Thread: 'nuther Whatsit?

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This might be easy for some. All I know is it is one Cool/Hot rig! With that blower whining on a Chebby fat block it sounded every bit as good as it looks too

Pat

Well, the suicide doors aren't original, but I do know what it is. Only hint I'll give would suit you to a "T". And yes, the factory did make pickemups.

I help you out Richard. Here's a stock one.

Is that a Packard? If so what year?

From deep in my memory the combination "Hudson Terraplane" emerges in a very foggy way. I may be wrong but the back of the cab looks like maybe '39?????? In education we teach that your first good guess has a chance of being right, but then again I may be wrong. In any case the paint of the maroon pickup is great and reminds me of the '40 Ford Mandarin maroon lacquer, but that was darker.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Gotta go with Don on this one. I even argee with the year '39. ???

If it's in the air it's Aeroplaneing.....................If it's on the water it's Aquaplaneing......................If it's on the road it's__________

Pat it's your gig, help the boys out on the year.

We have a Winnah! Don got it, maybe with an assist from BBBob. We watched this guy fire up and drive away, then heard one of the other bystanders say "That does it! I'm building a blower car!" Blowers were definitely "In" at Hot August Nights. It was amazing to look into engine compartments and see a blower AND and A/C compressor. Then seeing them driving in stop and go traffic and not overheat. Great Stuff!

Pat

Originally posted by Bob Parmenter
If it's in the air it's Aeroplaneing.....................If it's on the water it's Aquaplaneing......................If it's on the road it's__________

Pat it's your gig, help the boys out on the year.

So what's the year of the "FIRMA" plane ??

Is it a 39?

Originally posted by Bob Parmenter
If it's in the air it's Aeroplaneing.....................If it's on the water it's Aquaplaneing......................If it's on the road it's__________

Pat it's your gig, help the boys out on the year.

Ya know I am not sure on the year, but I believe it is a '37. I didn't get a chance to talk with the owner, I only saw what the grill emblem said. Pretty bad when ya gotta guess at your own WhatsIt contest!

Sure has a kindred look to a Studebaker Express doesn't it?

Pat

Yup, 1937, last full year of the Terraplane. Many have likened the grille to the face of a preying mantis. In '38 they transitioned the Terraplane name out of the line.

Here's a good link for other Hudson produced trucks. http://freewebhosting.hostdepartment...sontrucks.html If you ever find a Dover, or better yet, one of those '41 Step Vans, let me know.

And just for you Pro, toward the bottom of that link is a picture of the '48 Ranchocamino I mentioned in the other thread. I had never seen the '52 one before, but obviously one inspired the other.

Just a lucky guess, I heard my Dad talk about these but I never saw one up close before. For some reason 1937 spawned several unusual body styles with unusual grills, maybe the '37 Chevy Coupes look really great next to some of the "roundnose" styling. Was '37 the first (and only) year for the Chrysler Airflow? Perhaps some of you experts could comment as to whether the Chrysler PT borrows some of the Airflow design, but certainly the PT captures a return to the days of Art Deco styling. Actually I am hazy on 1937 because my mode of transportation that year was a small white carriage! Given the semi-secrecy regarding styling and yet the fact that many styles copied each other, one can wonder how design engineers got off on this track which met it's end with the styling disaster of the Chrysler Airflow (the Edsel of the late '30s). I recall one of the key ideas of Art Deco styling was that of high winding and intertwining highways and yet today there actually is a LOT of this type of highway on the Interstates, particularly in and around cities. Give Ike the credit for the Interstate system, but judging by some of the new interchanges in the D.C. and Richmond urban sites it looks like Art Deco finally made it and just made for PT Cruisers. Maybe in 10-12 years rodders will be rebuilding PT Cruisers OR maybe souping up D.C. motors for HONDA-Hybrids. Now that is an unwelcome strange thought but after seeing Art Deco hit on the second time around, brace yourself for electric cars? While Chevy seems to have made an attractive '37 model (with hood louvers!), Ford temporarily made a brief foray toward Art Deco with it's '37, but fortunately corrected the styling to produce the beautiful '39 roadster and then the ever popular '40 Ford Coupe AND THEN the Barris customs made the fat fender Fords famous!

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Airflows, both Chrysler and De Soto, were '34-37.

I'd characterize the PT as a stylized shape something like the '37 Ford mostly, though it's an "interpretation" to be sure. Or maybe you could use the Zephyr as a closer inspiration.

Gotta love art deco!!

Actually 36 was the first year of this styling on a Terraplane. It looks very similar to a 37. At first glance they look the same less a grille change. But, when you get into the body parts. The 37 parts are ALL larger than the 36. Like they blew up the scale about 10-15%. I have a 36 in the garage. Sbchevy- 700r4- S-10 rear. Fatman style MustII front suspension. I had to look for years for a set of 36 rear fenders worth fixing. The doors are factory suicide.

Here's a pic of the '36 Bob is talking about. Not the best shot of the grille, but you can see that it doesn't roll up over the front as high as the '37 Pat posted, and it doesn't have the same body color side vents as Pat's either. It has the suicide doors stock as Bob mentioned.