Event Coverage The Hudson Adventure

Great write up Jim.

BigMike

 

That had to be a lot of fun and at the end, the car still works well. Any plans for it? I would just fix it up as I went and have more fun with it.

 

Awesome adventure. Thanks for including us.

 

Thanks for taking us along on your adventure. Love those Hudsons.

 

Nothing definite...I will probably sell it, but I'll fix a few more things first. It's a neat car, but would take a lot of work to get it where it would be a nice car for driving around all the time.

 

Spray bar on the Yugo! Fantastic write-up.

 

Very enjoyable story. These are great cars that can keep up with traffic easily and have great ride and handling. More people should drive them Do not delay the rewiring. We very nearly lost our 1954 Super Wasp in Orlando (ironically during a torrential downpour). I turned the heater fan to "high" to try to get some defrost and the switch knob felt hot. Immediately the whole wiring harness under the hood went up in smoke and everything under the dash caught fire. If we hadn't had an extinguisher the car definitely would have burned up. Had to do a curbside rewiring while standing in 6 inches of water!

 

Good write up on the road trip Jim.... Best part for me is you taking your mom out in the Hudson. I lost my mom suddenly in 1975. She would've had a good time in the Hudson.

 

Guys,
Saw this while surfing:
https://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/pts/6949712723.html

No connection, no dog in this fight. Just thought someone might be interested.
Farmalldan

 

neat, I guess it's not surprising that other companies made clutch oil for them.

Lots of money for a small can that will leak out pretty quickly

 

"6oz for a complete fill up every 5000 miles", geez, sounds like it loses that oil like it was burning it or something. I know, back then that was probably every 6 months or so, but that sounds like a big leak.

 

I assumed you changed it every 5000 miles, like engine oil, and it held 6 oz.??????
Farmalldan

 

It's supposed to last 5000 miles, but mine leaks out pretty fast. The seal on the throwout bearing is probably not sealing any more.

 

It would be interesting to see what the details are on that oil, so you could maybe find something compatible today

 

It's not leaking out, it's just marking it's territory, Harley style. Can't wait to see what's next on your bucket list!
I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

When you think about it. Isn't it much like a clutch pack in an automatic trans. Except here it's just one and manually released and activated. So ATF then?

 

Hard to say, different ATF types have different frictional characteristics, and whatever it is has to be compatible with the clutch material. And then there is the viscosity requirements. ATF is really low viscosity, you'd need to know what the viscosity of the Hudson oil is. It could be a simple Universal Tractor Hydraulic fluid would work well (it is intended for power shift and shuttle transmissions on farm & utility tractors).

 

Most hudson guys including me use ATF in them. There is a place that sells their own version of Hudsonite clutch oil, though. If the thing is leaking, it's kind of expensive, I think around 10 bucks per small can (one fill)

 

Out of curiosity, how difficult is it to add fluid? I read the few pages that were posted regarding the design of the clutch, and wasn't aware that any automotive manufacturer had designed that type of unit for a car.
I have a fair amount of experience with motorcycle clutches. I used a synthetic racing oil, and never had any issues.
Bob

 

You would think that by now somebody would sell a disk with conventional lining or reline existing discs with modern materiel. And you could forget the oil.

 

You would think....also, they changed to a normal clutch in 55 I think, but they changed the crankshaft length and some other things, and didn't make very many cars by then, so it's a difficult conversion.

Adding oil isn't too hard, have to get the flywheel in the correct position with the plug showing through the hole in the bellhousing above the starter (same hole you check ignition timing), then remove the plug, and use a long skinny funnel/tube to add oil. Of course you need to drain it first, so you don't overfill.

 

When you add fluid that often , it's best to leave the lower clutch cover offer , so when you
drop the fill plug , you can retrieve it quickly.
I had a socket with magnet in it, helps.

 

If you buy the right car, there isn't a lower cover on it, so it's not an issue

 

Did Harleys use a wet clutch? I know they were fairly common on some motorcycles.

 

No, they had a dry clutch but they had a total-loss oiling system for the chains.

 

Most Japanese motorcycles have a wet clutch, it is bathed in engine oil. That is one reason for motorcycle specific oils. When auto lubes started adding lubricity additives to improve fuel mileage they caused slipping problems with wet clutches. Motorcycle specific oils don't contain those lubricity additives for that reason.

 

Sportsters went from a dry clutch to a wet one in 1971, although the earlier baskets at times might as well have been wet.

 

Might be my slow brain but has someone photoshopped Squirrel's avatar photo to make him look older and more dignified ?

 

^^^^^ Time is all it is. Go back and find photo he posted when taking his Mom to lunch. Not everyone can be Dick Clark.

 

I'm getting old.

Sent from my Trimline