am i the only one with a 55 hudson?

really excited, i just got a 55 hudson wasp with 202ci straight 6 on monday for really cheap. it was restored and then was parked and sat in a car port for 5 years before i found it. theres not a singdle dent on the whole car and the paint is pretty nice. zero rust. i already got it running. ive been combing this message board to see what people have done to theirs and i cant find any.

 

I think that is the kind of car that is best just left as a stocker.

Get some wide white bias plies and maybe drop it two inches all around and drive it.

 

thats exactly what i was thinking.. all the trim is there and its in great condition.. i think im going to cut a loop off the springs and put dummy spotlights on it...

 

It would look better without the dummy spots... But a little lower would be nice.

 

nice car !!! enjoy the ride.

 

I agree with the others, give it an altitude adjustment and some new shoes. Ditch the spots idea, atleast for now, you may decide you like it this way. Better now than after you cut holes.

Oh, and start lookin' for an AMC 327 to throw in that thing to keep people at the hop guessing when you rumble in...

 

Dummy spots don't look good on anything.

 

Agree, wide whites and lower it a tad... those cars are hard to come by complete and not rotted out. Have fun with it.

Bob

 

My neighbor used to have a '56, but this era of Hudson is pretty rare. I like the lowering and WWW's plan, maybe dual exhaust. I like dummy spots but only on 40's era tail draggers and lowrider bombs, I don't know if they'd be right on here.

I'm sure someone on the photoshop thread would be happy to lower it and change out the tires for you. I don't think it needs anything beyond that, unless you score a 202 Twin-H power setup for it.

 

For what it's worth, the '55 & '56 Hornet 6 still carried the famous 308" Hudson engine (with hydraulic lifters because the Nash body had no provision to access the side of the engine in order to adjust tappets) but there was a Hornet V-8 which was the Packard engine. (320" in '55, 352" in '56). '57 V-8s had the 327" AMC engine. Strangely (to me) the 202" engine in the '55 & '56 Wasps was the old Jet engine. Wasps prior to '55 had 232" engines.

 

Join the Hudson Essex Terraplane Club, send a PM to Yorgatron on here.....he has 2..and is deeply involved in the club.

 

cool find

 

In about 1963, I tried to buy a 1956 352 one of those...gigantic, perfect except blown trans. My thought was to put the 352 into my '32 Ford, on the assumption that the availability of a commercial adaptor took care of the problem. The fact that the 352 was about a foot longer than the engine bay wasn't a prob if I had an adaptor, right?
The thing was top of the line, I think three colors...like gray, pink, and white or something. Car was absolutely perfect except for a dead hydramatic. The owner wanted $75, which was probably insanely optimistic...
Fortunately for me my Father noticed that my plan was idiotic.

 

Many years ago,I ran across a 55 Hudson in a junk yard. It had a Twin H Power six, (in addition to a continental kit, tinted glass, etc.). It was complete, right down to the factory air cleaners. Unfortunately, it was sunk down in the ground and very rusty. The yard was cleaned out in 1989.

 

This is all you need:

 

Yes, you are the only one. At least around here.

1955 was almost the last of the Hudsons. Hudson merged with Nash in 54 and after that the Hudson was a Nash with Hudson engine, different grille and trim, and a few exclusive features. I think they sold about 20,000 Hudsons that year (Chevrolet sold over a million).

1957 was the last Hudson.

Your car is rare and unusual and needs nothing to stand out in a crowd.

Nash was known for their soft, shock proof ride and having the best heating system and the most comfy seats.

For further information there are Nash and Hudson and AMC boards where you would be most welcome.

 

I've got a couple 55 308's. Fresh one is going in my 49 Commodore sedan
and the other is a spare. 308 wise 55-6 had 1/2" shorter cranks on the
flywheel end and a threaded crank flange. Earlier 308's were longer and
used a through bolt/nut on the crank flange. Takes an adapter flywheel to
mate the 55-6 engine to my 49 single lever 3 speed.

I wasn't aware you could get a 202 in a 55 wasp,but I'm no guru.

 

Man....there sure is a lot of leg room in the back....cool car!

 

Lower it and add the TWIN H---- Gary

 

Wow. That cleaned up nice!

 

It's a Hash... they're fairly rare cars, production slowly petered out with the last ones in '57 not looking much different. Should have the front seat that folds back flat. Probably a nice cruiser and general fun car, I wouldn't modify it very much, but that's just me.

 

X2 on that. What a great car as is. Just needs wide whites.

 

thanks for all the comments guys and the photo shopped pic! i did shoes and wheel cylinders tonight.. then i plan to cut a few loops to lower it.. all its costed so far was $40 in brake parts, a $90 battery, i rebuilt the carb best i could do without a kit, because the needle wasnt seating and i cleaned the points cuz it didnt have spark. ill get some bias ply whitewalls, but its rediculous to try and afford white walls on every car i own. from what i understand, amc bought hudson in 55, and ive noticed that this car looks kind of close to the ramber.. no one bought these hudsons when they changed ownership and they were no longer known as race cars.. by 57 the only hudson model made was the hornet, and then amc dropped hudson completely in january of 1957 and went with nash..

 

i definetly wish it had the twin H power. the stock 202ci engine it has puts out 115 hp and it would have 126 with the twin H. it was also an option the get an aluminum head from the factory. very cool for a car like this

 

Man that's a good looking car. First time I have ever seen one.


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The 202 was factory installed in the '55-'56 Wasps due to the shorter front-end of the Wasp series. This in lieu of the larger 232-262 block that was in the earlier Wasps. Twin-H-Power and aluminum head was/is indeed available though.

 

57 was last year for Nash and Hudson names, after that they called all their cars Ramblers.

The big Nash (and Hudson) had a family resemblance to the Rambler but were much bigger cars. In 1952, the year that body was introduced, the big Nash Super and Ambassador were actually 2" wider than a Cadillac.

 

This one lives in Maine.

 

Be prepared when you go to a Cruise-In, you will hear from the younger crowd, never heard of a Hudson. You will be surprised at the older folks will want to tell you a story about someone they knew back when and a Hudson. Same thing with my DeSoto. Nice car, drive and enjoy.

 

Cool ride! I love the old Hudson's!!