Hey everyone! So I recently purchased a 51 Hudson Hornet sedan. It does not have twin carburetors, just one. Inline six engine, standard 308. Hydramatic automatic transmission.
First off, it drives like an absolute dream and I love driving it!
Second, just had a few questions as I'm daily driving it to work now on a regular basis. The commute is about 10-12 miles each way depending on the route I take. I typically average about 5-10 minutes of highway traffic (lot of slow moving speeds) but average speed once I get on the main road is 40-60 mph all the way to work (if the highway doesn't have traffic I crank my baby up to 70-80 lol).
So as a daily driver, what sort of fuel do you fine folks recommend? I've been using regular with the occasional lead additive for lubrication. Car seems to do fine on it, but I was wondering if premium is better or does it not really matter? Also how often would you recommend using the lead additive? I've read mixed reports on this.
It gets pretty decent gas mileage when I open it up, but I can't ever seem to get more than 10 gallons in the tank every fill up. My gas gauge is not set properly (I suspect it may be the lever in the tank) and it does not say when the car is full as it can't seem to get above three quarters of the way with the indicator. Does 10 sound about right for a gas up or am I filling it up too early (I have to judge it after all for I start getting nervous when the gauge is around empty even though I know it's not showing accurately)? I hear Hornets have a 20 gallon tank so 10 seems a bit low to be filling up every time. I guess the conundrum I have is I don't want to test how far I can go with the gauge on empty before it starts sputtering lol.
Anyway, any advice you can give me on these points would be great and I really appreciate it!
Hudsonly,
Cal
My opinion only: stick to low-test gas, and don't bother with the lead additive. I've always used low-test and leaded in my '37 (since leaded came in, in the 79's or 80's), with no problems. If you're racing a lot, THAT might call for lead additive.
As to the gasoline tank size, why not open the petcock and drain the tank (into a gas can, of course). Then put in a gallon, drive to the nearest gas station, and start pumping. Chances are, you're going to pump a whole lot more than 10 gallons. when you can pump no more, add that initial gallon to what's on the pump read-out, and you've got your usable tank capacity!
--Jon
That is [i]IF[/i] you have a petcock to open. If it's a pipe plug like to later tanks have at the front driver's corner, You must be very careful to be fully prepared for [i]'way more[/i] gasoline than you were expecting, and do it outside, not in your shop/garage. Once the gas begins to flow, it's not easy to stop it without wearing a lot of it and creating a dangerous situation.
You probably knew that but I had to say it.
Frank
Frequently the vent hose that goes from the top of the tank to the filler pipe is plugged or squeezed. This prevents filling, or slows down flow from gas pump which triggers the automatic shut off in the pump. Check this out.
"Ric"
Hornets came with a 20 gallon gas tank. Check the ground of the sending unit also.
Also, remember, modern fuel will deteriorate old rubber hose. It makes it real mushy and will just collapse. New 3/8th's fuel hose. This really applies to fuel hose more than 4-5 years old. The vapor alone will make it dissolve.
Thanks for the great advice everyone! I've determined it's definitely an issue with the lever in the tank not being set properly. I basically tried filling it up to see how far it would got this morning and had some seepage when the weather warmed up. That was a little over 10 gallons, so the lever isn't set properly and can't get above three quarters of the way on the dash. Still, somewhat risky driving it about when it's on empty!
Definitely something to fix at some point, but I feel a lot better now knowing it's not some other issue. So far the regular low test fuel seems to be doing just fine. Not sure how old the hose is, but pretty sure it's on the newer side. Two major issues I had fixed right away with the car were the brakes and the coolant/heating system. The brakes had new pads but needed to be adjusted, bled, and flushed because it was not breaking well at all at first! It brakes better than my modern car now in my opinion! The coolant system was messed up as I had a hose that was too short and loose clamps elsewhere but that was all fixed up, and I got a new fan belt on there as the previous one was cracked, and the overheating issues have been solved. I had the speedometer and odometer reconnected (the previous owner had them disconnected) though the first three digits on the odometer are frozen anyway lol.
I plan on working on some of the other minor issues over time, but for now it's in great condition for a car its age and does perfectly fine taking me to and from work every day, and the looks, compliments, and requests for pictures I get every day are totally worth it!
Just a reminder, do not use ethanol gas. Find a station that offers non ethanol and use in your Hudson.
Ethanol gas is very corrosive for carb fuel systems.
Here is petcock installed for maintenance,etc. Carry hose that attaches & qt jug. Haven't used yet but it is there; directly behind shock and mount so protected & with metal shield. My '53 tank had 2 plugcocks w/one at rear.
Richard, just a quick note about an experience we had with a petcock installed on a 98 Dodge with cummins diesel engine.
I installed one of the aftermarket versions made just for this engine. My son was driving down I-75 and an 18 wheeler in front of him had a tire that started shredding pieces all over the road, my son could not get over due to other traffic and had to run over a piece. Went about 3/4 of a mile and engine oil light came on. Rubber piece had hit the petcock and somehow spun it completely out of the oil pan. No damage to pan or pan threads! He shut it down in time to save the engine.
note: I wouldn't have installed this without shield or being behind the shock structure. Also meaning I wouldn't have installed on tank rear plug. Would be visible there and someone might want some !!!
I am pretty sure you live in the Denver area....Murphy Express gas stations sell ethanol free gas. There are a few around town.
Great advice Don! The Murphy stations are great for the Hudson to this point! Haven't been using Ethanol gas since! now I'm just working on trying to figure out how to get the emblem off the grille so I can replace the bulb lol
Callan,
Since you drive your car regularly on the highway, I suggest you check the clearance of your exhaust valves, and set them wider than the manual specifications. Walt Morgenti recommends 17 thousandths. This helps to avoid burning the exhaust valves when driving fast.
Per
Leave a reply
