Jan is making progress on the stripe fabric

This week I received a sample of Jan's work in the mail. it is not final form yet, but she asked for my input on a couple of the threads/yarns and I also got a chance to hold a sample in my hands. Thrilling. I have also attached a series of pictures that show where the fabric will be used in the car. Seats, door panels, and a pouch on the back side of the front bench seat. In the pictures the bottom of the bench seats are blue because I had to cover them due to damage/disintegration. In reality they are the stripe fabric, just like the seat-backs.

HET Forum Thread: http://www.classiccar.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=13&id=138548&Itemid=152

Wildrick Restoration Web Site

I have had the pleasure of working with Doug Wildrick of Wildrick Restoration on his website, www.WildrickRestoration.com . I really think I have made a positive difference and hope to continue to help him in the future. I also hope to be able to encourage a few other Hudson folks to create simple sites, for the benifit of the community.

Hudson Forum Thread about www.WildrickRestoration.com:
http://classiccar.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=13&id=138442&Itemid=152

This is Awesome,

I just got these images from the weaver I have been working with. She has been working on research, threads,  and weave; here are the results. I hope to have my hands on samples with in the month. It is nice to have something going right. 

Hudson Forum Thread: http://www.classiccar.com/index.php?option=com_kunena&func=view&catid=13&id=137607&Itemid=152

Falling into Winter

We have had a beautiful fall, but snow is falling today. I don't think it will last the weekend, but it is a sure sign that I will have to get the Hudson ready for storage soon. I was part of a layoff in March, worked a contract job for 6 months, but have been on unemployment for the last couple of months. I hate it, not just because it leaves me felling poor and dependent on the state. I need to be productive, so I am diving back into my work with United Way. I had hoped to have the Hornets interior restored this winter, but that does not seem to be a possibility. The Hudson money has become the money needed to bridge the gap between unemployment and actual bills. I am actively looking for work, but it is slow business and Thanksgiving -> Christmas is not the time of year for hiring. Most companies I am talking to are trying to use 4Q to make their full year numbers. If you happen to of anything. please let me know.

Here is my professional profile: www.MichaelJSandberg.info
Here is my resume:  https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B6DMvGiIRqeMNWU0MmQwYzAtOTE2Ny00Mzg0LThhNzUtMjc0ZjIyYTcxZWY4&hl=en

Good news all around

Problems Fixed:

• Leaking fuel pump fixed, thank you Williamsfield Motors!
• Engine knock taken care of by retarding the engine timing. Sadly I do not seem to have the standard reference point, but I have it pretty close and no matter how hard I push it, no knock.
• Distributor working  great after help from Tom from www.valleymotorsofwinona.com
• Head gasket tested and passed
• Radiator overflow and collapsed hose issues taken care of by a new 7lb radiator cap

The family is just enjoying cruising around town and making up excuses to drive the Hornet. I found that we can fit my family (wife & two kids in car seats) and grandparents together in the car. That is how we went to the farmers market last weekend :)

Classic Car forum topic: http://classiccar.com/index.php?option=com_jfusion&Itemid=62&jfile=showthread.php&t=22702

Some unexpected but very welcome help

I had the good fortune of running into Tom Thorson of www.valleymotorsofwinona.com this morning as he stopped at his son's house on the way to pick up a 1940 Ford Pickup. He spent some time with me looking at the distributor, and he found the remains of the rivet that I thought I had drilled out and a washer deep inside. Once he had it all apart and was satisfied it was in good working order, he told me to reassemble it by the time he came through town again with the Ford and he would listen to the engine. I did my best and managed to get it all assembled by the time they arrived back, but needed some guidance on finding #1 on the distributor cap. He actually had me hold my finger over the #1 spark plug  hole while he tapped the ignition. It was damn obvious when it blew my thumb off the head. With the distributor back on the engine, he had me run it while he watched with the radiator cap off, revved the engine and listened to it. He reported that I did NOT have a bad rod / rod bearings and that what I described was most likely spark knock. He put the radiator cap back on and told me to let it build some pressure and then turn it off and let it cool for a couple of hours. The good news is that the hose did not collapse and I did not have any white smoke when I started it up again. That would have been a sign of coolant getting into the cylinders. FYI - I bought a new radiator cap since my upper radiator hose collapse.

I schedule a pressure test for next Tuesday where the local auto shop will pressurize my radiator to 10lbs and see if it loses pressure. If it does, it may point to a head gasket leak. HET Forum Question.

I am hoping my spark knock is due to my timing being too advanced. With my cleaned out / repaired distributor I can now see the timing lines, but I need to verify where the pointer is that they should be set relative to. I think it is the little red triangle you can see in the crankcase opening, but I want to find out for sure before I start turning the distributor.

Something or nothing. I chose something.

I have decided to do something instead of nothing. I am thousands short on rebuilding my engine, and I am still looking for permanent work. If I go for a rebuild, it would be months if not longer before my Hudson is back on the road. With this in mind, I have decided to play it by ear and see what can be made of the engine now. My first step is to send out my distributor to have it rebuilt by 21st Century Hudson. After that, do some tests to see if the head gasket is really leaking and diagnose the knock. I am assuming we will end up lifting the head, and when we do, taking a critical look at the top of the engine. I am cautiously optimistic this will get me on the road again for hundreds and tide me over until the time comes for a total rebuild.

Little Signs point to big problems

There have been a number of small issues that have built to critical mass. I have what appears to be a blown head gasket (foaming coolant & disappearing oil), a engine knock every time I accelerate hard or uphill, plenty of oil drips, and a distributor chewing itself up. I was told the engine was rebuilt once before, but I have no more information than that.

I could try and do band-aid fixes, replace head gasket & distributor, drive it easy and cross my fingers about the knock and hope it was just bad engine timing, ignore the oil leaks,  and why the head gasket blew in the first place.
or
I can have the engine rebuilt.

I am strongly leaning towards rebuilding, am located in South East MN, and don't have any mechanics I trust to do more than maintenance on my car. Doug Wildrick has been recommended to me by someone I trust. I plan on talking to Doug see if he is interested & willing and also to get an idea of the cost. None of this can happen until I find steady work, hopefully in the next few months. No matter what, I have a feeling the Hudson will not be moving under it own power again this summer.

I am a bit shaken that I am talking about rebuilding the engine only 6 months after buying what I thought was a rock solid car, but I am determined to help my Hudson survive another generation and hopefully be my son's or daughter's someday.

Pertronix Ignitor

Here is what my Pertronix Ignitor looks like after three months. I asked Pertronix for a return / exchange. Waiting to hear back.

When it rains it pours; Problems That Is!

I seem to be having a lot of small / moderate issues with my Hudson lately. First there was the fact that when it got stuck in a long downpour the door panels got soaked. Solution there will be to work with my glass guy on installing the new sweepers and figuring out the waterproof lining that is suppose to be in the doors. Then I had some knocking in the engine while climbing uphill in the bluffs at 70 MPH. I read up on that, and am hoping it was bad gas or the timing is too advanced. A couple of days ago a gasket for my radiator failed and after I fixed it I started having trouble with a collapsing radiator hose. Today my timing gun arrived in the mail and I could not see any chalk lines on the flywheel. When I opened up my distributor, I found a pile of debris from my Pertronix electronic ignition kit, seemingly from it rubbing even though it has clearance. I now have a message into Petronix support and also an e-mail into 21st Century Hudson to see if they can possibly just rebuild the whole distributor to make sure it is done right. As of this moment, I need a break from the Hudson troubles.

I should point out, the Hudson is actually running quite nicely, but at this point, I am not sure why.

New Toys for the amateur tuner

I now have a unisync, timing gun, and a Dwell/Tach/Volts meter. it is my hope that they along with the great support from the Hudson community, that I (a rank amateur) will be able to 'tune' my 308.

Collapsed Radiator Hose

Yesterday I noticed that the gasket around the goose-neck feeding my radiator was leaking, so I removed it, cleaned it up, and replaced it. Once that was done, I filled it up the brim with premixed 50/50 coolant. It was irritating because it was only a few months ago that I pulled the piece off to install a modern thermostat and close the bypass.

Today the family and I drove the Hudson into a nearby cruise-in, and when I opened the hood for someone to look at the 308, I noticed my upper radiator hose was collapse. Since it has never happened before, it kind of freaked me out. 

Now I am trying to find out what it means - Collapsed Radiator Hose Post on the Hudson Forum

First trip home to from MN to WI in the Hornet

A couple of weeks ago was my family's maiden road-trip in the Hudson to my home town of Oshkosh WI. It was a mad rush to get the car ready for the trip, as parts for the seat belts and the carpet kit arrived at about 3:30 in the afternoon on Friday, but we were on the road by 5:30. A special thanks for my neighbor Jon for making it possible with his help. The four hour drive home was pleasantly uneventful. The only issue I ran into was when I was trying to accelerate uphill onto the interstate. For some reason, the Hudson had trouble choosing 3 or 4 gear. The rest of the trip home averaged 75 mph on the interstate and 65 on the highways. I am happy to say my Hudson had no trouble with the speed and suffered no overheating, even with the air-conditioning running. My wife even complained that the AC was too cold. Since this was the first big trip since driving the Hudson home from TX to MN, I kept track of mileage. It always worked out to just over 12 mpg, regardless of speed (65 or 75) or if the AC was on or not.

While in Oshkosh, I convinced my my parents and Nicole's to let me part Hudson in their garages. This did not prevent me from being stuck with the Hudson parked in the rain though. It was not just any rain, it was a half hour of torrential downpour, and I mean torrential. When the rain finally let up and we got back into the Hudson, I found that all of my door panels were soaked. The windshield had not leaked and the back window had not leaked, but something in the doors had let the downpour in. It was very frustrating, but at least it happened with the old interior so I have a chance to fix it before the new interior goes in. What puzzles me is that when I wash the car it does not happen, so it mush have been the sheer volume of water. Since only the door panels were wet, I am wondering if the water came in on the bottom of the glass, but is just a guess. Fixing water leaks is top priority and must be taken car of before I have a new interior put in.

Trip home turned out to be a rainy one, and the Hudson performed beautifully in it. During the four hours in the rain, the door panels remained dry, but I did discover a weatherstripping leak on the front passenger door that let some water in the front edge of the door. The only mechanical trouble I ran into was during our ascent through the bluffs from WI to MN. During the climb if I tried to go faster than 70, I got a loud rattling sound from the engine area. This bothered me enough that I did not push it. Since it generally runs great, the high speed up hill rattle will get added to the long list of things to look into in the future.


Here is a picture of my Wife's grandfather, Harold, with the Hornet. I was thrilled to be able to give him a ride and listen to the stories of every car he ever owned. For Harold, the one that he never should have let go was his Ford Model A. His most hated was a Nash.

I also had the pleasure of giving rides to a number of relations that had not seen the car before. I always find myself apologizing for the poor condition of the interior, but no one seems to mind but me.

The plan for summer 2010

Step 1:  Put a carpet kit in and otherwise assemble my basket-case interior.
Step 2:  Drive the S%!^ out of it!

So far, I have the seats out and one coat of black enamel paint on the floor, and the rear seat-belts installed. I have parts for the front seat-belts ordered and the carpet should arrive next week.

Mostly my Hudson need lots and lots of TLC, but I have run into a number of new issues. Problems so far: I noticed that around my gas pedal rod, it is duck-tape. That just can not be right. I also noticed that I have many small screw holes in the firewall and floor. I plan to dab caulk on them to close them up. A slightly bitter concern is some sketchy work around my gas tank fill-neck. There is a 1/2 gap around part of it, leaving the trunk open to the road. I have no idea how to mount the radio. Last but not least, I am missing some interior parts such as the light covers for the rear vanity lights and the medallions for the front door panels.

Forum discussions:

What is it, and where does it go on my 52 HH?
What should go here?
Good place(s) to get interior trim parts?
How To? Install Radio in 52 Hornet
Why is there a donut on my brake?
Door bottom seal. Clips or adhesive?

Back from the shop, and sounding great!

Today I picked up my Hudson from Byron Auto. New WWW Diamond Back Radials, gas tank repaired, exhaust damper removed, and true dual exhaust front to back. I even managed to give it a quick wash tonight before taking a little cruise with Jon.

 YouTube video of the Hudson on the lift: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-RTinRddiU
YouTube video of the Hudson idling: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBkaiHchVfg
Gallery of everything I took while the Hudson was on the lift: http://picasaweb.google.com/mjsandbe/52HudsonHornetBackFromByronAuto?feat=directlink
Here are a few pictures of the new exhaust while the car was on the lift:

A little too late, but finally some progress.

The gas tank came back from the radiator shop yesterday. Today Byron Auto will be installing it and installing the new exhaust. They did caution me that it may or may not be done by the end of day, it all depends on how it comes together. I am sad to say that this means I have given up on the idea of making it to the North Central Hudson meet this year.


 Here are some pictures of the mufflers and chrome tips.

Still up in the air

My gas tank is taking a very long time to repair. According to the radiator shop, it is filthy, and they need to get it spotless for the liner to bond correctly. The gas tank is holding up the exhaust work. They don't want to weld under the car until the gas tank is back in place. So, I am still with out a car. Hopefully early next week I will get it back, along with a hefty bill. I would be pretty sad if this made me miss the Hudson meet in IL.

I took this chance to take pictures of the under-body. Here they are: http://picasaweb.google.com/mjsandbe/UnderThe52Hornet?feat=directlink

Here is a picture of my Hudson in the air, with a new set of Radials, still blue.

Gas Tank Problems& Dual Exhaust Fun

I have discovered two problems with my gas tank. 1st is that when I fill my tank all the way, I drip gas from the gas line fitting. The 2nd is that I seem to have a very slow seep of gas. I made an appointment for Monday for my local auto shop to unmount the tank and see what needs to be done. There is a local radiator shop that does repair, and my mechanic also knows of a local shop that fabricates tanks. I am not sure what will happen yet. Most likely it will depend on how bad the tank is.

I am using this trip to the mechanic as an excuse to install the dual exhaust. Wish me luck, it seems damn tight under there. I am thinking dual exhaust, just inside of the fins on the bumper, with straight chrome tips.

On the road again.

My Hudson is back on the road again. I broke my original thermostat housing when installing the thermostat kit from Walt. I then bought a thermostat housing from Walt that already had the bypass blocked so I did not need the restriction plate. I broke that one installing it. Hudson308 kindly sent me a 3d thermostat housing. In the mean time, I took the 2nd thermostat housing to a local welder and they fixed it. I installed that housing last night onto the Hudson and it is working wonderfully. With the modern thermostat, bypass blocked, and external oil filter, I am running 1-2 needle thickness cooler according to the gauge. I am happy with that. In about a 1/2 hour of highway and city driving, I never went over the midpoint on my gauge. 

New Tires Ordered

I have a buyer for my old tires and I placed an order for my new tires today from www.fatwhitewalls.com, a fellow Hudson guy. It is a lot of money, but I believe it will be worth it.

Temporary Failure - Thermostat kit by Walt Mordenti

Walt's directions were good, but my execution poor, and I paid for it. 

Success: Oil Filter Kit by Walt Mordenti

There is not too much to say. The directions were clear, the kit complete, and the task easy. It bolted right on and looks like it should be there. Thank you Walt.

Spark Plug Gap

Today I took the time to set my spark plug gap to .040. After some research it seemed to be a consensus for those running the Pertronix Ignitor and Flamethrower. I was extremely surprised to find that the spark plugs (Champion H10s) were not even close to uniform in their default gap. According to my gap tool, they ranged from .025 to .040 right out of the box. I set them all to .040, put them back in, started the car, and it runs. I am not sure if I will notice a difference, but I am sure every little bit helps.

Next Project: Oil Filter Kit by Walt Mordenti

As most of you know, Walt Mordenti is a bit of a legend in the Hudson community. My next project will be to install his external oil filter kit. It should help cool the oil while keeping it clean and helping the engine last longer. Currently my 308 has no oil filter on it, and the oil was black after only a couple thousand miles.

Here is the kit. it comes with absolutely everything needed and a nice instruction sheet that makes the install seem like it will be a snap.

Here is where it will mount. Wish me luck :o)

Installing electronic ignition system

I ordered a Pertronix Ignitor to replace my points and a Pertronix Flame-Thrower coil with the intention to install them myself. It was not terrible, but not as easy as I had hoped for.I also put in new spark plugs (Champion H10s) and new plug wires.

The Ignitor kit I used for my 12V negative ground systems was the 1362.

Here is a picture of the distributor with the points removed. You can still see the condenser on the left. I was later removed. The only real trouble with the install is the little L shaped plate on the right with the screw in it. To install the system, the rivets on the L bracket need to be drilled and removed to make room for the Ignitor module. I did this with the distributor in place, but I would recommend anyone looking at doing this to take it out first.

Here is a picture of the Distributor with the Pertronix Ignitor installed.

Here is a pictures of the new coil and distributor all buttoned up. I might just be in my head, but I really do think it runs better and definitely idles smoother.

Here is the discussion in the Hudson Forum

Taking care of the basics

I worked with one of my local mechanics to do a lot of basic needed work on the Hornet.

• Complete Brake Job (new master cylinders, new wheel cylinders, new hoses, new brake pads, turned drums, and a total flush of all lines)
• Oil Change (10W-40)
  
• Lube Job, using the manual to find all the right spots
• Replaced Fuel Pump (the oil had smelled a little of gas)
  
• Replace Exhaust/Intake gasket (the old one was leaking badly)
• Replaced inline fuel filter
• Replaced control arm bushings
  
• Filled up rear end (I need to order and replace the gasket)

All this was not cheap, but I feel much better about future of the car :)

Back at it

My last day at IBM is the 31st, and I am actually quite optimistic about the future. I will get some severance, I have a 5 month contract job lined up, and I have a few prospects for full time work in WI. With permission from my wife (I think she is taking pity on me) I am moving forward with mechanical work on the Hudson. Brakes, exhaust manifold gasket leak, and electronic ignition are on the lists. Dual exhaust is just off the list and I hope to somehow get it on. Also on hold is the interior work. Technically the interior is not on hold, but my upholsterer believes he has a line on true matching fabric, and it is taking a very long time to validate that and get it rolling.

A Bump in the Road

I find myself in the unenviable position of being part of an IBM resource action (layoffs) so; I am seeking a new job and the Hudson is on hold. I have a BS in Computer Science and a Masters in Business in addition to nearly a decade of work experience ranging from technical consulting, education, program management, and relationship management. You can learn more details about me here www.MichaelJSandberg.info

If you are aware of any opportunities, please let me know.

Michael J. Sandberg www.MichaelJSandberg.info

Dreaming of Spring

It is now mid February and today I backed the Hudson out of the garage to sweep it out. My wife's car has been depositing snow in the garage that slowly formed a pool of water that I could no longer ignore.

I now have the replacement glass for the drivers side window and rear passenger window along with all new window channel for all four windows. The glass guy came took a look at it in my garage and said he could do the work while it is in the upholstery shop. It is my hope to get it into the upholsterer in the next couple of weeks. I have enough money to start the upholstery and a perfect match for the vinyl. Lyle (the upholsterer) has a few places left to check for fabric, but I have a feeling we will have to settle for the near match from SMS. At this point we don't have any money for the brakes, wood grain metal, and engine work (exhaust gasket, oil leaks, etc. ). To try and drum up some cash for the car I am trying a side business, "Michael's Computer Services ". Wish me luck, it will all go into the Hudson.

Damn cold and snowy, with a chance of Hudson

The weather is frozen, but the work on the car has started again. In the last couple of days I ordered new glass for the drivers door and the rear passenger door. I ordered it from Vintage Glass (800-889-3826) with the Duolight etching . To go along with the glass, I also ordered a window channel kit from Vick Zamera (562-947-5864). Vick was great to talk to and mentioned that he has followed my adventure from the time I was looking for my Hudson. It is truly fantastic to have such wonderful people in the Hudson community. The whole drive to get the glass done is that once I have the interior complete I do not want to have to tear apart the doors for any reason, especially one I can take car of now. Sadly I do not have the dollars to replace the rubber around the wind windows or replace the windshield. The windshield looks like somebody took a sandblaster to it, but at least it is holding tough. Once the windows and window-channel are in, it is a matter of waiting for the tax man to move onto the interior. A piece of homework I need to do in the meantime is to head out to Lowe's and look at their indoor/outdoor carpet. I am told they have one that is actually a dead ringer for the tan carpet in the car now (what is left of it).