Hot Rods How about some love for the T-Bucket?

The early stuff isn't as 'standardized' as later stuff, just like most things. Various steering columns (and other things) were used with varying degrees of success. Most common for the vertical columns are Ford F1 steering, and a few were also VW Bus. I'm sure others were also tried.
BTW, the VW Bus stuff is going to be priced out for cheap builds now!

On mine, it's a F1 box with a Chevy arm, ID'ed with help from the spotters here on the HAMB.

 

way ahead of me, rsr!

 

very neat.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/attachments/fb_img_1759942147466-jpg.6541990/

 

A thread I found!
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/bucket-t-steering-ideas.1209718/

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/t-bucket-steering-help.1256586/

others
https://tbucketeer.com/threads/steering-id-and-help-please.19911/
https://tbucketeer.com/threads/steering-box-location.12271/
https://www.hotrodders.com/threads/advise-on-t-bucket-steering.238753/

I figure some of this stuff will be lost unless someone else searches and the results are found. Here, there are already India AI junk results on the first page, which is becoming more common.
So I try to include the links for future ease of access.

 

Many thanks SRS!

 

I'm not 100% sure but something tells me they used VW Kombi steering boxes, at least they did down here. I may be wrong though, cheers


Looks like I was be a bit slow on my response

 

I think my friend used a box out of a VW bus in his T bucket build in the early 70's.

 

Realpic!!

 

We also used Rack and Pinion units in a push pull, i did and i know a couple others i was involved with. That was back in the 80's and may not be OK now days. JW

 

The R&P push style was used in Uncertain T and in the build Bunnys Garage on YT (down under) is doing, along with others. IMHO it's a much better solution than the R&P out front.

 

for reasons a bit outside my complete understanding it seems that a r&p with a straight axle simply cannot be properly set up. uncertain t's is simply a variation of the trad drag link style.

i think it was car craft that had a detailed inspection of the uncertain t's chassis design so it's plausable some guys in the 60s aped it from those pages.

 

In simple terms, a straight axle going up and down stays the same width. If the R&P is attached to the frame and the tie rod ends attach to the axle, they describe an arc. This means at midpoint it's the widest, but moving up or down shortens them.
It's also usually visually heavy and clumsy to varying degrees.
Here's one of the better ones.
https://tbucketeer.com/threads/manual-rack-and-pinion.16899/

 

FYI, on super modified race cars with straight axles, some use R&P steering with the rack mounted to the axle. It moves with the axle so that doesn’t introduce bump steer. However it takes a lot of ingenuity to keep the steering shaft from affecting the rack under movement and causing bump steer. The ones that work are traveling at ridiculously fast speeds so exact steering is a must. But it doesn’t look very good, and adds unsprung weight.

 

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/straight-axel-rack-pinion.1044275/

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VzSdPaX1Xc
Check the comments

 

I really like this one

 

thanks fellas for that clarification on r&p.

 

yeah i really like that set up.

 

Notice the motorcycle steering stabilizers on both steering arms Indicating he's had issues , hauling a heavy passenger or a light passenger also changes the toe . Just because it's been done doesn't make it acceptable ( or smart)

 

MY dumb opinion.
I consider a T-Bucket to be a bare minimalist car for street use. It's got limitations that make it less than a typical transportation unit.
Trying to hang a R&P on is like trying to adapt other modern systems, veering away from the no hood, no roof, no fenders, no aero, no HVAC, and in many, no doors. Add in no bumpers or crumple zones, minimal exhaust, and exaggerated parts that are in place. Tim has refined his to include many of those, but it's still true to it's historic roots.
This is similar to changing suspension and tires to handle track style driving. There have been successful autocross Ts, but by the time you do that, it might as well be a Lotus 7 style thing. The steering is not the top of the list to 'improve' on the average T-Bucket.
Again, just MY 2 cents.

 

there was a well known local hot rod guy in the little town I spent my teen years in.
his bucket had a large rack and pinion,
Mercedes truck maybe? with it placed in the push pull setup, rear shaft removed and forward ran up inboard of the frame rail to a bell crank and cross steer, like some '50s cars had.
that placed the column almost vertical, with a slight rearward lean.