stepdown business coupe interior?

Unknown
Unknown
edited November -1 in HUDSON
what do they use for the back,just a platform?

does anyone have a picture?

i have the Don Butler book,but it doesn't show it.

i was thinking it would be nice to have something for the dog to ride on,or a flat place to spread out a sleeping bag on a long trip.

am i just a kook? feel free to tell me so-george

Comments

  • Jon B
    Jon B Administrator
    There are some still in existance. I saw one in New Jersey maybe 20 years ago, but don't know who has it now. As I recall there was no back seat but they had leatherette-covered cardboard panels on the sides (beneath the quarter windows) and across the back (below the rear window, down to the floor). I do not recall that there was a platform, just either the rug or a rubber mat for the floor. I believe the spare tire was secured to the back panel (under the rear window) in a vertical position, and might have had some sort of leatherette covering for it. It's all a bit hazy....someone will step in here to set me straight.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Yorga, I have a '49 SuperSix business coupe. There is a locking hinged partition seperating the trunk from the cab. The partition unlocks at the top and hinges down, resting on a rubber floor mat topped 1/2" plywood plate covering the footwell area and transmission hump contours. When the partition is down, then, the flat floor extends for over 8' from the trunk to the passenger seat back, longer than a pickup truck bed! The quarter windows are fixed in place, no provision for opening them. There are no armrests on the plain charcoal grey (nearly black) leatherette side panels.



    I have been told that a protective expanded metal guard was available for installation behind the seat (as in service vans today), but were not commonly used. After all, in an era of no seatbelts, what non-filtered cigarette smoking salesman would give 2 seconds prior thought to the implication of getting hit in the back of the head by several 100lb. machine tool samples flying through the air during a collision? I've also been told that dealer provided kits were available for installing 3/4 ton Ford PU axles upon customer request (the same axle, BTW, that was the very first non-factory modification approved for NASCAR. Supposedly because the stock Hudson axles were prone to breakage and capture inside the low rear wheel opening and causing the car to flip. In truth, it was because them good ol' Flock boys and other early racers had modified their Hudson's with the Ford PU axle to haul moonshine and they didn't want to have to keep switching axles in between NASCAR races and their regular day... ahem, NIGHT jobs.)



    Mine has the standard Hudson axle with a 5.33 (!!!!) rear end ratio. Fortunately, it is equipped with the 3spd OD transmission and a dual carb setup from a Hornet 308.



    My understanding is that most business coupes, of all makes, were converted to club coupes by used car dealers who could more easily sell a club coupe than a business coupe to kids. So intact business coupes, especially Hudsons and other orphan makes, are quite rare today.



    And yes, it would make a wonderful camping rig. Put the self-propping trunk lid up, snap on a mosquito net, put some screens in the door windows and snore away! Or whatever. ;)
This discussion has been closed.

Categories

In this Discussion