The possibilities are endless. Study on it a while and then decide what you want to do with it. That grille is very striking!
Easy enough to change that 5.0 to a carb, and a dropped I beam axle would get you back in good graces with the traditional purists....
I vote for a 401 AMC motor with a 4 speed. Your choice on front suspension, keep it low enough and nobody will see what you have and don't advertise it. But a 8 or 9 inch ford on parallel leaf springs is probably the easiest out back.
A friend and I found this one in Sisterdale Texas in the early 1970's. It was across the road from an old auto garage. We asked the very elderly German who owned the shop if it was for sale. He replied that some guy had dropped it of for some repair work in the late 1940's and never came back to get it. so it wasn't for sale because he might come back some day. Went back thru there in the 1990's and the place was so overgrown I couldn't tell if it was still there. The shop was about to fall down and I'm sure the old gentleman was long dead.
Boat tail speedster?, RPU? ..............or even a Sedan delivery? Cool as is and unique I suppose but as much as I love that grille, It just seems too fancy for a pickup with a plain square bed.....
I love these old Hudson trucks, they have that custom right out of the factory look. Near perfect! I'm not so concerned about what you do under those fenders, I believe hot rods were meant to be driven. Having a usable drive train, good suspension, and modern brakes all have a pretty high priority at my place. For me, the important thing is keeping the body mostly stock appearing to maintain that perfect factory look. Shinny paint, in two-tone would be cool. Gene
Needs a Hudson Hornet six with McCulloch supercharger. Also, some kind of pickup cap or topper, custom made of course, to finish off the rear.
That's exactly how I feel about all these Hudson pickups. Class it up a bit. I knew a guy who had a Packard pickup styled like a dealer parts truck. It really stood out amongst the unwashed.
Those Hudsons had a well designed front suspension. They drive well. If I remember correctly the steering box is highly desirable for a 32 Ford replacement item
Great looking truck. So far ahead of their time styling-wise. Probably the epitome of Art-Deco inspired styling. Good luck with the build. Keep us in the loop..........Don.
Dick Dean did a boat tail https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/dick-dean-boat-tail-hudson-custom.101838/ Check out this coupe utility, wow. I didn't even know they existed. I've see the Chevy and Ford ones however they weren't fitted with roll out beds and trunk lids. Old time coupe pick up A bit SRish with those wheels https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2015/10/22/an-amazing-hudson-collection-hidden-in-plain-sight/ A few ideas in this Hemmings article. What about a sedan delivery / flower car as suggested by low budget, very similar side profile to Ozzie utes and sedan deliveries? IMO the rear roof needs to be more rounded and not square from an aesthetic point of view to retain an OEM look. If you go the roadster PU or utility look at similar YOM Ozzie Ford utes for ideas Here's an Ozzie 36 Ford ute Here's an Ozzie 36 Ford roadster utility Here's 36 roadster utility
Why are so many trying to take the classy Hudson pickup and roll it back to look like a mere Ford pickup? The unique styling of the Hudson is what makes it appealing. It doesn't look like all the other pickups that were available at the time. Gene
An Inspired Hudson Custom Carson Style Top Doors extended, Window frame modded to eliminate Uprights and Capped, Quarters Added beltline extended, Back of Cab moved to back and Angled and spliced into Quarters Antenna, Reoriented to Post Angle, Skirts Fabbed, headlights channeled into fenders, Door handles shaved, Landau Irons added www Firestone Pie Crusts... Enjoy...Happy Friday https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/36-terraplane-pickup-barn-find.1148583/#post-13062953
...........Totally nothing to do with the Terraplane P/U, but I just thought of a great club name for you guys down there............"Utes and Scoots" for anybody with interest or ownership of a Ute and/or a motorcycle...Sorry, now back to the thread.
Its fun and this really isn't a restoration site...Hudsons are Custom looking right out the Gate...noted...USMerc has a beginning and floating ideas is part of the territory here...Inspiration is just that.
Well after getting my trusty 6 shooter, I'm going to take aim. If you have a 302 motor use that, it can always be replaced with a nailhead later. But sometimes just because you have the parts laying around does not mean you should use them so I say save the Mustang II parts for another project.
Built it so YOU can drive it and be comfortable, all the 'old-ball' motors are interesting and may look cool, but you have a vehicle that is so cool in its self no special drive-line is necessary. And if something happens in ButtF*** Montana (sorry for any Montanaits that might be offended) a trip to Auto Zone will get you back on the road. It is yours, we had the same thing with our 50 Chev Ute, people were upset we didn't keep the inline 6, well my wife wanted to drive it on the freeway at 70 so in went a 350/350 10 bolt and she couldn't be happier. To steal and change a line of music...'Do it Your Wayyyyyy.
I really appreciate all the responses. I own a 1946 Mercury Ute (my avatar) that I brought back from Oz in the 90's. I started to build it with a flat head but because it was a rare vehicle I wanted to drive it long distances so I put a 302 - AOD combination in it. 65,000 miles and 7 western states and Canada twice it still gets 20 mpg on regular . Probably with a flat head I would not have done that. I have a y-block 31 coupe and a blown y-block 28 phaeton that will never see that kind of travel. I accept all lines of thought and I may not even build this truck but as Stogy said "it's fun to float ideas as to what could be". The vehicle is so unique that it had to be saved from it's probable demise. John
I started this thread in May of 2019 and a lot has happened since then so thought it was time for an update. I never seriously thought of building this Hudson, but I was hell bent to see it preserved in a form I could be comfortable with after saving it from a certain demise. Shortly after the thread appeared I received a P.M. from a gentleman from Oregon that he was interested in buying it from me. He said his name was Tom Hudson and I asked immediately if he was a direct relative of Hudson car company. He said yes that he was a direct relative and was amassing a collection of Hudsons with the hopes of starting a museum. Just perfect for what I would like to see happen to this pickup. Well life gets in the way of things as covid came along and I had a knee replacement. We continued occasionally to correspond and basically reached an agreement for him to purchase it then all correspondence stopped. After more months passed and by this time, I had his phone number, so I called. His wife answered and told me he was in the hospital after suffering a severe stroke. I apologized for bothering her. I figured that was that, and very good plans were up in smoke. Months passed and out of nowhere Tom sends me a P.M. saying he is still interested. So fast forward to today, Tom picked the Hudson up and it is on its way to Oregon. We had a great talk, and he is very deep in Hudson history and information as well as being a very nice person. He told me this makes 8 pickups known to exist. It was a good day, mission accomplished. In the picture below is me "USMercUte" on the left and Tom Hudson on the right.
Don't be in a hurry to change the steering and front suspension, especially if you can figure out a way to put disc brakes on it. I love the looks of the artillery wheels. The Hudson Terraplane was one of the best handling cars of the late '30s. Hot rodders of the '40s and '50s used Hudson steering boxes in other things--it was a very smooth handling box. It had a flathead 6 originally. If you can find an AMC inline six, they are excellent engines
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