'49 commodore convertible project car

Unknown
Unknown
edited November -1 in HUDSON
How much should I expect to pay for this car simply based on the pictures. I don't know if it even has an engine, I'm waiting to hear back from the owner.

Comments

  • RL Chilton
    RL Chilton Administrator, Member
    Well, it's a little hard to ascertain enough info from these pictures. It's a convertible that's not "broken in half". So that 's a good start, but still doesn't tell us exactly the extent of the amount of rust, although the floor pans look fairly decent from these pics. It also looks as though the header for the top is there and at least most(?), if not all of the bows and top are in the car, which is another plus.



    I know of several people that would pay as much as 10K for it, so anything less than that would be a deal. 6-8K would certainly be reasonable. Keep in mind that it will take a lot more to restore it, but any convertible is worth saving, especially HUDSONS! The fact that it might be missing an engine, is somewhat irrelevant, as that would be the least of your problems with this car.



    Let us know what you decide to do with it.



    Russell
  • rambos_ride
    rambos_ride Senior Contributor
    edited November 2013
    I think this is that person in Washington State that has a yard full of Hudsons... See if you can get a similiar 'parts' sedan or coupe to go with the deal! You might want to try to have someone who knows 'where to look' inspect the chassis for rust/rot.

    Nick S. managed to get what is consider one heck of a deal on a convertible about 8-10 months ago (off of Ebay), around $10k for a 'roller' that was in a LOT better shape than this one.

    The biggest difference is that Nick's is a 48 - which is a lower production numbers than 49 converts...
  • nick s
    nick s Senior Contributor
    rambos_ride wrote:
    The biggest difference is that Nick's is a 48 - which is a lower production numbers than 49 converts...
    no, the biggest difference is Nick's convertible was all there. this is more like russ maas' 50. year/rarity is pretty irrelevant with stepdown convertible market value.

    worry about the convertible parts needed, top assembly parts, windows, rear seat and side panels. the frame may grow back easier than some of those parts.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    I think everyone agrees that Nicks was a super deal and appeared to be in long term inside storage and relatively complete with most parts reusable. This appears to have a lot stripped off and been out in the weather long term. I might be way off, but I wouldn't want to pay more than $2-5K for this one. Pictures for the most part look better than the surprises that are hidden when seeing it in actual life or starting to disassemble. Sitting on the ground outside is not kind to hudsons long term.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This car does come with this '48 4 door parts car. I would love to restore a convertible, but the more I think about it I have to tell myself that I can't afford it right now with the other 2 Hudsons that I have. Unless someone wants to buy a nice '52 Wasp 4 door?



    blessings,

    Neil
  • russmaas
    russmaas Senior Contributor
    Finding those 1/4 windows may be a treat. I took the last one from Bill Albright on the right. But I do have some extra sheet metal for ashtray area piece. Back seat is even harder to find. Got lucky with mine and was able to find one.

    BTW just finished woodgraining my 50 dash and I will try to load a pic of it later tonite. Kit supplied by woodgraining.com. I also bought the plate for the 48/49 "curly maple" for dads 49 dash. Pretty cool working with the ink



    Russ
  • Aaron D. IL
    Aaron D. IL Senior Contributor
    I wouldn't pay more than $5K assuming it's all there and you're not afraid of being handy with a welding torch and still buying some sheetmetal potentially. There are actually more convertibles out there that might be better restoration candidates but at what price? Better question is is it worth it to you? IF you get stuck with it will you not cry? If you could never sell it would you be ok ? Would your family not disown you ? Do you consider building a great pyramid almost on your own to be a fun task ? Can you accept delayed gratification of seeing it on the road? These are the questions that trouble the gear heads soul. LOL
  • dave s
    dave s Senior Contributor, Moderator
    here are pictures of Nick's when it was still in barn

    48_interior_barn4.jpg_small.JPG



    48_barn1.jpg_small.JPG
  • SamJ
    SamJ Senior Contributor
    dave s wrote:
    here are pictures of Nick's when it was still in barn

    48_interior_barn4.jpg_small.JPG

    48_barn1.jpg_small.JPG



    Yeah, but you guys have an unfair advantage, since you've restored over 1,000 Stepdown convertibles...:cool:
  • dave s
    dave s Senior Contributor, Moderator
    Sam, we just learned how to look thru the dents, rust and missing parts. With help of other members, we always seem to find everything we need.
  • hornet53
    hornet53 Senior Contributor
    1952seattlewasp wrote:
    How much should I expect to pay for this car simply based on the pictures. I don't know if it even has an engine, I'm waiting to hear back from the owner.



    That car is in a yard full of Hudsons. In Oregon. More importantly, the seller is a major player in the Northwest Hudson game. He knows his stuff and has lots of it to help get you on the road. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't even have that car if it wasn't worth saving.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    The seller's name is Jim Harmon and he lives in or around the Portland area. If any of you are interested in the car let me know and I can get you his contact info.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    all the bows are there
This discussion has been closed.

Categories

In this Discussion