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Username: happychris
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Last Active: February 2012
Roles: Gold Member
Posts: 178

happychris

Hudson straight 8 engine
I thought I got the wrong engine - I bought a Commodore 8. Wasn't looking for a Hudson but the neighbor opened his garage door as I was walking by. His wife was upset that her truck was going to sit out in the Chicago winter and wanted that car…

Comment by happychris January 2007 permalink
Small amount of oil in the coolant - should I worry?
I have checked the oil many times and the oil is black and has the correct consistancy. There is no milky coloration and the oil feels correct. As far as I can tell there is no coolant in the oil. I will try the flush and see, but the film I removed…

Comment by happychris January 2007 permalink
Small amount of oil in the coolant - should I worry?
WAIT A MINUTE! I just re-read Dave53-7C's response more carefully. I had added pelletized "Bars Leak" to the radiator prior to seeing the "oil film" on the surface of the coolant. Perhaps the film I am seeing is the "Ba…

Comment by happychris January 2007 permalink
Small amount of oil in the coolant - should I worry?
Thanks for those inputs! 1st let me clarify, I am getting a small amount of oil in the coolant, and NO coolant in the oil. My theory is that I have a small leak between the combustion chamber and the water jacket that is acting like a one way valve …

Comment by happychris January 2007 permalink
Difference between Hollywood and Wasp versus Commodore & Super
Thanks for that information. I did find some information on the web sites, but not as clear as this thread has made it. I started wondering after responses to the Bill Albright car saying " looks good for a Hollywood". That started …

Comment by happychris January 2007 permalink
The One We Wish We Had Back
I miss my 68 AMX 390 4spd! Bought it new and planned to keep it forever. Unfortunately Uncle Sam had an idea that I was going to participate in Viet Nam for a while. Left the car with my dad - he drove it a couple of times and scared himself badly. …

Comment by happychris January 2007 permalink
Arkansas Chapter
Walt, Thanks for replying for me as I am on the road and didn't have access to that information. I assume you were present at the Arkansas HET Chapter meeting and assume we met. 51hornetA - you have to meet Erwin. He is a very…

Comment by happychris January 2007 permalink
Arkansas Chapter
I attended that 1st meeting of the Arksansas Chapter of the HET Club. Hotel was very nice, and the people were great! I learned a lot about Hudsons from the assembled participants. Was able to purchase a remote reservoir for the brake fluid and a re…

Comment by happychris January 2007 permalink
AMC Fuel Pump
I was just thinking that I might be wrong - the inlet was on the front side of the pump, but the outlet was on the bottom of the pump ( thus requiring the 90 degree tubing bend. BST RGDS GARY ( happychris )

Comment by happychris December 2006 permalink
AMC Fuel Pump
Doug, The 83 AMC 258-6 fuel pump I purchased from Autozone has the inlet and the outlets on the bottom of the pump. That is why the comments in the threads about the difficulty in making a bend in the metal tubing that would be a sharp enough…

Comment by happychris December 2006 permalink
Woodgraining your dash
My email address is: happychris@marioncounty.com I am guessing that the information you were going to send is the same as the link you posted - correct? BST RGDS GARY ( happychris )

Comment by happychris December 2006 permalink
Woodgraining your dash
Are you doing the top of the dash or the front pieces. Did you color the dash and then roll the woodgrain onto the surface? What are your plans after you do the woodgraining ( like a clear coat )? Also what color paint did you use as a base? …

Comment by happychris December 2006 permalink
How many classic cars do you own?
I thought I had a lot of cars - guess I was wrong! Anyway, my current cars: 1949 Hudson Commodore ( 8 ) 1932 Chevrolet Confederate Coupe 1937 Packard Coupe 1981 Chevy Pick-up 1985 Harley FXRP 2000 Corvette ( Bowling Green Me…

Comment by happychris December 2006 permalink
Valve adjustment
Thanks! I think I can follow that process. Thanks for the warning about holding the tappet bolt! Do you or anyone have any input on if you can adjust the valves by just removing the inner fender access panel, or do you have to remove the entire inne…

Comment by happychris December 2006 permalink
Valve adjustment
I saw that link and copied the information on the "8", but I was hoping to locate a valve lash adjustment chart like they had for the "6" showing the valve and the steps to adjust furnished by Jack Clifford. http://groups.msn.…

Comment by happychris December 2006 permalink
Valve adjustment
Are you saying you have to remove the inner fender access panel ( that bolts in place ), or are you saying that you have to remove the entire inner fender to get access to adjust the valve on the Hudson "8"? I have removed the access panel…

Comment by happychris December 2006 permalink
Suggestion for "newer" users....
Hope you knowledgable Hudson guys keep responding to even the most basic questions. You have to remember that some of us ended up interested in or having obtained a Hudson, and we were not Hudson guys to start with or ever knew anyone who had a Huds…

Comment by happychris December 2006 permalink
Hudson Single Lever transmissions
Hudsonator, Do you know why your trans jumps out of 1nd gear when you let off the gas? My 49 Commodore does the same thing - I have no noise, the transmission shifts great, only issue is that it jumps out of 2nd if I let off the gas. B…

Comment by happychris November 2006 permalink
TRICO Vacuum Pump, check valve - how to make it work
Sounds like a GREAT IDEA! I am going to try that tomorrow. It does seem suspicious that the wipers would not working going up hill when I had the Dual Action Pump on the car. I just thought that perhaps the vacuum portion of the pump was not functio…

Comment by happychris November 2006 permalink
TRICO Vacuum Pump, check valve - how to make it work
That is how this started - my dual action pump was the source of my oil leakage - it would spray out oil at highway speeds, out of the large vent between the two pump sections. I found this failure mode was common. My dual action pump lasted less th…

Comment by happychris November 2006 permalink
TRICO Vacuum Pump, check valve - how to make it work
I have the check valve soaking in Neat's Foot Oil as we speak. I did only test the pump at low throttle settings - but when I drove the car, the wipers would still stop while going up a hill or depressing the throttle, so I assumed the output o…

Comment by happychris November 2006 permalink
TRICO Vacuum Pump, check valve - how to make it work
I checked the TRICO Vacuum Accessory Pump today - the pump is pulling but I do not have a vacuum gauge to measure it. I hooked the accessory pump directly to the wipers - they do move, but very slowly. Hooked the wipers to the manifold vacuum and th…

Comment by happychris November 2006 permalink
TRICO Vacuum Pump, check valve - how to make it work
The wiper motor works fine off the manifold vacuum. It does not function well off the TRICO Accessory Vacuum pump directly, it moves very slowly. I assumed that the point of the TRICO Accessory Vacuum Pump was to supliment the manifold vacuum when t…

Comment by happychris November 2006 permalink
Battery Cable Source
I was able to get the battery cable and also the flat braided cables for my 49 Hudson from NAPA. The Battery Cable ( starter solenoid to negative side of battery ) was double 0 gauge ( NAPA part number 713630). The braided Strap ( Positive side of b…

Comment by happychris November 2006 permalink
Gas mileage
When I took a trip to Hot Springs I got 25 mpg on my 49 Hudson Commodore with the 254 CI 8, 3 speed w/OD. The mileage seemed way to good - don't know what I did wrong on my calculations, I took the entire trip ( both ways ) and divided the mile…

Comment by happychris November 2006 permalink
Electric wiper motor conversion
Another Solution - I tracked down and ordered a TRICO Accessory Vacuum Pump - supposedly mounts to the generator and runs off the back of the fan belt using friction drive. Per another member of this forum, it worked on his Essex and he now has wipe…

Comment by happychris October 2006 permalink
1st Long Trip in 49 Commodore - Suggestions????
UPDATE - made the trip to Hot Springs AR with no issues other than the failure of a brake light switch on the master cylinder. Guess those spare parts in the trunk did their job! Attended the 1st meeting of the Arkansas Chapter of the HET Club. The …

Comment by happychris October 2006 permalink
Taking a Poll
Been averaging 5500 miles per year for the last 3 years on the 49 Commodore with the straight 8. Just got back from Hot Springs - 500 mile trip, with no problems other than a bad brake light switch on the master cylinder. We went to the 1st Arkansas…

Comment by happychris October 2006 permalink
Studs holding head instead of Bolts
Uncle Josh wrote: The 8 cyl iron head had HUDSON cast in the top. The Aluminum did not. Guess I have an aluminum head then - no HUDSON cast in the top. I know you have to torque the aluminum head cold. Anything else to worry about? Is …

Comment by happychris October 2006 permalink
Studs holding head instead of Bolts
Uncle Josh, THANKS for that input - guess I will stick with the studs and give your recommendation a try. I bet I can tell if I have an aluminum head once I take it off - but is there a easy way to tell with the head on the engine? Do I just …

Comment by happychris October 2006 permalink

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