Hudson Repairs and new paint 7.19.2015

After finishing the corners on the hood and installing the new grill, Jim started on the scratches and dents.

The holes where the big fender skirts were attached were filled but not to suit him so he redid it.

The new fender skirts needed work too.

All primed and ready for paint.

Dry sanded….fender skirts, mirrors, spot lights, visor and bumper removed. Top still needs sanding.

Wet sanded…I guess this is what it would look like with a shiny paint instead of satin.

I like the stain better….everyone has shiny paint.

New paint….

Visor, mirrors, bumper, skirts, spot lights on….the new rounded corners on the hood look good…..match those on the trunk.

The paint was done by Maaco of Longwood. Chuck took time to go over the car with Jim to see just how he wanted it done. They did a great job. This is the first outside paint job for Jim in 50 years. He usually does it himself but we don’t have a paint booth with lights or dust free. Took it in one day …picked it up the next.

It only took Jim 4 weeks of body work, door alignment and sanding to have it prepped for painting.

Can’t wait to hook up the Scamp and go on a trip.

Grill makeover…..6.18.15

This car will be totally Jim when he gets done. He’s already rebuilt the engine…added a transmission cooler…fixed the AC ( they installed it upside down)…fixed it so the scoop could be open…rounded the hood corners…made fender skirts…reinforced the visor for highway travel…fixed the front seat so it would move ahead for me….and many things I can’t even think of.

Once the corners on the hood were finished he started on the grill. It had plastic chrome bars and Jim never liked them.

So he took off the grill front…removed the fake stuff…then put it back in so we would still have a vehicle to run to town in. This is our everyday driver.

He and Carl are headed to town….I kinda like this look, but up close you can see the transmission cooler and radiator…

Grill face off….with the new larger transmission cooler.

He has two pieces of the new “real” chrome sections cut and fitted. As I write this I make it sound easy but he was a few days figuring out how to keep them in place and how to fix a crack….

The grill was supposed to fit an 82 to 87 Camero…but not this….so Jim had to fabricate stuff.

And that is something he enjoys…he’d rather look around the shop and find a piece of whatever and make it work…rather than go to town and buy it.

There were places on the back of the grill for bolts….he cut them off…

Then he had to mark the grill where he would shorten it up.

He also notched the frame so the grill would fit better.

 

Getting shorter…..

on the back side all pieces in but not secured yet.

Before                                                                                             After

    

Evidently this car was put together to travel to car shows a couple times a month….not as a daily driver or to tow a camper thousands of mile…as we do.  (It even looks happier.)

This was taken on the Skyline Drive….35 mph for 125 miles….and it handled beautifully….whenever we stopped to check out the view…someone would stop and ask if they could have their picture taken with the Hudson.

Once he gets all the dings and scratches done he will repaint ….

‘49 Hudson getting a bit of a make-over. 6.10.15

Jim’s idea of “retiring” is different than most peoples. He can only sit in a chair for so long…then he is off and working.

The Hudson had square corners on the hood….didn’t look like it fit the rest of the car..

and it seemed that was exactly where he would hit his head every time he was working under the hood.

So out came the tools … first the corner had to be rounded……

Then a piece had to be cut for the empty space….

Then they had to be welded into place.

 

I had some photos of the welding but they didn’t come out very well.

All dressed up and ready for Bondo….old quilts, blankets, sheets and towels all do double duty around here….

and a little primer….

  

Still needs final paint…..

Before….                                                                                              After……

He has some dings and scratches he wants to fix before painting…..

He figures now instead of a gash when he hits his head it will just be a dent.

Next project?   He’s going to change the grill a little….of course…a “little” will probably take a week or more.

Meander has a new rear deck 5.30.15

The rear deck needed work. The floor was rotting out. So Jim replaced it and put 3 coats of deck paint on it.

He tested all the batteries while they were out of the boat. All 4 were holding a charge.

It didn’t seem like they were holding as well as they did in the past…but it might be the fridge. It’s a 110 v  apartment size fridge so not very efficient.

Once the floor was dry the batteries were installed in their boxes. Three on this side because the swim ladder is on that side and the ladder we use to get on and off while it’s on the trailer is there too.

another on this side. The boxes become seats.

The top shelf on the left is where the generator sits. The little wedge is for my cup of coffee.

The lower shelf is for a 2 1/2 gal can of gas for the generator.

I have 2 nice boat seats that fit these perfectly…

Jim puts 2  1 1/2’ x 6” strips of diamond plate across the bilge pump area with a piece of carpet and we are able to carry 3  6 gallon cans across the back.

We realized the deck was always damp and that was why it was rotting out. I noticed that condensation (and we have plenty here) was dripping from the roof onto the motor and splashing inside…also when it rained.

Jim keeps an old shower curtain over it now…no more water.

We are planning to do more boating this summer…it gets pretty hot and muggy.

The bench seat in the front on the port side opens into a bed. Half of it is in front of this door.

Both doors have screens that roll down and had velcro every 2 feet. I sewed velcro on both sides of it so that there is a solid strip from top to bottom. We put some on the walls each side of the door. Now we can seal it to keep the mosquitos out. With both doors and windows open we should get a nice breeze. If it rains we can leave both doors open since the rear deck is covered and we have a bimini over the front.

We didn’t add any extra to the rear door ….we have a screen enclosure for the rear deck…we’ll drop the screen at the door for extra protection. The enclosure doesn’t  fit tight around the motor …it’s possible for some to get inside so the extra screen should keep them out.

Now we just have to plan our next week on the water.

St Johns River FL 5.9.15

 

Had our coffee then headed down the river to the St Johns River

About 11am we found a nice spot…dropped the hook and fixed lunch…not in a hurry…so enjoying the nice day.

This tour boat full of kids came by..

Good looking gator…

It wasn’t long and we were back on the St Johns.

Normally when a gator sees a boat …it dives…this is the attitude that keeps us from using our dingy very often during breeding season. They may not bother you but it’s not worth taking a chance in an inflatable.

Even with all the boat traffic we were able to spot a few gators.

There is a deep spot by Drigger Island….there were several fishing boats there so we didn’t get to cross the really deep spot….but 50’ is pretty deep for Florida. You can see where we are …little red boat shape.

Here is a cute little baby gator.

Female Anhinga…you can see why they are sometimes call the “snake” bird. They swim with their body completely underwater with just the neck and head above. See her webbed feet?

More side creeks…

Nesting Herons put up quite a ruckus…

Jim thought there were 3 babies in the nest …all competing for food from the parent.

This nest was in the same tree….could be 3 babies and a parent or 2 and both parents.

It can get pretty loud when they all get vocal.

back out to the St Johns and on to Butcher’s Bend. We are anchoring there for the night and hauling out early Sunday morning.

This guy caught a big fish just as we passed by and held it up for a picture….then tossed it back in the river.

Two nice gators cruising Butcher’s Bend but no good photos. Also had Manatees just as we anchored but none of them either.

5.10.15

This is our morning view with coffee. We had already taken the screens down.

Everything stowed for travel …bimini folded and covered…trolling motor and battery aboard. We try to get as much done as we can so we don’t take extra time at the dock.

We had a good time and the weather was great. We spotted several lakes (Mud Lake) and tributaries that we’ve not been up so next time we’ll bring poles and leave the dingy at home. Since we have to tow it …backing up can be a problem.

Look forward to the next trip. 

Jim is checking batteries to see if one is bad…didn’t seem to be holding a charge as well as they should and we need to replace the rear deck floor.

Next trip…..this weekend with the ‘49 Hudson and our Scamp…Going to Tavares for a Hudson meet.