I have a 1940 Hudson coupe which I am planning on putting together soon to move up to my shop to put it back together. Over the years of having this thing, my ideas of design have changed toward the more traditional so I have been leaning toward installing a "origional style" front end back on the car. Now I have a clip from a 1950 Hudson, so I guess my real question would be is......"How much did the a-arms design change between 1940 and 1950?".........They look really similiar I just dont want to put this thing together and never be able to get the camber and caster right. I would prefer not clipping the car, rather just find the correct equipment
My 46' has original suspension but my wifes 50' has been botched with a camaro front end, I would like to put it back to origina some day. If you need any measurements from the 46' let me know. I am not familiar with the 40' but you can call Bill Albright in Fontana Ca. he will know the exact difference and have any parts you need. He has 50+ Hudson cars for sale and parts. Defenatly the Hudson guru in So Cal. Vintage Coach 909-823-9168 Good luck, Joe
Shop that I hang out at is building a 46 Hudson for a customer. In front, they are using a Fatman Fabrications clip. This is the second time I have seen a Hudson set up with one of these clips and it is a very nice set up. A tad pricey but it really cleans up the front, cuts a lot of weight, adds modern sisc brakes and rack steering, and opend the chassis uo for, in this case, a big block Chevy.
It is a 46 pickup. The frame and most of the sheetmetal were too badly rusted to use. But the cab was in salvageable shape. A donor 46 four door sedan gave up it's frame (with a shorter wheelbase) front clip, doors, and rear fenders. I don't have pictures but the rear of the frame has been narrowed 4" and fitted with a four link. As noted earlier, it is getting big block power. The hood has been pie cut 4" in front to match the slope on the top of the cab. The body line below the door windows and across the back is being removed and a custom bed with the original Hudson tail gate is planned.
More pictures. The painted front clip contrasts with the bare metal cab in a way that tricks the eye. It really looks trick when you see it for real.
Sorry for high jacking this thread HRH. Wow I like the hood with the pie slice taken out, looks normal now. My 46' is a p/u also. I shortened the bed one foot and the frame 6". I was going to drop the hood nose down also but ran out of time. Now I am considering selling the p/u to finance the 32' Essex build. Keep us updated on that build. Here are a couple shots of my truck. Joe
Thanks Hudrodz for the Number, I will give him a call after the holidays. I have a lot of literature on the Hudsons but there is nothing on modifing different components from different years. From what I have seen, a 46 is similiar to the 40, but the 50 has a different steering set-up and appears that the a-arms are mounted closer to a center-point than the 40, but this doesnt nessesarily mean that the size and dimention of the arms changed
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