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Super Deal on 52 Hornet Coupe
  • harry54harry54
    Posts: 1,237Platinum Member
    might need an engine rebuild... and more..... looks nice though....
  • TrulyvintageTrulyvintage
    Posts: 103Expert Adviser
    Seller is high volume ....



    BUT looks to be a car guy



    May be a good deal but just about everything I ever hauled

    out of Los Angeles area was not as represented to the Buyer



    Jim
  • TwinHTwinH
    Posts: 547Platinum Member
    harry54 wrote:
    might need an engine rebuild... and more..... looks nice though....



    Looks like the brake pedals on the floor too...
  • BrowniepetersenBrowniepetersen
    Posts: 2,398Platinum Member
    Looks like it was a clean original and a new paint job--older restoration? The front fender of the red one in the last photo looks good. Looks like a nice car to take a chance on......
    Brownie
  • bull islanderbull islander
    Posts: 304Gold Member
    There are at least three other Hudson's there. The red and green one look to be Hollywood's of some variety. The blue one is also a Hornet. Someone has to know this person...
  • ski4life65ski4life65
    Posts: 627Platinum Member
    I have bought some stuff from him on Ebay. Great parts. Nice to deal with. His name is Jim. Don't remember his last name but it starts with a B
  • 53jetman53jetman
    Posts: 880Platinum Member
    His name is Jim Barrington - Phone: (831)786-9025 He has 15 stepdowns listed in the HET Roster.
    Jerry
    email: HudsonJetman@mail.com
    2nd Generation Hud-Nut
    HET Tech Adviser on Hudson Jets 1953 & 1954
    HET Registrar of all Hudson Jets
  • nhp1127nhp1127
    Posts: 2,275Platinum Member
    His name is Jim Barrington. I almost bought the car but it has a stuck engine and I am not a mechanical guy. If I were going to buy the car to keep then I would buy it in a heart beat. Jim took the trouble to have someone look over the car carefully and he was very concerned that he represented it well. I never saw it in person, but I have bought things from Jim before and know after dealing with him that he has great character. He bought this car about 9 years ago from Jim Harman and it has sat in his display room since. No rust car.

    Hornet Coupes in this condition are hard to find- as they are either fully restored or total projects. This only really needs engine work (possibly complete engine) and the brakes gone thru. Not often you see a 52 Hornet Coupe with 3 speed O/D that is affordable.
  • DocHornetDocHornet
    Posts: 152Expert Adviser
    That car needs a lot, lot, lot of work to be a decent car. Just look carefully at each picture, and his description, and start adding up the bucks. Chrome, engine, engine compartment, rubber, brakes, upholstery, rust removal, etc., etc.. and that's JUST the immediately visible stuff.

    You could easily spend 20 large on this to make it a decent car, but then would it be worth $33,000 and the effort?
  • buggboy
    Posts: 49Senior Contributor
    See, I tend to disagree with Doc on this one. Sure, you can spend 30-50K on a concours resto, but honestly if I were to buy this, I'd go thru the brakes, do what they needed; probably put a new set of Diamond Classics on it, mount seat belts, pull the head & unstick the motor, regasket, and DRIVE that puppy.



    There's a lot of other things that might pop up their head, but at some point, in my opinion, each of us has to make a decision as to how far we want to go when refurbing a decent driver. It *IS* possible to "gild the lilly". And they SHOULD NOT all be concours trailer queens. For pity's sakes, these cars were made to be driven...they sure as heck aren't a "1 of 1 ever made"...



    For example, I have a 56 International S-120 3/4 ton 4wd pickup. It's a working farm truck. It was half-arsed restored a few years back, rewired engine rebuilt etc.... but it's got a hoist under the pickup box and I use it on my farmette...as it was made to do. I have an entire spare body for the truck if and when I ever decide to "concours" it... but I drive the truck pretty near everywhere. I really feel a lot closer to "how it was" in the 50's driving what really amounted to a used truck.



    When I finish the refurb of my '50 Super 6 Brougham, it'll be the same thing. I intend to drive that puppy all over...and I'll probably drink sodas and shakes and eat burgers in it. :)



    At the end of the day, if you could buy this for 10K or so, spend a few K (probly less if you do the work) getting it runnable and safe, you could get your money back out in a few years and have a LOT of fun cruising it around to boot...a helluva lot cheaper than a comparable "big three" car would set you back.



    Just my opinion, and worth every penny paid for it...maybe less!
  • MikeWAMikeWA
    Posts: 1,435Platinum Member
    I agree with Buggboy, and won't reiterate everything he said, but there is one other point. A guy with a $15,000 custom paint job on a chopped '54 Ford was talking to me at a show, and said he regrets ever doing it- because he can't have any fun with the car! Always worried about bugs, rock chips, etc.- comes to shows at 4 in the morning so there are no other cars on the road. Its crucial to preserve the fancy paint job, because he wants to sell. He said if he ever gets rid of it (and I doubt he will, at his cost in, because its not that great a car), he said he'll get a decent driver and just have fun with it.



    My Hudson is far from concours, but it is a custom from "back in the day", and every old hotrodder I see pleads with me to leave the "patina" and DON'T TOUCH A THING! This works in very well with my program, because I didn't really want to do anything to it anyhow.
  • BrowniepetersenBrowniepetersen
    Posts: 2,398Platinum Member
    One to drive, one to show and one that will only be original once--and forever..... That is how things are around my shop and thats the way I like it.....
    Brownie
  • Hudson308Hudson308
    Posts: 1,405Platinum Member
    buggboy wrote:
    See, I tend to disagree with Doc on this one. Sure, you can spend 30-50K on a concours resto, but honestly if I were to buy this, I'd go thru the brakes, do what they needed; probably put a new set of Diamond Classics on it, mount seat belts, pull the head & unstick the motor, regasket, and DRIVE that puppy.



    Just my opinion, and worth every penny paid for it...maybe less!



    I think Buggy has 'er nailed here. You could drive it two states to the regional with room for a buddy... and no worries about rock chips or interstate traffic.
    Workin Stiff
  • lincoln61
    Posts: 34Greasemonkey
    The fact that there is no title is a concern. Has anyone tried to register a car with just a bill of sale?

    -Bryan
  • Kdancy
    Posts: 1,074Platinum Member
    lincoln61 wrote:
    The fact that there is no title is a concern. Has anyone tried to register a car with just a bill of sale?

    -Bryan



    I am running into the same thing with the 53 Super Wasp Coupe I am buying. I called the local tax office and they said "no problem",just bring a notarized bill of sale. This is in Florida.
  • nhp1127nhp1127
    Posts: 2,275Platinum Member
    lincoln61 wrote:
    The fact that there is no title is a concern. Has anyone tried to register a car with just a bill of sale?

    -Bryan



    I live in California, the land of fruits and nuts. Even here, I've never had a problem with a bill of sale....in fact, if you are an illegal alien, you move to the front of the line!
  • hudnut1tmrhudnut1tmr
    Posts: 145Expert Adviser
    That's a '54 engine in there!



    This looks like a good driver to me. Unstick the engine, do the brakes, check the gas and start cruisin'... Oh yeah, tires may need replacing but maybe not.
  • lincoln61
    Posts: 34Greasemonkey
    How can you tell it's a `54 engine?

    How is it different than a `52?

    Thanks,

    Bryan
  • harry54harry54
    Posts: 1,237Platinum Member
    auction over... someone must have hit the buy it now....
  • lincoln61
    Posts: 34Greasemonkey
    I'm the one who bought this car from Jim last year.
    I also bought a rust-free '49 coupe from him and that is what I'm restoring.

    So I have this car for sale on craiglist. I replied to this thread so you can see the discussion on the car. I have not done anything with the car except trailer to my house. Also, Jim found the CA title, so no issues there.

    https://post.craigslist.org/sdo/S/cto/nsd/x/NxxUQwyW3L7xKxqQ/iwGEA

    Thanks much,
    Bryan
  • vgeorgevgeorge
    Posts: 28Greasemonkey
    pls send me info on this directly to: caribbean53@yahoo.com thanks
  • hornetlover
    Posts: 7Hitchhiker
    VGEORGE, looks like this car is back on craigslist at this link: http://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/cto/2305530229.html

    does anyone know what this car sold for via ebay buy it now?

    is this interor riginal?
  • lincoln61
    Posts: 34Greasemonkey
    The interior is not original and is fairly nice. If I kept the car, I would not redo it.
    Thanks,
    Bryan