can't rule out the possibility that the existing motor could have been a replacement performed sometime before the fire. It might take someone more familiar with Hudsons to assist me in this effort. Is there anyone out there that resides in the western part of the Mohawk Valley who could contact me and perhaps offer some guidance in this matter? Several of you gentlemen have given me instructions, but so far no luck. I wonder if the vehicle has settled into the ground such that it would have to be jacked up to allow the serial number to be seen? I am very hesitant to do so, as the machine is fragile and might be further damaged by a novice such as myself. Now that I have posted photos, can anyone make a suggestion as to what I should do next to discover the elusive serial number?
  • SamJ
    SamJ Senior Contributor
    edited September 2011
    Sam the Eagle? :woohoo:


  • frank spring
    frank spring Expert Adviser
    Lets start by looking at the bottom rear of the engine..where the pan bolts on. Does the pan go straight back from front to rear or does the pan flair out about a foot and a half from the rear? That will tell us early eight cyl or late 8 cyl.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    You have made some excellent suggestions, however, I think you misunderstand what I'm trying to do here. I'm trying to establish what I have, it's condition and value to the collecting society, and will be selling it when these things are known. I haven't decided how to sell it, but whoever buys it will have to do the dirty work and take his chances on doing additional damage to the wreck, and make his own arrangements to remove it from the site. I won't be making a cent on the transaction, as any proceeds will go to my mom. The car is now hers, and not mine, but I am her power of attorney and am doing this for her benefit.

    So far, I think the only missing bit of information is the serial number. We need that, of course, for establishing whether the motor is original to the vehicle, or not, and even then, I don't know if the serial number will provide that information. The information I was seeking is how to find a serial number on this car, be it known that the easy place (front passenger door post) no longer has the number. If that means jacking and digging, I guess the buyer will have that privilege. I do not have the time or inclination to remove the vehicle from the ground, or move it to somewhere else under cover, as I spend 12 hours each and every day at a nursing home with my 95 year old mother, and those 12 hours are the daylight hours. I'm already working some dark hours on upkeep of her home and mine. Simply stated, no time and no opportunity!

    I don't like the idea of leaving the vehicle where it is and letting the weather have another winter to work on it, especially because it is a rare car (which I suspected, but really didn't know when this string began) but I understand now that it is a rare car, and would much rather it be in the hands of someone who will appreciate it and rebuild it to its former splendor.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    If I could see the bottom of the engine, 99% of my problems would disappear! I can't view the underside of the motor to be able to see if the pan is flaired, or any other underside of anything, for that matter.

    I understand that your point is, if it is a later model engine, it is most likely a replacement for a Super Six - search complete. BUT - not necessarily so! It could still have had an original I8 motor that, that for whatever reason, had been replaced with a newer version I8 motor. Interesting logic, but doesn't prove anything.
  • bent metal
    bent metal Senior Contributor
    edited September 2011
    Mr Weber, your right! The bottom of the motor doesn't matter. The thing that would make this a really rare care is if the numbers match. The body number doesn't matter because you can make a new tag. What you need is the engine number to match the frame. We can see it's a woody, that's not in dispute. But if it's an original eight! Wow! Still good if it's not, just cuz it's a woody.

    I think the frame number will be on the top of the frame on the passenger side of the engine compartment in the area between where the cab mounts and the front suspension is. That's a small, maybe two foot stretch there.

    The motor number should also be on the passenger side. An inch or two down from the top, and three or four inches back from the front.(??) Or so.

    I may not be axactly right, but I think I'm close to where the numbers are located.
  • Marconi
    Marconi Senior Contributor
    One place to check would be the engine number itself. It's stamped in th top of the block between the first two exhaust ports/manifold runners. I realize that this area is probably badly weathered but som careful work with a sharp chisel or the like may turn up the number. Try the same idea on the top of the right frame rail to get the worst of it off, then try some 100 or 220 grit sandpaper lightly.
  • nick s
    nick s Senior Contributor
    SamJ wrote:
    Here's a photo of Hedley Bennett's terrific '38 from London, Ontario.
    Hedley's 39 was close to the fate of the subject car. As the story goes, the cabinet maker's shop that help it for a long time as all the wood made/installed (I think a several year period) burned to the ground within days of it returning to Chuck Rogers who owned her before Hedley.
  • RL Chilton
    RL Chilton Administrator, Member
    edited September 2011
    Mr. Weber-

    Strictly personal conjecture here, but take it for what it's worth:

    I believe having the engine # match the frame # here is more a matter of personal interest amongst your fellow Hudnuts, rather, than a point of value. That is said in light of the condition of the car. Were it complete, say, not having been the victim of a fire or victim of decades of outdoor splendor, matching #'s might have more value per say, than in it's current condition, in which so little of the original car is actually salvageable.

    In the world of the big high-profile auctions, matching #'s automobiles are always held in high esteem, simply because it's another selling point (meaning it can be sold for more, or so the "experts" have propogandized). Oftentimes, amongst your average Hudson (or many other makes) collector, it means far less in actuality.

    The other point about the personal interest, is that, as it has been mentioned, a Hudson Woody "8", is simply an unknown, even amongst your most avid Hudnut. Honestly, with the condition of the car, it's not more than a curiosity. This is coming from someone who is currently restoring a Hudson convertible that, believe it or not, started out in far worse condition than your Woody.

    Keep in mind that your market for that particular car is very, very small. It is actually a monumental task to properly restore a gem like yours back to it's former glory and takes a constitution that most are not willing to endure. I use the term "restore" here in it's proper place. Hot Rod it? Fairly routine work. Restore it, as this car certainly deserves, is an entirely different ballgame.

    It's "value" comes from the fact it's a Woody, it's a '42.
  • onerare39
    onerare39 Expert Adviser, Member
    I didn't go back and read all of Bill's posts again but if Bill could find the title to the Woody the serial number would be there wouldn't it. Although, if an 8 was transplanted at some time that serial number have been changed on the title at some point also.

    Just a thought.

    John Forkner

    Sam J., Nice call... the eyebrows and beak are what makes it work.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    To: RL Chilton:

    Thank you for your observations regarding the woody. I am not a Hudnut, and the only things that I know about Hudsons I learned in the last two weeks. Even so, I tend to agree with much of what you said. Whatever makes a car like this woody attractive to the collecting community, and what will drive the "value" factor, is that it is probably one of a kind, in a version here-to-for unknown.

    Whoever gets it will be interested in doing a complete restoration to it. No one will buy it thinking to place it, in its present condition, into a collection "as is". No one would want to buy it, or even take it as a gift, unless he was dedicated to its restoration. It is simply too costly a project to recover and transport to a new location untold miles away, simply to watch it complete the oxidation process that was begun upon manufacture, and which has so finely progressed over the last 50 years.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    edited September 2011
    Bill,

    Here are 3 pictures of VIN locations on my 1939. Since I have no information on 1942 Hudsons I can't swear that you will find the VIN for your vehicle at the same locations, but they are a good place to look.



    I have placed blue painters tape over the existing locations of the VIN. This picture is on the passenger side frame just aft of the front wheel.





    This location is on the passengers side rear on top of the frame.




    One of your pictures shows the rear end of the '42, so you should be able to access this location. A sturdy wire brush should remove the rust/dirt/etc. to enable you to see this number. If this number matches the VIN at one of the other locations, you will have found what you were looking for.


    I hope these pictures help.


    Kevin C.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Thank you, Kevin. It is very kind of you to take the time to do this for me. I hope the areas you marked on your 1939 haven't changed for the 1942. I guess the hardest thing to determine will be if the MOTOR number matches any of the other location numbers. THAT is the question. THAT will determine if the motor is original to the rest of the woody, and, if so, it should prove that Hudson did make an I8 cylinder woody, in 1942, and that would make this car the only known example.

    BW
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Gentlemen:

    Last night I used a power drill and wire brush bit to remove surface rust from the locations, as noted by others, which might prove fruitful in finding even one serial number, or partial number. I was completely unsuccessful. I could not make any attempt to check the motor block for the serial number as there were too many things in the way (engine parts, horn, manifold, etc.), and removing them would be a difficult task, as removing rusted frozen bolts always is, although if the vehicle was to be raised, there might be hope of finding it.

    I might try a power sander on the various frame/shroud locations, but don't hold out much hope that such an effort will succeed either. I think my searching efforts have, regretfully, come to an end.

    BW
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