1948 Commodore Coupe for sale

Quadster
Quadster Expert Adviser
edited November 2014 in Vehicles
Never seen one in person--must be very rare

Rusty Patina--but ad says it's solid

http://boston.craigslist.org/bmw/cto/4758688801.html

Comments

  • RL Chilton
    RL Chilton Administrator, Member
    "Car has never been titled"

    Must have been stolen from the factory!  
  • Hey Russell it looks like this one may have been stored next to the Oklahoma Plymouth in the time capsule.
  • RL Chilton
    RL Chilton Administrator, Member
    Not quite as bad a shape as that one, but the titleless-ness qualifies it , I guess.  
  • hdsn49
    hdsn49 Senior Contributor
    My brother Dan and I looked at this car at least 25 years ago. It was in a barn in South Windsor, CT with several other cars and trucks including a '54 Coupe. They also had a '53 Coupe and a '40 Coupe in a garage nearby. The '53 Coupe was covered with birdsh__. It had a leather interior. They would not sell anything. 

    About a year ago the garage fell down crushing the '53 and the '40. My son Matt and his partners at New England Speed and Custom tried to buy them but were told they were not for sale.  About a month ago they found out that everything had been sold to someone from Worchester, MA. From what I've been told he paid about 2 grand for the '48 coupe. He also bought the '40 coupe and the '53. Both of those were badly crushed by the garage.
  • Quadster
    Quadster Expert Adviser
    @ hdsn49

    It's kind of rude of you to use third hand info to determine how much was paid for the car. Did you consider the time that went into recovering the vehicles. Multiple visits to the location, Bringing spare tires, generator,  pump, lighting, etc to recover a car in a barn deep in the woods without power. Then getting a flatbed in there to haul the car out. Getting the car back to the shop, pulling the head to check for engine wear and filling the cylinders with kroil to  gently free up the rings, etc. rebuilding the carb, starter, new, plugs, points, rotor, cap and wires.  Then getting it running off a gas can.

    I bet your son Matt and his partners at New England Speed and Custom get at least $80/hr for their time. We have about 50 hrs into the recovery, cleaning and prep of the 48 coupe.

    Sounds to me that you are rather jealous that you, your son and his partners were not able to strike a deal with the family for the cars. 

    Perhaps you or your son would like to make an offer on the 48 coupe now that it has seen it's first light since 1958. We are open to all reasonable offers.









  • RL Chilton
    RL Chilton Administrator, Member
    Quadster-
    You seem to know an awful lot about this car considering that you have never seen one in person  . . . . and honestly, all Hudsons are rare looking at the big picture.  
  • lostmind
    lostmind Expert Adviser
    edited November 2014


  • hdsn49
    hdsn49 Senior Contributor


    Quadster, you said

    Never seen one in person--must be very rare

    Rusty Patina--but ad says it's solid

    Why didn't you just come out and say that you purchased this vehicle and are now offering it up for sale instead of hiding behind oh look what I just found on craigslist. I'm sorry if I offended you. Sounds like I'm not the only one.
  • 50C8DAN
    50C8DAN Senior Contributor
    Quadster:  It is great you have managed to find and make salable this fairly rare step-down.  C8CCs are not the most common of the step-downs anyway and '48s are probably even more rare.  However, I think being straight up in your find and what you did to get it ready would have been the better way to present it to the forum guys.  It is your car and you can ask whatever you want for whatever reason.  I hope it finds a good home that will appreciate its rarity.


  • hoggyrubber
    hoggyrubber Expert Adviser
    that is a awesome looking car.  it's ok to make money off it. however, when people smell truth stretching they think used car dealer and what other truths are streched! I would be proud to drive that car! 
  • Quadster
    Quadster Expert Adviser
    Guys,

    Very sorry to have presented the car in what appears to be a deceptive manner. 
    That was not my intention--I was just trying to get the word out about the car.
    The car is very rare and I had never seen one.

    Here's the entire story--
    I purchased this 48 coupe along with a crushed 53 coupe. 
    The 48 was last registered in 58 and stored on blocks in a barn. 
    My intention was to transplant the 308/twin H and hydro from the 53 into the 48--then part out the rest of the 53. I drive my cars with hand controls and the RMV insists I drive an automatic.

    When we started cleaning the cars up my buddies started getting on my case about keeping the 48 all original. The car is in amazing original shape and the 254 / 8 was stuck but freed up with a good dose of Kroil. Since the 48 is a 3-speed the RMV says it's not for me.

    The 53 on the other had only has 14,000 miles and as stated in another post a factory leather interior. 
    But the roof was crushed almost to the steering wheel. Several Hudson oldtimers in upstate NY have 53 coupes that are in much worst condition than the 48 coupe. I had hoped to buy one of these parts coupes to replace the roof and all the stainless trim around the windows.  But both the oldtimers want over 5 K for their rusty coupes, one has no engine or tranny and the other has a bum engine and they both have rust holes--not just surface rust. They are advertised on the hemmings web site, but the guys don't use computers--they send out 10 year old photos. Since I am not planning on spending 5K on a parts car, We have been working the roof with a porta-power and we think we can bring it back.

    Hence the 48 coupe with running engine and probably rarer than the 53 should be worth somewhere around my asking price. I am more than welcome to entertain reasonable offers and will supply more photos on request.

    Sorry to have mislead anyone. 
  • RL Chilton
    RL Chilton Administrator, Member
    That's a cool story.  Thanks for sharing and I would enjoy seeing your progress on pushing the roof on the '53 back out.  It can be done! 

    Your buddies are right about trying to preserve the '48 Coupe.  These days, ANY 2dr. is worth saving.  It is a rare car and it would be a shame to lose it's originality when it is so complete, i.e., restorable.   
  • No jealousy at all, I had no interest in the 48 beyond parts. Its a little to rough for my liking. I was interested in the 53 as I have a roof for it. We ended up buying quite a few other things from the farm. Good luck with the cars.
  • FYI-If anyone is looking for a 48 Commodore 8 Coupe, one is for sale near Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Seller restores primarily Ford products. His few Hudson parts were purchased two months ago by an HET club member, but the 48 Commodore remains for sale. I accompanied the HET Club member and saw the car first hand. Appears to be a complete car, but needs restoration. I tried to crawl underneath to check underside for problems, but not able, too close to ground.  Seller is Jerry Manwaring, home phone is 905-649-5277. Cell numbers are 416-723-9501 or 416-771-3232. I took photos, can mail them to anyone interested. Hudsonly yours and photo/digitally challenged, Andy Menard. email: hudson1952@roadrunner.com 
  • Glowplug
    Glowplug Expert Adviser
     
    . Since I am not planning on spending 5K on a parts car, We have been working the roof with a porta-power and we think we can bring it back.

    A 14000 mile 53 Coupe is a Treasure!   Obviously you have a set of friends who are in the know about the use of tools to straighten the top... my recommendation is to GO SLOW.... four decades ago I had the opportunity to be a student in a body Restoration class where we were required to use a BUMPER JACK assorted wooden and pipe cheaters to return the roof of a car to the shape of a profile block. The class was broken into teams of three and each had a car that looked very much like your coupe.  With instruction each team got their vehicle top back to the right profile in 24 hours of class time. I still remember using a torch to heat then quench the top metal with a wet towel.  Each time we got a bit more of the creases and dents out ... all the time the top was under pressure from a bumper jack topped by pipes and wooden pressers.   GOOD LUCK do not forget to give us a peek at the results.
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