Words & Photos: Gary Rosier
Gannon Stokes of Orlando, Fla. owns this rare 1953 Hudson Super Jet. Why a Super Jet you, might ask? As a child, Gannon had heard many stories about this car from his dad and friends. They owned a radiator shop and when these small radiators would come in, from out west generally, Gannon would inquire about where they went. His dad had always told him they were rare and “If you ever see one of these cars – you’d better buy it!” It was really like a shrunken down four-door sedan!
Gannon’s wife had been browsing the internet, and she saw an ad for this little car – and it was locally available! It was in rough shape mechanically, but being a California car most of its life, was in great condition body wise. Gannon immediately called on it, and after seeing the car in person, a deal was struck.
The Hudson Jet was a compact automobile produced by the Hudson Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan during the 1953 and 1954 model years only. It was regarded as the first car to offer a uni-body type construction. It wasn’t long for this world, however, as Hudson couldn’t overcome all the startup costs, both in engineering and re-tooling, that went into its new for ’53 production. There were about 21,000 cars produced in ’53 and even less in ’54, when it was discontinued and they merged with Nash. Their demise was attributed to a lack of a variety of models in an otherwise very crowded compact market at the time. The Super Jet, as seen here, is the upgraded model from the basic Jet.
Everyone said he was crazy for attempting to resurrect this car, but Gannon had other ideas. He had extensive experience in car repair, and not only from his work experience at his father’s radiator shop. He specialized in taking on projects of many different exotic cars. He opened up his own custom shop in 2003, just out of high school. He was building custom one-off vehicles (both cars and trucks), which then morphed into custom kitchens and baths. He built them, rebuilt them and customized many different vehicles along the way. He had the experience, enthusiasm, and most of all the vision to tackle such a project.
He cut up an S-10, attaching the front clip (which he boxed) and added Michigan Metal Works tubular A-Arms for better drive-ability and strength. Disc brakes and the Firestone 2500 air bag system (Parker 1/2 inch valves) were all plumbed using stainless lines. He added a Jasper-built 350 Chevy engine with RV performance cam, 4 brl Eldebrock 750 carb and manifold and Sanderson headers with 2.5 in all stainless steel exhausts. A 700 R4 trans transmits the power back to an S-10 posi Chevy rear (4 link cantilevered) with 31 spline axles and 4:10 gears. It rolls on a set of Firestone G78/15in Whitewall radials mounted on 15-8″ Detroit Steelie wheels with 15 in glamor rings and 7 inch moon caps. A Griffin 26 inch cross-flow radiator and 3500 cfm electric fan keep her temperature under control. Autometer gauges in the stock dash monitor all the important items. There are no mufflers – there just wasn’t any room, he laughs!
The body work and prep was also done by Gannon. Along with his good friend Lou Mareno, they laid down a slick base coat of Tiffany & Co teal paint with a Ford (1999) black roof, all covered with three coats of clear.
Next up was the interior, and he wanted nothing but the best. He decided to have the seats and a black suede headliner done by none other than Kyle at Midnight Customs in Orlando, who had done some work for him previously. He wasn’t taking ANY chances with the rest of it as he did all the door panels, pillars, carpeting and center counsel himself. It was done in black leather with ostrich inserts and Tiffany teal stitching.
Of special note is his own self-made custom glass blown shifter knob (Old Kinderhook Glass Blowing). It seems Gannon stumbled across glass blowing years ago as a hobby that turned into what he does for a living today. That shift knob has a sprinkling of his best friend’s and grandfather’s ashes in it. He was very close to both and always wanted them riding with him.
As if this wasn’t enough – he still currently works on promoting customized weapons through local weapons manufacturer Andro Corporation Industries. That’s the real deal in the trunk – a 9 mm full billet, side charging, fully functional AR15 locked down in the back.
He’s a bit of a history buff, too, as Old Kinderhook (spelled out in the trunk) is also the name of his business. It’s his reference to the eighth president of the United States, Martin Van Buren (nicknamed “Old Kinderhook” for where he was born – Kinderhook, NY). There was an elite “gentleman’s club” of friends who were often referred to as “Old Kinderhook’s” and if you were spotted in town they would say “that guy is O.K.” This period of time is also known for having started the phrase “you’re ok with us”. It’s in reference to his starting the “O.K.” democratic club. Gannon, along with some of his close friends, decided then to call their business Old Kinderhook, and that’s where he teaches people to blow glass daily!
No matter really, the history certainly defines itself, but this little Hudson Super Jet is certainly “O.K.” with us too!
