welcome Joey!
what is your locatin?
using Google wil help a bunch
Here is a vendor link-
http://www.hetclub.org/index.php?option=com_weblinks&view=category&id=88&Itemid=631

Joey,
Looks like a very doable car. take it one step at a time so you don't get overwhelmed and give up.

does this have a wet clutch? it works but not great and im wondering it it does have one can it be changed to a reaguler style clutch. iv been under it and see that the linkage is alot diferant then what iv ever seen on anything else.

Yes, it does have a wet clutch. Remember, this is a non- synco transmission.
First thing I would do is get a Hudson manual that covers the 37.
if it has set a long time I strongly advise pulling the oil pan and doing the cleaning procedure.
There is a recent post where somone else just did this.
http://forum.hetclub.org/discussion/166049/35-terraplane-6-cyl-oil-pan-cleanout#Item_13
is your location secret? there may be some club members nearby.

Welcome to the world of Hudsons! If you plan to hold onto this car, you may want to consider joining the H-E-T Club. Meanwhile, as a member of this forum I think you may have access to some downloadable technical manuals for your car, including the extensive shop manual. Just click on "LIBRARY", then "MANUALS (old site)" and look under the 1930's for what's available.

The wet clutch works fine under normal conditions. You can obtain new parts for it, including (if needed) a rebuilt pressure plate or clutch disc. If this car has "sat", the corks on the disc have probably bonded themselves to the pressure plate and will need to be soaked in a solvent to get them to release. This is a common problem and soaking is the standard solution. Once they're freed, put in some Hudsonite and you may be good to go, unless things are deteriorated. No need to find an alternative clutch.

If you state where you live, some of the Forum members may step forward and let you know they live in your vicinity. It's always good to have some good advice nearby. There may also be a local chapter of the Club not far away, and this would be a good place to tap into the Hudson "network".

Bring your questions here (or to our other, "Open Forum") and you're sure to get helpful responses.

I live in windham ct i have joined the het club and added some of my info im not sure if it shows up. the clutch freed up very easly . how do i ch the fluid and wher do i get new fluid. thanks for the help

OK, got this off the open discussion board-
http://forum.hetclub.org/discussion/160808/how-to-check-the-hudsonite-level/p1

oldhudsons July 2012 QuoteEditFlag
Posts: 2,127Senior Contributor
T8 et al: there are 2 drain plugs on the face of the flywheel. Right above the starter you will see an access hole.
The 1st thing to do is drop the clutch cover (small sheet metal pan covering bottom of the clutch), this while car jacked up LEVEL, and turn the flywheel (I would use a big screwdriver or a whatever you have, that will fit into the slots on the flywheel ring) & turn the engine over until one of the 2 plugs are straight down then, unscrew the plug, and drain the oil out of the clutch.
I use a measuring cup in doing this to see if there was enough fluid in the clutch (should be 6 oz.). I would also check the viscosity of whatever the last person had used as many will have used an improper fluid (which may be too thin, watery). True Hudsonite has an unusual odor to it; not sure what it is but the purpose of the fluid is to keep the corks in the clutch soft.
After draining the clutch, turn the flywheel until the now open plug hole is lined up with the access hole above the starter. My device for putting fluid into the clutch is a pc. of heater hose, beveled at one end, so as to easily fit into the flywheel access hole (& being rubber won't leak when pushed into/against it) & a small funnel affixed at the other end. After inserting the beveled end of the hose into the flywheel slowly pour the Hudsonite into the funnel.
When finished you then turn the flywheel back down until you can reach up & put the screw back into the flywheel - 6 oz. doesn't nearly fill the clutch so it won't leak out when turned down a ways.
Hope this explanation satisfactory - I can't begin to remember how many times I've done this as the 1st thing I'd do to any "new purchase" was drain & refill the clutch with Hudsonite.

0 1049superg1049superg July 2012 QuoteEditFlag
Posts: 455Expert Adviser
You can drain and refill the clutch on a Hudson without getting under the car and removing the flywheel cover. Look, here's how it's done:

First, using the back button on the starter solenoid, bumb the starter over until the drain plug on the flywheel is in view of the opening above the starter. Then, before you reach in with a socket to loosen the plug, place a rag into the hole just below the plug. This will catch the plug just in case it falls from the socket or your fingers (a suggestion from a 1950's Popular Mechanics article)

Next, REMOVE THE RAG!. Then, bump the flywheel over again until the star shows up in the flywheel opening (bear in mind there are two drain plugs and consequently, there are two stars on the flywheel). Once the star show up in the flywheel opening, this will have the drain plug at the bottom of the flywheel and thus the old fluid drains out (put a small container of some sort to catch the old fluid).

Now, with the old fluid gone, bump over the starter to bring back the flywheel hole. Fill clutch with new Genuine Hudsonite Clutch fluid with whatever funnel device you have for this task. Next, with the clutch filled, place the rag back in below the flywheel hole. Thread the plug back into the hole and tighten. Then, REMOVE THE RAG!
That's it.
Dan
0 MikeWAMikeWA July 2012 QuoteEditFlag
Posts: 1,498Senior Contributor
One other tip- its very easy to drop the fill plug when you're taking it out- so either use a socket with a magnet in it (11/16 , I think), or make a "nest" below the plug hole with a shop rag for it to land on.
0 oldhudsonsoldhudsons July 2012 QuoteEditFlag
Posts: 2,127Senior Contributor
OK, one could do it that way, with rags, but I can't imagine anyone with an old car who hasn't got a hydraulic floor jack.
The original plugs are 11/16", 3/4", or something like that but are thin headed so getting a socket on it while hanging over the edge of the fender & working around the starter solenoid which sits on top of the starter is not easy & if not "straight on" it you can mar the edges of the plug which might be quite tightly put in. To put the plug back in you'll have to insert the plug into the socket & hope it doesn't fall out as you reach down with it, unless you have the hands of a child & can reach thru the inspection hole to get it started!
In 10 min. you can have your Hudson up on jackstands while you glide under the car & can easily remove & re-install the plug, CLEANLY, no rags needed. Plus with a service light by the inspection hole you can see what you're doing whereas you can't when trying to do it from above.
Oh well, to each his own ~
0 Tallent RTallent R July 2012 QuoteEditFlag
Posts: 1,739Senior Contributor
My choice is also from below ,first time I did it on top I dropped the plug in the pan so ended up down there anyway.
Roger
Retired Tech.
0 TwinHTwinH July 2012 QuoteEditFlag
Posts: 642Senior Contributor
During one of my 'reinventing the wheel' brainstorm sessions I considered how much easier it would be to reinstall the drain plug if there were an allen drive hex in the drain plugs... Pretty sure this came about shortly after dropping the plug...
0 oldcarnut July 2012 QuoteEditFlag
Posts: 12Expert Adviser
Several years ago an old Navy man gave me a pair of sockets. An 11/16 and a 3/4. They have a small ball bearing on opposite flats and a flat steel band around the outside. His stort was that the Navy had them special made for mechanics who worked on PT boats with the Invader engines. The bearings matched a dimple drilled into the flats on the head of the plugs and kept them from falling into the bilges of the boats. I no longe rhave my Hudsons, but I do have those sockets in my toolbox.

Chuck
0 oldhudsonsoldhudsons July 2012 QuoteEditFlag
Posts: 2,127Senior Contributor
TwinH - yes, good idea as most guys would "put a lot of meat" on it tightening it so it wouldn't come loose or leak fluid. I always went underneath armed with a box end, for as I recall, the heads on the original screw quite thin & after all the years edges would be messed up by those using, or trying to use, the wrong size, or adjustable wrenches, etc.

51hornetA February 2007
Posts: 2,293Senior Contributor
Most of the folks I know driving with Hudson clutchs use ATF. I asked a couple about not using Hudsonite they all said ATF runs fine with no problems and is easy to get from the local auto store.

Lotta good info in that last reply (about changing clutch oil). Let's see if we can condense it down to a basic "1, 2, 3":

1. Car in neutral, brakes on, ignition off. However, if you have a battery kill switch, this must to turned to ON. You need power to the starter.

2. Open hood and find inspection window on the driver's side of the engine.

3. Remove solenoid rear cap, tap button (remote starter) lightly so flywheel revolves until one of the two hex plugs appears in the inspection window next to the starter. (If you have a solenoid with no remote button in the back, you could possibly remove the spark plugs and turn the motor by hand. If you have the original accessory hand-crank, so much the better!)

4. Place a pan on garage floor directly under the flywheel cover, to catch the old Hudsonite you'll drain. There is a little elongated drain slot at the bottom of the half-round cover.

5. Unscrew & remove plug in flywheel, trying NOT to drop the plug down into flywheel cover below. (One method is to stuff rags around the plug so that, if dropped, it will fall into the rags. Remember to remove the rags after this operation, however!) If you drop the plug, no biggie. You'll have to get under the car and remove the flywheel cover (2 bolts), takes about 3 minutes.

6. Tap solenoid button again, or hand-rotate flywheel, until the stamped "star" appears in the inspection hole. This indicates that the open hole (from which you just removed the plug) is at the 6 o'clock position, and the Hudsonite is draining out into the pan. Or onto the garage floor, if you forgot to place the pan under the car....

7. After a minute or two, tap solenoid button again until the open hole again appears in the inspection window. Old oil is now drained. (You can measure what drains out into the pan to calculate how much has leaked since the last refill.)

8. Insert 6 oz. of Hudsonite or other clutch fluid into the hole. If rags are to be inserted (to catch plug), insert them now. Then replace plug in flywheel and tighten. Remove rags.

9. Job done. Replace solenoid cap on starter so you don't lose it.

thanks guys ill order some fluid nex week.

Or if you want to do the whole thing from underneath, remove the flywheel lower cover, rotate the crank 'til one of the drain plugs is at the bottom. Remove the plug to drain. When it's fully drained, rotate the crank so the drain hole is still reachable but where the required amount of fluid won't run out. Then put the clutch oil into a pump squirt can and squirt the fluid into the drain hole.

This method is ideal if the car is or can be on a lift or over a pit.

[quote="Joey Ameer" post=5995]I live in windham ct i have joined the het club and added some of my info im not sure if it shows up. the clutch freed up very easly . how do i ch the fluid and wher do i get new fluid. thanks for the help

Joey, next thing you'll want to do is join the New England Chapter, if you haven't already. Contact Stig Ingvarsson @ NECstigdiane@comcast.net (drop the NEC) for info and application form.