The case on our old transmission was cracked through...Everything inside was in good shape so Jim found a used transmission. The only thing that was usable was the case and shaft.  The transmission place used our parts and the case and shaft on the used one....put in new clutches, bands and seals.

 We are setting the transmission on the floor. It will be on a jacks and blocked for balance.

 When you don't have a lift you make do with what you have. It ended up on two jacks. Once it was in place and balanced....

then the engine went in.

 Jim bolted it to the motor mounts...but left it on the engine hoist so I could move it up and down a bit.

 Once the engine was bolted to the mounts...Jim crawled under ....we rolled the car back to the transmission...I got the easy job of either raising the motor up or down and jacking the front of the transmission up...he used two long bolts to get it in place then bolted it together.

 It sounds like an easy job but it took a lot of work on Jim's part...at this point he has over 300 hrs in the repair.

We have fenders.

It's been a long process but we now have fenders.

Jim cut a strip out of the old fender...tack welded it inside ...this gave him a way to measure how much of the new fender he needed....plus it makes it more secure.

His specialty is engines....not real fond of body work but he's been at it for several weeks. Once the welding was done he had to do some filling....sanding....filling....sanding...then primer.

up in the air and ready for the transmission and engine to be installed.

Osflow, primer and paint

It took a week for the sand blasting....the gentleman that did it also has a day job.  Once Jim got all the parts home he had to wipe them down with Osflow...each part had to be wiped completely...every little bend ..nook and cranny. ..pretty time consuming. Osflow helps prevent rust and makes a rusty part solid.

 After the Osflow he used a grey primer that also helps prevent rust...

 Once all those parts were done he used a black primer.

 I guess with all this paint....it will be a keeper.

 Hard at work....Jim puts in more hours than many men half his age...guess it is a labor of love.

The Scamp camper looks so good following the "49 Hudson down the road.

Wrecked parts removed.

The transmission bell housing was cracked all the way through. ...engine removed for easier repairs.

 He cropped the fenders. They had been customized by the door and no seperations were visible...so instead of messing that up he did it this way.

 Here are the parts he removed.

Jim did a lot of checking around....called lots of Hudson people and found one who had a front end. He was from Nebraska and was  going to the Hudson meet in Chattenooga TN....would bring it and Jim could meet him there.

 Jim unloaded most of the small stuff....but to get the hood out I had to crawl under it and get to the backside to lift it.

 It was all in one piece and they had to take it apart so it would fit in our truck. Here it is laid out on a tarp under the truck port.

Lots of surface rust so he took it to a friend who had a sand blaster....then put Osflow on it to stop any more rust.

Jim's latest project 8.5.16

5.29.16         Jim's first accident ...ever....off the drag strip.

 The emergency crew helped him get out of the road...Took these with my phone when I came to tow him home....only a few miles from the house so they let us do it that way.

 We towed our little Scamp camper over 11,000 miles with the Hudson....but never went over 65...guess the drive shaft wasn't balanced for 70.

 Jim remembers a vibration but thought he had a tire going flat....car spun around and hit the guard rail.

 He wasn't hurt but someone who saw it couldn't believe he wasn't...guess they made us tougher...as well as the car...

 Sure did a job on the front end and fender....you can see our Scamp in the background.

The insurance adjuster said he had to look up Hudson on his phone to see who made it....young guy...
He couldn't believe Jim wasn't hurt either...we told him we were not the kind of people who put on back braces and neck braces to try to rip off an insurance company.
Now it's time to hunt for parts.

St Johns River....day 2 & 3

There was a time when we could beach here and walk to the shell mounds or hike around the island. No longer.  They want you to enter from the St Johns River side ...this is the Hontoon River side. There is no fee ..so I think they just want to know how many people are out there....they do have bears ...I saw one several years ago while walking our dog.

 Once on the St Johns I spotted this boat...looks like a comfy liveaboard and very sea worthy...I could live there!  Oh...forgot...no room for the '49 Hudson .

 Ospreys nest on the river signs....the mate flew over us to distract us from the nest.

 These are Storks....they nest in these trees each year.

 This is the first time I've seen them strutting their stuff...trying to entice a mate ..I guess.

 This is the entrance to the Lake Woodruff wildlife area...we were going to try to get to Lake Woodruff but the river is very narrow and weeds can block it.

 Spotted this gator...look at the size of it's head and the depty of it's tail...

 same gator...another view.

 This one was pretty well hiden...would not have seen it had I not been standing in the bow.

 same gator...look at the size of the teeth...

 Couple of turtles sunning.

 We were in a narrow part of the river when we spotted this one.... Jim made a "U" turn so I could get a photo.

 Now he has to get rid of the weeds we picked up.

 another gator that was in the weeds....glad we started looking in them...

 After turning around  because of weeds we headed to Butcher's Bend. This is the back of a Manatee. Never did get a good picture of it.

 Another great night on the water...wine on the rear deck....windows open at bedtime ...light blanket.
A little color greeted us in the morning.

 This cruising gator slid by ..checking us out. First time we've seen it in a trip or two thru here.

 We took down the screens and headed for the boat ramp to haul out.  This Osprey was one of two sitting there....the mate flew off before I could get a picture.

Had a great time on the water...did not expect to see many gators because it was windy and overcast most of the time...but did find a few....well worth the trip.
See you again on the river.