Having lived in New England for many years I would be leery of the Hudson there. It may be that was not driven during winter months, but it doesn't take much. Northern states keep the salt business goiing during the winter months for their roads and so cars don't last long.
For example, I'm currently driving a 1996 Oldsmobile here in Memphis, TN. The car has never seen salt and with 161,000 miles on it the body is in remarkable condition. No underside rust at all. Speaking broadly, 161,000 miles on a northern tier states car with little or no rust, would be a miricle. I drove 1960's Ramblers up there for many years - 200,000, 250,000 miles and I had to junk them. Still ran great, but the bodies were rusted out.
Just saying is all.

Hudsonly,
Alex Burr
Memphis, TN

Alex, and that salt goes into the lakes and streams and the water supply.

[quote="Ray Klein" post=17038]Alex, and that salt goes into the lakes and streams and the water supply.

Exactly. In the memphis area, if needed, they use a slurry compound of salt and water that is sprayed on. I'm not sure but that stuff is even worse than rock salt. Fortunately, they might need it here a couuple of times in the winter, tho they do spray it on bridge and other overpasses as needed.

Hudsonly,
Alex B

All good advice; it was primarily because of the rust that I'm steering away from that Hudson in MA. Also apologies for not making it out on Saturday; my old nemesis insomnia struck me Friday night and I went to bed around 04:00 so I wasn't in any condition to get up early the next morning unfortunately. It was actually due in part to the stress I felt at having to give up the purchase; that's how passionate I am about actually owning a Hudson one day.

Still, I keep gravitating back to the Hornet in CA. It's in great condition, rust free, and has several additions to it I really like, plus I got to drive it in person and just fell in love with it. The wife did tell me she'd negotiate once her husband passed, so no reason I can't hold out for that. I'd be interested in meeting up with the local club here in Denver and looking at what might be available as well, since this way I could avoid potentially having to ship the car (though if I did buy the Hornet, I was toying with driving it back to Denver from LA after my honeymoon). Either way, I am going to own a Hudson this year no matter what. It's a huge goal of mine, but I think it wise to wait until after my wedding has been sorted.

Callan,

I suggest you contact Jim Lentz in Fort Collins (I'm sure you would have met him if you had gone there a few days ago). Jim has a number of Hudsons, and has very good judgement about the cars.
Five years ago I bought a 1949 Commodore 4 door sedan which had been stored for fifty years by its original owner. Even though it came from New York state, it did not have any structural rust. Since finishing fixing it up, a friend and I have driven it from Massachusetts to the west coast twice, passing through North Dakota, Seattle, San Diego, Louisiana, etc!
If your commute is on big roads, I would suggest that you continue to consider the Massachusetts car, because if you get it, you can put in a three speed with overdrive transmission, which was an option on these Hudsons. You would have an excellent car to drive, and get good gas mileage,
I live in Boston. What part of Massachusetts is the car in? If you would like, I could give the car a careful look, both to inspect the body, and to critically examine mechanical things that can end up costing a lot of frustration to deal with later.

Per

Hello Per!

While I really appreciate the offer, I think I've jerked the owners around enough with it. I've twice offered to buy and twice rescinded. Right now due to financial reasons, I think I'm going to put off buying a Hudson until after my wedding later this year. The Commodore is a great price, but I'm wary of the rust. There is some rust under the paint as well, and while they claim it's surface rust, I am wary about it. It's located in New Bedford. It's been stored outside the past two years now I think, but I also think they did have it covered.

The Hornet I'm looking at in CA is an automatic, and honestly I can't stop thinking about owning it. It's definitely going to be my next car once I give my current one to my fiancee. I think the Commodore would just need a bit too much work right now, plus I've already played with them enough I think. I'm not completely ruling it out, but it wasn't the right time at the moment, and I wasn't 100% sure on it because I couldn't get out there to drive it in person. The Hornet on the other hand I have driven, and it's in very good condition. It's about four times the price of course, but with some negotiation could be reasonable I feel, plus it's probably worth about that anyway. I'm a little less good at actually valuing these cars, as I'm not sure what they typically run for.

My guess is that something even better will present itself between now and your wedding, and that it will be more reasonably priced, and that it will be closer to home. Keep your eyes and ears open, check Craigslist, Ebay, Hemmings, and the WTN. And meet as many local Hudsonites as you can, telling them what you're looking for. With plenty of hooks in the water, you're bound to get a strike or two.

Really good advice yeah. I'm still pretty set on that Hornet in CA, and we'll see what she wants for it in a few months. Still I plan to get involved, meet Hudsonites, and put out as many feelers as possible. The fact I need a car is inevitable end of this year, but what KIND of car I get I want to have control over and I WANT it be a Hudson. 🙂 Preferably a 51-53 Hornet but you never know 🙂

Callan,

My first Hudson was a '51 Hornet 4 door sedan. I soon also got a '52 Hornet. Both cars were Hydramatic. I felt that the '52 was geared better than the '51. The engine of the '51 seemed to be turning quite fast at 65 miles per hour. At that time I didn't know anything about axle ratios. In particular, I didn't know that the rear axle ratio of the '51 Hornet with hydramatic was 3.58 and the ratio of the '52 (and '53) Hornet with hydramatic was 3.07. If you are going to do your commute on an Interstate, I feel that the 3.07 ratio is preferable, since the engine turns slower than with the 3.58, and traffic moves fast these days!

Per

Hey Per!

Good advice! The commute itself is about 10 minutes on a three lane highway, but I wouldn't call it an interstate... more like a really big road. 😉 Speed limit on it is 60 during one brief stretch, but 45 the rest of the way (though traffic usually moves faster than that on it!). Then I exit and go down a normal road for about three traffic lights to work. on the commute back it's almost always traffic and rarely faster than 45 going back until you hit basically the stretch that's right before my house. So what do you think? There are traffic lights on the highway though, which is why I said it's more like a big road than a highway. 😉 So there is some stop and go on it, and the lights are also the reason for the backup on the commute back.

Cal

Callan,

I have a 52 with the 307 rear.
I regularly cruise at 70-75 mph on the highway.
At the 60 mph you would be running, the engine is just loafing along...
All the stop and go is just more reason to smile and wave at all the people who wish they too had a cool old car to drive to work!

Rob

With the 2.73 rear you can cruise at 95 at about 3,200 RPM's. 2,000 RPM's is 60. Just returned from Crater Lake in Oregon and CA route 5 to Oregon 79 you had to drive that fast or the trucks would push you. I was pushing them. Walt.

Great responses! I love it! Yes getting noticed is admittedly one reason I'm getting a Hudson! I'm just so passionate about that era for the company. I check my average speed on the commute to work this morning and it was around 60-65 at most. Couldn't really crank it up faster due to the stop lights (gonna need to leave that extra braking space after all).

Awesome to hear you were pushing them Walt! That's just great! I've passed cars in the Hornet when I test drove it and it felt great! I love talking about these cars... really can't wait to own one later on. Just such a good feeling really knowing you're driving something like that.

If you don't know Walt, Callan, there's something he didn't tell you - the gentleman is well into his 90's!!!!! He rebuilt his ''53 when he was, what, in his 70[s or early 80's. Hudson people are tough!!!

Hudsonly,
Alex B

Callan,

I think the car should suit you well for your commute. When I remember that you are a mile high, it may be just as well to have it geared the way it is! - In case you would like any advice about what additional things you might check on the California car (or any other '51-'53 Hudson you may consider), I suggest you talk with Rob Hesselmann. There are a lot of postings here about the various things he ended up having to do after buying his car. More things needed tidying up than he had expected. - Walt recommends wider valve clearances to account for modern gas. He also is an expert on carburetors and can suggest what parts in the carburetor should be changed to bring it from a sea level mixture adjustment to a 5000 foot altitude adjustment, so that it is not always running rich.

Per