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Classic Cruising
From terror on track to city streets
1953 Hudson Super Wasp Hollywood hardtop a 'must-have' for owner
When the Disney Pixar movie Cars came out a few years ago, many people had never heard of the early 1950s Hudson Hornet or its famed Twin-H-Power option.
These straight eight-cylinder cars were absolute terrors on the NASCAR racing circuit and in the 1953 season alone they won 35 out of 53 races. Looking at the full-size Hornet and Commodore, Hudson felt there was a growing market for a smaller car and introduced the mid-size Wasp and the compact Jet.
One model few have seen is the stylish Hudson Super Wasp Hollywood Hardtop. Introduced in 1952, only 100 were built and returning in 1953, sales amounted to 590 units -- very low production numbers by any standard. Riding on a 119-inch wheelbase, it was five inches shorter than the Hornet and several hundred pounds lighter, yet still a large car by comparison with other models offered in the day.
Power for the Super Wasp came from a 127-horsepower, 262-cubic-inch L-Head six-cylinder engine and could be had with straight three-speed manual transmission or Hydra-Matic Drive automatic transmission. With Hudson's seemingly endless list of optional equipment, it was easy to push the Hollywood hardtop's $2,812.00 base price well into the mid-$3,000 range.
For Jim Dudych of Winnipeg, his 1953 Hudson Super Wasp Hollywood hardtop was a must-have. "I had been pumped about Hudson, because of the movie and I knew a guy that had one stored at his dad's place in Rosser, Man.," says Dudych. The Hudson had sat in a field for 13 years and was sunk in the ground up to the frame.
At first glance, it looked more like a condo for the local wildlife, as Dudych found the car was home to field mice, squirrels and it even a wasp's nest. The car was in rough shape with plenty of rust and the hinges were seized on the doors, the hood and the trunk, so getting into the car was a chore. With his sights set on the car, he made a deal for it and hauled it home in October 2007.
Initially, he worked at freeing up the hinges and getting the engine running. After rebuilding the carburetor, generator and having Logan Rad clean and reline the fuel tank, the 67,000-mile Super Wasp engine fired up and ran quite well. Next, he turned to Norm Dumontier at Mid-Canada Suspension for the new-old-stock parts to rebuild the braking system, front steering and suspension.
The next order of business was to cut out the rusted areas of the body and begin fabricating and welding in the new metal panels. Affected areas included the floor, trunk, rocker panels and rear quarter panels. Dudych's timeline was to have the car finished within the year and after nine months of work -- which included six to seven hours in the weekday evenings to 12-hour days on the weekends -- he finally had the body prepped and ready for paint.
In a rented paint booth at Ivan's Auto Body, Dudych laid down a finish coat of Southern Blue. To match the appearance of Doc Hudson's Hornet in the movie, Dudych confirmed the colour with the owners of leading Hudson parts suppliers Falk's Hudson Lot, located in Nebraska. Falk's also supplied many of the trim parts for the restoration including signal light housings, taillights, hood emblem and other parts that were too far gone to be restored.
The brightwork was restored by replating the bumpers and chrome pieces at the Chrome Pit. Dudych spent many hours restoring and polishing all of the car's stainless steel trim and mouldings. Inside the passenger compartment, Mitch at AMA Glass & Trim rebuilt and recovered the seats, door panels and headliner with new Indigo Blue fabric that replicates the original factory upholstery.
Once painted and on the road, the Hydra-Matic transmission wasn't shifting into high gear, so Dudych removed, rebuilt and reinstalled the transmission. For rolling stock, Mid-Canada supplied new 7.10X15-inch bias ply wide whitewall tires for the Hudson. Capped off with the factory wheel-covers and beauty rings it has that great '50s curb appeal.
Optional equipment found on the Super Wasp include Deluxe eight-tube pushbutton AM radio, electric clock, dual side-view mirrors, windshield washers and Hydra-Matic Drive.
"It drives really nice and effortlessly cruises down the road at 70 mph," says Dudych.
Since the car was completed, it's taken top-class awards at the past two Fabulous 50's Ford Club Flashback Weekend shows and drove away from the 2010 Piston Ring's World of Wheels car show with a Best in Class, Best Overall Street and, most importantly, Kid's Choice awards.
In May of 1954, Hudson officially merged with American Motors Corp. and Hudson production in Detroit ended that December. An era in Hudson history had ended and later models were not much more than a stylized Nash. Sales tanked and the public jeered at the overblown styling and garish use of trim. After 48 years of production, AMC dropped the Hudson in 1957.