Took my T bucket to the local scales at a s****e yard today & had it weighed.It was more then i thought, its a basic T bucket, gl*** body 400 SBC,th350, steel wheels, noting special & witha 1/2 tank of gas it weighed 1760 lbs!! Has anyone else ever weighed there T bucket? My friends steel model A roadster witha boxed frame weighed 1950lbs! JimV
Yeah, people always think their cars weigh less than they actually do. My full-fendered all steel '34 Ford tudor with a small block Ford weighs 3170lbs. Now t-buckets: In California the rule for no fenders was always 1500lbs. The only one that I knew of that was really under 1500lbs. was Dan Woods t-bucket in the mid-sixties that had an aluminum Buick 215 V-8...
Flower's boxed "A" framed T-truck with the flatty came in at 2250 lbs. and she has never been h***led yet about the lack of fenders. My portly '35 Tudor weighs 3400 lbs........probably because of the Fatman frame and all those steel wheels more than anything else.
Just to clarify the 1500 lb. rule in California, I, also, in 45 years of rodding I have never heard of anyone getting a ticket for being over the "limit". But the threat was always there and the CHP used to always make sure that you were reminded of it......
still pretty damned light compared to modern cars... factory weight on a 50 poncho was 3770, my 65 impala's somewhere like that. new cars are some fat *** mofos... forget what that SST truck chevy made weighed but it was ridiculously portly.
Jeez...some guys are never satisfied. Hope you're not complaining about that weight. With even a mild 400 SBC that thing must go like stink! Enjoy and don't get hung up on the details - this isn't Road and Track magazine.
Yeah, Motorweek had one of the new Lotus Coupes on TV this last week. They were talking of a 10lb/HP that sounded impressive until I calc'ed out my touring at 4.5lbs/HP!. Plus my ET was better
I'm shooting for 1200 lbs. with this thing. The Iron Duke/5-speed combo weighs about 400 lbs. less than a 350/Turbo setup. I'll use lots of aluminum (steering wheel, steering box, radiator, body skin, etc.) plus the birdcage ch***is should be very light....made from 1 1/4" Dia. X .083" wall tubing. BTW....many thanks to HAMBer OLLIN for converting this CAD sketch to a jpeg file.
My 27 on 31 Chevy rails came in at 2010# with about 5 gal. of gas. Gl***, but with lots of sq. tube inner bracing and a steel floor.
1760 is right on target for a fibergl*** T. I remember the Car Craft article from the 60s in which they built a T bucket and it came in at that figure. I patterned the one I built after that how-to series.
i'll be very pleased if i get my gl***-bodied 55 under 2700lb. I have no idea what is realistic with tube frame/gl*** body car as big as the '55...I was told the body only weighs 300lb though.
When I took the Kookie Car to the scales it weighed 2708 pounds man I should have used unleaded fule... man that stuff is fatning........
My Old Roadster, 23 T, 283, alum PowerGlide, etc. weighed in at 1750 when it was registered in 1969. 1700-2100 would probably include 90% of all T buckets or T open car based fenderless cars, 4,6, SB 8, or BB 8. Mileage with full height windshield would average 14-16 with SB, 8-12 with BB. Shorter windshield would probably make some difference but you're still pushing a big TV box down the road. Surprisingly, most of the 4 and 6 cylinder cars don't get much better mileage, probably 'cause they have to be pushed harder to make the same speeds.
I'd take my 64 Olds 88 to the scales, But I don't really want to know that the thing goes arond 2 tons and is basically a boat towing a barge. Can you say slow?????!!!!
I know this has some roll cage/bar set up in it, but what is the frame? Boxed? Home Made? Is the cage/bar - chromoly? thickness? Seems like you did well with saving weight.
Had mine weighed 1 axle at a time,1200lbs at the front & 1790 lbs at the rear. The the whole truck 2990lbs ,big block buick hauls it down the street with a nice ride also. Later Rob
I figure the T-bucket I build tipped the scales at around 1200 lbs. The guy I bought it from had to have it weighed to get it registered, and with a full tank it sat at 1145. I changed a few things, and weighed it at each wheel and calculated about 1200. Gl*** body, 2.3 4 banger, aluminum 4 spd. independant rear, no front brakes, man I miss that thing.
Damn, you had a big engine. The guy at the local O'Reilly's stopped and asked me "It has a .9 liter engine?" when I was buying plugs this evening.
My mileage isn't too bad, if i keep my foot outta it!!I also keep the top part of my windshield open a little.But U R right about the windshield, My friend has a Model A roadster & the windshield was loose so it fell back & we couldn't push it up till we got down to about 10 MPH!! i couldn't believe the pressure on it. JimV
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