anybody hot rod- a step down -hudson?

my 30 year love affair is now in the same state as me,& i'm getting a game plan started,i wanna put a newer drive train in it,just a nice cruiser
has anybody done a 48-51 hudson cruiser? i'm looking for any help/ideas,but i do not wanna use a small block chevy or ford,sorry--but anyother engines are ok me,i'm leaning toward a straight 6,i will working on it over the next couple years[2] as money comes in,
http://s946.photobucket.com/albums/ad310/damagedduck/1949 hudson/

 

man i love them hudsons. never had one but ive looked for a decent one for a couple yrs now.i have a pontiac st. 8 i wanted to use in it.good luck on your build. keep us posted to progress.

 

pontiac straight 8,LOL thats funny,i started off as a pontiac freak,3 -55 wagons,a 62,a 64,,always been in love with pontiacs,sold my last one when i moved to colorado,life got in the way of finishing it,i miss it.......a 55 870 4door wagon with a 421-auto,slammed,

 

Do a 308 Hornet with Twin-H intake...a little over bore gives you 327 cu in.

 

I dunno... is this a hot rod?

 

Nope, no one hot rods old Hudsons.

 

A32Flathead, I love that car! I remember seeing that movie when it came out in theatres, I literally had chills when it kicked sideways on the dirt. Ya, I'm a little kid, I know....

some day I will have one of those!

There are a couple in a local junkyard, some F*ckin kids busted the windshields out of em

 

i used 'hot rod' as just a{general} term,i'm gonna do a mild custom to it,brootal thats sweet..& love your avatar,using a hudson motor is not in the mix right now,i had 3 complete drive trains,but some worthless POS stole em along with my skirts & 20 years of saved up parts that i saved with the car while it was in my grandpa's shed,i was goona do a restore on it,but with all the good parts stolen,& raising 5 kids[7-17 years old] there's no extra money,i'll be trading/swapping parts,as i go along,but i'm more of a simple daily driver guy,NOT a trailer queen,since i realy do not own another vehicle,that i like..we have smog law here for vehicles over 73,under 72 is every 5 years, a E-test is kinda hinky so thats why i'm doing it slow,maybe they'll drop it again? they did once after i sold my 55 pontiac,go figure.

 

speaking of avatars, I like yours also. I own 2 pit bulls and they are great dogs

 

Lots of them on here if you do a search. I sold mine and it went to Ohio. They made the step-downs from 1948-1954 -

A Pontiac Straight 8 would be a bizzare step backwards from even the Hudson six, though, that motor was superior enough to even Hudson's own eight that they dropped the eight around '51 or so.

 

Search Bruce Crower history. He had a Chrysler powered Hudson prior to his becoming famous as a speed equipment manufacturer.
deChrome

 

i have a 53 hornet that i put a 292 chevy six and a manual 3 speed behind it. shortened the front hudson driveshaft used stock rear. this is all temporary because i didn't wanted to drive it a little till i got a 308. it was a pain for a temp setup. the engine has to sit up a bit to clear center steering, all u joint angles are at the max of what they should be, the 3 speed floor shifter is a pain and sits too close to dash, several other things but it was doable. this car had not been driven in years so i wanted to get it up and going again so i understand where you are coming from. when they came out hudsons were as hot as it got, right?

 

Hell Yea! us Hudson fanatics still build them up and run only HUDSON power...
The big six Hudson 232-262-308 can be built to make excellent torque & HP but not much on RPM. think Diesel like power and power band, my 308 is all done at 4800 rpm but that's plenty.
later,
PaceRacer50

 

What engine is in it now? If it's a 308, feel free to swap an SBC for it. I'll take that useless old lump of a 308 off your hands...even pay shipping!

 

well a 4.0 jeep motor can be worked up to produce 225 to 250 HP pretty easily. If you can find an early 2 wd drive small cherokee you could pull the whole drive train. Some folks make some dress up pieces also, They been around forever, and have some family genes, Clifford makes a 4 bbl intake, and some cams, they already have a semi header from the factory easy to split to duals. Auto trans is a decent unit with a lockup, 2wd are usually a 3.55 limited slip.

 

dino: sorry no motor-it was pulled & rebuilt then stolen
plym 46: i realy have thought about it,do a stroked 4.0 by using a 4.2 crank, my wife has a 4.0 jeep. it get about17-19 mpg on the high way nice-n-torqy,.i also thought of using a 300 ford 6.i like the idea of people seeing a hopped up 6, had a big jimmy 6 with 3 -97's on it,split exhaust--oh the memories--

 

Pretty good idea here, I guess this comes from the AMC 258 I6?

I'm a fan of Hudson power myself. I wouldn't rule it out completely. There are engines around. I know of a few nice stock Hudsons that have been "upgraded" to sbc and the decent original engines were sold very reasonably. Nothing easier than dropping a Hudson engine back in a Hudson.

That said, my truck has a sbc installed by previous owner. There's some benefit to walking into my local autoparts store and telling them I need parts for a 76 Nova

Keep us posted, it looks like a nice solid start you have there.

 

I had a chopped 53 with a Buick 455/TH400. 53 Pontiac grill, molded fenders, rounded hood corners and nosed and decked. My license plate read 8NOMERC. Constantly being asked what year is that Merc.

 

BrandonB, Pictures???

 

please have some pictures,i'm wanting ideas-thanks

 

Sorry this is the best I can do. Pictures of pictures. Forgot, it also had 56 Chevy headlights. Went thru a couple of license plates, but the one it left with was 8NOMERC. Had to keep the front plate.

 

hudsoncustom did a nice bunch of threads on his hudson
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=275983

I dig the step downs more than mercs myself, just the best flow to 'em

 

thats super sweet,i like both set of chrome wheels that it had on it,& i love that plate,thank you so much for sharing-chuck

 

At least with a Jeep 4.0 you kind of keep it in the family being that it's the old AMC 199/232/258 and Hudson got swallowed up by AMC.

 

damagedduck i dont see anything funny about using a potiac str. 8. in one.ive got a good running one with trans sittin in the floor. i thought it would be alot better than going sbc or sbf.which i have plenty of.im not a hudson fanatic or a purist so if i can find a decent body im gonna use it.got have a heavy built car for that engine anyway cause that thing is HEAVY.i like all old engines as long as they were made here in the usa.i got to use this thing before it sits here and ruins.anyway liking your car and keep pics coming. ken

 

was not making fun of using a straight 8,the funny was i was/am apontac freak i've own a crap load of ponchos, .over the last few years i looked at using everything from a 52 ford flat V8 to buick straight 8,everything BUT sbc-sbf,just not my style i like odd cars/motors -orphans
sorry if anybody got the idea i was making fun of anybody for their choice of toys,i will NOTmake fun of any one for that,=chuck

 

I have a 49 roadstered with suicide doors, 61 Plymouth dash, 500 caddy power, sitting on juice..

 

That thing screams potential.... sketch time.

 

Hudson engines are cool. As mentioned, I'd try to find another Hudson. Cuts modification time and they are reasonable.