socalhet.org The First HET Chapter - 50 Years and Still Going page 1

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H-E-T Club Southern California Chapter Newsletter - Recognized by the OCW Golden Quill September 2016

Exclusively for Fans of Hudson Motor Cars Bob Ross - Editor

The Day is Nearing

This year the Southern California Chapter is celebrating the 50

year milestone as the first chapter of the Hudson-Essex-

Terraplane Club. It has been a fun time and a learning time

making lifelong friends.

On Saturday, October 15 at 1pm, we are having a 50th Anniversary Luncheon at

the Smoke House at 4420 West Lakeside Drive in Burbank, CA.

It will start at 1:00pm and we will have an interesting guest speaker, Fireball Tim

Lawrence. Tim is the designer of cars for Hollywood movies such as “Batman”,

“Starsky and Hutch” and “The Fast and the Furious” (http://www.motortrend.com/

news/hollywood-car-designer-fireball-tim-celebrity-drive/)

We hope to have a good showing of Hudson products also.

So mark your calendar, send in your reservation and join us in celebrating this

special occasion.

Who is Fireball Tim?

Fireball is a legend in the Car Design world,

having conceived vehicles for over 400 of

Hollywood’s biggest films including BATMAN,

KNIGHT RIDER, JURASSIC PARK &

MONSTER GARAGE.

Car Designer, Author and Award Winning

Filmmaker, Fireball’s been a Host on Speed,

TLC, Discovery, Velocity and many others.

He’s literally reached over a billion viewers, appearing at SEMA in Las Vegas for the

last 30 years.

In addition to this, Fireball is Host of THE MALIBU CARS & COFFEE Event

showcasing some of the best cars in the world twice a month.

Fireball also currently writes the running “Ride of the Week” Article for the infamous

MALIBU SURFSIDE NEWS and his shows

are supported by CHEVROLET, CADILLAC,

BUICK, GMC, JEEP, CHRYSLER, FIAT,

DODGE, PORSCHE, JAGUAR, HONDA,

KIA, TESLA, HYUNDAI and many others.

He’s also an Award Winning CARTOONIST

and Author of 6 Books on Hollywood

Design and several for Kids.

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Mark Your Calendar

50 Years of Hudsons in Southern California

Sept. 29-Oct 2 - All California Meet, San Simeon,

CIC Host

Oct. 9 - SCC BoD Meeting 2pm

Oct. 15 - 1pm-4pm - Chapter Golden Anniversary Celebration, Smoke House, Burbank

Nov. 5 - Laughlin Economy Run, SCC Host

Dec. 11 - Christmas Party, Old Spaghetti Factory,

Duarte

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Jan. - Annual Planning (Dinner) Meeting 6-8pm

Aug. 21, 2017 - Western Region Meet

Aug, 22-27, 2017 - International Meet, San Diego

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2018 - Western Region Meet, Gem State Chapter

July 10-14, 2018 - International HET Meet, Chula Vista Resort,

Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin

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2019 - Western Region Meet, Big Sky Chapter

2019 - International HET Meet, Bettendorf “Quad

Cities”, IA

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Board Meetings are open to all members. Phone

626/260-1090 for directions.

Want to be a host for an SCC Meet close to your home? Just find a park or other attraction with parking and facilities. Then give Steve (661/946-9027) or Joel (323/327-6110) a call.

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Southern California HET

Saturday, October 15 - 50th Anniversary Party Reservation

>>>> Required by Oct. 1 <<<<

Names Attending (Indicate Club/Chapter Office if applicable)

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Meal Choices: _______ Tri-Tip Beef with salad, side dish, veggies, beverage & dessert

_______ Filet of Sole with salad, side dish, veggies, beverage & dessert

_______ Blackened Chicken Avocado Sandwich with soup, side dish, beverage & dessert

Number Attending _______x $30 = $ ____________

Mail Reservation Form & check payable to “So. Cal. HET. Club” to:

Ruth Hay, HET SoCal Chapter Treasurer, 508 Ruberta Ave., Glendale, CA 91201-2792

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From the President’s Garage

Well, summer is winding down and

we have three major events

coming up for our driving pleasure.

If you need an excuse to drive

your Hudson, here they are.

On September 30 through

October 1, we have been invited

to the annual All-California Meet

in San Simeon hosted by CIC. A

relaxing, scenic experience to

visit with friends, kick tires and

compare notes.

On October 15, from 1pm to 4pm,

we will be celebrating the Golden

Anniversary of this group being the

first chapter organized in the Hudson-Essex-

Terraplane Club. It has been a long and

enjoyable time providing unique experiences with

special vehicles all the while meeting great

people.

On Nov. 5, SCC will host the

annual Laughlin Economy

Run. This year we have

invited some of the other

orphan brands so we may

have a variety of vehicles. It

is an interesting drive across the desert land in

the Fall of the year. We could use some extra

hands in manning the various location of the Run.

Bob

They Walk Among Us!

My colleague and I were eating our lunch in

our cafeteria, when we overheard an admin

girl talking about the sunburn she got on her

weekend drive to the beach.

She said she had driven down in a convertible,

but she '...didn't think she'd get sunburned

because the car was moving'.

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My sister has a lifesaving tool in her car, which

is designed to cut through a seat belt if she

gets trapped.

She keeps it in the car trunk.

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I couldn't find my luggage at the airport

baggage area and went to the lost luggage

office to report the loss.

The woman there smiled and told me not to

worry because she was a trained professional

and said I was in good hands.

'Now,' she asked me, 'Has your plane arrived

yet?'...

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Early Chapter

Photos

Blacksmith

Harold Jornt

Neal Perry Kenny Perkins

Pat Meehan w/hat

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Shop Tools - The Hot Rodder’s/Auto

Restorer’s Tool Definitions

DRILL PRESS: A tall upright machine useful for

suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of

your hands so that it smacks you in the chest

and flings your beer across the room, splattering

it against that freshly painted part you were

drying.

WIRE WHEEL: Cleans paint off bolts and then

throws them somewhere under the workbench

with the speed of light. Also removes fingerprint

whorls and hard-earned guitar calluses in about

the time it takes you to say, "Ouch...."

ELECTRIC HAND DRILL: Normally used for

spinning pop rivets in their holes until you die of

old age.

PLIERS: Used to round off bolt heads.

HACKSAW: One of a family of cutting tools built

on the Ouija board principle. It transforms human

energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion, and

the more you attempt to influence its course, the

more dismal your future becomes.

VISE-GRIPS: Used to round off bolt heads. If

nothing else is available, they can also be used

to transfer intense welding heat to the palm of

your hand.

OXYACETYLENE TORCH: Used almost entirely

for lighting various flammable objects in your

shop on fire. Also handy for igniting the grease

inside the wheel hub you want the bearing race

out of.

WHITWORTH SOCKETS: Once used for

working on older British cars and motorcycles,

they are now used mainly for impersonating that

9/16 or 1/2 socket you've been searching for the

last 15 minutes.

HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK: Used for lowering

an automobile to the ground after

you have installed your new disk brake pads,

trapping the jack handle firmly under the

bumper.

EIGHT-FOOT LONG DOUGLAS FIR 2X4: Used

for levering an automobile upward off

a hydraulic jack handle.

TWEEZERS: A tool for removing wood splinters.

PHONE: Tool for calling your neighbors to see if

he has another hydraulic floor jack.

SNAP-ON GASKET SCRAPER: Theoretically

useful as a sandwich tool for spreading

mayonnaise; used mainly for getting dog**** off

your boot.

E-Z OUT BOLT AND STUD EXTRACTOR: A

tool ten times harder than any known

drill bit that snaps off in bolt-holes you couldn't

use anyway.

TWO-TON ENGINE HOIST: A tool for testing the

tensile strength on everything you forgot to

disconnect.

CRAFTSMAN 1/2 x 16-INCH SCREWDRIVER:

A large prybar that inexplicably has an

accurately machined screwdriver tip on the end

opposite the handle.

AVIATION METAL SNIPS: See hacksaw.

TROUBLE LIGHT: The home mechanic's own

tanning booth. Sometimes called a drop light, it

is a good source of vitamin D, "the sunshine

vitamin," which is not otherwise found under cars

at night. Health benefits aside, it's main purpose

is to consume 40-watt light bulbs at about the

same rate that 105-mm howitzer shells might be

used during, say, the first few hours of the Battle

of the Bulge. More often dark than light, its name

is somewhat misleading.

PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER: Normally used to

stab the lids of old-style paper-and-tin oil cans

and splash oil on your shirt; but can also be

used, as the name implies, to strip out Phillips

screw heads.

AIR COMPRESSOR: A machine that takes

energy produced in a coal-burning power

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From the HET Historical Society

The Hudson Triangle plant 200 miles away and transforms it into

compressed air that travels by hose to a

Chicago Pneumatic impact wrench that grips

rusty bolts last over tightened 58 years ago by

someone at ERCO, and neatly rounds off their

heads.

PRY BAR: A tool used to crumple the metal

surrounding that clip or bracket you needed to

remove in order to replace a 50¢ part.

HOSE CUTTER: A tool used to cut hoses too

short.

HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of

war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of

divining rod to locate the most expensive parts

not far from the object we are trying to hit.

MECHANIC'S KNIFE: Used to open and slice

through the contents of cardboard cartons

delivered to your front door; works particularly

well on contents such as seats, vinyl records,

liquids in plastic bottles, collector magazines,

refund checks, and rubber or plastic parts.

DAMMIT TOOL: Any handy tool that you grab

and throw across the garage while yelling

“DAMMIT” at the top of your lungs. It is also the

next tool that you will need.

The Hudson Story, Part V

Hudson in the Forties

The last of the Prewar Hudsons

Although it had been a financial roller coaster

throughout the thirties, by 1939, Hudson

celebrated her thirtieth birthday. After fighting

for her very life during the depression, she

emerged a viable, productive and successful

company, ready to meet the challenges of the

forties. She had already built over 2,600,000

vehicles, and her best years lie just ahead.

While the restyling for the ’40 was a major

update in appearance, it was limited to the

“front clip”…sheet metal from the firewall

forward. The body shell was carried over from

’37-’39. Also introduced in 1940 was a

completely new independent front suspension.

Hudson was always a leader in racing, and the

Hudson Eight took virtually every Class C

closed car record. Its average speed was just a

little over 91 mph, and by now, the company

held 121 AAA records. But, unfortunately,

setting records didn’t pay bills. Hudson lost

another $1.5M in 1940.

By 1941, finances were changing. The

company had modified the styling of her cars,

and they were an absolutely gorgeous

automobile. Advertised as “Symphonic Styling”,

the grille style was little changed from 1940,

however, the rest of the car was dramatically

updated. The buying public loved the cars, and

quickly bought over 80,000 vehicles. The 1942

models were virtually unchanged, except for

some minor trim and grille revisions, and just

as much in demand. However, Hudson was

only able to supply a little over 5,300 cars

before the assembly line shut down on

February 5th, 1942. Fortunately Hudson’s

profits were up, showing a gain of over $3.75M

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in 1941 alone!

Hudson and the War Years

Hudson had not only been building cars in the

’41 and ’42 season, but had already entered the

war effort. Even before the bombing of Pearl

Harbor, the company was building anti-aircraft

guns, and aircraft sub-assemblies.

As soon as her automobile assembly line shut

down, the company went into full swing in the

war effort. During the war years, she produced

not only anti-aircraft machine guns, but wings for

P-38 fighters, landing craft engines, mine

anchors, naval guns, ammunition boxes, and a

host of other war materiel crucial to America’s

defense.

The Enola Gay was a Hudson!

Well, not entirely, but the fuselage of the famous

B-29 bomber that carried the crew and the “Little

Boy” atomic bomb to its Hiroshima destination

that August day in 1945 was built by Hudson. It

was that day, that crew, that bomb, and that B-

29 that helped bring the worst war in history to a

final conclusion. By the end of the war, Hudson

had produced over $400 million in war goods,

and that was in 1940’s dollars! Hudson had

done her part and more in winning World War II.

Back to Peacetime Production

After over three years of waiting, America was

ready for new cars. The nation’s old fleet was

wearing out, and the pent up demand for new

cars was at a fever pitch. Every automaker could

sell every car they could build. The demand for

new cars even opened the door to new

manufacturers. Kaiser-Frazer was on the scene

for the first time, selling every car they could

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The Southern California chapter of the HET

Club is a Life-time member of the

HET Historical Society heths.info

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build. Preston Tucker even tried his hand at

building cars, with his ill-fated Tucker ’48.

As for Hudson, she worked day and night to

reconvert to auto production. On August 30th,

1945, the staff anxiously watched and gave a

standing ovation as a light green Hudson Coupe

rolled off the assembly line. Hudson was at long

last back to her first love, building automobiles!

Body styling and mechanical attributes were

virtually unchanged from the ’42 models except

for a newly designed grille, making it a very

striking offering. Unlike some other

manufactures that only produced one or two

body styles in the beginning, Hudson

immediately offered a full range of products. The

post-war product lineup included the Super Six,

Commodore Six, and Commodore Eight, and the

“Business Car” line, which included the three-

quarter ton pickups. Body styles for the

passenger cars included two-door and four-door

models, club coupes, convertibles and wood

bodied station wagons.

Although Hudson had made light trucks using

passenger car front-end sheet metal since the

early thirties, it appears there was more

emphasis put on this line in 1946 and '47, as

many more were observed in those latter years,

and one sees a fair number of these handsome

pickups within the Hudson collector community

today.

Unfortunately, as with all automakers of the

postwar era, Hudson was hampered by material

shortages and strikes at many of her supplier’s

factories. Nevertheless, 1946 saw production at

almost 94,000 cars and profits of $2.7 Million.

Material shortages had begun to ease in ’47 and

production was a little over 100,000 units with

profits of $5.7 million. But Hudson had even

more reason to celebrate that year. She

produced her three-millionth car! The company

had been in operation 38 years, but of course,

didn’t produce any cars for almost four years

during the war. That averages out to a little

fewer than one-hundred thousand cars for each

year of auto production. Not bad for an

independent!

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BIZZARE CAR INSURANCE CLAIMS Nebraska-Iowa Chapter

To avoid hitting the bumper of the car in front

I struck a pedestrian.

I pulled away from the side of the road,

glanced at my mother-in-law, and headed

over the embankment.

I thought my window was down but I found it

was up when I put my head through it.

I didn’t think the speed limit applied after

midnight.

I was sure the old fellow would never make it

to the other side of the road when I struck

him.

I had been learning to drive with power

steering,

I turned the wheel to what I thought was

enough and found myself in a different

direction going the opposite way.

I bumped into a lamppost which was

obscured by human beings.

I knew the dog was possessive about the

car, but I would not have asked her to drive it

if I thought there was any risk.

No one was to blame for the accident but it

would never have happened if the other

driver had been alert.

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SCC Officers

President: Bob Ross 626/355-8747

Vice Pres: Stephen Marshall 661/946-9027

Secretary: Susan Ross 626/355-8747

Treasurer: Ruth Hay 818/247-0753

Tour Chairman: Stephen Marshall 661/946-9027

Assistant Tour Chairman: Joel Shapiro 323/327-6110

Communications: Bob Ross 626/355-8747

Membership: Susan Ross 626/355-8747

Technical Advisor: Jon Cronk 805/987-8187

Chapter Store: Jon Cronk 805/987-8187

Past President: Jon Cronk 805/987-8187

Region Director: Tom Haney (602) 861-5915

Region Director: David Putnam (801) 544-9175

HET President: John Pontius (260) 927-8427

2017 Hudson Essex Terraplane

Calendar a Hit at National Meet!

The 2017 HET Calendar was a whopping

success at the Chattanooga International Meet,

with sales exceeding all past years.

Next year’s calendar has the usual feature

of great Hudson photos from the past, and it will

also feature some beautiful USPS postage

stamps from the past, as well as Hudson

historical facts and quotes from famous folks,

past and present.

Due to overwhelming response for the

calendars over past years the Calendar

Committee has been able to donate over

$13,000 to worthy Hudson causes, including the

Albright Award, the National Hudson Motor Car

Company Museum, the Ypsilanti Automotive

Heritage Museum, and the Hudson Essex

Terraplane Historical Society. This year the

committee donated $1,700 to the National

Hudson Motor Car Company Museum and $500

to the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage Museum.

The 2017 Hudson Essex Terraplane Calendar can be ordered two different ways:

Mail a check to: Mike Cherry, 3 Silver Queen Court, Park City, Utah 84060 (please make the

check out to Mike Cherry as checks made out to the HETHS or the HET Club will be returned).

Calendars are $16.00.

Visit Web Site: Hudsoncalendar.us

The HET Calendar committee is a private enterprise founded by Matt Royer & Mike Cherry. In

addition, the committee is comprised of Carmen LaFlamme, Avril Jones and a host of beautiful

Hudson ladies who assist the sales effort. All profits from the sale of the calendars are returned to

worthy HMCC causes.

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CLICK…online

SCC Twitter http://twitter.com/scchudson

SCC Webpage http://socalhet.org/

Hudson Related Items for Sale http://socalhet.org/salesroom.htm

Restoration Suppliers http://socalhet.org/suppliers.htm

HET Store http://clubstore.biz

HET Club http://hetclub.org

HET Club Online Library: Online Hudson Literature

HETHS Museum http://www.hudsonmuseum.org/

HETHS Twitter http://twitter.com/Hudson_Museum

HETHS Facebook https://www.facebook.com/HudsonEssexTerraplane

HETHS Webpage http://www.heths.info/

HETHS Doc Hudson Project www.hudsonhornet.org _____________________

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SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HET CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP FORM

Date: _________________________

Name ___________________________Spouse_______________________________________

Email Address________________________________ Phone___________________________

Street Address ________________________________________________________________

City_______________________________ State ______ ZIP Code _______________________

HET Membership No._____________________________ (Found on the WTN Label)

(National HET membership is required for local chapter membership)

□ New □ Renewal □ Email Copy □ Printed Copy

Hudson-built cars owned:

Year Make Model S/N Engine No.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Mail $15 check payable to “So. Cal. HET. Club” to: Membership Chairman, 150 South Michillinda Avenue, Sierra Madre, CA 91024

Aug-16

First Class

Hudson-Essex-Terraplane Club Southern California Chapter 150 South Michillinda Avenue Sierra Madre, CA 91024

The First HET Chapter - 50 Years and Still Going

The SCC Hudson Reflector Newsletter has been recognized by Old Cars Weekly’s 2015 Golden Quill