Projects The bucket of ugly! A de-uglifying thread...

Yeah, I remembered that the `27 Bobtail is Mickey Himsl`s `Moonshiner`. I just went through Tom`s pics......I think the GNRS meet and greet is actually the LARS meet and greet...

Chip...Hope a trip to the Glass Shop is in your Immediate future.....I Like the Tonneau Cover, alot!...
And I think I like those Stands a bit better than the others....

 

Why do I like this? I think because Steve just got so much right. Take the KRAZY top off and you have a beautiful '60s T bucket. Build quality is the best, engine sits right, grill and headlights are right, exhaust is beautiful. Maybe it is still a little out there without the top but nice.

 

Gary, you forgot the tube axle JW

 

The roof has to be there Gary as the whole unusual body style is what made the car so attractive. The only thing I would change is brakes on the front and yes, small solid disc brakes too, none of those bloody big bulky drum thingys that wouldn't go with the wire wheels. I must ask though, did that car ever get driven and I mean more then in and out of the trailer ?

 

Guys I even like the dropped I beam axle. It just fits. Whip you are right the Krazy body does work and yes some real small front disk brakes wouldn't have looked bad but it was a show car. "Big bulky drum brakes" that's not a shot is it? Although it was drivable I'd be surprised if it ever saw much if any street use.
This build is a great build story. A young guy with an idea and nothing much else builds a beautifully engineered and finished hot rod.

 

Nah, if you guys were looking to me to get it together, I wasn't able to go over this year. Sucks, 'cause had my chances to, but money and time were just a bit too tight to do it.

I did run escort out of town for JEEM with his awesome channeled '37 truck the other day as they let it off the jackstands and rolled west... It was tempting to keep going, but I peeled off on 75th ave and headed back to work.

 

Oh that is so hard to do at times Chip, watch your fellow friends driving their Rods out of town on a road trip and you know you can't follow along.
No Gary,I wasn't having a shot at drum brakes as I am envious of those who have them on cars that suit that style of brakes. But with Uncertainty it really should have those small discs, can't remember the name but sure they have been mentioned here before. One huge difference between us here in NZ and you guys is that although we have some top show cars, all of ours are drivers and due to our roads not being the best, we tend to make sure our cars can go fast on straights, safely around corners, as quickly up the hill as down the other side and, most importantly, stop when needed. So to build a car like Uncertainty here in NZ., one would either be stupidly rich just to have it for the one or maybe two shows here in NZ or you would build it so it could be driven hard and fast and ,yeah, stop with front discs.

 

Forgot to mention that I have read the story of the young Steve who build Uncertainty and the history of it somewhere's and I do admire the guy for his skill, vision and ability to accomplish his ideas.

 

Hi guys, quick intro. My name's Arnold and I'm down in the land of Oz. Been following the thread for some months but haven't had anything meaningful to add. At this 'virtual shop night at Chip's' I'm sitting back listening and learning from those much wiser than myself in the field of T-buckets. To be honest I can't ever see myself owning a bucket (have owned my '55 Belair for about 27 years) but picking up lots of good tips just in case I ever bring the '31 A RPU I'm building in my head to reality! Anyhow, the main reason for this post was to share a few pics from this weekends Victorian Hot Rod Show (Victoria, Australia). This was the 50th anniversary show, and Peter Swift's black bucket shown in the pics on the birthday cake was the winner of Top Bucket and Best Engineered at the original show back in 1965. I've also included a pic of a nice cammer powered Deuce and one of my favorite cars of all time parked outside, Ray Pearman's '56 Buick.
That's all for now,
Arnold.

 

Thanks Arnold and a belated welcome from the Kiwi sitting by the fridge handing out the cold light refreshments. Thanks for posting those photo's and man, that T is something unreal, I like it alot. Will totally agree on the '56 Buick too as that is my sort of " modern car " for use when the weather doesn't suit the T..

 

Glad you did your bed cover in white. I'd have a lot of backtracking to do after I badmouthed all other colors.

 

Arnold..Thanks for chiming in. I have to say that Swifty`s T is the seminal Aussie Bucket. So Cool. I met his son years ago when he did a trip over to SoCal. Don`t remember his name, but he had a girlfriend named Peta and was building a Willys Coupe, I think. My mind may be going, but I still CAN`T STAND `UncertainT` Gary, you must be off your pills again.......

Hey Mark...I`ll have an Ice Cold Export if you have one....was up on the Shop Roof cleaning up the dropped limbs from our big windstorm last month and doing the gutters.....A bit thirsty, I am..

 

Arnold, thanks for sharing the pictures, they are all nice cars and welcome to the learning section at Chip's. Mark I could use another cold one myself, if you don't mind.

 

uh, Paul, I see you have no problem remembering the lovely lasses name though.

 

I can't see the bottom of the valve covers...but due to width, port spacing and rear distributor I want to say that Bucket is POLY powered! Did I mention width???
That thing looks great whatever moves it along!

 

Sigh.....Busted......Thanks, Dick....

 

Heck, Export you say, that brew has been out of stock now for so long we have moved from Tui's to Ice now and may I say, a darn nice drop. You have made me spill my beer down my front Dick with your "remember the Lass's name" comment. Anyway, I will be away from the fridge for awhile while I go change my shirt, sorry guys, you will have to help yourselves.
I think it is a 318 Chrysler and having looked at the picture again I will say that I believe the red painted alternator could disappear for a smaller type one mounted down low by the chassis rail and apart from that, it is perfect.

 

Sorry, as nice as it is, it is not perfect, it suffers from the same problem all you guys build into your cars down there, the steering wheel is wonky on the wrong side.
Plus, we Canadians have the best beer

 

I have my wheel on the correct side and I cant comment on the best beer as I stopped drinking 30 years ago. That T is very nice but the body just seems a tad low to me. JW

 

Ya, Himsl's car is great! I always liked that thing, although I remember it a little more in it's late sixties "endless ribbon" metalflake kinda guise... I do dig the original though.

Yes, a glass shop trip will happen soon. I was flying up the 51 here in town between Christmas and New Years, following a truck a couple cars behind, and I saw a rock kick up. It cleared a car or two in front of me, and went into slow motion as I realized it was about to smack me right in the head! luckily it hit the very tip top of the windshield instead. The plan is to chop the top pane 1 1/2" along with the posts in the next week or so.

Thanks on the stands! I like the smooth lines instead of the ribs, and the lower head light height better, too. The thing I like most though is the loss of those damn stamped steel cupped thingies at the tops of the stands! Gonesville!

Howdy Arnold, and welcome!

That's a damn cool little "T"!

You said something that sits well with me. The stuff we have been rambling about on this thread has really been pretty much T-Bucket specific, but not really. Almost all of the things we have hashed out around here as far as styling goes could almost as easily apply to any era specific car. I guess what I have been driving at this whole time is be aware of the cues from the specific time that you are building to, and don't settle for "close enough" on the really important stuff. Seems like just one sour note in the whole deal can bring tune down... Don't play the sour note, right? See, easy!

 

Oh, ya... The beer of choice around here this week is Japanese Kirin Ichiban... Cheap at Judy's Chinese grocery, but oh so damn tasty!

 

I finally went through the T Roadster/Touring thread all the way back to the beginning and was astonished to find that Brent posted the magazine coverage of Bud Shannon`s T (the one that is inspiring my build) in about the second or third post !! All the way back in `10! Looks like there isn`t anything new under the sun...Now I really need a beer.....Mark?... Changed your shirt yet? Don`t hand me that Monteiths that you have in the back of the fridge, either.....

 

Sorry, as nice as it is, it is not perfect, it suffers from the same problem all you guys build into your cars down there, the steering wheel is wonky on the wrong side.

I have to disagree Blue One, the steering wheel is on the RIGHT side.
BTW, love your car. That Winters rear is the duck's nuts!
thanks all for the kind welcome.

Arnold.

 

But the right side is the wrong side

 

Well, I didn't make huge progress this weekend, but I did redo my firewall and brake pedal. Now, I just need to scooch the throttle pedal a bit to the right and I'll be ready to glass that in, too. I'm kicking around the idea of putting in removable toe boards, but not 100% sure how to go about it yet.

Chip, your cover looks awesome! And I also like the smooth headlight stands better! Nice work.





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Because the tubular Drag Master style chassis has been discussed here at some length, what would one be worth in good shape? I don't know that it's an actual Drag Master brand, but it's supposed to be in excellent shape. Any ideas? I'll see if I can get a few photos this week.

 

So I just found an older article at tbucketplans.com that mentioned that the '15 T Tub that Richard Graves built and Hurst used for some advertising went up for sale recently. I guess it's maybe a little too "Fad T" for this thread and more of a 70's look, but it has some great bones, I have always loved Richard's build style and there is just something about this one - great stance, love the opposed coil front, headlights are just right (in size and placement) and that straight-up, round-topped, early windshield frame looks just right. (photo credits: TBucketPlans.com)

Steve

 

For a side view of some 60's buckets found this pic at the Dragmaster shop. Not sure if any of them used their frame.

 

You know Steve that isn't what this thread is about but some of the things I post aren't either. That is a pretty nice "high tech" T.

 

Yeah, but it does have a little bit of "ugly" that could be wiped off, so in that regard, it fits!