i remember seeing a chopped, black primed willys aero around the area about a year ago, it was a 53 or 54...i think it belonged to one of the Rumblers...anybody got a pic...
I'm pretty sure there was a Willys Aero in Street Rodder(??) like 10 years ago. It was metalic red with some sort of polished wheels if I remember right. For some reason I think it was out of Arizona. I thought it was a really cool little car at the time- with the big "w" in the front. It was the only time I had ever seen one of those, and figured that they were in short supply. But there must be some of them out there, as one showed up for sale locally- which has since been sold. Kind of funny when I think about it, I've seen more Ardun motors in person than Aeros..
I raced a four door Jet back in the day but can't say that I've ever seen one (or the more desireable two door "Jet Liner") done up as a custom! Lowering would definitely do wonders as I always felt they sat way too high stock. Very unlike their "big brother" stepdowns. And as far as styling goes, I have to agree! I recall reading a story about the designing of the Jet. Frank Spring, one of designers, had quite a stylish idea drawn up that was similar to the larger stepdown Hudsons. But it ended up that low selling Hudson dealers, corporate Hudson executives (and their wives!)ended up having a say in the Jet's design until it was reduced to the high, boxy little sedan that finally rolled off the assembly line!
Hudson Jet to me looks like some sort of Japanese clone of a '52 Ford - you know, close but they didn't quite get it right, sort of like a cheap toy. It's one car that you could sure help customizing. If you can find one - it's one car I don't think I have ever seen, and I've seen a lot of stuff I never thought I would. Willys Aero - rare here because they rotted badly. I looked at one ages ago and all that held the front to the back was a strip of metal over the trans. Know where there is another one and it's pretty rough. Not a bad looking little car though. They were more expensive than a Chevy though when new for a lot less car, so they didn't sell that great either.
I have 3 pics I tried to post but they were not the right files. If you want I can e mail them to you.
This isn't so much a custom, but turned out pretty nice. It's got a 350/700R4, 9-inch, etc. Shows that an Aero can make a pretty cute car.
The Willys was a neat little car - my grandpa had one. The last-gasp Willys was a very nice 2-door hardtop - the Bermuda. I think I remember at least one was customized and shown in one the the pocket-size mags. The Bermuda grille made its way into a few Mercs. I'll look for pics. The Hudson Jet was stubby-looking, heavy, and under-powered. All things a little hot-rodding could fix! I haven't seen one for sale in years - even in a junkyard. (Are you asking because you know of one for sale?) However - The Jet was the basis for a factory custom - the Hudson Italia. It was a Hudson Jet chassis with an aluminum body designed by Frank Spring and built by Carrozzeria Touring of Milan. Not gorgeous - but exclusive - only 25 produced and sold for $4800 each. These turn up every so often. A Jet custom hmmm... Dave
There's a Aero 4 door sedan down the road from me. It's been there for years. It's two tone green and white, with red steelies, and wide whites.
oh, you said kustoms... I wanna do a Jet up as a gasser... J2, straight axle, big ass meats in the rear... wow, I am a Gay Bitch aren't I? There's a cool picture of a race one at Big Daddy's museum somewhere on the net. I will have to find it. Jay
I've seen the pics of the blue one at Big Daddy's museum. It raced successfully. Looks like a street rod more than a racer. The Jet is such a blank canvas. If I didn't know what it was I'd think it was made in one of the old Soviet bloc countries.
That's the good-looking Hudson (Pacemaker?), not the Jet! The Step-Down Hudsons were solid well-designed cars - some folks said they were the only cars to look better as four doors than two-doors. Dave
Here's what a Hudso Jet looks like: From mymotorbase.com http://www.motorbase.com/profiles/picture/index.ehtml?i=-1452688445
heres my idea chopped, slammed, shaved emblems and handles. id slant the back glass more but thats tough to do in MS paint.
Nice job (beat me to it!). The amazing thing is that with just the top chop, drop, and simple shave, and otherwise stock vehicle looks completely custom. ...Now I gotta go find one... Dave
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