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In this Discussion
- cailynne July 2012
- faustmb July 2012
- Jon B July 2012
- oldhudsons July 2012
- ScottFitzgerald July 2012
- StillOutThere July 2012
pre war car operation
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Hi All,
I was looking through some Hemmings drive reports lately and they started with 20's Hudsons. Reading through the book I was wondering if anyone with the older cars could put up videos on how they get these older cars started and basic maintainance on them.
I have a 49 but it is fairly easy with cars in this age group to figure out how to operate them. I don't really have anyone in my area with older cars to show what it takes to get them going.
I figured it might be a good idea to have something to at least show what steps a person must do to run the older cars. If someone with no knowledge of how to do it has a video they can watch... if there is no direct way for them to learn from a previous owner or someone in the know, they won't immediately mess up and get discouraged or in worst case damage a car unintentionally.
Thanks,
Lisa -
I have a '34 Terraplane, certainly "prewar". Just like your '49 Hudson, I stab the gas pedal a couple of times to squirt any carb bowl gas into the manifold, turn on the key, push the starter button on the dash and it starts after a few cranks.
So I think what you are really asking is how did even earlier cars start where one had a timing lever on the steering column and manual choke, or even earlier when they had hand cranks instead of electric starters.
Probably the best thing for you to do Lisa, is go to a couple of antique car shows, look for the earliest cars present, and charm the owners into a demonstration of how they start their cars. -
There's nothing tricky about "starting" an older Hudson.
The 1st product with a fuel pump were the '33 E-T (the Hudson still had a vacuum tank) so to start the '33 & earlier models have to make sure have gas in the vac. tank. The factory did not equip them with a valve between the vac. tank & the carb. (gravity feed from vac. tank on the firewall down to the carb.) as when built figured they'd be driven every day or so unlike now SO a good option is to put a open/close valve in the gas line right below the vac. tank thus keeping the vac. tank full otherwise will either evaporate (esp. the "new" gas) or slowly seep out via the carb.
So all you have to do is open the hood, turn the gas valve so gas will flow to carb., close hood & step on the starter pedal. Once you're used to your car you'll know the right amount of advance with the hand lever incorporated in the steering wheel, give it a little choke, and will fire right up.
As far as driving, one has to get just the right timing in double clutching the shifts as trans. not sychronized - Hudson tend to want to be shifted rapidly from 1st into 2nd, slower from 2nd into 3rd. Remember the "old guys" are geared low, have a lot of torque so no reason to run the up in the gears between the shifts.
Old ones a lot more fun to drive as takes some skill, you actually have to "drive" it rather than just sitting back & putting it into "DRIVE" on your Hydramatic selector!!!!
Have one of the guys take you for a ride in an older Hudson at Gettysburg, you might just "get the bug" & want to get a Hudson more interesting, let's say, than a stepdown. -
When you get to the really early ones, '13 & before, they are right hand drive so you have this big shift gate which you have to shift with your LEFT hand, the gas pedal up against the right kick pad, etc., etc. - gets tricky! Also smart to have a passenger so they can look out of the left to see if safe to go around things, such as slower cars, LOL!
(they also have no front brakes = more exciting!!!) -
Lisa, to sum up what's been said (and add a bit of my own advice), cars from about 1934 and up will act very similar to your '49 in terms of driving and maintenance. When you get back to the early thirties and before, you have the issues with updraft carbs, mechanical brakes, vacuum tanks instead of fuel pumps, non-synchro transmissions (actually that's up into the late thirties in Hudsons), primitive steering and suspension, and manual spark advance. Cars of this earlier era are way more maintenance-intensive than the later ones (which themselves require way more maintenance than today's cars). The older the car, the busier you'll be in driving and maintaining it.
If you are serious about getting into older cars, the suggestion about charming owners of these vehicles into giving you a demonstration, is a great one. If you are bashful about doing this, con your kids into feigning an interest in the cars and asking the owner for a ride. (You, as the mother, would of course have to come along on the ride...hee-hee!)
By the way, I know you're a Hudson lady...did you mean to post this in the "All Makes" section? (If you come to the National this year, I hope to see you at the chat / forum breakfast!) -
hey Jon,
I won't be able to go to this national or the the next...too far away on both counts.
Hopefully I will be able to get to the 2014 national....who knows we maybe hosting it if no one else steps up for it, no promises.
The interest in the older cars was sort of idle curiosity. I wasn't so much thinking of myself but also any others that might have this curiosity as well.
i don't think I really like this forum setup..I thought I was posting in the Hudson Forum...guess not!
Lisa -
I left this under 'All Makes' rather than 'Hudson' as it seemed a generic post about old cars.
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I just spent some hours with my dad starting his 27 super six. It is a different animal. I learned quite a bit, but not quite enough yet. Starting with the floor pedal is interesting, and I haven 't figured out the spark advance. I think we have to call it this trip, but I'm hoping to make another attempt next year. We couldn't get the all to fill, and the clutch is stuck from sitting.
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the late '20s Super Sixes, like the '27-9 F-heads, have a bigger clutch than later models (as I recall have 188 corks in the clutch) & require more than 6 oz. of Hudsonite like later models - the Owners Manual will tell you how much they take.
As I recall while using the right foot to engage the starter pedal I'd use the throttle & spark advance levers within the steering wheel quadrant to start the engine and after engine started then move right foot over to the gas pedal (haven't had a '29 for over 10 years so a little "rusty").
