1952 Hudson Hornet Derelict

[Chuck Most]

Hudson Hornet #35 is... well, it's a long time coming. I started this not too long after the '52 Convertible version came out. The idea was to do a stripped parts car that had been left out to the elements. For many years scrap dealers wouldn't take Hudsons because the car crushers of the time couldn't compact the Hudson unibody, so unless you wanted to kill a can of acetelyne or two with the torch, many of them just sat around for decades, either waiting for rust to eat enough of them for the crusher to handle it or for crusher technology to catch up.

Much of the firewall structure was scratch built. The hydraulic lines for the top are coated wire. Oh yes, the power top on these was hydraulic. If I'm not mistaken so were the optional power windows. Fairly common for the era but went away as the '50's wore on. The interior features bare inner door structures cut from thin styrene, and the interior bucket was crammed full of spare parts... there's a couple tires, a '54 Hudson hood, a '52/3 Hudson quarter panel, a '72 Cutlass rear bumper, a '50 Ford F1 rear fender, and a milk crate in there. 

At some point this will join two other worn down Hornets as part of a little display idea I have in mind.

Maybe at some point I"ll add the skeleton of the top bows and some tattered fabric. Or maybe  not. I bent in the windshield header, perhaps decades ago, a tree limb came down on the car or something. Perhaps that damage was the final straw and ultimately led to it's current state? Who knows.

Mounting holes for the absent trim and handles were added, along with a bunch of rust damage. I would have taken the rocker off altogether, but I did that on the other side and I just couldn't have it be perfectly symmetrical, now, could I? 

 

The trunk lid came from another Hornet, It's just laying there inside the trunk cavity somehow. The passenger's side tail light lens has a chunk broken out of the middle, revealing the reflector behind it.

 

The paint is Tamiya pink mixed with flat white. The '52 Hornet wasn't offered in pink, but it looks period perfect so I went ahead and used it. 

 

The hollowed interior now serves as an ideal storage container/dumpster/what have you for any manner of things. Note the missing head unit for the radio- in reality I should have also removed the speaker grate in the grille, as the AM mono-speaker radio was all one unit on the actual car. Meh. I think it's convincing enough as is. 

[happy grumpy]

Now that a cool take on the hudson, The kind of build that is challenging and gratifying. Excellent work on the weathering. This will give me a push to start a similar project on a 65 impala.

I like the outside photos. 

[Phildaupho]

Very convincing. Would fit into the Field of Dreams on the Rust Valley Restorers TV show.

[THEFATTDAWG]

very nice

 

[espo]

Very realistic looking. As some shades of red oxidize, they can look almost pink. 

[PappyD340]

Awesome build Chuck, first class weathering!

[slusher]

Realistic junker..

[jjsipes]

"Hudson Hornet #35 is... well, it's a long time coming" 

 

Well, it takes time for car to become weathered and left for dead. I could never do that to a model, just enjoy looking at others that people turn out. Looks great Chuck!

[Ulbo]

Cooool?

[David G.]

Very convincing work on the rust and distressed paint effects.

David G.

[Mattilacken]

Incredible work on that one! Can’t imagine it being a plastic model car at any point!

[Bugatti Fan]

Have seen Chuck's work on other models. Outstanding exercise in modelling deterioration of the Hudson.

 

 

[unclescott58]

Wow! I love it. 

[GrumpyOldDwarf]

Looks great, but if I may suggest adding some dust, dirt and worn treads on the tires inside the car?