HUDSON HORNET FULLY RESTORED BUT WAS IT WORTH IT?

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  • čas přidán 12. 09. 2024
  • I finally got my 1951 Hudson Hornet back after a long and expoensive retotation and reflect on whether it was worth all the cost and stress.

Komentáře • 83

  • @ZACKYCHAN100
    @ZACKYCHAN100 Před 8 lety +7

    Since 2012 I have been revisiting your video of this very beautiful Hudson. Your really quite descriptive narrative, enhances the video (favorite part is that stunning interior). Obviously the restoration was long, stressful and a thrashing to the pockets. But quite honestly, I think the tenacious bull dogged determination of you as an Englishman is inspirational. As a maori guy from New Zealand I solute you mate, well done!

  • @martentrudeau6948
    @martentrudeau6948 Před 6 lety +4

    The Hudson Hornet has a unique character that sets it apart from all other cars from that era, it has handsome clean lines that look good today, a big comfortable interior, and a big inline 6 cylinder engine. I like your improvements that you have made.

  • @bobandrayfan1
    @bobandrayfan1 Před 12 lety +3

    Beautifully done! Yes the fan has no shroud. I had a '51 Hornet in about the same color.. the color of buttered toast as my son once said..
    I had to sell it. I now have a '55 Packard Clipper and it is slowly coming back together...no shroud on that fan blade either.
    Cheers!

  • @RichieRouge206
    @RichieRouge206 Před 6 lety +6

    It’s a shame to complain about all the stress as it’s a beautiful, rare and stunning car. It’s so good you saved it from the scrapper

  • @OPHIOHANNAH
    @OPHIOHANNAH Před 8 lety +15

    A wonderful restoration on this car. As a little kid in the 1950's I well remember the day my father brought home the first car he ever owned. It was a 1951 Hudson Commodore Six with a dark green metallic paint job. He had bought it in early 1953 when the car was a year and a half old. To me, age 5 at the time, it looked like the most exotic thing I had ever seen and seemed gigantic. The interior of these old Hudsons were quite spacious and comfortable and they had a unique smell due to part of the upholstery being made of a substance called "mohair." I was fascinated with everything about the car and I well remember little details like the starter button that you pushed after inserting the ignition key. Even today these old Hudson cars are, to me anyway, the most iconic cars in the world.

    • @bobandrayfan1
      @bobandrayfan1 Před 7 lety +2

      My dad had a 1950 Commodore 6 and bought it in 1952. Kept until 1960..bought a 1958 Dodge Sierra wagon and gave the Hudson to my oldest brother who had just turned 18. My brother kept it about 6 months and then it the head gasket went so it was towed off to the local wrecking yard ..about 2 months later it was back on the road. A guy who lived two streets over from us owned a bunch of them and bought this one for his son..who just happened to be dating one of the girls who lived upstairs from us. Imagine my surprise when that car came up to the front of our house. I''ve always had a special affection for those.. There was another guy in our neighborhood who owned a ''50 Commodore and it was painted gold.. and our neigh across the street had a '54 in two-tone blue. aw man..

  • @RustOnWheels
    @RustOnWheels Před 5 lety +3

    I’ve owned quite a different lot of vehicles and recently bought a Hudson and I must say it’s a class of its own. The handling is leaps ahead of cars from that era. I do feel that these cars will be appreciated more and more, even if most popular classics are always the cars that were new when 40+ men were kids (so nowadays ‘80’s cars are getting popular).
    Nevertheless a lot of kids grew up with the movie cars and Doc Hudson made quite the impression on a lot of kids.
    I’m in love with the styling of my ‘49 Buick but a Hudson is a car that can be driven in today’s (European) traffic and the Buick really struggles with corners, speed and speed bumps. Hudsons excel with their lower center of gravity and stiffer unibodies. Their handling is actually better than some sixties cars and almost all fifties cars.
    Drive it, love it, show it and cherish it. 😊

  • @paulseabrook8179
    @paulseabrook8179 Před 8 lety +4

    This was a labor of love. If it makes you happy, then it was worth it. Nice car. Well done.

  • @ahtaimo
    @ahtaimo Před 12 lety +2

    I really enjoy watching your videos Hudsoninbury... you actually go to the trouble of showing off everything... the car, and all the interior works... it's almost hypnotic... thankyou for posting

  • @tripsadelica
    @tripsadelica Před 8 lety +3

    Wonderful and well worth the restoration cost, imho. You've done a fabulous job. Re the fan shroud...most cars in the fifties and early sixties just didn't have shrouds at all. Mechanics just learned to keep their hands clear and stickers warned of the danger (especially GM cars).

  • @BillyAlabama
    @BillyAlabama Před 2 lety +2

    What a beauty! You did a wonderful job restoring her!

  • @richardcoe5776
    @richardcoe5776 Před 8 lety +9

    MY dad owned several Hornets. After they went out of business, he bought a Cadillac DeVille and always complained about it. He used to take his sheep to market in the back seat of the Hudson! I used to watch the Hornets win the stock car races on dirt tracks.

  • @davesandler448
    @davesandler448 Před 8 lety +3

    What a beautiful restoration!! And what an even more beautiful tour of the car you gave! VERY much appreciated, thanks so much for sharing it with all of us in CZcams land.

  • @pjposton5001
    @pjposton5001 Před 3 lety +2

    I believe it's always worth saving a work of art. I love these Hudsons and the Nash models from the same era.

  • @terribelbliss9646
    @terribelbliss9646 Před 8 lety +1

    Excellent restoration. The paint scheme and color look very appropriate. The CHMSL is an excellent addition, when I first saw it I thought it might have been a Hudson option. 👍

  • @RADIUMGLASS
    @RADIUMGLASS Před 11 lety +2

    Fantastic job...Good idea to paint the blades...I would have tried yellow or orange though. Co-worker of mine, his grandfather worked at Hudson and was there when it closed.

  • @leodriedric6441
    @leodriedric6441 Před 7 lety +3

    You did a wonderful job my friend. Be proud of it because these cars are so very rare

  • @jimthompson606
    @jimthompson606 Před 8 lety +3

    Beautiful restoration. I know it was a lot of work and expense but thank you for something we can all enjoy if only through a video

  • @kaiserbill5711
    @kaiserbill5711 Před 7 lety +3

    very nicely done - I don't know if you still have it but compared to the Orwellian bean pods we have all been forced into this car is a palace !!

  • @OwenzDaddy
    @OwenzDaddy Před 5 lety +1

    Absolutely worth it. Perfect.

  • @johnpeterson4149
    @johnpeterson4149 Před 11 lety +6

    hudsoninbury
    Just for your information, the 1954 Hudsons and earlier
    did not have fan shrouds.
    I am a Hudson fan from way back in the mid 50s.
    Your vehicle is a nice example of the '51 Hornet.

    • @emjayay
      @emjayay Před 7 lety +1

      Many cars back then didn't have fan shrouds.

  • @rarevhsuploads4995
    @rarevhsuploads4995 Před 8 lety +2

    I actually prefer a restoration to an original. I appreciate the effort placed into the rebuild. If this car is still the UK & ever passes me in the street I'll tell you it was worth the effort, although I'm sure it didn't always feel like it during the process. The car does indeed look better in the final two tone paint scheme with two tone interior.

    • @rarevhsuploads4995
      @rarevhsuploads4995 Před 8 lety +1

      The after market stop light suits it. I have never seen a Hudson with the brown stripe down the middle, but again it adds to the final affect.

  • @rverro8478
    @rverro8478 Před 8 lety +3

    I might be mistaking but, we had a Hornet up to the late 60's and I recall having a grab rope behind the front seats with chrome tips at the end.

    • @michaelbenardo5695
      @michaelbenardo5695 Před 4 měsíci

      That is not a grab rope, it is a robe rail! It is not strong enough for adults to use as a grab bar

  • @eldorado62
    @eldorado62 Před 11 lety +4

    The aluminum head for these cars I believe, raised the comp: ratio to over 7.0:1. There was also a special camshaft you could order back then. That put the horsepower up somewhere to 170, maybe a bit more. There's not many of these Hudson's left now, but it's surprising how many I've found on 'You Tube'. I must ask, do you live in England? I was born in Tottenham. Back in those days my brother was running a V8 Pilot. Over the years I've owned many great American cars, many of which I've enjoyed

  • @rogerbaker2068
    @rogerbaker2068 Před 8 lety +2

    Nice job! The centre-mount brake-light looks like it belongs there and the interior is tastefully done. The paint and bright-work just ooze quality! This bucket is gonna cause a few raised eyebrows...;)

  • @UberLummox
    @UberLummox Před 6 lety

    You have to be in love with a car to restore one, as most aren't "worth" half the restoration cost. Body-wise, these were well ahead of their time with the lower center of gravity, and the Twin H Power is the ultimate! They even beat out the Big Three is stock car racing as I'm sure you've learned due to the lower body "Step Down" design. BEAUTIFUL!!!!! Shrouds werent seen on US cars until about 1970ish unless it had air conditioning or trailer towing package.

  • @jaynareynolds3684
    @jaynareynolds3684 Před 8 lety +1

    Very nice job! By restoring this car, you've done a great service. My father owned 2 1949 Hudsons. I remember them as a small child. However, they weren't the Hornet model. But I do remember my father talking about the Hornet as a very fast car. Your car looks very similar to my father's.

  • @deanjohnson1330
    @deanjohnson1330 Před 8 lety +2

    Despite all the worry and pain, it looks fab!

  • @godfreyberry1599
    @godfreyberry1599 Před 3 lety +1

    Personally, I believe you've done a superb job. I have a Pacemaker which has had the door panels re -done in steel and lead & entire body repainted - with a lot more to do

    • @godfreyberry1599
      @godfreyberry1599 Před 3 lety +1

      ..... no progress for 3 years!. Your presentation gives me encouragement to one day continue. Also a complete Super Six with great body condition awaits my attention!. I have been tempted to sell to a good home, but not yet made a move - just love these cars to an obscession!.

  • @DoubleMrE
    @DoubleMrE Před 8 lety +1

    I love Hudson Hornets and this one is a beauty! I think Hornet's just might have the largest interior of any sedan ever. There's more room that a mini van. The trunk is also humongous . . . a family of four could live in one. -hehe!
    Well done restoration. I don't believe you actually mentioned how much you paid to restore it, so its hard to say if it was worth it, but even if it wasn't, you at least have the consolation of driving that honey around. 😉

  • @michaelXXLF
    @michaelXXLF Před 11 lety +1

    Thank you for restoring this great car!

  • @neildickson5394
    @neildickson5394 Před 7 lety +1

    Definitely a labor of love. Once you make the dive, you have to carry through. Even though you may want to chuck it, I mean 12 years, that's a big commitment. Really like the hood stripe, seen those on Packard's, Buick's from the late 40's. Not crazy for that stop light. If you did a diecast of this car, you'd have a lot of potentially missing extremities.

  • @granskare
    @granskare Před 9 lety +2

    thanks for this video..it's a nice model for sure...my dad had a friend who had a 38 Terraplane and then a 46 Hudson sedan...great old cars. :)

  • @OneCarLows
    @OneCarLows Před 8 lety +1

    Hey you are a big talented man thanks for video

  • @MaryClareVideos
    @MaryClareVideos Před 7 lety +1

    My Dad used to make chrome parts! It looks awesome!

  • @WymiataczPlays
    @WymiataczPlays Před 8 lety +6

    just fucking look at it, of course it was

  • @luketalkin5000
    @luketalkin5000 Před 3 měsíci

    I’ve got a 49 Commodore Custom Coupe I-8. Fantastic cars.

  • @rosswenman8499
    @rosswenman8499 Před 8 lety +2

    Great job, looks fab..

  • @kevinmcneil6620
    @kevinmcneil6620 Před 6 lety

    Beautiful.

  • @6sexysize
    @6sexysize Před 10 lety +1

    Beautiful Car !!!

  • @stewieiommi
    @stewieiommi Před 9 lety +1

    Excellent restoration, beautiful car. Interesting to hear that Rolls used 50's-era Hydramatics. While a beefy transmission, the shifting had a very mechanical quality to it with some strange choices in ratio spacing. (All of which I love btw. Just not the smoothest automatic box.)

    • @merlemorrison482
      @merlemorrison482 Před 9 lety

      do you remember how to put one in "park" ????

    • @stewieiommi
      @stewieiommi Před 9 lety

      Merle Morrison Reverse + parking brake?

    • @merlemorrison482
      @merlemorrison482 Před 9 lety

      stewieiommi
      shut it off in drive, then move shifter to reverse, the parking brake was extra insurence .... too complicated for some of today's drivers, eh? I had a 1955 GMC station wagon with a Pontiac 288 CI V8 engine, yep, not the smoothest of transmissions!

    • @stewieiommi
      @stewieiommi Před 9 lety

      Merle Morrison Part of the charm of an older car, the tactile/visceral/mechanical nature. New cars are neutered by comparison. If you haven't already, take a look at Jay Leno's Garage/his Nash Airflyte. It's equipped with a Hydra-Matic, and despite the car's anemic 6 cyl, you can see him being pushed back in the seat on the upshifts. I hope you've been enjoying your car. Cheers!

    • @roryfitzpatric
      @roryfitzpatric Před 8 lety

      +Merle Morrison Parking brake is certainly more than extra insurance, it prevents so much wear to your transmission, even if you do have park gear you should always apply the parking brake!

  • @RobertPlattBell
    @RobertPlattBell Před 10 lety +4

    Nice job. Miss Daisy would be proud. So would Hoke.

  • @granskare
    @granskare Před 8 lety

    that rear stop light is similar to those used by t he Chrysler Corp. cars if the late 1940s but set a bit lower. this is a great car and I think you will be the envy of people at shows you bring it to...thanks for sharing :)

  • @rogerstill71
    @rogerstill71 Před 8 lety +1

    Well done! Drive it like you stole it.

  • @dockmasterted
    @dockmasterted Před 6 lety +1

    one of the things we did with ours was to replace just the battery from the 6 volt to a 9 volt. ...well lived in the north of the country, and the battery was week in the north for starting ..... with the 9 volt it was still capable of running on the 6 volt system.

    • @dockmasterted
      @dockmasterted Před 6 lety

      Yes the down force was why the NASCAR of the 50's .....was primarily won by Hudson! ..... I also believe if you go to a battery store you can still by the nine volt batteries. You might talk with a mechanic who worked on them also, because he may have some tricks to get more power out you your six volt generator. I know I had no problem charging nine volts from a six volt charger. (they put out more than 6 volts to charge your battery, I just can't remember if we did anything to get more volts of out put) .... glad to be of help my friend.

    • @dockmasterted
      @dockmasterted Před 6 lety +1

      OOPs! ...... I was mistaken it was an eight volt battery, not a 9...... this one! www.interstatebatteries.com/products/1-8v-vhd?productLine=agriculture&subcategoryKey=&ignorecategoryid=true

    • @dockmasterted
      @dockmasterted Před 6 lety

      Yes we had them for our tractor that we used all year round in Upper Michigan. I just got confused between the volts, until I looked it up and found it was 8 and not 9! .....as is the same with a 12 volt the generator generates more than the battery is rated for....a 12 volt is somewhere around 14 to 14.5 so the 6 volt would generating about 8.5 to 9.5 volts.

    • @dockmasterted
      @dockmasterted Před 6 lety

      yes it made the starter turn over very well, and the lights were a bit brighter, but the system was good to go. if done now with the stock wires you may need to get new wires, and motors just because of the age of the parts.

  • @gordonmckenney4525
    @gordonmckenney4525 Před 5 lety

    FYI, the reverse was the park gear when you shut the motor off in Reverse and holding the foot brake. My Father was a Hudson Dealer. The stripe down the middle of the hood is ugly!

  • @MaryClareVideos
    @MaryClareVideos Před 7 lety

    It's beautiful 😎

  • @thomashuteson6191
    @thomashuteson6191 Před 7 lety

    If it's just a little knock when you 1st start it. Main bearings, if it runs good other then that. Just drop the pan and install new main bearings. Easy fix "as long" as the rest is good.

  • @roadraiders3488
    @roadraiders3488 Před 8 lety

    what quality restoration I love it so much.Amazing to see these beauties,my only question to you is why you didn't converted it into 12volts?

    • @roadraiders3488
      @roadraiders3488 Před 8 lety

      Well I completely understand if that is related to preserving the originality of the car.Since you mentioned you changed the wiper motor and windshield washer motor etc I was hoping the 12 volts will adapt to newer electronics better or rather calibrate well.Having said that I love your car it really is amazing to see the efforts you put in.I have a Ford gpw 1945 I converted it into 12 volts.Best wishes.

    • @brucegibbins3792
      @brucegibbins3792 Před 8 lety

      +hudsoninbury My current special interest car is a 1939 Oldsmobile Series 60 that was converted to 12v before I bought the car. Now it has an alternator and an indicator/turn signal system to assist with driving to survive in modern traffic conditions. All the other pre-1950 cars I have owned over the years have had their original 6v systems. This seemed perfectly adequate and changing to 12v was not even a question that anybody really thought about. I note with interest the Jay Leno actually changed one of his cars from 12v back to 6v for originality. I think your Hudson is a marvelous car, a beautiful car resulting from a thoughtful and a respectful restoration. You will be enjoying this car well past the time when the expense of the restoration is but a distant memory.

  • @stevengrotte2987
    @stevengrotte2987 Před 7 lety

    Beautiful!!!

  • @jasoncarpp7742
    @jasoncarpp7742 Před 3 lety

    I think it depends on what you intend to do with the car once you've restored it and how you want to go about restoring the car. Do you want it to be a daily driver you can drive once a week?

  • @colinburchill7519
    @colinburchill7519 Před 11 lety

    first class vid, first class car, great.

  • @jeffcraven7376
    @jeffcraven7376 Před 8 lety

    That '51 looks like my great aunt's, except it had curly maple where something cheaper would've done. Even the last time I took a ride in this car when I was 8 or 9, I thought this is closer to a spaceship. No matter , what it means to me, the restoration would would cost too much, more that a nightmare. If you have a totally restored car like I describe, contact me thru here.

  • @gordonmckenney4525
    @gordonmckenney4525 Před 5 lety

    That aftermarket stop light looks out of place, it would have been better in the inside of the rear window.

  • @keithsclassicgarage1133

    I am assembling a 52 Hornet to perfection. Very tedious, very expensive for our cust. His is grey.

  • @elmerkemp5316
    @elmerkemp5316 Před 4 lety

    I think it's always a labor of love.You may not make money off it but that's not the whole story to me.

  • @dockmasterted
    @dockmasterted Před 6 lety

    OH! .... and the other thing the Hudson was known for is the ground effects! ....the floor is lower than on any other American car of it's time! so it created lower pressure under the car and higher pressure over the car pushing the car down so the car gripped the road better the faster you drove ! ..... and that was why it was loved by RACE CAR DRIVER'S!

  • @Dazza_Doo
    @Dazza_Doo Před 5 měsíci

    Is Art with the Effort? maybe to some 😶

  • @senorkaboom
    @senorkaboom Před 8 lety

    Being as I post date the Hudson, just where was this car in the automotive hierarchy? I mean, was it competing against Chevrolet or Ford, or was it going head to head with Mercury, Olds, DeSoto and the like, or was it higher? Just curious to know.

    • @dlwatib
      @dlwatib Před 7 lety

      Based on original MSRP, Hudson Hornet fell neatly between Oldsmobile 88 and Oldsmobile 98. However, it was trying to compete at that level with only a straight 6 when both Oldsmobiles had "Rocket" V8 engines. The Hudson Hornet made a strong showing in stock car racing, but this was not enough to overcome its inherent marketplace disadvantage, lacking a V8. From 1955 onward, when even Chevrolet and Ford had V8s, independents were doomed without one.
      Hudson Hornet 4 dr sedan MSRP $2,568
      Oldsmobile 88 4 dr sedan MSRP $2,328
      Oldsmobile 98 4 dr sedan MSRP $2,765

  • @elmerkemp5316
    @elmerkemp5316 Před 7 lety

    I'd say yes it was worth it .You just don't see these

  • @michaelbenardo5695
    @michaelbenardo5695 Před 4 měsíci

    Of course its worth it! Dumb question.

  • @alanwann9318
    @alanwann9318 Před 5 lety

    I had the dinky toy Hudson hornet.

  • @jellevankapel2069
    @jellevankapel2069 Před rokem

    the breaks .? ???????????????????

  • @arushamm
    @arushamm Před 4 lety

    yes,yes it was worth it.
    you're lucky that you even have one of these,grrr..

  • @ahtaimo
    @ahtaimo Před 12 lety +1

    I really enjoy watching your videos Hudsonbury... you actually go to the trouble of showing off everything... the car, and all the interior works... it's almost hypnotic... thankyou for posting