Welcome back viewers to yet another ever so thrilling update on the old Huddyson. Sitting here and looking back over the last few years I must scratch my head and ask where has all that time gone. I really did believe it would of been driveable by now - road legal or not legal. Life has its way of derailing such grand time frames as im sure you all are aware and the fact that even though the parts im using may not be the most expensive out there they sure dont come cheap. To paraphrase Oedipus, Hamlet, Lear, and all those guys, "I wish I had known this some time ago." Everything was such a damned nice idea when it was an idea yet as with everything How you look at it is pretty much how you'll see it I guess. And looking at it I can see the old gal ride low n slow down the street fast n loud on the highways everytime im out working on the old beast. God i got a tad philosophical there for a moment... what are they adding to the water around these parts. /twitch Enough of that nonsense. let start the normal barrage of images and brief explanations. Back floor all patched up over four link brackets. Holes added for access & removal of the top bars bolts. Sparks and smoke flying up front as the Trans cover was all made up like a big jigsaw. To help pull the drivers side floor up the brake boosters cover has been incorporated onto the trans cover to add rigidity. Since the brakes are all tucked away under the floor and me being a bit of a lazy sod im using a remote reservoir. The brake pedal was a bit of a sod that took up a heap of time. Due to the floors sloping angle and other factors we couldn't do a normal pivoting bar as the inside push rod where you stand would be pointing towards the floor. So a duel/tandem lever was made up. its somewhere between 4:1 and 5:1 ratio. Still got to get the adjustable top links. but tested with a bit of bar and have heaps of travel for the booster. Grease nipples all over the place. Machined up brass bushes and ya its solid as. Have to get the actual pedal and the other lever bar it connects to tested still. Moving on to smaller jobs now. Power steering. As i have mentioned I think some time ago im using a PSC setup made for rock-crawlers. So if its powerful enough to drive and survive the crazy setups they have it should be fine for my setup. Now I didnt want to take away from the finned engine dress-up stuff when you open the hood. So a low mount bracket was fabbed up. The little pump has a heap of adjustment, lines up nicely with the other pulleys and is tucked nice and low that will not only keep it out of eye sight but since the pump is gravity feed from the reservoir that will be mounted up by the radiator it will have ample full as well. Mounted up the trans cooler up front of the radiator after I drilled a few holes and added grommets for the hoses. Should be hidden away enough not to be noticed. Got the cad skills out again to design up the gas tank. Its about 19Gallons/72litres. The tail pipes are rather close together so the plan is cut a hole in the trunks floor and have half the tank through this and then the other half taking up much of the trunks floor space. Baffles will also add bracing for those times I may throw heavy loads like tires ontop of it. The bottom should be flush or just tucked up with the bottom of the chassis whilst the top will come nearly up to the trunks lip/bottom of the door. So it shouldn't be a hindrance or noticeable. One end is slightly deeper for the pump and sender. Josh and the guys at Apex in Oamaru cut n folded it up. Top guys with some great kit that I highly recommend. They also made up that Hudson logo for a bit of fun what was nice of them and chucked it in. Until I figure out what to do with it I plan to use it as a stencil to tag a few things around the garage. \,,/(-.-)\m/ On a bit of a separate note the missus has taken up slinging a bit of one shot paint of late. Hell yeah I say. Im more than happy to buy the brushes, paints and what ever if it means I can get some lines laid down on pretty much what ever I want. I think she is busting it out but naturally I may be a tad one eyed, biased and not the best judge in the matter. Take a look any way. Some panels up near the top of below pic in my garage. Cooler to go with her Morrie Door she made up for Flockie on an old 40s Ford pickup door. And of course hand bags... she has a thing for handbags.
Seems im overdue for another update. Best remedy that I guess and spew forth more pics. To keep all the electricals ticking im using a Powermaster 150amp 1 or 3 wire alternator. As i stated above I wanted all the brackets as low as possible. unfortunitly cooling hoses got in the way in the middle positions and the powerstearing rack when it was really low. So its had to go up higher but is still low as we could get it. Still its not to bad I guess. Also mounted up the radiators overflow seen above. On the other side of the rad we mounted up the PS/hydroboost reservoir. Three port jobbie. Under the car a fly wheel cover was fabbed up. Stock would not work due to the trans adapter. Bit of split pipe was used for the notches to clear the torque converters covers ridges. Car is off the jack stands and front panels are bolted on. not all the bots etc are in but enough to keep it together until I get new bolts for it all and get it done right. Old Nailhead sits in there nicely. Steering wheel thrown on just so we can roll it about easier. GT Performance 9 bolt hub, 15.5" wheel and horn. Really wanted a wheel with a horn ring cus I love those things but ones that suit smaller wheels are bleeping expensive so it can wait. Car is sitting pretty darn low. Like the lowest part is the brace that joins/strengthens the front sub side to side much like the original Hudson setup. I haven't measured it but I guess we have 30-40mm clearance to the road. As you can see with the good old beer bottle next to the car... it low. keep in mind we still have to add side pipes - its that big ol hole you may of spotted in the above pic. You will see also that we will have a heap of room for them under the rockers. They also have a bit of a curve whats a bonus as it will (with luck) keep them out of ankle range whilst keeping them nicely tucked up so we dont rip em off. and moving right along... side shot just cus I like it. yes I know the car is dirty but so is my mind and I like it that way. Now talking about burning ankles on side pipes a subject by gal has mentioned most times I bring up lake pipes. My answer generally goes along the lines of "wear heels" below pic proves the wisdom of this. Ankle out of burn range.. toes on the other hand she has never mentioned. But seriously - like the back tire viewed air out side on. Enough farting around talking about air out this and that. Throw a battery in and test that shiz. Yip yours truly testing it out. We left it air up for a few days and I was pleasantly surprised to find it stayed there with only a few psi drop from what I left it at uniformly across each wheel. I will mark that to atmosphere and not any slow leak due to it being across all four wheels not just one. yeah i know the front could be bolted on a bit better but ahh stuff it it will be off again anyway. And just cus im feeling all gangsta... i know it aint hydraulics but it will do me. When air up we must be around 150mm at that one low point in the middle just behind the wheels. Ass end that has larger bags naturally goes much higher.
The better half and my self have been honing our skills of late. Thats right boss. Hours of hard yards have been put in out in the garage. You all know it and have no doubt also spent many hours doing it. .... Standing there with a beverage staring at an old jalopy, talkn shit and do'in sweet fek all. But seriously what have we been up to other than throwing back jars and chin wagging you say whilst dressed in trendy garage attire. Well ladies and gentlemen wait no longer for here is yet another riveting update to cover the little bit of work we actually did. Radiator all plumbed up. the finned metal hoses bend and hold shape well. like how its kinda central in the engine bay. Replaced the hose clamps that came with it with stronger jobbies as I couldn't be feked with hoses blowing off and coolant going everywhere. Moved on to hooking up the column shift to the trans. Using an IDIDIT GM/700R4 universal shift kit. Thinking being since im using an IDIDIT column it would all just be bolt on. Well that was the theory anyway. Basically it would work fine if I was LHD. the instructions are nice and simple and kit straight forward and well made. Would just bolt in. Being RHD its all opposite though and naturally the American brand dosnt included any instructions and when I contacted support I got no help and basically told me to fek off. LHD shifting would pull the cable out as it moves from park through the gears. RHD we push it in as we move through the gears from Park - 1st. Rejigging at the column is an easy fix. just throw the car in park pull out the cable and hook it up (As pictured). Basically doing opposite as instructed. The bracket that fits to the trans had to be bent so the tab that holds the cable pointed upwards not downwards. Then an extension made up for it. Reason being that the shift arm on the trans is made to point downwards and pull through the gears. Since im pushing through the gears it had to be mounted up top. So the bracket that holds the cable in place had to also point up. Simple enough I know but thought since IDIDIT support and engineers where about as useless as tits on a bull I would flick it up encase any other Kiwis or RHD owners needed a bit of help. Shifts easy though the gears. Clicks from Park to 1st. Ordered a heap of fittings for the fuel system. But before I start hooking all that guff up it was deemed time to finally finish up the gas tank thats mentioned in a previous post. Its made to nestle up nice and happy in this rather large hole that was cut in the boot/trunks floor. Its hard to tell but the hole has been braced up fro the underside so when its all together the floor will be sandwiched and nice and sturdy. Since the lid was still off it seemed a good time to put together the in tank fuel pump. Overkill to be sure since its only driving a few carbs and not fuel injection. But it has good reviews and is supposed to be pretty quiet so I was like mehhh seems easy enough and should be "hook it up and forget about it". Its an Aeromotive Phantom in-tank carb setup. Basically meaning it has a regulator (pictured there front center) that drops the 320psi pump down to 15psi. Also has its return blocked with a removable cap. Comes with pre-filter pictured along with that sponge tube that you cut a tad higher than your tank and acts as a filter and a baffle. Also put together the Dakota Digital universal sender. As with all there stuff its a nice bit of kit with simple instructions. Has the ability to fit in a huge range of depth tanks and works with many gauges. Anyway lid all TIGed up. Also the filler neck and drain added. Holes added before assembly to make life easier. Then the sender and pump just all dropped on in to place. Under the car it sits up nice. tucked just above the lowest part of the chassis. Should be no scrub line issues. Also still has a nice amount of clearance from exhaust - its why its an odd T shape. Up top it is about level with the lip of the opening. Will have a floor mounted above it latter down the track. The rest of the other bits of the fuel filler neck still to attach pictured above. Also pictured is the cradle to hold the battery box that we wiped up to hold it all nice and secure on the right side. Just using a standard marine battery box. Fits up nice in the back fender as shown. Can vent it through the floor. Will have a panel to hide it from view down the track. The battery only just fits in whats good i guess - no slipping about. The big bugger should power everything I need and flick over the engine no worries. Looking at either welding cable or 1guage wire to carry the current up the front. earths all over the place of course. So picture the above with panels. sides to hide the battery and tool kit along with fuel neck that will live on the other side. floor to protect the tank then front panel to hide the airtank and amp whilst also adding sound deadening to the shut up those two pumps. Now getting back to my original comments in this post. That being the standing staring at the car. Maybe moving something a fraction taking a drink and repeating the process. Side pipes seemed like a good excuse to practice this. We had to go through the process of draining a few cans to use to hold the pipes in place first of course. Sacrifices we make aye. Note the said cans are crimpled in the middle otherwise they are much to high to suit the air out stance with the pipes. Front grill also seemed like a good excuse. Pondering a 1950 Buick grill. Middle section should fit in well once pushed back but its overall width is wider than the car. Dont really want to cut the chrome as it is so nice so I guess if we use it we may need to flair the guards a bit. Already planned to do this a bit to get better wheel travel for steering when air out but hmm I think this is something a few more brews and staring might require. All this is much down the track of course. Tiki - such a great helper. You got a wire he will attack it. Drop a nut and he will soon have it flying across the garage floor ending up down the side of some thing out of reach or under some other heavy obstacle. Told him I would stuff him is such a pose if he keeps annoying me. Guess he is happy with that idea as the little shit hasn't stopped.
After a 20year apprenticeship she got the job. My bird got her ring finally and I scored some major points. Cracker weekend at Banks Peninsula that sports one of my favorite winding roads ever. ha. 20 years. "Good things take time" - well thats what the cheese advert says. Keeping that in mind... Who else can be out in the shed for a whole day and at the end of it look at what you did and see so little progress? Say a job you thought 30 minutes maybe or an hour tops turns out to take seemingly forever. We seem to be stuck in this pattern with all these little jobs that just eat up the time. As a quick summery viewers plumbing and wiring has been the culprits for the most part. All the hoses have been ran and plumbed up. Much of the hydraulic power-steering/hydro-boost brakes is done in black nylon covered steel braided hose with some stupid high PSI rating. Came with the brake kit and looks ace but I can see it will get dirty with use. Right angle impact driver was a must for fastening some of these as no way in hell a standard cordless could get in the confined spaces like between engine or exhaust and rails. Heater lines are the same as the radiator. That flexi corrugated metal pipe that holds its shape. Have put heavy duty clamps on it all. Tucked away as much as possible to keep it out of sight. Then all rest of the fuel and brake lines are PTFE / Teflon braided stainless. Only the trans cooler has normal rubber hose but it will be tucked away unseen - although I have braided heat shrink in long lengths I guess I could use. The two cables on the valve cover are for the trans kick down and the accelerator. Also tucked in the Lokar trans dipstick behind the engine to the right. Moved on from there to the wiring. To simplify things I got an American Autowire Highway 22 kit. Well impressed with it. Good gaug wire with nice thick insulation and thick strands in extra long lengths. The coloured wires are all labeled every 20 cms - such as "Headlight Lowbeam", "rear park", "Dash lights" etc etc. Well labeled fuse panel. comes with dimmer switch, ignition/keys, light switch and more. I decided to make things even easier I would make up my own wiring diagram. Man that took longer than expected! Think a few days. Glad I did it as its made the process easy. Its changed a little since I have started and those changes are not shown on that diagram but once im finished I will add the alterations and tidy it all up to show the looms better. Note some of the security is not shown there along with a few other things I forgot to add at the time. But ya- totally recommend people make up a diagram it just helps so much and designing it really brings the whole system into your head. Got a thick plastic board (10mm) that I cut to shape for the area it will be mounted. Will be up on risers to keep wires behind it out of sight. Mounted up much of the electrics-shaved door kit, fan controller, gauges controller and fuse panel. Will still be some relays and other bits in other spots around the car. Had to cut up the old stainless on the dash a bit to add things like the above keys(Drill, dermal and file job to get that shape). The other hole is for the trans lockup whats just a on/off switch(modified old Hudson ignition switch). Lights fitted in with out much work using an old hole but the new wipers are two speed plus intermittent and the switch is huge out the back so had to be massaged a tad. Using the old Hudson knobs on the new bits to keep the look. Drilled new holes for the vintage air heater unit that has three knobs - still need to get some old hudson knobs for them. Still all the effort paid off and they look stock. Started the wiring doing under the hood first as its is the easiest area. Battery is mounted in the boot/trunk and comes up to the front then to a 175Amp fuse that branches off to everything. Epoxy pertronix coil in a finned cover to keep the look im after. Mentioned the braided shrink fit before. For those who have not came across it - its great. Shrinks on down like regular shrink fit. is supposedly flame, oil and gods know what resistant. But just adds an older look to the wires whilst keeping them nice and safe. Then it was lay out the wires. What with all the wires being colour coded and labeled this wasn't to bad. Have a few extra wires in each bundle that are not attached to anything just for a bit of future proofing - never know down the track what you may suddenly wish to hookup. Feed the wires through the right holes leaving a decent amount out the back then screwed them on down nice and secure. Put in an earthing/ground bar since I have so many grounds up under the dash and around the fuse panel. It grounds right onto to the chassis next to it but also I ran a thicker black earth all the way to the back and it will attach to the battery as well. Im not in the mood for electrical issues caused from crappy grounds so with luck this will help that. Since the firewall got modified its meant we needed a new heater. Bit of a shit as I rather liked the old 49 Hudson WeatherMaster - it was in working condition, fan went, radiator didnt leak and knobs all did what they meant to do. Anywho to replace it I got a Vintage Air heater with demisters for windscreen. Man they are small but should put out the heat if the reviews are anything to go by. Mounted up with plenty of room under the dash. Hudsons had the gauges mounted in the center of the dash and then a second glovebox behind the steering wheel. Im using the door to that glovebox to mount my new gauges. Will show all the important info at a glance whilst keeping the analogue look. Hooks up to gauge control box via a single ethernet cable. Nice n easy and better yet - its in metric. These Dakota Digital control boxes have multiple speed out's. So im thinking I may try to hook up the old analogue Hudson gauge as well. Its in imperial/miles as back then NZ used the old system and not metric like now... still be kinda cool. Anyone got any recommendations or experience hooking up digital to old mechanical analogue speedo? I see DakotaD and other brands have some box thing with a motor in it that can convert but they are pricey. Thought maybe get a digital gauge with the same sweep and swap the guts about? ideas? Other than that its been springtime roadtrips. Till next time ... latter.
My little ol town was covered in the sweet smell of Bogan(red neck?) perfume recently (tire smoke). The Waimate 50 NZs longest running street race was on for three days. Got to hand it to the drift boys – put on a wicked show. Primed up the old Nailhead. was so easy. With in 30 seconds oil started dripping and after a min or two of constant oil pressure we left it at that. Dropped the front seats back in – good old mexican blanket covers a world of horrors. Front fenders on, fluids added and it was time to push the old gal out the door to get a few pics and then finally turn the key. Oh My Golly it was an exciting time I tells ya. Sitting nice in low. Below is not even the lowest part of the car With the chief garage cat supervising on. We turned the key… engine turns.. oh so exciting ! the starter at least works and we have oil pressure!!! Then after VRROOOMMM it starts! no messing about it just roars right up. no feking about with anything at all. Happy grins as the un-capped exhaust loudly roars. …. hmm whats that I hear… Clunk! clunk! clunk! engine off. Kinds sounded like down below. hmm guess the crank weight was pointing up and wasn’t noticed when this was fabed up. bugger. Cat was about as impressed as I was. With that culprit removed and confidence high we start again. tick tick tick…. phuze nut! turn it off, shove some wet rags in the side pipe openings so we can hear better. https://drive.google.com/open?id=1KNN_1E4qhxXvlvvJkmMiKFL15qixBPxu Yip its ticking. cant seem to track it down and didnt want to leave engine running till we talked to engine builder. Drove it into the garage. Draining the oil. Builder says it could be the lifters. Doubts bottom end. But recommends we carry on with the Run In procedure. And see how it goes after. Will pull the pan and have a look. Will pull the rocker covers as well and run my eye it all as well. on the bright side… if it is lifters I can use it as an excuse to get a new cam ^.
The Jalopy Journal
