Hudson Terraplane 1933 Sedan With a 392 HEMI

A friend stopped by today in this rod and I thought I'd snap a few pics and share them with fellow HAMB'ers. He's actually registered on here too but I don't think he's much of a computer guy and he seems to work a lot of hours. Anyway, it's a 1933 Hudson Terraplane that he bought the sedan body out of our St. Louis Post Dispatch Bargain Box (remember those days?) for like $200 or so. He purchased a couple different '50's era rusted-out Chryslers and pulled out their Hemis. The Hudson ended up with the 392 after he built a frame for it. I forget what the headlights are originally from, but they are really big and scary and how 'bout that trunk? This fellow has had some nice rods in the past, does EVERYTHING himself, and says this is his favorite car ever. Heck, he drives it everywhere and I've seen him in it on the Interstate several times just blasting down the highway. It's been finished for the most part for a couple of years now and I've been begging him to take it to the HAMB Drags every year but he's always busy. Maybe this year.

 

Here's a couple more photos.

 

Waste of a hemi.

 

I think the headlights are either 1922 Cadillac or 1932/3 Studebaker.

 

kool ride

 

Thats RatTabulous and RattaRiffic all in one! It looks like some rodent threw-up all over that Hudson.

 

Wtf!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I bet he's having a blast driving it. that's a neat looking body style.. I'd have to change a few things around to be happy with it for my personal tastes

 

I got to watch pretty much the entire construction of the car and to me, it's a great example of using what parts you got laying around, beating the bushes for parts you need and substituting spending money with lots of hard work instead. A lot of basic hot rod fundamentals that just seemed to get lost by many people these days.

 

This is as traditional Hot Rod as you can get. Keep us posted on progress.

 

It could be WAY KOOLER by selecting a few better parts like normal sized stuff. Giant headlights, Giant air cleaner, Giant frame, Giant trunk all scream Rat Terd! I'm not knocking the build or the roughness of the car, shit my rpu is rough, but it's all about proportion to get the 'traditional' hot rod look. This is a traditional site so don't start claiming, "different is better yada yada yada..."

 

I like the Hudson body design, the hemi is good! I'm going to raise the rear a tad on this one and kick the wheels out a bit.

 

Its far more traditional than.... PLASTIC!

I'd like to commend all the opinioned posers who only know how to work the pen they used to write the check for their car talking trash, but as always those that can't usually cry the loudest!

Since he built with parts he can identify, he can likely fix it roadside... while you'll be calling AAA for help (keep your pen handy)

s.

 

one mans meat is another mans poison

 

Whatever. I'm with George G.

 

People take this "traditional" term way too serious sometimes. It's too hard to define "traditional" and that word is mostly a matter of OPINION and nothing else. That's why I avoid 'that word' altogether. What some people think is traditional, other people don't. Fact of the matter is that a rod or jalopy or whatever you wanna call it, is a conglomerate of many parts from different vehicles combined together to make a functional vehicle for the owner/builder. Everyone does it different and the final product is a reflection of the owner. After all, isn't that how this whole hot rod thing started? Young fellas that couldn't afford new cars piecing them together from the remains of other cars. That's what I've always thought. I think the car is a great example of that and it shows that there STILL is a substitute for money.....hard work. "Traditional" is NOT a phone call or Online internet order to Speedway for nice, new shiny parts.

 

I'd add - "Traditional" owners are those that have taken the time to gain specific knowledge of the parts used that make up their vehicle. Even if you bought the vehicle done, take some time to know whether it has a dropped axle, engine, trans, rear diff, which brakes are used, etc. Its not that hard, make a list do some research (pretend you care). Then at least you can answer a question, discuss what you like about specific pieces/combination rather than look like a total dumbshit.

Can you imagine if this hobby is taken over by a bunch of "check book builders" that cannot offer basic answers.

I was at the Ford Picnic in WA one year looking at a nice 32 3 window flathead and an odd dual Magneto conversion from a racing application. I hung around and politely asked the owner if the Magneto was something he had with the motor, did he put it on, did he have it reworked locally. His response was "My What?" When I pointed it out he said "I don't know anything about it, I just thought it looked cool so I ordered it that way, I hardly ever drive this thing so it doesn't really matter." I complimented him on the car, told him thanks and walked off.

s.

 

I just hope he didn't keep the original brakes... I always upgrade the "stop" before I add any "go".

 

Take a look at my profile and look under my RPU build pics. Built by me and some help from two other buddy's. It's a traditionaly inspired jalopy. Went to the swaps to find all the parts, not a catalog. If your confused on what traditional is then maybe you ought to look up Ryan's thoughts on the matter. He explains it perfectly. In my opinion the '33 looks like a rat rod because it doesn't follow any thing done in the past and it looks like crap with a giant muscle car air cleaner, and giant headlights for the sake of being different. The frame and trunk don't flow. There are better solutions to solving the problems of not having money to throw at a build. Just a little bit of research and swap meet hunting can transform that car into a really neat jalopy. Period.

 

exactly!too many people don't understand how it was back then,picking up the junk in your garage and building it ,driving it, enjoying it and having a good time,you can't explain experience you have to live it.times are different now

 

I agree with you Frank, but we are getting old. We used to have a lot of fun, blasting through Carolina in our homebuilt, safe, and dependable stuff, didn't we?

 

hard work sure, but ugly car is ugly

 

Its not the "times", its the sheeprodders with the "gotta have it now" mentality and their VISA cards that don't get the feeling of looking at something they thought up and built. Its easier to be like the poser lolife and bitch about traditional from his lawn chair, next to his power parked plastic 32 at the local Burger King.

s.

 

Most people that throw that "its not traditional" or what ever around wernt even around "in the day''. If you throw part together and build a car out of stuff you have laying around. Or find cheep stuff to put your self a hot rod together. You get labled with rat rod. Does this car have bottle openers, signs for floor boards and useless crap screwed all over it. NO IT DONT. Back in the 50s and 60s very few things were as perfect as they are now. Fabrication and welding are expected to be totaly flawless. But if you build a per period rod and do it to perfection it can be pointed out as a fake or a overdone restoration. Even the top builders work back then wasnt half as nice as most people want to remember. Shure there were real nice cars built back in the time we all here on the HAMB are trying to replicate. But the normal back yard builder (wich most of us are) did just enuff to get him by and up and running.

This is a photo that a friend of mines dad took in south st.louis MO. Back in the early 60s. It is funny how now if you showed up in one of these exact cars if you found it in a barn ,would be bashed on. Bashed on by some 20 year old greaser POSER. Saying shit like "they never did that back then" or what ever. I bet that the two roadsters started out as top chops that ended up too bad to finish. And ended up without tops. That is how things were, found a body and build a hot rod. This pic speeks volums to the hot rod , rat rod battle that is always going on on this board.

Stlouis gasser, tell John that dont be discouraged by these people. But just keep on mashisn the throttle on the Hudson.

And to whoever said waste of a hemi. WTF.

 

This is about as far from traditional as it gets. If it talks like a rat, and walks like a rat... rat rods are NOT traditional. Gary

 

How can you say shit about traditional with that fiberglass v6 powered POS you're sporting in your avatar? Nice

 

Those are examples of the "traditional" Hot Rods I saw back in the 50s-60s. Sure there were nice ones too but they usually belonged to the wealthy CEO's sons who 'wrote checks" to buy or have one built. Most of the early Hot Rods were built with a total investment of a few hundred dollars. The appearance wasn't important. How fast it "looked" was all that mattered. Most girls didn't care how it looked either. There were very few Hot Rods here and they were dating James Dean in their minds. Or at least that is how it was around here in Andy Griffith country.

 

I may be a FNG but everytime I hear someone bashing a car for not being traditional
it pisses me off. Traditional- does that mean we all have to shit can all the mig and tig welders , wtf I've seen rat rods that are just a traditional rod without paint

 

It is easy to forget that there were few hot rod shops in the early days, and they didn't carry a lot of stuff, In San Diego there was Beseler's junk yard on ElCajon that had some hot rod parts and cars, but there were no things like rear ends, front axles, pieces , parts and small stuff or sale, and then there was the Original speed shop on University that had some parts like winfied carbs and cams.

But all of the little stuff that is available today was hard to find.

So, you had to search, and search, and search for stuff. Of course it was cheap if you could find it, in today's prices that is, but when you were earning 25cents and hour , a winfield carb was a weeks work!

And, I suppose, that may be why rat rods came into being today. No money for the pretty stuff, and the cheap stuff is gone.

traderjack

 

thats what i was thinkin