49 Hudson SRT8

[hudson nut]

Fantastic, Chocolate. It sounds great. If I hadn’t quit drinking in 1985, I’d tip a bottle up on your behalf. I will find a substitute.

Dany

[hudson nut]

Damn autocorrect. Sorry for lengthening your name Choco.

[Chrisso]

[robtus]

Any progress here Choco ?? Mine is driving. The Diablosport Predator 1 tuning tool seems to work so far, I have yet to alter anything but can see all the settings.

[choco]

Haven't been on here for a while. Doing the FB thing. I've tried keeping the build images on my web site updated, but here's a brief report:

All seat belt mounts fitted. Two retractable lap/sash in the front, theree in the rear, all RED and mounted in accordance with guidelines.

Replaced original hood struts with gas struts from Strut Regas at Resort Trailers. Very easy job using the original bottom mount relocated to the rear and original top mount.

In April last year, I finaly got hold of a motor trimmer rhat said he could do the job. I ordered a hood lining from Kanter and it turned up a month later. Took me weeks of hounding the trimmer to come and put it in. Finally turned up, full of excuses. Couple of minor bits to finish it off, but that took another 4 or 5 weeks! Handed over my seats for him to upholster, weeks and weeks of hounding. In the end, a friend got hold of a trimmer who got out of the business years ago but allegedly did work at home for cars he liked. Sacked the first one (who only charged me $600 for the hood lining and pillar trim), he dropped off the seat bases and upholstery (that I paid $500 for). The upholstery was absolute crap, not what I thought I paid for!
Anyway, the new guy is great! At the time of writing, the seats are all done, but the back seat is being made from marine ply base and foam.

Engineer consulted, and it looks all go! The car drives, but here's the story!

I ordered and received a B&M Shifter to replace the factory 300C job that looks ugly and will be difficult to upholster. The B&M is the bug's guts! But I had to move the gear position sensor to the transmission, not the shifter. So I tested the neutral safety start switch. Starts OK in Park and Neutral, SUUCESS! Went to shove it into park while sitting on the floor, and it grabbed REVERSE on the way through. Sent the car rocketing backwards as I paddled as hard as I could to find the brakes, but his the throttle! Rammed the bar before I grabbed the shifter to haul me upright and sent it into DRIVE! Sat there bagging it up in the garage until I fouund the brakes and stopped it halfway down the driveway! Little dent in the boot, broke a bit of my bar and rammed a hole in the gyprock, but all minor. Stupid, stupid stupid!

Anyway, it goes great, steers, stops, etc.

I was putting the glass in the windows and quarters. Quarters all done. Window glass OK but having difficulty with Bailey Channel. Put the glass on the workbench,. and a week later did some angle grinding, again without thinking. Peppered my new door glass with angle grinder spray, now ruined!

Glass guy came around a couple of weeks ago. I had the correct runner for the rear, but not for the front. He ordered the correct bailey channel and cut me some new door glass. That will be finished off when we get back from Tassie.

So that's it. Glass and upholstery, a run on the dyno to make sure it's all holding up as planned, a TAC inspection then off to the engineer.

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I'll try and keep you posted.

[Gojeep]

So great to see you back here updating again.
Think a lot thought the site was going to die so stopped posting. But it is still alive!

Wow, was one hell of a story getting things done and then the whole saga with the shifter!
Glad the damage was only minor and most importantly, the engineer is happy with the build.

[hudson nut]

Thanks for the update Choco. I always look forward to them.

Dany

[hudson nut]

I love the gas strut hood supports. The factory setup is always in the way.

Dany

[robtus]

Looking great. Yes, I can tell same story about upholsterers, more than once had the same thing.
I had the same fear about putting my car into the wall so it still has the rear wheels up on stands. Glad you got off lightly !! My Neutral switch is in the box so cant get that wrong but was told not to select reverse before I had started it in neutral and ran through all the forward gears and filled it all with oil. Apparently the 5-45 RFE trans spits out one of the reverse valves if there is no oil behind it first.
Good to hear the engineer likes it !!

[choco]

Upholsterer was here this morning putting the finishing touches on the back seat. When I first got the car, the original front seat was bolted in (pretty tatty, but all there) and the back seats had just been thrown in the back.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago, and we couldn't work out where the hell the back seat was. Seems the seller put a Hornet back seat bases in (there are two, separated by a big armrest). My Brougham seat back was there, but the base wasn't. I went to mu old mate Richard who had a Pacemake spare parts car, but the back seat base is different. So we are using some marine ply with block foam. Very comfy! Should be all done on Monday (28th March) then he's making templates for the parcel shelf and boot/back seat and quarters. Last job will be door cards.
We are heading off to Tassie next week, so will pick up when we get back. Glass guy should also have the new door glass, bailey channel and front windscreen rubber, so that can all be finished off, too.
Aiming for debut at Lake Mulwalla in November!

[HOT ROD FRED]

Good stuff Choco! Look forward to seeing it in November

[jeffa]

Thanks for the post Choco. Great to see the progress back on here.
Lots of stuff all happening at once though! That ordeal with the shifter could have had some nasty consequences. Glad to see you weren't damaged too!

[Chris5.7ltr]

Thanks for the update Choco.
Shame about the first trimmer not working out, but great you found someone who wants to and can do the job.

Looking forward to seeing this on the road when done.

[Twin Spinner]

Thank you for the update Choco A couple of our family members had Hornets back when I was a kid and I've always liked them, If I was ten years younger I would be shopping around for a two door like yours

[choco]

First test run yesterday. I took it up and down the road, then pulled in nose first. Obviously, the suspension has settled over the last 12 months and it's now too low to go over the scissor left. Was a bastard getting it off! So I had to pull out and reverse in, and Mark videod it for me so I could show you.
The good news - no leaks, runs smooth, power steering has bled through OK, gauges working
The bad news - Throttle is VERY touchy and there''s no torque reduction. Didn't change gears, but I haven't topped up the ATF.
[YouTube][/YouTube]
https://youtu.be/82C7DgTmg-I