Help!

Unknown
edited November -1 in HUDSON
Back on my 16th birthday (18 yrs. now), my grandpa passed on a 1954 hornet 4-door sedan to me that is in fairly rough condition. I have been fiddling around with it ever since and not really making much progress in the restoration process. The problem is, I don't know where to start. Any suggestions on where to start would be greatly appreciated. I know very little about this hobby that I have been gladly thrust into and would love some tips on where to start and where to go after I get started.



I am motivated and ready to start and any help would be great. Thanks

Max

Comments

  • Jon B
    Jon B Administrator
    Welcome, Max. Help is on the way!



    Where are you located? Most of us are in the Hudson-Essex-Terraplane Club, which has local chapters all over the U.S. Once we know where you are, we may be able to suggest a course of action.



    By the way, if by any chance you're within driving range of Auburn, Indiana, be aware that the Hudson national meet is about to begin!
  • I am located near Denver, Colorado. I just attended the Denver Kruse car auction (John Sonnef local sponsor). I plan on visiting his garage very soon with my grandpa to get some advice (and hopefully some parts?).
  • start with basics.

    does it run well?

    are the electrics in good order?

    is there any rust issues?

    any other problems in urgent need of repair?

    do you want a nice driver or a major resto?

    budget?

    shop space and tools available to you?

    get the manuals for the car. you pick up a lot just reading them.

    meet other owners and take a look at their cars. all this stuff helps a lot!

    best of luck
  • Jon B
    Jon B Administrator
    Ahh, okay! Well, you've already tapped into the Hudson network if you've tapped into John Soneff! You may want to ask him when the next get-togethers of the Rocky Mountain Chapter are, so you can attend and meet people.



    Meanwhile, ask as many specific questions as you like, here. We'll try to help you.



    I think you will have to ask some basic questions first, such as: do you want to do a complete restoration on this car, or do you just want to get it running? If I were you, I'd want to get some 'instant gratification' by getting the car on the road, as opposed to starting a ten-year restoration! You might be able to find a fairly decent used engine, and get the body to a stage where you wouldn't be embarrassed to drive it. Then, once you hit the road with it, you could begin to plan (and save up for) a long-term restoration.
  • Everybody has a different approach as to how to start, this is mine.
    1. Make sure it is safe:
    A. Check for frame rust. Not good if car breaks into pieces while being driven.
    B. Make sure brakes are in working order. Going 100 MPH ain't worth a dime if you can't stop!
    C. get decent tires, don't have to be new, but no baloney rinds.
    D. Check fuel lines and exhaust pipes for fit, possible leaks etc.
    2. Mechanicals
    A. Again, Brakes
    B. Get engine running
    C. Check trans and rear end
    D. Check front end for wear/play
    3. Appearance
    A. Body work can be done along the way and can also be done while waiting on mechanicals, but not before safety!

    Just my approach and like I said, Everybody has their own way of doing things.
    Bob
  • Thank you all so much for the quick replies! I know where I will be getting some information in the future. You guys really seem knowledgable on this subject! I have done very little work on the car yet. I got the radiator fixed and basically cleaned up the rest of the car (sitting untouched in my grandpa's garage for 30+ years). I still don't even know whether it runs or not. I was thinking that I should try to get it running (safely of course), and then working on the cosmetics. A full, ground-up resto is out of the question for now. My budget is a bit restrictive although my grandpa is willing to cover a lot of the costs. Any suggestions on getting it running? I do have a manual. Limited space and tools seem to be a problem.
  • Jon B
    Jon B Administrator
    Two very important things, before you proceed.



    1). B.J. Touched on this: check for rust. Hudsons had a unit body, not the old style body-on-heavy-frame that all other car companies had at the time. Unfortunately, the perimeter rail (it actually runs OUTSIDE the rear wheel) tended to rust out from the rear wheel opening, on back. So...take a GOOD look under the car. If the thing is swiss-cheesed, you will have to do some repair here before you do anything else. If it's badly rusted, you may want to re-think fixing up this particular '54 (there are many other non-rusted '54 Hudsons available if you want to stick with the styling of that year). Before investing a lot of money in a house, you want to make sure the foundation is solid and it's not termite-ridden; same, with a car.





    2). Before even trying to start the engine you would be well advised to drop the oil pan and clean out all the oil and sediment which has sat there for all this time. Pay particular attention to the screen on the oil pickup. You do NOT want all that crap suddenly going back into circulation when you turn the key. Treat the engine to some nice, fresh oil, and it will treat you decently.
  • Aaron D. IL
    Aaron D. IL Senior Contributor
    Hello Max,

    I was in your shoes once, I joined the HET club and got my first Hudson when I was 19 I'm 28 now). My first Hudson did have frame rott in the rear. It never fell apart, Hudson's are rarely in danger of that, however long term it can't be a safe it's not good. I took welding classes because of it, but in the end it was still above my then meager part-time job budget to fix because buying welding equipment costs a good penny too. So I ended up selling my beloved first Hudson however within a few months of being in the HET Club other members offered me their more solid running project cars cheap. Got a '54 Wasp free for the cost of towing it home... it was pretty rusty too so I sold that along with my first Hudson but i kept the engine because it ran. Then I got a '50 Pacemaker that was real rough but running and driving. I could go into great detail but let me just make these points to you.



    Learn from me. start with something solid as you can. Mechanicals you can tinker with and probably get the thing to run. Gas, compresson, spark, it has to run! Don't take shortcuts with the brakes, get them done properly. Join the local chapter, talk to people in person they've been there before, I also suggest getting the 3 books and reading them cover to cover to do your homework:

    1. The History of Hudson by Don Butler,

    2. The Cars the Hudson built by John Conde

    3. (the best) Hudson the Post-war Years by Richard langworth.



    Check your local library may be able to get them.

    Parts may be available through your local NAPA and HET Club in the WTN.

    So to recap, do your homework, talk to people, do the brakes, get it running. people will appreciate the car even if it's junky trust me. If you don't know how to drive stick learn,,, easy to do on a Hudson. It doesn't drive quite like a modern car quite but they drive excellent but you'll get used to it and build some muscles. You'll be the first kid on your block to have one. Plenty of room in it for your whole crew too when you drive it. At first for me it was intimidating to drive a Hudson and then it became extreamly comforting. You can Email me or most of the people anytime on this forum if you get stuck. This Hudson thing is a disease but there's worse afflictions you could come down with. LOL
  • All good advice above, so here's my 2 cents. Check to see frame is sound first then proceed to get the brake system redone then pay attention to getting it running well. Cosmetics after that, bodywork ,paint, upholstery, etc. Good luck.
  • Wow, this is some good info on here. I definitely have something to start with now. Thanks to all who replied. I will hopefully post some pics up here when I have a chance so you all can see my beast. I am pretty sure that my Hornet is relatively rust-free but, I will have to double check (car is still in my grandpa's garage about five miles away). Thanks again for the great advice I'm sure I will be frequenting this site quite a bit more after the great responses generated by just asking for help.
  • 464Saloon
    464Saloon Senior Contributor
    I think a good place to start is with grandpa himself. Why did he just park this car and leave it for 30 years? Must be some reason, so there is a good starting point. People rarely just park a car and walk away if it is running well and doing a good job for them. Maybe he bought a new car,but then why keep the old one, especially for 30 years and not ever touch it, if we are understanding this right. If it has truly sat for 30 years and never moved, the bare minimum is a complete fuel system flush and carb rebuild. Cooling system flush,oil system flush, and I can almost assure you you will have to replace the wheel cylinders master cylinder,flexible brake lines and a lot of flushing of the brake system. Keep us posted and we will all pitch in where we can. Good Luck and welcome aboard. ;)
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