1949 Hudson Ivory Shift Knob Needed

EssexAdv

I am looking for a very nice Ivory shift knob for my 49.   Mine got all heat cracked in the many intervening years in storage while I was doing the restoration. This is the one with the ships and castle in brown inlay on an ivory body.  I do have a very nice tan one but it would look out of place against my Commodore steering wheel.

Can you help?

Thanks

Lewis Mendenhall

RL Chilton

Lew-

Have you contacted Rob Fayette?  He was re-popping these and last I heard could do any color you wanted. 

EssexAdv

I did contact Rob when he announced going out of business.  He said he didn't have any inventory for sale.  Has that changed?

Thanks

Lew

Hudson Grandpa

contact Gene Eshelman:

208 560 0360  cell or sales@partsbyemc.com

400 West Commercial St.

Weiser, ID 83672

He pops most all plastic parts.  Got mine from him, plus 54 taillight lens.

Hudson Grandpa

or type this in  your browser and click enter.

PartsByEMC.com

EssexAdv

thanks Grandpa.  Eshelman has them listed with a long delivery time.  I have a more immediate need and would prefer an original.   Nothing against either of the repro guys, I have used them before, just I like original when possible.  If I can;t find one, I'll have to order from Eshelman

RL Chilton

O.k., Lew.  Another lead to check out is Jason Albright.  Bill used to have a drawer full of those knobs.  I'm sure Jason still has some.  Three others to check is Don Crane in CO, Scott Crowder in TX, Lance Walker in NC.  

Let us know if that all draws a blank and I've got a few others.  

SuperDave

Ivory with brown details? All the ones I had were brown with ivory inlays.  Both Super and Commodore 49's.

EssexAdv

SuperDave. I bought my 49 from the original owner with fewer than 35k miles on it.  It was all original except one repaint in the 70's (Wife wanted it prettier than it was).  It is a Super-6,  It came with an optional Commodore wheel and a few other options.  The shift knob matched the steering wheel in color.   As a result of your posting, I have checked all sorts of interior photos both on the web and in my private collection and I haven;t found a commodore wheel with a brown knob yet.  Even the 49 factory photos and sales brochures show Ivory knobs.  The super wheels (non-commodore wheel equipped) seem to have the brown shift knob.

The 48's with both the early and late wheel show an Ivory knob.  The early 48 has an Ivory knob which is the same as the 46-7 pointy knob.

I'm not saying your recollection isn't right, (heck, I valued it so much I spent an evening researching) I'm just passing on what I found out. And truthfully, who really can tell what Hudson did when and why?

So, based on all this, I am gonna use an Ivory knob

Thanks for your insight

Lew

 

EssexAdv

Russ, I sent an email to Jason and hopefully he will respond favorably

Starting to think I should have ordered from Gene.... It might have been faster,,, oh well

Also, I got a response from Rob.  He says he has nothing left in stock....DRAT!!!

Lew

RL Chilton

Follow up on my other leads, they are all good possibilities and let me know if you run out of options.  I'm thinking of all of those folks, Jason would be the best bet.  When I was out in California visiting Bill last time, he had a drawer 4" x 12" x 24" full of nothing but gear  shift knobs of every color under the sun.  I got an extremely nice maroon one for the convertible, which in hindsight, might look better being ivory, as everything else in the car is ivory.  

SuperDave

SuperDave. I bought my 49 from the original owner with fewer than 35k miles on it.  It was all original except one repaint in the 70's (Wife wanted it prettier than it was).  It is a Super-6,  It came with an optional Commodore wheel and a few other options.  The shift knob matched the steering wheel in color.   As a result of your posting, I have checked all sorts of interior photos both on the web and in my private collection and I haven;t found a commodore wheel with a brown knob yet.  Even the 49 factory photos and sales brochures show Ivory knobs.  The super wheels (non-commodore wheel equipped) seem to have the brown shift knob.

The 48's with both the early and late wheel show an Ivory knob.  The early 48 has an Ivory knob which is the same as the 46-7 pointy knob.

I'm not saying your recollection isn't right, (heck, I valued it so much I spent an evening researching) I'm just passing on what I found out. And truthfully, who really can tell what Hudson did when and why?

So, based on all this, I am gonna use an Ivory knob

Thanks for your insight

Lew

My first 49 Commodore had a 57 steering wheel and was very cobbled up. The rest of the 49's were Supers, with The cheap steering wheels. Probably the deciding factor at the factory was the deluxe steering wheel got the ivory knob to match. I was never lucky enough to buy a nice original car. So my experiences were not good representations of originality. Thanks for shareing.

SuperDave

I have to agreed with you Ken. I am partial to the 52-53's too. But somehow I keep ending up with these 49's.The dashes  remind me of a Chris Craft speedboat! I remember a Rod and Custom magazine in the 50's featured a 48-49 convertible that was modified with nautical stuff and had a ships wheel for steering wheel and a mast on the trunk lid with a pennant... Way over the top!

RL Chilton

I have to agreed with you Ken. I am partial to the 52-53's too. But somehow I keep ending up with these 49's.The dashes  remind me of a Chris Craft speedboat! I remember a Rod and Custom magazine in the 50's featured a 48-49 convertible that was modified with nautical stuff and had a ships wheel for steering wheel and a mast on the trunk lid with a pennant... Way over the top!

Oh my!  I'm glad I didn't see that one.  I LIKE the early stepdowns!  I think the woodgraining in a '48-'49 is some of the prettiest of all the stepdowns.  I also like the dual gloveboxes on the Commodores, and the steering wheels are really handsome.  

Jim Wildrick has a really cool one in that it's a '49CCv but with a Hornet motor and Hornet brakes.  Great mover, that one.  

hdsn49

Thanks guys. Over the past few years I have managed to find two NOS Commodore steering wheels for my two
super 6's. I'm still looking for the correct hardware to install the two wheels plus I have to save up my money to  order the steering wheel centers from Eshelman. Now you tell me I also need new shift lever knobs to match!

Anybody have the correct hardware for attaching the Commodore wheels? Once I get them installed I will have two very nice super wheels for sale. 

EssexAdv

Hdsn49. Did yo get the shift and turn signal knobs from Escheilman? I got a set from him and they are a bit to lite to go with my sterling wheel. If you still need I could make you a deal

hdsn49

Lewis,
I bought two commodore steering wheel centers at the national from Echeilman. They are a lot lighter than the two steering wheels I have. Actually both wheesl are entirely different colors. I was told they used a ford color to paint the centers and I found the paint and plan on painting both steering wheels to match the centers. While at the national one of Paul Schuster's friends gave me a white shift knob for my car. It is used but it's white with the brown inlay. I can send you a picture if you send me your email. I was going to use that one in my '49 Brougham.

While at the national I checked out the steering wheels in several of the Commodores there. Several of them were painted to match the lighter color of the repro centers.

bull_islander

Lew,
did you find one?  Is this one close?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hudson-beige-with-brown-inlay-gearshift-knob-/272529304792?hash=item3f74032cd8:g:ki0AAOSwnHZYgnR9