PROBLEM CHILD KUSTOMS Project 1947 Hudson

I'm always psyched when someone refers me to another builder, and this project went above and beyond that. I had received an email from Christian, all the way from the Black Forest in Germany... very cool. He proceeded to tell me a bit about his project, a 1947 Hudson pickup that was getting underway, and was seeking to commission a rendering and some design ideas. Even better, Christian had some killer ideas right out of the gate that would make this rendering a blast. I then asked how he had stumbled across my work, and my day was made with his answer... "Herb Martinez," came the reply...Wow... a legendary pinstriper and hero of mine liked my work enough to send a client? Awesome.

In any event, Christian and I began throwing ideas around, and I whipped up a rendering worthy of his cool project. What we have going on is a lot of slick little stuff that will make the truck unique, aggressive, and undeniably custom in nature, while still paying homage to the classic design. We decided that some mild de-chroming on the front fenders was in order, as well as swapping out the truck hood spear for a unit lifted from a sedan. Moving along, we removed the center hood trim, and lightly peaked the hood to blend the lines into the split windscreen, keeping the original flavor, and tying in the remaining brightwork.

Ideas were passed along to perhaps pancake the hood slightly, but after dropping in the Cadillac grille, the decision was made to keep the stock hood line, and clean up the front by frenching the headlamps, giving the light area an almost late-1940's Ford look along the fender. This really gave the truck a unique look, and, while customized, it is recognizable as a Hudson, which was the goal from day one.

Moving along, we tightened up some seams, and lightly bowed the rear fenders for an understated aggressive look. A light shave out back and along the doors, and tunnelled Caddy lights out back were next on the bill. A rolled pan, and cleaned-up tailgate (but retaining the Hudson lettering call-out) were in order, provididng a clean surrounding area when viewing the all-new wooden bed floor.

Paint was set to be red and white from day one, and we simply worked with the body lines to create a nice two-tone that emphasized the hood line, and played up the hood sidee trim to maximum effect, while the color-matched smoothie wheels are timeless, and work to help bring the red from the top into the lower region for balance.

Interior renderings will be next, with some more sneaky tricks to emphasize the classy nature of the truck, and blend some more new and old tricks. Stay tuned as it all comes together...
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1947 Hudson Pickup Christian Kuhner, Germany
click thumbnails for large view


It begins...	Rear view...


In the shop	Disassembly


"rolling chassis?"	Organization


Pure comfort	Rendering

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