Starting up my 1947 Hudson Super Six project

Dom47

I have a 1947 sedan I purchased a couple of years ago but it just sat.

Just put electric in our new pole barn and put her in it.

I'm in the market for a lot of fasteners (e.g., flat head studs, starter bolts,..), probably a radiator, intake manifold and probably a carburetor.

It has a 212 engine with O.D.. Was told the engine was gone through to the point where it's a block in the engine compartment with valves done. It has an alternator in it to convert to 12 Volt. I had the starter rebuilt, distributor is freed up, oil pan is clean. I have a box full of brake parts.

I live near the Delaware Water Gap near Route 80 between NJ and PA.

I am not shy to ask for help. I will appreciate any I receive.

Time to get to some fun work.

Thanks, Dom47

Dom47

Recently discovered my clutch pedal does not go down.

Any idea of the problem and most importantly, how to fix the problem?

Any insight would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Dom47

MickeyB

Something is interfering with the linkage. If your clutch itself was stuck, the pedal would still operate, just wouldn't release the clutch.

Dom47

That's good news. Linkage is easy to check.

I heard about the cork stinking to the pressure plate. I also read about the transmission fluid reservoir being a possible culprit.

MickeyB, Thank you very much for your response.

Sincerely, Dom47

Dom47

Here is a list of needed parts:

The original one-barrel carburetor is near bare, and the intake manifold is missing the bottom half. The car came with a spare two-barrel carb and intake. I'd like to go original and if so, I'd be willing to sacrifice the two-barrel setup.

Radiator does not look healthy. The cap support is cracked.

The gas tank is very rusty inside.

I received a quote from Dale Cooper on an engine gasket kit for $235.

Any directive to obtain or fix these parts would be greatly appreciated.

Photos to follow.

Thanks, Dom47

jozment

have you solved your clutch pedal issue? If not, have you looked at the throw out bearing? If has been setting for long, it could be rusted to the shaft.

Dom47

I put the car on jack stands today. I got in the car and the clutch pedal is operational. The shifter lever was stuck in one position. I jiggled the linkage and it the shifter moves up and down but still doesn't move forward or backwards.

As you can see, I haven't installed the rebuilt starter yet.

I moved the lever with the cable connected and I believe that help, but I saw no movement when shift lever was moved forward and backwards. I have the car ready for reassembly.

Here's a box full of brake parts.

Call me corny, but I get motivated when my spot light lite up the rear tail lights.

Jon B

I have one general suggestion, unless you've tried it already: look through your H-E-T roster (assuming you're a Club member) and see if there are any members with '46-47's living in your area. Phone them, introduce yourself, and ask if you might call them from time to time, with technical questions (or questions about obtaining parts). With luck, they might even volunteer to come over, look at your car, and give you some tech tips.

(Some owners aren't mechanically minded themselves, but have found nearby mechanics who are capable of working on cars of your vintage. Finding such a mechanic could be a bonanza!)

Also, I would suggest you check out the classified sections of street rod & custom websites or magazines. Every so often someone will buy an old Hudson and swap out the original drive train for a newer one. You might just be able to buy a decent used engine and transmission for a reasonable price from one of these guys. Then you'll have a spare drive train which you can use or salvage parts from -- or just keep as a spare, should your drive train malfunction.

As for the 12 volt conversion, I assume you know that a number of electrical components will have to be changed in the electrical system to mate with the alternator. (I personally recommend sticking with the original 6-volt system, which I've done for the past 50 years. The only disadvantage with 6 volts is that is much less forgiving with minor problems then a 12 volt system is. The engine has to be in good shape, in order for 6 volts to start it. And it is absolutely critical that all battery cable and ground connections be shiny and free of corrosion.)

Dom47

Jon B,

This project started out as a LS swap, but is it so solid and original I'm attempting to salvage her. My sons pointed to the LS on the engine stand today. I purchased it as you see it above (with the 12 volt conversion started). All original wiring is shredded or missing. That is why I came going in this direction. I first want to see if I can get my engine running. I've been to a couple of meets and found a real good mechanic in East Bangor, PA I may need to lean on. It sure would be easy to drop a replacement engine and trans. I'm all ears and have my eyes open.

Thanks for your advice!

Dom47

Glowplug

At the risk of being pushy, Our chapter just finished a meet at a member's home. The main focus was to remove and replace a head gasket on his 1952 Hornet Coupe. Before our meeting, the owner performed several preliminary actions to ensure the best use of the available time and talents. The group removed the head, cleaned the head and top of the engine as well as the piston tops and valves, chased the head bolt threads, replaced the head gasket and head bolts with new and got the engine running again in the four hours we were together. That included a great lunch provided by our host.

My point, our chapter is focused on helping one another maintain our vehicles and ensuring that knowledge, special talents, and tools are passed around so that all benefit from our memberships. This is the fourth meeting in the past two years where we have gathered to help one another. I would hope that the closest chapter would be willing to get together with you and your sons to do some heavy lifting with you to get your car back into operation.

Good Luck and hope that this will inspire members local to you to reach out to you.

Ken

MickeyB

A Feb. 8 entry on this site lists this car for sale....

Toddh

Hi Dom

Some thoughts for you:

-the original carburetor is a Carter 501s. I have a couple of NOS and a couple of cores for rebuilding.

-Gas tank can be repaired at GasTank Renu. I had mine done at the one near Pittsburgh. Very reasonable $

-Radiator: look for an old school radiator shop in your area. They should be able to sort it out

-6V vs 12v. Why change it? They worked fine originally on 6v. Wiring, especially grounds need to have good clean connections.

BigSky

Gas Tank Renu is one heck of a dishonest company, don’t ever even consider them! They will butcher your tank & then when problems are found they don’t stand behind their product. photos below….

Don’t waste your time if the tank is leaking or has holes, find something new to replace it with, others have done this. Otherwise I’m sure Wildrick has a tank he’ll sell ya for $1000+.

I’ll give you the honest truth here because very few ever will….. If you’re not a highly skilled mechanically or don’t want to dumping a boatload of money into it & never see it out of, sell it now & buy something running & driving. Otherwise just strip everything off of it & rebuild everything, yes everything, because you may get one thing fixed only to find 6 more things wrong along the way & that’s just the tip of the iceberg. You will find things go wrong all the time, but since it’s a Hudson the parts are not readily available & can delay a project months, years & decades as one searches for them. There is a reason it hadn’t been restored before you bought it…. If it was easy & reasonable to do, it would already have been done. Sorry for the blatant honesty but you need to at least have heard it from someone.

Good luck which ever way you go!

40indianssgmailcom

Nice to see someone bring some reality to the car hobby. It consumes time and money. It is almost always less expensive in the end to buy what you want already done. That being said buyer beware of a ‘finished’ car, as in all things craftsmanship and honesty may not be part of the deal

Dom47

Thank you all for your comments. They keep my dreams from turning into a nightmare. I have completely installed the brakes in the drums.

The car is (or was) up for sale because I found a 1948 step down I wanted to buy. Until this sells, I'm going to continue to get her on the road. I have a sales receipt from NAPA Auto Parts listing their part numbers for the brake parts, if anyone is interested in a copy. Now I need to bench bleed the new master cylinder. Still working of getting the last fitting loose on the rear brake hose. Regarding gas tank: for now I'm looking to use a 3rd Gen Camaro. I read in the forum, they work for the 47'. I'm going to decide on 6V or 12 Volt after I get her running. I am in need of a radiator. I started to reassemble the engine. I replaced one oil feed line with new old stock part. I cleaned and installed the two oil breathers under the manifolds. Installing rebuilt starer is on my short list. Head is next to be installed. Distributor is giving me some concerns because motor timing is not something I am familiar with. My trans shifter still only goes up and down not forward or backward. I am having a great time putting her together. The new pole barn has a project for each of my sons and I. More pictures to follow soon. I am planning on working on her this weekend.

Thanks again for all providing great insight.