THE HUDSON TRIANGLE - Hudson Essex Terraplane Historical

Transcription

THE HUDSON TRIANGLE
Exclusively for members of the Hudson Essex Terraplane Historical Society.
A 501(c)(3) Charitable Organization
Volume 13 Issue 4
1934 Terraplane Cab Pickup
Commercial Series K
112” W/B
Photographed at the 2006 HET Western Region Meet - Ontario, CA
October/November 2013
http://heths.info/
HET Historical Society - Moving Forward
Page 1
The Starting Line
The days are getting shorter and the
weather is cooling. For those of us that
do not have an air-conditioned
workshop, it is a more pleasant
environment
for
doing
those
maintenance and improvement chores
decades old cars require.
Departments
that
Two fun activities occur every Fall. Sept./Oct. is a
drive up the coast to San Simeon (Hearst Castle
area) for a long weekend at the All-California Meet
on the beautiful California shore along Highway 1.
The Starting Line 2
Behind the Wheel 3
HET Club News 7
___________
History
1934 Terraplane Front Page
Pioneer Terraplane 4
Training Program IV 9
The Hornet 12
Historical Society Projects
Museum Report
Doc Hudson Project 8
2014 HET Calendar 16
Historical Society, Inc.
Board of Directors 14
Achieves
Hudson Movies 11
November means the Hudson Economy Run on
old Route 66 to a Laughlin, NV Casino. Several
Southern California area chapters take turns hosting
the event that is patterned after the Mobil
Economy Runs of the ‘50’s. The event results in
improving the performance of many area cars.
Thanks' to the efforts of many members, the event
has been held for 20+ years.
Membership
Click, On Line 6
New Members 13
How to Reach Us 14
Membership Application 15
___________
And the Hudson Handbook of Facts has been well
received, if fact, we sold out at San Mateo; so, back
to the printer.
Bob
Dedicated to
Preserving the
History of Hudson Motor Cars
© 2013
Page 2
http://heths.info/
Behind the
Wheel
With Mike
Fall is here and soon
those of us living in
the north will be
putting our cars to rest for the winter.
However we all have meets yet to attend.
For me, this weekend the ‘49’ will travel to
the Salt Flat Garage in north Salt Lake to
join a bunch of brand X vintage cars on a
cruise. The Salt Flat Garage is known for
building some of the Bonneville Salt Flat
race cars.
From there we will travel up the mountain to
Billy Blanco’s which is a new auto/
motorcycle themed restaurant. All modern
stuff so we will class it up a bit with some
vintage cars.
Automotive Heritage Museum. If you have
not visited the museum recently and have a
chance to do so, you will be impressed as it
has been reorganized and cleaned up. It
looks great.
So, ask your friends in the Club to join us.
Richard Esparza, HETHS director and one
who will lead our drive towards a permanent
museum continually reminds us that to build
that museum we must increase our
membership. So, if each of us could just
bring one new member to the Society, we
will double membership. So, let’s do it!
As a Tiger fan, with the Tigers entering the
post season, as I write this, I must say GO
TIGERS!
And then it is off to the garage. That is
where the ‘49’ Super Six Brougham and ‘29’
Super Six rumble seat coupe live. It will be
fun to show these brand X folks some
Hudson memorabilia.
And in November, the ‘49’ will travel to
Laughlin, Nevada, unless we are buried in
snow. It is a great meet and always a good
time.
Enough
rambling!
The
Society
membership continues to climb, slowly
but it is climbing. That is due to the effort of
Carmen LaFlamme, and your directors. We
still have a need to put on a membership
drive, targeted at the HET Club members.
We will get there.
Ed Souers of the Society has agreed to
lead negotiations with the Ypsilanti
Automotive Heritage Museum.
The
directors of the Society have directed that
an interim museum should be housed there.
That of course is dependent on us being
able to make it work with the directors at the
Route 66 on the way to Laughlin
Mike
HETHS Facebook
http://heths.info/
Page 3
The Terraplane Truck Was a
Pioneer Among Personal Pickups
Reprint from Classic Auto Restorer
Enthusiasts who think the El Camino and
Ranchero were innovations in the automotive world should take a closer look at the
Terraplane Cab Pickup Express.
This truck, with the Front end of a Terraplane car and a squared-off cargo
box, fits the description of a personal
truck, and yet it preceded the El Camino
by more than two decades. Furthermore,
its load carrying capacity outstripped the
1959 El Camino's 1150-pound rating by
some 350 pounds.
The Terraplane pickup was a close
relative of Hudson's performance car and
shared its name, inspired by the idea that
driving one was like flying on land. The
Terraplane automobile, with its powerful
engine lineup and short wheelbase, was
a sporty favorite with consumers and a
tough competitor in grueling acceleration
and endurance tests as well. It set some
50 AAA hill-climb records in addition to
turning a flying mile of 85.8 mph and a
standing mile of 68 mph at Daytona.
Although the Terraplane pickup wasn't
designed for setting speed records, it
shared the short, 117-inch wheelbase
of its passenger car sibling as well as its
Page 4
more powerful engine options. While the
base engine put out 88 bhp, optional engines were rated as high as 107 bhp.
In addition to performance, Hudson
offered an impressive list of features
that made driving the Terraplane easier
and safer. For example, standard equipment included Duo-Automatic hydraulic
brakes that combined a modern hydraulic system with a mechanical backup,
both working off the brake pedal. Step on
the pedal and the hydraulic brakes would
bring the car to a safe stop (69 feet
from 40 mph). Should the hydraulic
system fail, the driver merely had to
push harder on the pedal and the mechanical brake took over. Emergency
stops also could be aided by the car's handbrake for three-way protection.
In the convenience area, Hudson of-
http://heths.info/
fered the Electric Hand and Selective Automatic Shift. To select a new gear the
driver would simply move the fingertip
lever and then, when he was ready to shift,
lift his foot off the gas. A vacuum-powered,
electrically controlled automatic unit shifted the gears—at least it did in theory.
Some found the automatic systems troublesome, however, and stuck with the floormounted manual shifter.
This same movement toward sophistication was found in the dashboard with
its Tellaflash lighted gauges. If all was going well the indicators would read "charging"
or "oil pressure. Should a problem arise,
the display would change to a red light
flashing “not charging" or "no oil pressure."
The system was the predecessor of modern warning lights, designed to free the
driver from the need to constantly watch
gauges and allow him to concentrate on
driving. Some say that relying on lights
instead of gauges is a step in the wrong
direction, but that's progress.
One thing for certain is that the Terraplane
pickup combined sleek automotive styling
with the practicality of a truck. Sporting a
stylish grille, torpedo headlights, pontoon
fenders and side-mounted spare, the
truck also featured a plush-for-its-day cab
with a full headliner and a 54-inch-wide
front seat that could accommo-date three.
In addition to being a looker, it was
ready to work as well. Its oversized bed
measured more than 7 feet long and 5
feet wide. As an added touch, the bed
came with optional steel lockers extending along the sides that provided covered
storage and, according to sales literature,
also acted as seats, "prized by contractors who carried their employee's to and to
from work.
In addition to the regular pickup, Terraplane commercial vehicles for 1937 included a panel delivery truck, a taxicab
and a utility coupe—essentially a Terraplane business coupe with a pickup
bed that telescoped out of the trunk. That
year also saw the introduction of a Terraplane Big Boy pickup. It had the same
http://heths.info/
Page 5
body dimensions as the regular Terraplane
pick-up, but was on its own chassis with a
124-inch wheel-base. The company said
the longer wheelbase on the big Boy improved handling under heavy loads.
The Terraplane name, first used in Hudson’s Essex car line in 1932 and its commercial vehicle line a year later, became a
separate marquee in 1934. It grew so popular, however, that company officials
thought it might eclipse the Hudson name,
and in 1938 the vehicles officially became
known as Hudson-Terraplane. A year later,
perhaps a victim of its own success, the Terraplane name was dropped and stylish
Hudson light trucks were marketed through
1947.
Cold Winter Ahead
It's October and the Indians on a reservation in
Wisconsin asked their new chief if the coming
winter was going to be cold or mild.
Since he was a chief in a modern society, he
had never been taught the old secrets. When
he looked at the sky, he couldn't tell what the
winter was going to be like.
Nevertheless, to be on the
safe side, he told his tribe
that the winter was indeed
going to be cold and that
the members of the village
should collect firewood to be prepared.
But, being a practical leader, after several
days, he got an idea. He went to the phone
booth, called the National Weather Service
and asked, 'Is the coming winter going to be
cold?'
'It looks like this winter is going to be quite
cold,' the meteorologist at the weather service
responded. So the chief went back to his people and told them to collect even more firewood in order to be prepared.
A week later, he called the National Weather
Service again. 'Does it still look like it is going
to be a very cold winter?'
'Yes,' the man at National Weather Service
again replied, 'it's going to be a very cold winter.'
CLICK…online







“Like” our Facebook Page https://
www.facebook.com/HudsonEssexTerraplane
“Visit” the HET Club
http://hetclub.org
The chief again went back to his people and
ordered them to collect every scrap of firewood
they could find.
Two weeks later, the chief called the National
Weather Service again. 'Are you absolutely
sure that the winter is going to be very cold?'
“Access” our Webpage http://heths.info/
“Travel” with Doc Hudson www.hudsonhornet.org 'Absolutely,' the man replied. 'It's looking more
and more like it is going to be one of the cold“Read” past Triangles http://heths.resk.info/heths/
est winters we've ever seen.’
sidebar/triangle/triangles.htm
“Enjoy” Classics http://classiccarimages.com/
gallery.php?gid=62
“Check the Movies” http://imcdb.org/
vehicles_make-Hudson.html
Page 6
'How can you be so sure?' the chief asked.
The weatherman replied, 'The Indians are collecting a pile of firewood!'
http://heths.info/
From the Back Seat
While my article in the White
Triangle News is called
“From the Driver’s Side”, I
thought it appropriate to call
the H-E-T Club’s first article
in the HETHS Triangle,
“From
the
Back
Seat”. One advantage of
being in the back seat is
that you can yell out
extraneous
suggestions
while not actually being responsible for the
driving. You can also talk about anything and
the driver can’t really do anything about it
barring slamming on the brakes. So with this
in mind, thus begins the H-E-T Club’s first
article in the Triangle.
There are always three things on my mind
when I thinking about the health of the H-E-T
Club: membership, membership and
membership. I know you have heard this
type of emphasis before, so I will
put a little different spin on it.
I look at our membership numbers
from a current club join and renewal
perspective. Right now we have
been maintaining a consistent 2800
member level. This is good news
but it would be great news if we
could increase it.
Second, I look at our membership
participation in the Regional and International
meets. Our recent Meet in San Mateo was
as excellent as previous meets and we are
working
to
continue
our
excellent
International meets.
we want to use International and Regional
Meets to weave our vision for the future into
the meets and help the Club members to
understand the benefits of the Historical
Society.
Lastly is our member’s connections to their
Hudson-built
vehicles.
Through
Club
member’s preservations of their cars, trucks
and Hudson memorabilia, we can contribute
to the Historical Societies knowledge about
Hudson production.
Since our new database can help track
owners, we can start to identify cars
and trucks that have been in and
out of the club or been maintained
in the Club for years.
We also
want to see if we can make some
projections based on serial number
and body styles.
With enough
information from cars that are still
around, we might be able to rebuild
some of the knowledge around
early Hudson body styles.
The H-E-T Club is healthy and continuing to
keep the Hudson enthusiasts
moving
forward.
Aaron Cooper, HET Club President
We need the Regional Meets for members
who are more local, to attend and build those
bonds of friendship. As a Historical Society
http://heths.info/
Page 7
The Doc Hudson Project
Doc had a wonderful visit in Utah. Brownie
Petersen and Mike Cherry did a super job exposing Doc at many different venues.
By
mid July, it was time for Doc to leave for San
Mateo. What an adventure that proved to
be.
Chapter 1 - Carl & Pricilla Weber and Ted &
Sue Steinmetz meet Mike in Utah and off
they went. The caravan reached the Nevada
desert where a defective radiator hose
caused Doc to blow his radiator. The 5 AMTs
(auto mechanic technicians) set to work and
patched the radiator.
Chapter 2 - Further west the group journeyed. After a mere 25 miles, Doc again blew
his top. Now an "ambulance" was required. A
tow trailer was rented and the Webers pulled
Doc from the vast Nevada desert to San
Mateo. Thanks to all the
AMTs for their medical
care.
Chapter 3 - Doc looked
fine but still needed advanced first aid. Larry
and Sue Kennedy, Paul
Myers and many others
helped. Doc's radiator
was removed, surgery
was performed and he
was stitched up and
ready to greet hundreds
of Doc admirers at the
International Meet. All was well again.
Following the Meet, Dick Teeter drove Doc to
the Cal Auto Museum in Sacramento. Dennis
Flint did a marvelous job arranging for Doc's
visit. There Doc was reunited with his old
friend Luigi, the tire guy from their movie
days. Doc is a very popular attraction at Cal
Auto Museum; they want to keep him until
spring. The problem is that Richard Espraza
Page 8
has already arranged for Doc to visit the San
Diego Auto Museum for a couple of winter
months. Doc will move south in late October
to begin entertaining folks in southern California.
From San Diego Doc's plan are not yet determined. We need ideas and volunteers to
move Doc toward the east. A southern route
thru Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas would
be a great start. Museum
visits, major car shows
and school visits would
be
wonderful
stops
heading to French Lick.
Two suggestions offered
so far are the BarrettJackson auction (Doc
will not be on the auction
block) and a possible
stop at the Texas State
Fair. Please send ideas
and offers of moving
help to Dick Teeter, 570470-4385
or
[email protected]. Thanks for your past and future support of the Doc Hudson project.
The Hudson Museum Report
Work is the planning stage now. More
details later.
http://heths.info/
A Training Program - Part IV
by Dennis Flint
The following is part 4 of the training material developed for docent training at the California
Automobile Museum.
Hudson History - 1934 to 1957
http://heths.info/
Page 9
Page 10
http://heths.info/
Hudsons in the Movies
If your are interested in which Hudsons appeared in what movies,
check out::
http://imcdb.org/vehicles_make-Hudson.html
More Photos
Thanks to Sarah Young, more Hudson photos
have been located on the internet:
1909 Owners Manual Plate.
http://classiccarimages.com/gallery.php?gid=62
Remember to renew your annual donation to HETHS and help the
advancement of our goals
http://heths.info/
Page 11
This article was provided by Lee O’Dell and was first published in the April 1970 issue of CAR LIFE
THE HORNET
THAT WAS--AND STILL IS
From out of the past, a Hornet with 7X engine and a 16-year
string of racing victories.
WHATEVER the new Hornet (1970 AMC) is, it is not the old Hornet. There would be no point in
comparing them. The name is all they have in common. The cries of distress that answered
the re-appearance of the name—and some of them came from this office—were not criticisms
of the new car: they were tribute to the Hornet that was.
Even in its day, the Hudson Hornet looked dated. The best its friends could say was that it was
distinctive, or that the bulbous, round or pointed aspect grew on the owner. The V-8 was the
coming thing, and overhead valves were everywhere. The Hornet had a flathead six.
The Hornet salesmen must have been engineers, confident that all you needed was a car that
outperformed the others on the market, and success was certain. The Hornet was low, with a
low center of gravity, obtained by lowering the floor so that it was between, not atop, the frame
rails. Then they called it "step-down" design. What an appeal to a man on his way up!
And the Hornet won an accolade from the National Safety Council, as potent an image builder
as having a whiskey endorsed by Carrie Nation, because it did less damage than other foul
spirits.
But for those who knew, for the buyer who followed the just-now sport of stock car racing, and
who knew that the racing Hornets really were stock, there was no other car.
It was low, and it did have a lower center of gravity. The suspension
wasn't all that different. All the makes, even Ford, had adopted the
independent front and live axle back. But the rear springs on the
Hornet were angled, so the car would resist roll, but not be as stiff over
bumps. And the Hornet had anti-roll bars, front and rear. It has taken
until the 1970 model year for most of the other makes to take that
daring step.
And the engine! At 308 cid it was the biggest six of its day, and bigger
than any sold now. It had some methods that were unique, like the
splash lubrication system, but they worked. Even the regular version
had 145 bhp. From that came the performance engine, built at first for
police cars in Pennsylvania. Race driver Marshall Teague discovered
it, and went to work on it.
The engineers could appreciate this sort of interest. If any name in the Hudson scrapbook will
ring a bell, Twin H Power will. That was the dual manifold, with two single-barrel carburetors.
The ports were ported, polished and relieved, and there was a high-compression cylinder head.
The resulting engine was called the 7X, and it produced 170 bhp, maybe more.
That doesn't sound like much, but many a competitor in the lower stock classes learned to his
sorrow that the 7X had torque, and torque is what wins the stock classes. A 3500-lb. Hornet
with 170 bhp was good for a 15.5-sec. E.T.; this when the hottest Chevy in town might break 16
Page 12
http://heths.info/
From the Membership Desk….
with a friend manning the clocks.
One car that is a typical 7X Hornet. The car's
history is not. The owner, Frank Renault, got it
from his parents. They knew, and they bought
the Hornet when it was new. Trade-in time came
around, and the Hudson dealer had gone away.
The other dealers offered a pittance for the car.
Renault couldn't bear the thought of having it
downgraded, so he asked, and the car was his.
He raced it. And it won, for 17 years. The 7X
Hornet was the terror of the class all over
California. It lost sometimes, once to another
Hornet driven by a sweet old lady who had
done her planning, and was carrying lower gears
than Renault had installed in his car.
by Carmen LaFlamme
It is obvious that growth in membership
and renewals has benefited from the
efforts of Officers and Directors who
have been reaching out to current and new
members. The HETHS table at the
International meet in San Mateo sparked a
lot of attention with the quilt raffle. The quilt
was donated by Kitty Renner (Thank you
Kitty). We gained many new members as a
result of the welcome center.
Our supply of Gold and Silver lapel pins
is very low. Mike Cherry and I have been
working on selecting a pin design with the
new logo. It will be submitted to the
Directors for their approval.
Welcome to Our Newest Members
Life: Dave and Babe Lanning (Upgrade)
Earle O. Brown Jr. (Upgrade)
Keep spreading the word about the goals
and achievements of the HETHS and
making the invitation to join our quest.
Alcohol does not solve any problems, but then
neither does milk.
HETHS Webpage
Are You Getting Your e-Cards
In keeping with the HETHS educational goals,
a series of e-Cards on a variety of HMCC
products are being sent to interested parties.
If you are not receiving yours, just e-Mail your
request to [email protected].
Your Choice
The Hudson Triangle magazine is
available in either digital or printed form.
Past issues are available at: heths.info
http://heths.info/
Page 13
How to Reach Us
HET Historical Society
Officers
President: Mike Cherry
3 Silver Queen Court
Park City, Utah 84060
(435) 657-0443
Board of Directors
[email protected]
Vice President: David Stevens
P.O. Box 309
Whitehall, MI 49461-0309
(231) 740-6610 (cell)
[email protected]
Assistant Vice President: Larry Kennedy
9350 Vandergriff Road
Indianapolis, IN 46239
(317) 862-2020
[email protected]
Secretary: Laurie Fromm
132 Creighton Lane
Rochester, NY 14612
(585) 723-8669
[email protected]
Treasurer: Dick Burgdorf
3456 Judith Ridge Rd.
Imperial, MO 63052-3910
(636) 942-2500
[email protected]
Support Team:
Communications Manager: Bob Ross
150 South Michillinda Ave.
(626) 355-8747
Sierra Madre, CA 91024
[email protected]
Lew Bird (term 2013-2016)
1513 Treehouse Lane South
Roanoke, TX 76262-8950
(817) 379-0458
[email protected]
Aaron Cooper President HET Club
7115 Franklin Ave.
(515) 868-2786 (cell)
Windsor Heights, Iowa 50322 [email protected]
Richard R Esparza (term 2011-2014)
28244 Stonington Way
(760) 751-0590
Escondido, CA 92026 [email protected]
Steve Holz (term 2013-2016)
13270 McKanna Road
(815) 475-7158
Minooka, Ill 60447
[email protected]
Alan Jones (term 2013-2016)
13th St. Johns Ave.
011 02 392 64 0009
Purbrook Waterlooville, Hampshire PO7 5PJ
United Kingdom
[email protected]
Larry Kennedy (term 2011-2014)
9350 Vandergriff Road (317) 862-2020
Indianapolis, IN 46239 [email protected]
Charlie Nau (term 2012-2015)
8605 Pheasant Drive (406) 721-4383
Missoula, MT 59808-1010
[email protected]
Events & Fashion Show Director:Margrit Schumacher
Bruce Smith (term 2012-2015)
42 Gilligan Road
(518) 477-9740
East Greenbush, NY 12061
[email protected]
20254 Woodcrest
(248) 548-2500
Harper Woods, MI 48025
[email protected]
Dick Teeter (term 2011-2014)
330 Prospect Street
(570) 226-4387
Hawley, PA 18428
[email protected]
Insurance Commissioner: Susan Ross
Park Waldrop (term 2012-2015)
1404 Ridgewood Dr.
(803) 327-3929
Rock Hill, SC 29732-9645
[email protected]
150 South Michillinda Ave.
Sierra Madre, CA 91024
(626) 355-8747
[email protected]
Internet Manager: Matthew Royer
1366 Pleasant Ridge Ave
Henderson NV 89012
(702) 375-9022
[email protected]
Legal Counsel: Sue Figert Kennedy
9350 Vandergriff Road
(317) 862-2268
Indianapolis, IN 46239
[email protected]
Librarian: Dick Teeter
330 Prospect Street
Hawley, PA 18428
(570) 226-4387
[email protected]
Membership: Carmen LaFlamme
111 Besaw Road
Richmond, Vermont 05477
Page 14
Past Presidents
Ken Poynter
19990 Woodcrest
(313) 408-3775
Harper Woods, MI 48225
[email protected]
Sue Figert Kennedy
9350 Vandergriff Road (317) 862-2268
Indianapolis, IN 46239 [email protected]
(802) 434-4155
[email protected]
http://heths.info/
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
Hudson Essex Terraplane Historical Society
The Hudson Essex Terraplane Historical Society offers three types of voting memberships along
with the ability to accept other donations and bequests of any amount. All Donations are tax deductible. They are most welcome and very much appreciated.
LIFE Membership - A onetime tax-deductible contribution of $1,000 or more. Recognition will be by Certificate, Gold Lapel Pin and membership card.
CONTRIBUTING Membership - A tax-deductible contribution of $100 or more per year for ten (10) consecutive years will result in a full LIFE membership. Member will receive Silver Lapel Pin for initial membership and membership card. (Only one pin will be issued until LIFE membership is attained.)
ACTIVE Membership — A tax-deductible contribution of $40 for one year. This may be renewed as
many times as one wishes and will be used to accumulate credit towards Life membership.
Yes, I would like to become a member of the Hudson-Essex-Terraplane Historical Society as indicated:
$________________ LIFE Membership $1,000 or more
$ ________________ CONTRIBUTING Membership $100 or more per year
$________________ ACTIVE Membership $40 per year
$________________ GIFT in Honor or in Memory of _______________________________
$________________ General Donation
_________________________
$ ________________ TOTAL funds enclosed.
The Hudson Triangle Preference:
_______ 6 Electronic (pdf)
or
______ 2 Paper Issues
Name:
Address:
Phone:
Email:
Please make payment by cash, check, or money order payable to HET Historical Society, Inc.,
in US Dollars, and mail to:
Carmen LaFlamme, 111 Besaw Road, Richmond, VT 05477
Thanks for your Support!
http://heths.info/
Page 15
Carmen LaFlame
111 Besaw Road
Richmond, Vermont 05477
First Class
Return Address Correction Requested
The Finish Line
Page 16
http://heths.info/

THE HUDSON TRIANGLE - Hudson Essex Terraplane Historical

Transcription

Similar documents

Butterfly House - Gary DiMauro Real Estate

The hudson Abbey | Hudson, NY

8 WILLARD PLACE | Hudson, NY

Live Music by The John Romagnoli Steel Drum Band

Sturgeon Point Manor | Rhinebeck , NY

The beat goes on at this hip Toronto address

PDF Lot View

Drunk on Life

full article

Hudson River Housing, Inc.