Hot Rods The Belly Button Bucket Build Thread

Somewhat like the ~'64 Tbird rear seat?
On the htr-valves: There are true no-bypass valves anymore, at least that I know of. All I've seen for the last ~50 yrs only bypass most of the coolant, still have a slot in the barrel-valve to allow some flow-through, so the/any sediment in the coolant doesn't settle out in the htr-core when flow's been stopped for awhile. Or so the claim goes... Might actually work, as it's been a very long time since I've seen a plugged htr-core( I do remember having to back-flush them before winter, if you wanted "better" heat). Or could shut off any air flow thru the htr, I suppose, or design an air-dump to under the car for too-warm weather. More complications. ???

Option there is to disassemble the valve, solder/braze up the "bypass-slot"(just thin metal), file/polish it smooth & reassemble, while not damaging the packing/seals. Kindof a lot of work. ???

To truly shut it off, get a hardware-store barrel-valve 90*-turn-style-type, water or gas versions should work equally well. I'd opt for the brass versions & they have plastic around the ball to seal nicely. Might be abit stiff to operate w/a cable, some aren't bad.
Marcus...

 

Thanks Marcus. I ordered another round of heater control valves, so we'll see if I get lucky. It makes sense why they aren't a true bypass after reading your explanation, but in order to do what I'm hoping to do, I need a true bypass, ideally cable controlled, and I need two of them. It's getting to the point where I will need to build a model of this to even see if it will work LOL, but if it does, it should be pretty cool.

For interior, you're right on the money with the '64 Tbird rear seat - I actually had a rear seat at one time to use for the bucket, but it wasn't quite the right shape and would require quite a bit to make work. Some sort of blend between '64 Tbird and C1 Vette:

 

That interior is looking so good. Very nice work!

 

I kinda figured, which is why I suggested either a water or gas valve, the kind that close at 90*. Come in 1/2" & 5/8" id, iirc, maybe other sizes. Some work very smoothly. The handle has a small screw that goes into the shaft, so you could modify or make what you want/need to actuate it. Gotta actually go & give 'em a "try-on" at the store. Very decent hardware or big-box store should have 'em. I'd avoid using the type that have a round handle like an old faucet, as they're a gate valve, & need a lot of turning to close off. But they, like the ball-valves I mentioned, do shut flow completely off. Maybe a motor-driven setup, it could be out of the way. Just more P.I.T.A. .
The only other thing I'd consider is, some oem nos supplier from at least the mid 50's back to early 40's, might have what you want. Would be cable operated, ~ 90*-120* throw. You'd have to call the proprietor up & have him physically look thru the valve while he runs it through travel. But he should be able to see the slot in the barrel, if there is one, before he sells n sends it.
In the past, I've had to use a water/gas valve outside of the htr, just to kill flow for summer, cause the factory stuff couldn't do it. At least in Minn, in 95+* & 95% humidity, you just don't need all that much extra heat. Air movement, yes, heat, no. Twice a yr, manually turn it on or off for the season. NBD. <shrug> .
Marcus...

 

My mother's late 60s station wagon had a heater valve that wasn't the best design. It would work fine if used monthly, but would stick closed when unused for 6-8 months. Dad got sick of it and had a second one. Swapped it each October, and then freed up the removed one for next year.

Long story to say, OE automotive stuff is NOT always great, even if it fits your design.

 

Very nice work!

 

Unfortunately, not a lot of weekend progress as far as pictures go. I managed to reach a few dead ends, which I won’t get into, but I also made a couple revelations in wiring strategy and switch locations, but also still, managed to destroy the majority of the switch bezels and knobs attempting to remove the fading anodizing…. So that was neat - I was successful on two bezels though lol. Hopefully some more progress this week to make up for the backward progress of the weekend.

A few in-process pics:

 

I call those whoops side steps, not back. We always learn something regardless of the outcome of the current fubar.

 

More progress on some interior details:

 

Cripes, nice work man!

 

Tim, you and @Bandit Billy have a lock on ornate details. Great work!

 

Thank you both very much. There's a lot of local talent I gotta try to keep up with, all of you included!

 

That looks amazing. I absolutely love where you are going with that interior. Keep "turning" it out.

 

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted- been out of town a couple weekends in a row and had some colder weather than we’re used to, so I didn’t get out to the garage much.

I have about 5 things in the works that I am super excited about, but not enough physical progress to document in a post yet.

One of the things I can post on is control cables. To accomplish what I have in mind, I’ll need 2-3 control cables under the dash. That’s not completely figured out yet, and that’s not important right now!

Looking around at the various cable options, there’s quite a selection to choose from and quite a price range. I chose to go low-middle of the road, using these Edelbrock choke cables. I need to be able to adapt the cable to my knobs and bezels, and I’ve been successful in doing so in the past. The cool thing about this is you get a neat little “Edelbrock Equipped” knob out of the deal with 10-32 threads to use for something else.

I start by separating the inner and outer cable, then chuck the inner cable up in my vise. They used red thread locker on these knobs, so put some heat to it, grab ahold with a leather glove and it will thread right off.





Next, set this aside and chuck the outer sleeve in the vise. Use a sander to roughly knock off the flanged end, then use a file to clean it up. After that, grab a die and thread it from the backside, to clean up the flanged area into a threaded area.











Now you can use the jam nut as a backer, and use the fancy bezel on the front side, then re-assemble with inner/outer sleeve and new knob. I also took this opportunity to update the sheet metal thickness of small switch/control pod to 1/16”. Now I gotta do the other side, but basically rinse and repeat. You can use this method to other switches if you’re careful- I included a plastic momentary switch that had what I believe to be metric threads that I was able to carefully re-thread to use one of the bezels.

 

Hello - wanted to provide an update, although I don't have much progress to show off. I have been under the weather a bit, and hanging with family a bit. I'm posting in hopes of getting myself motivated.

I haven't been completely idle, though. I've been behind the scenes doing various insignificant activities including, but not limited to the following: spiraling into madness with heater core/manifold/fans/controls, spiraling into madness with windshield wiper motor/linkage/controls, comedic failure of choreographing the space under the dash, colossal ruining of new and expensive parts, colossal ruining of fabricated parts I had significant time in making, letting all the smoke out of electrical components, and finding significant lack of understanding of fundamental mechanical and electrical principles. Sigh.....

I've also been in a tug of war, wrestling with a couple things. First, I have some thoughts on entering the car to be considered for AMBR. This is probably a pipe dream, but after looking at this year's offering, I felt the urge to try. I know I do not have the caliber of car to win, and I don't really care about that, but I do want to know if they'd even consider it worthy to be in contention (their website says 2025 info will be posted soon, so I'll be inquiring as soon as I'm able). I only say that because at least from what I've gathered, there's only been a handful of T buckets entered over the years, and ironically a couple of them came from the PNW! Anyway, I've had thoughts of entering, and if I do, that means radio silence on the build thread until after completion... I dunno. I just feel like it's part of our job as hot rodders to help drive the narrative of what's cool, and I was not at all excited looking at this year's lineup. I have no doubt the fit/finish was top notch, and I wasn't there to critique in person, and it's not up to me, but aesthetically the home built full fendered black deuce roadster was the only thing that was remotely close to beautiful in my eyes. I do believe I've been spoiled living in the PNW with the quality of local builds, so maybe that is driving this urge as well. Anyway, that's where my brain's been at.

The second thing I've been wrestling with is drivability. I'm out of space to build anything else, and I consider myself a lottery winner to have what I've got. Since I was a teenager, my top two dream cars have been a T bucket and a 32 roadster. My problem is I live in the PNW now LOL. I'm not a fan of fenders on a bucket, and I prefer a highboy deuce over a full fendered car. When you factor in weather, modern traffic, safety, and some sense of environmental responsibility, a hot rod is less than practical. Rather than just write this off as a loss, I see it as a design challenge and opportunity to be creative. For example, fuel economy improvements would be significantly easier in a little hot rod in comparison to my daily driver (4wd OBS that gets about 11mpg city and a best of 19mpg highway). I could spend significant time and $$ to improve the daily driver, or buy some commuter economy car for the same amount of $$ or less.... OR, I could manipulate hot rods into daily driver duties. I realize this comes with trade-offs and sacrifice, but that's part of the fun I guess. What I'm trying to say I guess is that I'm spending a lot of time planning on maximizing drivability of the bucket and the 32, without sacrificing aesthetics, which is obviously most important lol. Do any of you guys go through these thoughts?

Speaking of aesthetics, while I was under the weather, I spent some time looking at the side profile of the T. One of the things I want to accomplish with the top is to make it as simple, inexpensive, and weather-proof as possible. I'll skip the details of how all this would happen, mostly because I don't know yet, but here's a picture for concept:

 

I would LOVE to see a bucket considered for AMBR!! I say go for it!

 

Keep the bar high Tim.
Or as @Bandit Billy might say "keep the bar open"!

 

It is after 12:00

 

As far as AMBR, I think you've already 'let the cat out' with this thread, but I didn't read the rules.
Could it be considered? Sure!
While there have been many in the running and some that won after the HAMB cutoff, this is probably the one most would consider here. Dates of these articles seem to be 2011, so it's more than a decade behind and ready for another! Look at the details and convince yourself and select friends that this is what you want to do for the next 11 months.
https://www.tbucketplans.com/the-takeout-t-americas-truly-most-beautiful-roadster-part-1-backstory/
https://www.myrideisme.com/Blog/bitchn-1923-t-bucket-roadster/

 

The rules say some verbiage of the car not being shown in finished condition prior to the GNRS. No paint or upholstery details etc. But you bring a fair point, and one I'd ask in my inquiry. I have a few clarifications/inquiries I would like to understand before deciding if it's remotely possible.

The Takeout T is a fantastic car, and one I've seen a few times at local shows. Again, I don't consider my bucket to be in the same caliber as a car such as that, but I also didn't consider some of this year's lineup to be in the same caliber, either. That's all I'm saying - I don't want to wonder "what if" later on in life.

 

Go for it! Repaint it another color if necessary. And new upholstery.

 

As I mentioned, start now with all the detailing/finishing. Get a truck and trailer lined up. Get a list together and expect to devote a ton of time to it. Have a display worked out.
I have been complementary about your build all along. That hasn't changed. You have put together a really nice ride. I dig buckets and would like to see another in the running. Question is, do you have the time, money and desire to complete it within the deadline? Since the Takeout T is close, talk to the builder and find out what they did and what they learned from the contest, what they would do the same and what they would do differently. Try to find some fellow nutjobs to help and keep you on track, even if it's just going out and polishing small parts on a night you'd rather just relax.

 

Thank you. Good suggestions. I've told myself and my gf that, for mental health, I need this off my chest (finish bucket) before I move on to all the other projects (home restoration/remodel and later the 32) waiting in the queue. It's crazy how quickly time goes by. I started putting the car together in 2011, and somehow now it's 2024. That is absolutely nuts to me. I feel like I've lived about 5 lifetimes in that time period lol.

 

Believe me, I know the feeling Tim!

 

Google " heater control valve" , many to choose from ..

 

I've got what I needed in that department. Took four tries, but I finally got what was advertised. Not all heater control valves are created equal, and not all bypass control valves are actually a bypass, and not all cable operated control valves are actually capable of being cable operated, and so on. It's hilarious to try to recap how much time I spent trying to figure that out. I start typing this long-winded rant, realize the more I type, the more confusing it sounds, start over, and eventually decide not to get into it. Let's just say I am getting a crash course education in controls, HVAC, wipers, wiring, and so on.

 

Well Tim, I hope you are out figuring how to stuff ten pounds of stuff into a gallon wedge!
Don't forget to leave room for door hinges!
I will be traveling today, will let you know how it goes.

 

After a lot of thinking about logistics and cost and timeline, I’m kinda leaning away from going for the AMBR. Basically, I would be spending several thousand dollars to get the car down there, using a trailer I don’t have, then gotta figure out display etc. Sounds stressful.

I think I’ll shoot to put the car into the Portland Roadster Show, optimistically for 2025, then drive the wheels off of it after that. I think that’s a reasonable timeline to keep me on the straight and narrow, and being about 5 miles from my house is a lot more manageable.

I’ve got some parts on the way, and been working on an update, hopefully by the end of the week, but here’s what I’ve been working on (with agonizing failure of various magnitudes behind the scenes lol):

 

Portland is going to be everything the Roadster Show was, except the transportation.
Since the 2024 one is upcoming, you get another month or so of prep too next year.
https://portlandroadstershow.com/Registration/Exhibitors
From the pics last year, most don't have displays either, so that's less distraction.
https://www.hotrodhotline.com/node/18156/2/1
I wish you the best in your efforts, it's a lofty goal to finish any car for a big show.

 

Well I am happy to report the windshield wiper system is mostly complete - just gotta cut the cable to length and grease everything - don’t wanna do that now with all the sanding dust I foresee in my future.

I am using a universal cable operated kit from Specialty Power Windows, and I gotta say, minus some confusion in the transmission/linkage diagrams, I am really happy with it (I drew my own diagram after bench running the motor to verify rotation… is it too much to ask to put that in the instructions?… apparently so….)

Of the several options I explored, this is the most compact, most customizable, and comparable cost. I am able to get a 90* sweep of the wiper blades (kit allows up to 160* sweep, depending on blade length and windshield real estate), which park opposite each other and wipe towards center. I explored mounting the motor on both driver and passenger side, but opted for passenger to allow enough room for the throttle pedal. I still have a few things to sort out under the dash, but so far so good.