Gordon,

The limitation of advisable speed for these cars has a lot to do with the engine being designed to run at a cruising speed of only 2200 rpm. It has a long stroke, 5 inches, which means that the pistons are going as fast as is good for them at this engine rpm. With the standard 4.11 axle ratio and original size tires (6:00-16) this comes out to 45 mph. The transmission is direct drive in 3rd gear, so the engine speed is the same as the speed of the driveshaft. By contrast, VW beetles with the 36 horsepower engine have a stoke of 2.5 inches, so the engine can cruise at 4400 rpm.

I once put a whole axle from a 1969 8 cylinder mustang into a 1942 Hudson, with a Hudson engine having the same stroke as the 1937 Terraplane. This gave the car a cruising speed of 70 mph at 2200 rpm. Ford used the same bolt spacing as Hudson, so I could keep my original wheels.

Have you looked inside of your engine?

Per

Thanks! Have the head and pan off and can see no damage. Just stuck and no way to get it turning. Have tried many suggestions.
Was thinking of putting a late model rear end in it or complete axel.

Any of the "splash lubricated" Hudson engines of that era (through '47 in the sixes, '52 for the eights) have poured Babbitt rods and main bearings that require re-Babbitting and line boring during a complete rebuild. If you choose to re-power your T-Plane, please make the original engine available to us Hudson guys.....no matter how it looks or how stuck it is, it's always worth saving to a Hudson gear-head.
If you decide to replace the rear end it will require replacement of the entire rear axle since nothing else will fit that housing.
A great candidate (in my opinion) for a replacement engine that retains the original look, but is superior in design, is the Hudson Jet 202 cu. in. six. Only a true Hudson guy would know it's not original and no one else would care, but you'd need to learn to ignore the the "why didn't you just drop in a 350 Chevy?" comments.
Just my two bits worth......
Frank

Will look into the Jet 202 and would never drop a "Hot Rod" engine in an old timer. I am with you are saving the "old" parts. Will be looking for the whole drive train.

And just imagine the looks on peoples faces when you tell them the car is powered by a jet engine!! :silly:

Hudsonly,
Alex Burr

I would "second the emotion" to look into a modern rear axle (the whole thing: differential, housing, axles, backing plates etc.) There are a number of reasonably priced alternatives out there in junkyards, and I think some of the forum members will give you some suggestions. In this way, you could rebuild the engine and thus keep the car original without major modifications. I have managed to drop an overdrive in my '37 (that's another "workaround" but much more complicated and expensive that the rear axle substitution). The resulting gear ration allows me to cruise along very nicely at 60-65 with the original engine (I drove 1300 miles round trip to the National Meet this summer).

The beauty of changing out the rear axle, is that the changeover doesn't damage the originality of the car in any permanent way. It all bolts in and you can always re-install the original rear axle easily, if desired.

Hi Gordon - Have you made contact with the HET Club chapters in your area/region?
Those in the area are probably the most knowledgeable as to the parts, etc., that are available in your area - especially engines, etc..
Another place to look are other online forums/boards which focus more on 'rodding' than restoration. Have seen a lot of decent, running engines/trans for sale (almost 'give away') over the years from those just wanting to make room in their workshop. You'll also might find what you're looking for on Ebay or Craigslist (just be careful).

As has been previously posted, a 'rear end' change may be a good option to get the vehicle up to safe highway speeds. The biggest problem I see with this is that quite a few of the 'recommendations' for donor rears come from what are now considered 'collectible' vehicles - i.e., they are becoming harder and harder to find, and when you do find them they are expensive.
A better bet is to look and see 'what is available' that will fit/work, from vehicles that are common & plentiful in most 'boneyards'. Do your homework before buying, it will pay dividends
Some major factors to concentrate on:
- What type of brakes do you want/need for the rear (drum or disc - Most will require drum brakes);
- What is the width of your current rear end? (Wheel mounting surface to wheel mounting surface is probably the best way to measure);
- What is bolt spacing measurement for mounting the tires?
- What gear ratio are you looking for? (Do the math to figure it out - it isn't that hard);
- Do you need or want limited slip differential?

These are just some of the 'detail' you need to begin shopping for a rear end - you can add to it, as you see fit. As you progress, you can start to create a list of the vehicle 'rear ends' that will work, and eventually you'll probably narrow it down to a few that will be your focus.

I focused on 90's vehicles (plentiful in boneyards), and began by 'narrowing my search' to:
- those that had the same wheel/bolt pattern;
- type of brakes (shouldn't put disc brakes on the rear, if there are drums up front);
- Suspension type (Leaf springs - less modification to rear needed);
- rear end width was a major focus area. Tried to keep it within 1" or so of the original rear end (your decision);

Once it is narrowed to this point, there will probably be a selection of various gear ratios to choose from. That's where 'math' comes into play...

Good luck

1. You say the engine is stuck. The first thing I'd do (before anything else) would be to see if you can loosen it. If you can, then clean out the oil pan (remove any "crud") and well as the inside of the engine as best you can, with a solvent and rag, then run a rubber hose to the fuel pump from a 5-gallon can of new, "clean" gasoline (disconnecting the gas tank with its somewhat questionable gasoline. Then see if you can get the engine running. You might be surprised!

2. In the process you may discover that the car is stuck in gear, due to the fact that the corks on the clutch have become affixed to the pressure plate. Inserting a solvent into the clutch, rotating the clutch a bit every day (to thoroughly soak the corks) and constantly depressing the clutch pedal, may unstick the clutch without the necessity of surgery.

3. [b][url= http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/forums/parts-for-sale.47/ ]HERE[/url][/b] is a link to where you want to look for used parts which have been removed from street-rodded vehicles.

Have pulled the engine and it is on a stand with head and pan off. Used multiple methods of unsticking with no luck. Would love to rebuild it and change out rear end but only quote I got was from Florida. No one around Louisiana seems to do the Babbitt bearings. Thanks for the link

Gordon, there are several shops around the country who do good babbitt work. If you want to rescue and use that engine, have the crank journals ground if necessary, then take or get measurements on the rod and crank journal diameters. Then mail the rods and the main bearing shells, with the crank journal dimensions, to a reputable "Babbitt guy." (Mailing cost isn't all that bad). One shop I've used several times is Harkin Machine Shop, in S. Dakota. Folks here on the Forum can suggest others. One does have to be careful to insist on the shop's machining the bearings to the rather tight clearances that Hudson used. It's a closer fit than on modern cars, and some shops think these specified clearances are too tight. They're not.

Gordon,

In my experience, when an engine won't turn, the friction is in the cylinder bores. The bearings may all be OK. However, you might take the cap off the center main bearing. In this engine, I think the most likely bearing to have play is this one. If the bearing and crankshaft look good, I suggest using plastigage to see what the clearance is - no rotation of the engine is required.

You didn't mention what you have tried to get the engine to turn. If you have not soaked the cylinders for a long interval of time, it would be worth a try. A good liquid to use is half acetone and half automatic transmission fluid. Leave a lake on top of each piston, and let them soak for a few weeks.

Per

Of course, I agree with Frank if you must. But why not restore the engine correctly and drive teh car at the speeds for which it was engineered? There's a lot of neat stuff to see on the backroads, especially compared to the freeway. This need for freeway driving in these old cars makes no sense to me. If you want that, then go buy a car designed for that, or just customize this one into totally a modern drivetrain and suspension. It wil never really be as safe, but you'll have a look you want, though at a price you can never recover in a sale ( you have a better chance of that by far in a correct restoration). You'll have only 37T sheet metal, but I guess you think people will appreciate it more on the freeway. Not a good idea in my opinion but I'm usually in the Hudson doghouse with Frank!

Gordon, you may be an "old hand" at working with engines, but I'll throw this idea out "just in case": once you've poured penetrating oil (or whatever!) into each cylinder, to build up a "pool" above each piston, gently but smartly "tap" the top of each piston with a hammer, just to set up some vibration, so that the oil can work its way down around the piston rings. (You could use a socket wrench extension for this purpose, seating one end on the top of the piston and rapping the other end with the hammer.) You're don't trying to drive the piston down, just set up a vibration. You can do this several times a day for each piston and this may hasten the penetration of the oil and the final loosening of the pistons in their bores.

I truly want to maintain the care as is but, I enjoy going to car shows and want to be able to drive it to them which would almost be impossible at 35 to 45mph. Really cant afford a trailer and a truck to pull it. BTW, I even try to avoid the freeway in my newer cars.
If I could find someone to rebuild the engine at a reasonable price and close I would jump on it .