KustomKreeps

Well it seems i have swapped clouds of dirt & dust for paint spray mist and vapors. Really need to upgrade my mask i think. Still a happy trade i must admit – was getting sick of the dirt, oil n rat shit. Before i get ahead of myself i should do a quick splat on whats what regarding the new heart of the beast. 1965 Buick 401 or as most affectionatly know them by a “Nailhead” Came out of an Electra or Wildcat i think. Sonic tested prior to any work being done. Had huge issues finding one that was in decent shape here in New Zealand – ones i did find hadn’t been turned over for 15 – 25 years or had been in parts for about the same amount of time. Price to get one of these old things back in shape soon made me look to the states. I could get one already tested, worked and landed here in NZ for cheaper. Now i use to run an online business and brought most of my products in from the states so already had my customs client codes and was familiar with the process etc. So naturally i tracked down a good builder with a reputation to suit and went from there. And the work done by Dual Quad Dave reads as: 1965 Buick 401 core Bored .060 over to 413 Decked .020 to compensate for modern head gaskets(original gaskets were .017 thick, new ones are .045 thick. You lose .5 point of compression if you do not cut the deck to compensate) New cast pistons New Hastings moly rings Balanced Rods resized w/ ARP rod bolts Crank turned .010/.010 and polished Oil galley plugs converted to screw in(factory are press-in) New Melling oil pump New Melling cam/lifters New Melling valve springs Heads rebuilt w/ new valves, new iron guides, cut for Teflon oil seals(factory had no oil seals), milled .010 to ensure excellent seal New freeze plugs Updated to modern silicon front/rear oil seals Good used timing cover New timing chain New water pump Included pulleys& alt/ps brackets. Included stock exhaust manifolds Stock Power steering pump. New Powermaster 1wire alt. Stage 1 porting. Polished chambers. cleaned up castings. Adjustable pushrods. Stock 4brl Intake Media blast & prime. think thats about it. no doubt i missed stuff. I will blame the multi coloured paint boggers clogging up my brain. Dave who built up the donk was great. Gave lots of performance options and stages. Answered all my questions well and gave options. Gave free shipping to the docks. Inspected everything – found a small crack on one manifold after sandblasting so popped on another but didnt have time to blast that. Sent another box of stuff separate to NZ. Now i know what you are thinking… Cam. Its on the list to down the track. The nailheads came out with for the day a rather aggressive cam – today i guess it would be classed as mild but still decent. First i want to drive it and hear it. if i want a more lumpy cam then no problems. if im happy with it but would like a different tone to the sound then i will fiddle with the exhaust. Also another large factor was the porting. Nailheads main issue is breathing. Heck its why they are called nailheads as the valves are like nailheads. I could pick a cam up easy enough but to get porting done by someone who is experienced on the old motor here in NZ would be harder. So put my cash towards porting. Should help it breath a lil better. Power wont be an issue no matter what cam i use. The old Nailheads are known for torque. heck Buick use to lable the engines by the torque rateing not HP and they listed some impressive numbers from the factory floor. Currently its sitting about 360-370HP and 475-485lbs add another 20HP with the Eelco 2×4 intake when it arrives then another 20-30hp from headers i should be up around 400HP or 1HP per cube. Obviously a cam will push these higher if I feel I need more power. Some pics of the engine: As you can see the old Nailheads are semi hemi. and loaded up in the states: Yesterday we masked it up, took off the intake and exhaust manifolds etc. gave it a bit of a sand and another prime then sprayed it Gloss Black. Still unsure what color we will paint the car whats been a big issue. Originally satin black with pinstriping, then dark red or purple, then white with tinted windows. Already have a matte Black car. White looks good next to it but still unsure. Ideas? Anyway we figured black goes with anything and would look good with the finned accessories etc. Engine will be out again once we have done the mock ups. when we strip it down and do the panel n paint. So if needs be can repaint it again then. Will get some pics of the engine latter in its current black state. Im off to chase up my new intake then watch some custom car shows online. post ideas for paint! ohh and post some good hotrod, custom etc car shows. like Fast n Loud, Counting Cars, RoadKill, Full Custom Garage TV etc

Hey thanks for the offer. May of taken you up on it a few months back but i already have my front end sorted. Rods by Reids LoRide3. Power steering, ridetechs Shockwave airbags & 6 piston wilwood. Zero bump steer etc made to my specs.

A client said to me “got to make Hay whilst the sun is shinning” the other day. Fek the hay give me a wrench and a cool bourbon i thought and promptly went home to rip into the Crudson. With a tag team effort my better half and I removed the front panels. Was told when we brought the car it was brought into NZ by a farmer. Im guessing he lived on a gravel road by the accumulation of dirt and stones inside the body and rails. Said dirt would rain down into the hair and down the back of the neck as you try to unseize old bolts under those big ol guards. The amount of dried old gorse was a tad unsettling and made me wonder what the fek he actually used the car for. Visions of drunken paddock missions chasing sheep and running over fields of gorse flickered through my mind as i plucked the thorns from my hands. The patch of rust up the front looks easy. Cut off, form up a new bit of metal and weld back in jobbie. that whole lower panel under the doors unbolts and is currently full of dirt and stones. i think by the end of emptying the car of road dirt n gravel I will have enough to build the small wall out the front like i have been wanting to do for the last few years. Should also lighten the car by a bit as well i would imagine. The missus also did some fine devastation to the old brake lines, some wiring and god knows what was ripped out. Most amusing & I wouldn’t have it any other way. about ready i to get Flockie involved. Will be casting my eye over the engine and trans next. painted up and put together so we can work out placement etc more on that latter.

Not sure what we will do dash wise yet. Im a tad underwhelmed by it to tell the truth. Could be that im so used to our 52 Buicks dash thats full of chrome. One thing i like is the Hudson has a glove box on both sides. One the drivers one is behind the wheel on the dash. Still.. i have seen 1920s and thirties stock Dashboards with more impact than the hudson. If we do change it out it would be something from the 40s or 50s i would imagine. Open to ideas and suggestions. Alex

have been asked via PM a few times about my choice of front ends etc and thought i would quickly post a quick rant on it. So yes. For its day 70 odd years ago the old Hudson had state of the art suspension that helped the Hornets win so many NASCAR races over so many years back when it was done on dirt tracks. I had seriously thought about keeping it and reconditioning what i had then updating it with disk brakes, larger sway bar and power steering. The center point steering coupled in with issues installing airbags, decent brakes, finding a PS system and then clearances with the nailhead soon turned me off. If i was going to spend alot of wedge i would rather get an updated system. Looked in to Jag IFS – similar weight cars. still would need rebuild and would need change up the rails due to the old unibody chassie. So i would have to cut up the front end rails no matter what i would fit in. Looking about I saw Fatmans Fab did a full front clip. weld in jobbie that had all the holes in place for panels, rad etc etc. Problem was they seem to fail NZ cert so much. My local Certifier wasnt keen so no point wasting the time and effort bring one in from the states. Also note Fatmans no longer sells to NZ or Aus due to our vehicle regulations and they dont meet the standards. So if you are after some junk from them then send it to a freight forwarder state side. So started looking closer to home. Holdens HQ- HZ looked like a good option. Started searching for a HZ as they had slightly better suspension (RTS) compared to HQ. A wrecker i have alot of time for told me he new of a HZ 1 tonner with PS up for grabs. Excellent i think. problem solved. Take it away and unload it. Then on close inspection i notice the front suspension dosnt look right. turns out it was a HQ ute. Took it back and started looking again. Soon found out they can be a bitch to bag and shockwaves just wont fit in them as they are to wide (6.5inch wide). weight wise the front clip may not handle the job either. Cross off Holdens and mutter a few choice words. Now by this time I had been trying to figure out the front end for near on two or three months and was starting to get a tad pissed at my seemingly lack of any solid progress and constant setbacks. hmm i should also mention one bright side I had. That coming in a package of a Hotrod builder and ticketed welder with decades of experience on a huge range of cars. Better yet it was the certifier who recommended him(anything he says i do pretty much as he is god in the end). Wayne Flockton hence forth and forever more dubbed “Flockie”. He has had cars featured in a number of magazines including Hotrod. His shed is a vehicular wonderland of awesome. Chassis in various stages with all kinds of parts grafted on to them. Airbags, Engines, custom grilles all sit amongst pickups and hotrods that he is building for people and himself. Options, ideas, suggestions and everything happily supplied. One being Rods by Reid. A NZ hotrod shop ran by John Reid. Making NZs only pre approved for cert front end. Also a life time honorary member and top ranked man in NZ cert crowd. Also had many mag cars along with winning rides at a number of yank events like Goodguys. So after talking to him i settle on the LO-RIDE 3 with wilwood & bags made to my ride height, weight, width etchttp://www.rodsbyreid.co.nz/front_suspension.html Flockie will be cutting off the old hudson front clip and welding in a new one with the above setup. Exciting times. God I hope thats the end of the nightmare the front ends been. But I have a sinking suspicion that was the easy bit and the real hard stuff is only about to begin. >< Anyone here used a Rods by Reid IFS?

So give me your feedback, advice and ideas for my project. Track its progress here: //oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/54740-kustom-kreeps-1949-hudson/ Alex

So did the 6 or so hour round trip with the trailer to collect my new found treasures. Sun was shining, my bird was looking top shelf and i do believe i had a grin on my stupid face the whole way. felt likeChristmas from when i was knee high to a grasshopper. Eager dosnt begin to describe the feeling. As the three pallets got loaded up we had the pleasure of checking out a number of old cars that people are bringing in from around the world. One being this sweet 54 Buick convertible. So loaded we head back home. constantly catching my self speeding in my eagerness to arrive home and unload. Have i mentioned the feeling of Christmas day when i was a kid yet? Throw a few brews to the neighbor to get his tractor with forks out to help unload and im golden. Popped of the engines crate – will note here that my cordless drill died recently and i had to undo all the screws by hand. Frustrating to say the least. LET ME IN! <insert xmas day remark> Pictured is most of whats needed to get the car updated and running. Some things like drive shaft, rad, steering column etc i need to wait to get measurements. Other things like ignition system, 2×4 intake etc are still on there way. But new front end by Rods by Reid, New rare from Moser, Ridetech 4-Link along with air system, Wilwood, worked 700R4 Trans and of course the worked 401 nailhead along with other bits are sitting there ready to find there new home in the Crudson. Missing one package from Ridetech. Have images of it packed in the crate from Kiwi Shipping USA. But wasnt included on pickup in Christchurch New Zealand. Need those airbags for the rare and Kiwi Shipping are looking into it as i type. <Insert excited Christmas quote here> So its time to finish ripping the car apart. How it sits currently: Exhaust system, driveshaft, fuel cell, engine & trans etc all out. Time to get those front panels off so we have easy access to the front chassis rails so Flockie can do his measurements and then cut em off and make up a new set. Got a few good vids of the missus hard at work on the car. Think she would kill me (or worse deprive me) if i was to post them. Still funny stuff to look back on. To the garage and general mayhem i go.

Well haven’t updated this for some time. Yet on that note i haven’t done much to the car really until now. Up until this point I got it going on its old motor, gave it a bit of a drive about. took a few vids for proof that it moves & stops under its own power etc for when i would sell the heart of the old beast. And affectionately dubbed the car “Crudson” due to its ratty & oily crud smell. Well i guess that wasn’t the full extent of my endeavors to date. I have gone and spent a fair bit of wedge on the mechanical side of things. Raiding the cosmetic budget (paint n panel, interior etc) to get the car setup solidly underneath where no one will likely ever see. Seemed like a good idea at the time. Said parts have enjoyed a lovely cruise on a ship around the world from the states to New Zealand then been fumigated & inspected by NZ customs and finally released for pickup tomorrow. Will do a few pics etc of whats to go in the car and my experience with the vendors once i have the goodies here and inspected. I will say Kiwi Shipping who freight forwarded nearly a tonne of parts to me was great to deal with and would go back to them any day. The shipping part (not customs etc) was only $665NZ($470USD) what i thought was bloody good seeing it had to go half way around the world & that i normally pay half that per order from Summit etc Happy as this certainly made me i suddenly realized i hadn’t even started pulling the car to pieces to slip in my new found treasures. There is a certain joy in the freedom of not giving a fek about the parts you rip out of a car. Often for me its “ohhh i should keep this just in case…”. But seeing everything under the car etc will be replaced i haven’t had those moments and i have had great fun ripping everything out. Few choice words have been spoken yet a fair many beverages consumed to date. Making it better my Better half has been right besides me the whole time learning whats what and how a car goes together hands on. Got to love a girl who not only loves lipstick n heels but also lets me store parts in the spare bedroom. So im rambling. Heres the progress made today with various tools of destruction. – started with screw drivers & sockets but soon progressed to wire cutters followed by a hammer or two then for the finale saws etc. Shrunken Head was one of the first to go but he will be back. Hood off and ready for destruction! Electricals, Rad, Bumpers, Lights and other junk out ready to unbolt the anemic inline. One thing i like about these old Hudsons is the large Engine/Trans/Drive shaft access panel. Lift the carpets and unscrew a dozen bolts on the front floor gains you easy access with no need to raise the car. Engine unbolted and ready to go. Tell ya engine levelers are great if you dont have one get one! Garage Kitty El Spokecamino (so named due to his ripped up ears and he can be a mean lil b@$#ard) supervised under Kreeps our 52 Buick for most of the time.

havnt been on here for a bit. Finally finished my planing stage and most of the buying stage. I have or due to arrive by the months end: Worked 401 Nailhead (413 now, ported, polished, bored etc etc) Should make about 1HP per cube. Worked 700R4 Trans rated to 650HP along with cooler and install kit Trans adapter Elco 2x4 Intake. 2x edelbrock 600 carbs and linkages. Engine dress up stuff. Moser custom made 9inch rear end. 12' Wilwood 4 piston rear, 12.8' 6 piston front. American autowire highway 22 wiring kit Ridetech digital 5 gallon airpod with 8000series HQ shockwaves rear and 1000 series HQ shockwaves front. Ridetech trianglated 4 link. Rods by Reid Lo3 front suspension with power steering. made for my car weight & ride height. So most of the stuff to really start the project is nearly here. Still need things like radiator, battery, drivesharft, steering column, lines & hoses, ignition system, exhaust etc but some of that i cant get until its all in the car and/or isnt hard to pickup anyway. Couldn't use the Fatmans front clip. wont pass NZ certification regulations on many points. So have gone for a more expensive option but way way better. Alex

So got the old beast going today and went for a drive. handling is horrible but that was expected lol. Vid showing it running. Smoky as its exhaust pipe is only like 3 feet long and in the middle has a big hole. And a walk around the old Hudson. orgional colour was Blue. someone painted it mid 60s. a bit of surface rust but on the whole its in pretty good condition. So the engine and everything under the hood will be up for sale soon once i rip it on out. Heck pretty much everything under the car will be for sale. Any restoration guys after parts let me know i guess. Alex

Seems Fatmans build quality often dosnt make the mark for NZ certifiers. check out pages 5 & 6 here for more info. you will soon get an idea of how hard they scrutinize the workmanship to let it be legal to drive on NZ roads. The process is hard but it has our safty at heart. Made by hor rodders for hot rodders. It aint a No you cant use Fatmans but they will test the crap out of it. Still ordering bits. Just ordered an Eelco 2x4 nailhead intake. plan to pop a few Edelbrock 600cfb carbs ontop of it. Also have ordered in all the window channeling, seals and rubbers i need. Those things sure do add up when you are looking at a whole car worth. Figured since i plan to take front, back and side windows out when i blast it i should do em all. New Heater unit and few little nick nacks are on the way like cigar lighter and a ashtray fro rear left door. Seems at some point the old owners ripped out the heater and put in a British smaller one made by Smiths for MGs( googling i think it was from a MG TD TF 1500 model). Sill works fine so will be up for sale for anyone who is after an old Brit heater unit. but ye stuck on front suspension at the moment. Risk Fatmans. Huge price tag and then i may need pay even more to get it fixed. Redo the Hudsons setup with disk brakes, air bags, thicker swaybar etc. no Power steering for the better half. And risk clearance issues with the center point steering and engine. Jag. Throwing something thats near 40 years old under the car. ye works but may need rebuild what would add up.. need options and advice. Looking at my suspension im thinking its going to need rebuilt if i do keep the original hudson setup. Its why im leaning towards a new weld in or bolt in setup. On bright side im hopeing to pick up the waterpump tomorrow. And then fingers crossed i will be able drive around the block. Remember exhaust ends about 3 feet from the engine and being right hand drive dumps drivers side. no carpets. could get smoky so cant do big drive. Alex

So planning of my build is still ticking away. Although i have started ordering the easy bits like all the rubbers, seals, window channels etc Since the old water pump is still getting fixed im flushing the clutch slowly. rotating it every day as it sits with kerosen. with luck it will free the clutch if its stuck (not sure that it is but will soon find out) have ATF to pop in when im ready. As for the planning of the build. Decided i want Power steering to make the missus happy and to make life and the ride that lil more enjoyably. Also have decided that since i want to lower it and also want disk brakes all around that I will just buy a Fatmans Sub. Get a RH Power rack, sway bar & setup for Air bags. Link to Fatmans Front Sub as for whats happening out the back. im thinking Moser 9inch houseing & axle package along with a ford 9inch. or maybe a currie setup. ideas, suggestions from any who have used would be great. also confirmation on length. 49 Hudson rear is 55inch? Link to Moser Houseing & Axle package Link to Moser center/third member Link to Currie Housing & Axle Then im looking at RideTechs triangulated 4Link rear with bags. Link to RideTech 4Link Has anyone used this? Being such a well known brand im taking the build quality and weight is good? will be fine for a hudson? with these changes to front and rear popping on Wilwood will be no issue. Would like a break booster but unsure of placement/room issues with the 401 thats already taking up space with PS, Alt and god knows what. Unsure as yet about drive shaft. guess i will have to get everything in to figure that out. Trans will be Monster Transmisions 700R4 conversion package. rated up to 600hp. Nailhead will only be 400ish. comes with all the extras I will need other than adapter. Link to Monster package Radiator advice? Also going to start a new thread asking people to post pictures of there interiors so i can get ideas. So ya. advice please! Its going to be an expensive build and need as much advise as possible.

Forgot to add: Got it home & got the trunk welded up. Hooked up the gas tank. Put the brake system back together. Changed the oil, plugs and battery. Suck through some gas and spat the left overs into the carb. Took a mighty sip of my favorite brew- just to wash out my mouth honest. Turned the key. Started right up!!! Soon noticed the exhaust pipe ended a few feet from the headers. Hard to miss once its turned on. Not that concerned as its all coming out anyway. Turned it off after 10 seconds or so due to no water pump but feeling confident that once i get the pump the old thing might move under its own power. Have read about the clutches can get stuck after long periods of not being used so might have to check that to i guess. Looking at the concoctions people list for Hudson clutch fluid makes me think of some demented witches brew. Then its just get a vid of it turned on and if possible moving and stopping under its own power. then rip it all out and flick it off to the restoration guys

Hey ya. So recently I picked up a new project now my 52 Buick is complete – a 1949 Hudson Super. Story goes I was browsing auctions with no intention of buying anything just cyber tire kicking so to speak. “Hey a cool old barn find car has surfaced 45 mins away. Want go take a look?” i ask my better half. With a promise that we would go get something tasty for lunch we pile in the old 52. Walking up to it & seeing the fastback shape and roof that looks chopped straight from the factory the better half mutters “I wont say no if you want to buy it” ^^ what more can i say… talked the price down for cash & shook hands with plans to pick it up the following day. Next day swapped the fat wad of bills for the original registration papers, original ownership papers showing two owners (father then son), a few old photos from 1962 and a set of keys to a car that hadn’t been started for 47 years. Now I already have a Straight 8 in the Buick and not really interested in another inline. Fabulous Hudson Hornet NASCAR history or not. Saying this im not into chevy swaps. I do like Buick Nailheads… rare here in New Zealand and always catch my attention when dressed up. I look at the Husdon, scratch the ol chin and go “yus sir that would be mighty fine”. Nailheads have an old school look that would suit that engine bay mighty fine. Images from the Auction & First Look. So what the old timer said was wrong with it: Fuel tank out as he has had it patched n cleaned cus had a few small leaks. trunk floor has a split where fuel tank mounts. guessing due to weight & old NZ roads being not the best etc small patch rust on left rear skirt. patch rust on right front panel. front right door pillar has a split at bottom. apparently he use to chat to people leaning on the open door and thinks this might of been the issue. brake Master cylinder needs put back in as it and all the drums have been redone. Water pump is at a shop getting redone. Rats have nested in seats. All easy stuff really. the splits are clean stress splits with no rust or nasty stuff to be seen. Still trying to figure out my build. Any help or ideas are most welcome. I do know the history of Hudson and NASCAR etc but I already have a hotrod looking restored car and dont want another. im after a more custom look. I haven’t been in a Hudson moving under its own power so im unsure of many things like suspension etc. Plan so far: worked 401 Nailhead. (hard to get here so may need import) Worked 700R4 trans rewire using American Autowire highway 22kit. Wilwood disks all around. Media blast. Shave the handles. French the lights. and do all the normal custom shiz Change up the grill. Lower it. new interior. Thinking 9 inch in the rear to handle the Nailheads torque and power. Not sure what ratio. Not sure for front end. I read how great the near 70 year old front end was. Maybe new hubs for disk brakes and a thicker swaybar. But then i think why not just throw in a jag IFS. comes with disks, power steering etc and is cheap here in New Zealand (cheaper than reworking the old hudsons setup) Driveshaft – unsure. one or 2 piece… So ideas? Suggestions? This will be an expensive project for me. Being at the bottom of the world/New Zealand means expensive shipping. We have a lot of Holdens here and a fair few Euro cars. after a old school look & sound with if possible a more modern handling. Thanks guys Alex

When in doubt - matte black it! but no seriously i often go black to start on a car. Work a panel. rattle can it. this way you can work at your own speed and budget. still drive the car. then once you have done the panels and got the cash worry about a nice shiny paint job. this way helps keep the price down and keeps you on the road and enjoying your project. Alex

My old Buick i removed the cherry bombs. Now run straight pipes. Sounds way better and gets a warrant. The guys at the shop figure thats how they came originally back in 1952 so dont need them - just like it dosnt need seat belts. Seen exhaust splitters on TradeMe. like the idea for my new 49 project. these legal in NZ? Like the idea of having both exhaust with mufflers out the back and when i want to be louder out the side pipes with no mufflers. Just seems like something that wont be legal even though its on TM

Great thread helped a lot. Got a 49 Hudson thats been parked up in a shed for 47 years (since 1969). Black plates. two owner car. Came with original registration & ownership papers. Flicked Tania an email - with luck it wont be to tricky. Alex