Rob,
I consider any car with cloth covered wiring that hasn't been replaced as needing to be replaced. It is a fire hazard. I think most all manufactures used cloth covered wire into the early 50's, not just Hudson.
The condition and history of each car is so different, I think it is tough to give a general cost. You should be able to find a nice driver in the cost range you are looking at.

Rob...we are talking about 60 year old plus cars here. A starter, generator, horn relay etc can go out at anytime really. So expect to be nickeled and dimed by old cars all the time. I don't think you find the "perfect car" for you out there and anyone can find an issue in any car.
So dive in and if it doesn't work out, sell it

Russ,

Thank you for your reply. 🙂

I guess I didn't spell that out very clearly...sorry. :blush:

The small things aren't a big concern, it is the big things, like transmission, tie rod ends, steering gearbox, rear end, entire wiring harness, etc.
Nickle and dime wasn't a very accurate way to convey my thoughts...

I've owned 30 plus old cars and have laid under and worked on all of them. I understand that they are old and are not maintenance free like modern cars.

What I am trying to determine is what I should expect to have to pay for a stepdown that has had most, if not all the major systems gone through 10-20 years ago, or, what the average cost to take an old one that has not been gone through, and do it all at once, but without doing a "restoration".
I'm okay with old paint and interior, but I've had enough of pulling engines and transmissions.

Sorry I'f I'm coming across as difficult or whiny. This is the first time in my life I've been able to lay out 15 grand plus for an old car, and just want to improve my odds of buying one that didn't just get pulled out of a barn, have some paint shot on it, and sold as "restored".

Too many times in the past I've bought an old car just because I liked it, and have paid the price in rebuilding the engine, changing the rear end, etc, etc.
I know some guys live to spend every weekend in the garage rebuilding a car, and when done they sell it to start another project.
I'm on the opposite end. I'll spend a few weekends a year on repairs and maintenance, and the rest of the year driving it! 😉

Rob

I think your priorities are backwards. Don't be OK with poor paint and interior. Look for a car with great paint, straight body gaps, good chrome, straight shiny stainless trim, and good rubber. The trim is a nightmare to remove and reinstall and Hornets have a boat load, Chrome is very expensive, paint is rediculous, and there is lots of money in all the rubber seals. Buy the best car you can afford as its the cheapest way to end up with a good car. Make sure you rub your hands (in a zip lock bag) over the roof as smile creases up there are costly to repair and easier to feel than see at times. Try all the doors and see if they close without slamming them. If it passes your litmus test, the drive train is likely as good as the rest of the car. Can you get all that in your budget range? sometimes. You can go through the club roster to find members in your state that have cars like you want. Call them up and see if they are willing to part with it. Reality is a lot of club members are nearing or are at the age of not driving anymore so there are a lot of good cars sitting in garages. That restored 20 years ago car may not have 5k on it.

Chris,

You make perfect sense...

Thank you.

Rob

As you might know Chris has just finished a restoration of a 54 Coupe. I am sure that he could give you a price breakdown of each item but in my opinion his answer was spot on. The major cost in a restoration is labor. If you do everything yourself you should be able to build or buy the car you want for between 10 and 15K. As an example, a good quality (long discussion) wiring harness will be just north of a grand. Installing this harness can take a professional around 20 hours. Shop costs in Utah start at $45 an hour and go up from there. I am not sure there is a limit and since there are no shop standards that 20 hour project could reach 100. OK, where I am at with this: I have a clean rust free 54 coupe. However, with rust free came anything cloth has to be replaced, the cooling system, then there is all the brake, wire, gas systems and a few extras that I wanted so I could keep it as a 6volt. Also, replaced some gaskets were there were leaks. Lets throw in a new set of tires. I have no labor costs at this time and I am taking the gamble that the engine and remaining drive train are solid. In short, I have made it stop, and now it goes with reasonable dependability and as time goes on (after a summer of shake down) I will start the make it beautiful part. Today, my costs are just under 10K. No doubt about the fact that it would be less money to buy a turn-key; but it would not be as much fun----and, this is not my first rodeo....

Chris was dead on.
The big time and money will be in body and paint related issues. Getting a rust free body is a very big Plus!

I purchased the car you see as my avatar (53 Hornet sedan) about 5 years ago from a 90+ year old member. It was a running, driving, rust free car that the owner had since the 70s. The car had been “restored” 20 years before and won local car shows at the turn of the millennium. The car was stored indoors but used sparingly for the previous 10 years. Purchase price $12,000. I thought it was too much to pay but I liked the fellow and it was only 60 miles from my house.

It presented well, but with years of deferred maintenance it needed a lot to make it a turnkey driver. This being a car I use for family cruises it needed to be safe—so in the first 2 years, total brake job with conversion to dual master cylinder, lap belts for 5, Optima battery, complete tune-up and fluid change, new modern wide white radials, rims blasted and powder coated while tires were off, some wiring replaced, rebuilt starter, water pump, Carb and clean gas tank, conversion to altenator, many new rubber parts, motor mounts, sway bar bushings, 4-shocks and misc. other items about 7 K the first 2 years and some of the work done myself.

Last year I found a complete 54 power steering setup, had it rebuilt & installed and did the entire exhaust system and replaced a cracked manifold and had some chrome redone. Another 4K.

This season while driving it I plan to tackle some of the interior issues.

As you can see a decent 12K driver can double in a few years, especially if you plan to haul your family around and want to be as safe and reliable as possible.

Hudson’s are a wonderful hobby, but not cheap—especially here in the northeast where shop rates are high.

Buy the best one you can find and enjoy.

You're right on the money, Harley. Hudsons aren't cheap. Last time they were, was the 60's, when no one wanted them. I know plenty of Hudson guys who restore Chevys and Fords (and sell them) so they can keep their Hudsons. Want cheap, go find a Chevy. Or turn a Hudson into a 350/350. I could have put a 350 combo in my convertible for about [size=5]1/4 [/size]the cost and had two more cylinders. What was I thinking?

Edwin,

I did not know that, but it is good information.

Thank you for taking the time to spell out the costs, it really helps to hear this from guys that have, and are doing what I'm looking at.

I appreciate your reply! 🙂

Rob

Kerry,

I just passed on what I thought was a pretty decent car, because it needed bodywork and paint...glad to hear others generally agree with my reasoning.

If It was wood, I could fix it!

Thank you for your help! 🙂

Rob

Rob, just be delegent and patient ! The right Hudson is out there.
I've seen several in the last two years that were very nice around the 25 range.
Of course, any 40's-50's car regardless of make will require regular maintence but that's
only natural.

It presented well, but with years of deferred maintenance it needed a lot to make it a turnkey driver. This being a car I use for family cruises it needed to be safe—so in the first 2 years, total brake job with conversion to dual master cylinder, lap belts for 5, Optima battery, complete tune-up and fluid change, new modern wide white radials, rims blasted and powder coated while tires were off, some wiring replaced, rebuilt starter, water pump, Carb and clean gas tank, conversion to altenator, many new rubber parts, motor mounts, sway bar bushings, 4-shocks and misc. other items about 7 K the first 2 years and some of the work done myself.

Last year I found a complete 54 power steering setup, had it rebuilt & installed and did the entire exhaust system and replaced a cracked manifold and had some chrome redone. Another 4K.

This season while driving it I plan to tackle some of the interior issues.

As you can see a decent 12K driver can double in a few years, especially if you plan to haul your family around and want to be as safe and reliable as possible.

Harley,

This is exactly the type of advice and information that I am after.

I bought a 1960 Nash Metropolitan a few years ago. It was an older restoration ((25 years or so) that was running, decent paint, but needed brakes and a general going over.
I paid $2250.00for it. Three years later, I have the brakes redone, all the issues corrected, a taller rear end installed, new tires, seat belts, and bunch of little things that it needed.
I have $5500 or so in i now.
It is now very dependable, and though It wouldn't be fair to call it safe as it is so small, and a convertible, it is a lot safer than when I started!

Thank you for taking the time to explain all that to me. Your experience has been pretty much what I've found over the years with most of the cars I've bought, they all need something, and the more you pay upfront, the less they need in general.
That is, if you do your homework and learn what the average older restoration sells for within the club circles, and don't overpay up front for shiny paint on a rust bucket.

I appreciate you taking the time to help, and all the help the club has been offering! 🙂

I'm looking at several potential cars, it will be much easier to weed the less desirable ones out now.

Rob