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Brownie's 39 Roadster
more pictures at the end of the article SOMEWHERE WEST OF SALT LAKE.My Webster's tells me that history is .a narrative of events connected to real or imaginary objects or persons. such is the case starting with the following events as I have experienced or as they have been related to me: The evenings in war-torn Europe were no longer lighted with the Rockets Red Glare or Bombs Bursting in air as Captain Robert E. McDougal completed his last rounds as part of the security team maintaining order after the liberating forces secured Berlin. It had been five months since the May 7, 1945 unconditional surrender of the German forces. Most of Robb's friends were on liberty and the streets of the west side of Berlin were filled with those celebrating the early stages of the end of the war in Germany. Robb was finishing his tour of duty and would soon be rotating back to America and civilian life in his home town of Watertown, New York. Prior to voluntarily entering World War II, Robb had completed a mechanical engineering degree with aspirations of becoming a part of Chevrolet Motor Division Design team down in Detroit. Life as a car salesman in his father's Cadillac/Chevrolet dealership in up-state New York was not Robb's life dream but it would have to do for the present time because there were bills to be paid and Robb was enjoying the fantasies of spring and a new lady in his life. Robb's soon to be Father-in-Law threw in the family 1939 Hudson Series 92 convertible as a wedding present for the newly weds and like most of our returning veterans life moved fast into the fifties. With children on the way, Robb soon realized that his dreams were changing and any aspirations of designing automobiles would only take place in the back shops of his dad's dealership. As life moved into the fifties Robb found himself a natural at selling cars and at Twenty-eight he was the dealerships and the regions top new car salesman. The decade old Hudson wedding gift was retired to a lean-to behind the dealerships body shop and started to become the ideas Robb expressed in drawings to update the style. As the year 1952 started, Robb was reading his new edition of Motor Trend and was fascinated by an article titled "How to Build Your Custom Sports Car" written by Charles Martz. Robb had wanted a sports car from the time he had seen those sleek European cars during his tour of duty in Germany. The Motor Trend article would provide him with a number of good ideas, but the designer in him was dying to get out and improve the style of the Hudson in the back shop. The body was taken off the frame and body modifications were started using drawings provided by Robb. It was decided to add a Chevrolet Blue Flame Six in place of the Hudson power plant and a new engine and three-speed transmission were fitted into place. Robb had the body placed back on the frame and had the running boards removed, sheet metal was welded into place where the doors had been, the body and hood sectioned and a 38 Chevrolet "Hump back" trunk cut, reversed and fitted to the long one piece trunk section. A spare tire was placed on the back and all the metal parts were painted "Chevrolet Red." As close to finished as the Hudson would ever be, it was placed in the dealership show room and saw only a few runs around the block before it once again was back in the lean-to awaiting removal of the engine to prepare for one of the soon to be released Chevrolet V-8 engines. Robb took over the leadership of the dealership early in 1955; his daily driver became whatever Corvette was on the showroom floor and the dream of the Hudson was placed on the back burner. As the sixties started, it was time to expand the dealership and the body shop and lean-to were torn down to build a new building. The Hudson became the property of body man Dennis "Skip" Kunzler. Skip painted the Hudson dark blue but in fact had little time to work on home projects; so, the Hudson Custom Roadster spent most of its life through the sixties/seventies in the back lot behind the shop. Skip picked up a 1942 Hudson engine and transmission that was installed in the compartment that had been prepared for the Chevrolet V-8. Skip retired from the Chevrolet shop and moved back home to Long Island and in the early 90's had a local shop help him get the Hudson running. In conversations with the shop owner I learned that the roadster was in much the same condition that it is in today. They were able to get the car started; albeit, the distributor was badly worn and would need to be replaced for the car to be considered running. The shop drove the car back the nine miles to Skip's farm. With Skip's passing the 'want-a-be" British style Roadster was sold to a Hudson Collector in Tennessee. It is now a few years later and as we know .all men dream: Some such as Cervantes through Don Quixote dream of chivalry and the tales of Knighthood by way of windmills. Edgar Allan Poe dreams of the demented and twisted shortfalls of man. For those; who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but, the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible. OK, let's go back to the beginning-because the beginning is a very good place to start. It was early February 2007, the 10th to be exact, when the email hit my inbox at work. It was a note from my good friend and fellow Hudson collector Mike Cherry. It was a one liner with photos. The text read: "Now, here is an opportunity to have a unique Hudson." It did not take long before I was corresponding with Jeff Wandler in Gillette, Wyoming. Jeff and his Dad, long time Hudson collector Leon Wandler, in 1999 had driven to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to pick up the car that was delivered from Tennessee after Leon's response to an advertisement from a long time Hudson collector listed in Hemming's Motor News. The car was listed as a Hudson in good condition with very little rust and slightly modified. I am not quite sure that this type of advertisement complicity is proper but I do know that I too have had thoughts such as this from time to time and project to project. However, this is neither the time nor the place to discuss the ethics of an old car nut so let us now get back to the story at hand. When they saw the roadster they were very disappointed with the condition but still Leon could see potential in the car. The roadster was loaded on the trailer and it was soon on the road back to Wyoming. As they neared their home Leon mentioned to Jeff, "Uh, don't tell your mom about this car." The plan was to slip the roadster past the house, out of sight of mom and place it among the other Hudson's waiting to be restored. The plan did not work; but, the story has provided reason to reflect and laugh about one man's love of the Hudson automobile. Leon was not able to finish all his projects and the time soon came for Jeff to assess the projects interned in the omnifarious buildings, sheds and hiding places on the homestead and decide what would be finished, displayed, driven and enjoyed and what would become parts cars or simply sold off or discarded as scrap. With the help of a few good Hudson friends the parts were removed from those designated as parts cars, catalogued and prepared to become those much needed and desired long sought after rare parts. And each time the roadster was addressed, the advice was that there was not much to save with the roadster. In time, Jeff sent a note to the High Plaines Chapter newsletter editor asking him to place an ad seeking someone with a vision that could dream the dream that his father had years before. I was not the first to be asked, but I was the first to see the dreams, design changes and labors that others had invested in the car. A few days later my wife and I traveled to Gillette, with some maneuvering placed the enclosed trailer near the car, and soon thereafter with the assistance of Jeff and a wench, the trailer swallowed up a dream. A short time later my wife and I stopped to grab a bite to eat and refuel. A car nut pulled in to fuel his "belly button" early 30's roadster. Feeling a kinship I lead him to the trailer and opened the door. He shook his head slightly and muttered. "One man's dream is another man's nightmare!" It was apparent that his opinion was the latter? As I have shown the car to various friends and hobbyists this hot or cold response is consistent. There seems to be no middle of the road response. The dreamer sees the vision of what could be or what once was. The Rat Rod'er sees the 'One of a Kind" rare project. The purist sees a beautifully restored roadster-the adventurous sees the design elements that currently make this Hudson unique. From those early days in the fifties when a young WWII Veteran decided to modify his 39 Hudson (1939 Hudson, Series 92, 6 cyl 118-inch wheel base convertible-the VIN Plate was still in place allowing us to identify this beautiful Hudson) and had a dream of what an up-scale British style roadster should look like, to those who would have identified this as an 'Old School Hot Rod' to the more enlightened 'Rat Rod' enthusiast that we see at various car shows today, what we have here is a dream. I now have the charge to follow that dream with the excitement and encouragement of my fellow Hudson friends to see this project completed as a one of a kind, fifties style 'updated' old school roadster. With the project now in my shop this dream is in the process of becoming a reality. A reality that deserves to be returned to the road, driven long and often and permitting everyone--hobbyists and enthusiasts alike to see and experience that dreams are simply a way to preserve art, folklore and history and it is a fact that Robb's fine Custom Hudson Roadster will soon be regenerating stories, folklore and legends on the open road here, SOMEWHERE WEST OF SALT LAKE..
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