ClassicCar

I can afford $500 to donate to a LLC parts partnership if there are other club members interested.

Way I see it if they can't sell as a lot then they should have one hell of an auction!!!! And you are right on selling to get their bucks back - gonna take a while as we all know Hudson folks are, for the most part, frustrated stock brokers (buy low, sell high - :))

Hudsonly,
Alex Burr
Memphis, TN

Unless they're lucky they're going to have to have an auction, which would probably last a couple of days then give those who buy the heavy stuff, such as engines (he had them on racks several rows high) a week to remove it. Riggs would be a good auctioneer as he just lives over in Portland & sure "knows his stuff". The family could get some "good money" out of a properly run & organized auction then whatever is not sold either junk or give away. Auction could be a good way to sell the cars too - if some still in barns away from the home, could sell them in situ, buyer has a week to remove instead of the family having to hassle with that.
I'm sure the heirs facing some stiff inheritance tax numbers if his Hudson stuff appraised at that figure for taxes + value of his home and large property!?

My brother and I had looked into this some time back. We weren't even looking at the parts cars, just the parts. Logistically, it's a nightmare. Parts alone would take approximately 3 semi-trailers, plus the cost of moving it somewhere else, plus having a place not to just store, but room to organize and go through what is there.

And it's unbelievable, the number of engines, rear-ends, front ends and other heavy items. There's a line of hoods probably all stacked together that's 35' or 40' long. The list goes on and on and on. It's a fantastic amount of parts for a restorer, or someone wanting to get into the used parts business for step-downs.

Money to be made? You Bet! Save all those parts from the scrap heap that just goes to China? Absolutely. For someone. I just don't have the facilities to store it right now. Otherwise, I'd be all over it.

I already said I could afford $500 worth of shares/membership in the "HET Parts Preservation Society, Not-for Profit, LLC". That will cover 19 of the nay-sayers.

Aaron, Pacemaker500-

We figured 15K to cover logistics. If I was in a position to do it, I would. In a heartbeat. It really comes down to how bad. I am reminded of a fella named Chapin, and Coffin, and Bezner, and Brady, who created an empire with so very little in the beginning. Anything is possible! And, it's actually one of my future goals, to be an orphan-make supplier. Currently, this particular opportunity is just too large.

I would absolutely be open to joining into an organization, however. Last thing any of us want to see is Jim's collection going to the scrap yard. Makes me shudder.

frank spring-

I have been told there is some NOS. Have not been able to verify what or how much.

F.S. - I don't recall seeing NOS there but there was so much, ??? The guy to ask I would assume would be Dick Riggs as lives in Portland, not too far from Banks, and must have known Jim for decades.
Having a background in economics I kinda look at things more from the practical financial side. If someone were to buy the "whole kit & kaboodle", got it organized, etc., etc., how LONG would it take you to sell enough of it just to recoup your intial $75 K???? Perhaps years!
Pace - that sounds nice but saying the Club had the $$$, where does it go, in other words WHO in the Club is going to do this? Look at the Club Store - about every 5 years they have to find a new manager & move all of it, which is a pittance compared to all the stuff Harmon has!
I know of 2 guys out here in the West who have the space, one being Al Saffrahn here in Az., but he's almost as old as I am & is "winding down" his operation.
Ah, but how about Jason, Bill's grandson, who I understand, along with his sort of "partner" (can't think of the guy's name, a former NARC officer) have supposedly cleaned up & organized Bill's "emporium". Jason is young, energetic (but also a college student), and the NARC is big, strong, smart, another real Hudson man. IF they have the $$$ could take it to Fontana, hire some guys parttime, etc., and perhaps get it back into the market & still "turn a dime", possibly make some good $$$ out of it in the long run, save the parts, and in doing so help put & keep a lot of Hudsons on the road - whatta ya think???

Courtesy Man-

That USED to be a possibility. The whole "kit and Kaboodle" including the 5 acres, house, buildings and all car stuff was 250K. I believe the property has since been sold and the car stuff now has to find a new home.

Brownie - that was one of Jim's problems, he couldn't stand to sell anything, LOL! He invited some of us Californians to stop by on the way south after the Seattle National. I saw an 8 engine on one of the rows of engines & asked how much & he mumbled something about not being able to sell it as wanted it for a backup engine. Others inquired about various & sundry items inc. cars in a barn, same result.
Reminds me of some lines in a Kenny Rogers song: "ya gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em"; Jim knew how to "hold 'em" but didn't know when to "fold 'em", unfortunately.

Larry Wellman, from Groveland, MA had a 3 story house jammed with Hudson parts. He cleaned out dealerships all thru the Northeast. He and his parents lived on the first floor of the house - their rooms and the kitchen were about the only rooms that didn't have parts stored in them, tho I won't swear about Larry's bedroom.
In addition he had a 3 story barn that was jammed with Hudsons from top to bottom. Packed in so close you couldn't get the doors open - but he knew where every car was regards body style. Like if you wanted a 1952 Commodore Hollywood he could point one out to you. It was rumored that the only thing holding the barn up was the cars - and as I recall, after his death in 1989, the place was cleaned out and a little while later the barn did indeed collapse.
Fortunately Larry was in business to make money. And make it he did. Thru the late 60's, 70's into the 80's Larry was the "go-to" Hudson parts man. I can't remember what happened to all the cars - but it is my belief they did find homes - for a while I had a 1949 Commodore 6 Club Coupe with a 1956 Hornet engine that came from Larry's. I know that just about all the parts were sold off before he died - about all that was left was a large trailer full of the really "easy" stuff to sell - NOT. Things like A frames and suspension parts - stuff like that. I can't remember the fellow who bought all that in the end, but he's probably got some of it left, 30 years later.
Larry was in his 40's when he passed away from throat cancer - but he knew about how long he had to go and got most everything sold off. I remember going up to his house in Limerick, Maine, (he moved up there near the end of his life) right after he died and there was virtually no Hudson parts left - he'd switched over to VW's and AMC products and there was a few of those around. Larry was in the hospital and wanted the Mike Elwell to have one of the AMC cars - I "sold" it to Mike by giving him a bill of sale (title not required) and signed Larry's name to it. I remember Mike asking me if he should send the registration slip to the DMV in Maine (the car was registered there). I said definitely not - let me have it. It quickly "disappeard".

Hudsonly,
Alex Burr
Memphis, TN

Sam - RIGHT, Val Smith who I know has helped several so. Calif. people "take care of business" after a Hudson man has passed, most recently Pat Meehan's widow.
Yes, they might or should be able to come up with the $$$ IF they have the will & desire to do that as a purchase like that a long term commitment as take a long time to sell $75K worth of the stuff + the costs of getting it moved to Fontana.
I had Al S. come up to my house in Prescott & we loaded up all the stuff I had; I'd inventoried it all but he didn't want to bother with checking all that, and having known Al for 30-40 years just trusted him so gave it to him on consignment - that was a year ago & he has moved most of it. He got/gets 50% and handles all the packaging & shipping, something I hate to do. Wonder if Jim's heirs would consider an arrangement of that sort if they don't get a buyer?

I too remember thinking I was going to be impress with Jims parts at Spokane. Then after looking the stuff over, I was thinking not much here that everybody has doubles of they cant get rid of (and his prices were high, example was a 53 hood ornamanet as a good chromeable piece was $175, Lew bird had a nicer one right there for $20...i went with Lew. I believe an auction grouping the parts together is they only way to go. Most likely a metal salvage yard will get most the of the stuff that is in bad condition. Maybe in the range of 15 to 20K for the whole package could be obtained, but have not seen his stuff.

Someone was selling ther complete inventory at Gettysburg for 30K. I thought with what he had there like 50+ door handles, four door stainless and such, that nobody is going to get a return on there investment. Just did not make business sense.

If Jim truly would not throw anything out, maybe 40% of the stuff is salvagable and in decent condition.

But everybody wants to get the most money out of there stuff and I beleive that is OK, but you have to realize you are selling a business to another business and you cant have all the profits.

Kgap was sold just for the cost of the inventory without markup and the moldings were included in the sale. That made buisness sense.

Only 1 in 5 new business make it passed 5 years.

The posting reads "OBO." I'm guessing that if somebody showed up with a cashier's check for $55 - 60 thou and the means to take it all somebody would be kissing their feet. However, opportunity cost has to be considered. What else could you do with 60 large + the removal cost (say $10 thou) over the period it would take to get your money back? It seems like a mind boggling undertaking to me, but then I've sold, traded or given away maybe 40-50 parts in my life...

Al has basically what Sam suggests. He has semi-trailers full of Hudson parts, all organized & easily accessible. He usually has 12-20 parts cars on the property uncovered & also has covered parking for cars being worked on or to be worked on. His speciality is rebuilding trans. & rear ends but does complete restorations. He lives on the property which has a high wall around it. It's sorta "out in the sticks", not in an incorporated municipality, & in a commercially zoned (if any zoning ordinances) area.

Lester Harris might be interested @(775) 267-2559

Lester, at his age, "get outta town", LOL!
Dany Spring & wife bought K-GAP, which they seem unable to handle, so why would they want to burden themselves with tons of used parts with which to separate out, determine condition, set prices, then package & ship???????????

Unfortunately, the property has been sold and the parts and cars have to be removed by the closing date. The heirs have no place to put it all, should they decide to sell it piecemeal.

It wasn't hard to find, Pete - a few miles west of Portland. Out around Hillsboro where Bob Campbell lives.

Hudsonly,
Alex Burr
Memphis, TN