My new 1936 Hudson 8
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I took the plunge and bought this 1936 Hudson 8. I've never restored anything in my life so I'm going to ask a lot of dumb questions! Here comes the first one: The front driver's side fender has a 4 inch gash in it. Is this something that can be easily repaired and will hold up?
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And my next question is what do I do first, now that the car is sitting in my garage?0
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WOW, what a lucky find, looks to be extremely original, inc. paint!
Yes, a competent body man should be able to weld that up & if need be reinforce it as those early cars have very thick steel.
Congratulations & welcome to the world of Hudsoning, LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!0 -
great car!
Get a manual (I think available from the HET club store).
Look up the info on dropping the oil pan, cleaning the gunk out and servicing it.
The fender is an easy fix0 -
probably the 1st best thing to do would be to pull the plugs, make a mixture of WD-40 & Marvel Mystery Oil, and pour that down the cylinders; let it soak a couple of days, then endeavor to turn the engine over (by either putting in a battery & doing so or turning it over manually from below by turning the flywheel).
Next I would drop the pans & clean them.
These 2 items will keep you busy for a while, when done, we will continue.0 -
I would say the best thing you can do at this early stage is to study the car ... get acquainted with it. What looks like it can be cleaned up and used, what looks like it would have to be replaced or a lot of work done on it. And as said above het the appropriate service and parts manuals: '36-39 service manual, '30-'39 chassis parts manual. These are a big help. And maybe most important, stay hooked up with the " '36 guys" here on the forum to get your questions answered.0
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Neat car. What you do first depends on what you plan on doing with the car. If you're going to do a complete restoration, than labeling and taking things apart for restoration would come first. Like repairing the split in the fender, body work, painting etc. Or, if you want to get the car running and drive it like it is, then you want to start with the drive train. Engine repair, new tires, brakes etc. Keep asking questions. You'll get lots of help on this forum. Keep us posted on your progress. Pictures, we love pictures.
Gene.0 -
Welcome to Hudsonland. I would suggest that the first thing you need to do is check the braking system. How long has the car been sitting? If it has not been used for a long time you will find that all the master and wheel cylinders are all well and truly filled up with oxidised material, and the flexible lines will be brittle and perished. Don't compromise safety, it's all very well having a car that runs well, but unless you can stop it surely you are headed for trouble. Good luck with your restoration and don't be afraid to ask for help.0
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May I suggest that you NOT completely disassemble the car and set off immediately on a ten year restoration?
It's the old story: the new owner plunges into his project with boundless enthusiasm and pulls everything apart. He clogs his garage with the shell of the car, spends a mind boggling amount of money acquiring new or rebuilt parts, constantly arrives at Hudson meets in his Brand-X, and gradually forgets how the car is supposed to go back together. Then his wife gets a divorce over the jammed garage and all the money he's spent, and ultimately he loses interest and sells the whole kit and kaboodle at a loss, totally frustrated.
Just get the thing running and have some fun with it, as you are putting together a plan of attack, acquiring parts and knowledge, making friends, and setting aside the money you'll need. All the while driving your Hudson and enjoying it.0 -
I agree with the others.... clean up the motor and all fluids and stuff and see if you can get her to fire up just for yucks.... but if you hear any nasty noises shut it down quick LOL . As for restoration you can take different approaches depending on how you ultimately want to use the car.
1. You could get it running and restore it gradually cosmetically driving it most of the while (assuming you can) and then doing more important stuff such as wiring, clutch etc. later.
2. Complete tear down take her down to the frame. and build back up. Since you're new to restoring I wouldn't recommend this unless you're diligent as this may keep you out of driving it for several years and you run the risk of loosing interest as some do. If you do though document everything and take a ton of pictures. Organization would make life so much easier.
3. Do a body-down restoration as an old Hudson guy once told me. That is, you take the car apart but you restore each piece of the car as you remove it. This of course requires that you have a safe place to store each of these refinished parts until you can put them back on the car. A car in pieces takes up a lot of room so if you don't have it this approach might not work for you either.
My 2 cents.0 -
Wow! Thanks everybody for such quick and great responses!! I was told the engine was started about a year ago, and when the previous owner pulled me downhill the clutch wouldn't disengage(because of tension on the drivetrain) so I heard the chaw-chaw-chaw sound of the engine turning over. haha
I'm not sure which direction to take it. My original plan when looking for a 36 was to keep the shape of the body like Hudson built it but do a resto-rod style rebuild. But now that I found this car(nearly complete with all the badges) I feel kind of bad not taking it back to original.
I've always heard the original stuff requires a lot of maintenance and I'd like something more friendly to drive(power steering, a/c - it's Texas!). So many choices!!
Like so many of you suggested I'll get some manuals, educate myself, and study the car while I decided where I'm going with this beautiful piece of history.
Jeremiah0 -
Bill Albright used to say to do them in 3 steps; 1) make 'em stop, 2) make 'em go, and 3) make 'em purdy! Seemed to work for him.0
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It has been said before but warrents saying again. The 36 Hudson 8 has two oil pans. One up inside the engine and the one on the bottom of the motor. Be sure that you pull both of these and clean them. Next, I would suggest that you do what you need to do to drive it as it is. I would not head out on a major restoration and end up loosing site of what the goal is. We Hudson folks like them in all stages of repair and disrepair. You should join with a local group of Hudson folks for support and encouragement. The local Hudson folks really know their cars. I just completed a two year restoration on an English built 1936 Hudson eight. They are a great car and a lot of fun to drive and enjoy--However, they are not like a new car or a hotrod. Find a local Hudson family and go for a ride with them so you will know what to expect with your car. And keep in touch with us on the Forum--post a lot of photos......0
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Have you joined the www.HETClub.org ? That is a good step to get too. Enjoy the time you get to learn about it. The people here are a mountain of help. Looking forward to seeing your progress... We like photos, so keep us up to date.0
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a '36 H8 is a rare car and you seem to have found a nice original one which deserves to be restored.
if you want to hot rod something go get a Ford, there are lots of them ~0 -
sshftn,---- Way to many people that are not really knowledgeable about restoration work start taking a car apart not really knowing what they are doing. Going the street rod route is just going to complicate things. The car will be worth more in the long run if you keep it "Hudson", take a look at the high dollar rods that are up for sale on E-bay and other venues and see what they actually re-coup on the build. Most of the time it is a big loss. Even on a "real" restoration does one very seldom recoup their money. Most people that build these "updated" old cars like their own interpretation of what one should be and many of them don't drive or handle worth a crap. (and understand, I am not against doing that if it is the right project, but yours just doesn't make sense to downgrade it that way unless you have tons of money to do it the right way)
An original Hudson is a thing of beauty and very fun to drive. Don't think you are going to throw a 350 chevy with air and ps in and you have it made. What about the brake system, suspension system and so on to accommodate the "upgraded drivetrain"? And then it still won't drive like a modern car because it's still not a modern car!
I repeat-- pull the oil pan, clean it out and then try starting the car. You don't want all that sludge and metal particles rubbing on the bearings. You can quickly wipe out an engine that way and then you have no option but to rebuild.
One thing at a time, don't just start tearing it apart, and enjoy it for what it is, a rare 1930 Hudson Eight!0 -
Welcome aboard! All has been said here. I've been here since only 20 months, but you cannot imagine what I have already learned from this exceptional Hudson-Essex-Terraplane community. And, from what I've seen with these thirties cars, no need to swap a 350 Chevy engine to get it at 60mph, just step on the gas pedal and go! Michel0
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There is a growing trend to make a as found car driveable and just stop there. This by the way has allways been my policy mostly as I am not good at paint / body work.
There have been many recent examples seen at our meets . This also avoids the cars being completely dissasembled and the owner being overwhelmed. Thus loosing interest and the poor car is then scattered to the four winds in parts and pieces never to see the road again,
Roger0 -
Some realy good advice above. One thing you alluded to ... implicit but not stated above is the need to have a calm, reasonable discussion with yourself and others, leading to a decision on what you want the car to be ... show car, nice "driver," etc. I'd keep the original engine in it, but if you decide later, one popular compromise is installation of a 262 or 308 (Hornet) engine. It's basically a bolt-in for that car, and gives you a smooth, robust engine that's still all Hudson.0
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Jeremiah-
Congratulations and welcome to the world of Hudsoning! All good advice above, can't add to it, other than (join the club) and start networking. Depending on your location in Texas, there are 2 local Chapters (North Texas Chapter, and the South Texas Chapter) in your area and you could contact them, find other '30's owners to network with. There's lots of help available! Thank God! Because there isn't a 1-800-Send-Me-A-Hudson-Part phone #!! If you are in South Texas, as I am, we are having a Chapter meeting a week from this Saturday in the Kemah area. Great opportunity to meet other Hudnuts! Contact me if you want more information.
How about some more pics? Would love to see the rest of it, and I'm sure you will, in turn, get some more advice! LOL!0 -
Okay, okay. I figured that talking about rodding it would raise some ire.
I've attached some more pictures which might make people more upset. When I saw how complete this one is I was really torn by what I should do with it. Apart from the gauge pod the inside is quite the disaster. The headliner is gone, the seat covers are town apart, mice had been living in the car and took some seat cushion material into the glove box for a bedroom/bathroom, the windows seals are dry-rotted(which meant the doors are full of dirt) and the windows don't work.
Right now I'm leaning towards fixing the brakes, getting the engine running, and getting the car back on the road as it is(with new interior cloth!). That'll give me a better idea of what my final goal is.
And I'm not so naive to think I can just drop a crate motor in the hit the road tomorrow!
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Gosh, that looks like a really nice restorable car!0
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Jeremiah-
Sent you a PM.
Rick-
Stig Ingvarsson (SP?)'s '41C8Cv, too. Wish I had pictures of some of his restoration in my file. Dave Sollon's '52HCv come to mind.0 -
Forgot to mention I have hundreds of photos of my car from the frame off restoration. My car was built in England so there are some differences. I sure like the white of your grill shell Hudson 8 chrome. Mine does not have that, nor does it have the emblems you show or the hood chrome tips. But, other than that it is the same. There are a lot of the gage plates. be real careful when you get around to disassembling it. The glass and stainless trim are hard to find. I'll check and see if I have an extra gage plate. I expect that I do...0
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Jeremiah, would like to tell you that, in Gettysburg, a car that draw a lot of attention was this 54 Hudson. Saw him running and it seemed to be a very good rider. I would be very proud to ride one like it! Shows you how all cars are welcome. So, don't forget, the first thing you have to think of is: Have Fun! Michel0
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Jeremiah,
Welcome to the world of Hudsons. IMHO ; a lick of paint ; a new spark plug or two and drive it :-)0 -
Maybe I missed it somewhere? Is this a long wheel base, four door?0
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WOW!!! How did I miss this car? Being from Nebraska, I thought I knew where all the Hudsons were hanging out, if not me Charlie Harris would know. Another one of those barn finds in Cuming County. At the National, Per had his 35 Hudson and it's all original from when he bought it in 1962. So as Larry the Cable Guy from Nebraska says... "Getter Done"..... or getter runnin and have fun!! Way to go Jeremiah!!0
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don't be discouraged in re the interior; that is the least expensive item to do & a lot of good uph. supply places can offer you a proper broadcloth.
You've got a great car to work on, looks very nice under the hood.
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It was in Concord, in the northeast corner, close to Sioux City, IA. It's the 120 inch wheelbase. I was hoping it was the 127 but no such luck! And it stinks inside!! I have to at least get the windows to roll down so I can stand to drive it! haha 0
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The seats have these neat little metal decorative buttons sewn into the pattern, two pairs on the bottom and two pairs on the back. I'm only missing one from the set of 16.0
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