Features traditional t bucket

It was a coupe with the roof cut off & the doors welded shut. One of my favorite cars of all time, theres a guy on here that is building a close copy.

 

I'm also a big Don Brusseau fan and would imagine this is what the car looks more like today.


It was also in Feb., 1967 Car Craft and also on the cover of Rod & Custom in the 60s. A terrific, incredibly detailed T.

 

Hey guys! I promised a couple of you that I would post a certain feature up today. Here it is evening already...

 

Thought I'd take a minute or two and show another favorite... With reservations! If they had just not cut the side of the body down, this would have been in my mind a just about perfect turtle deck car. Wonder what they were thinking?

 

And this last round of scans is completely self gratifying. This is the last T-bucket I started to build for myself about 7 years ago. Just about the time a customer came over to pick up his louvers and decided it needed a new home... HIS!

Obviously complete enough to get what was going on, I basically unbuilt a Monogram "Big Drag" kit and used it's proportions leaving totally impracticle things like center steering and such out of the mix. The power was a '64 Dodge 273 solid lifter motor and a 904 behind that... just 'cause I'm kinda stupid that way and I had it. Cowl steering was an extened Corvair unit on a cowl hoop, and I make the friction shocks like that for all of my "small car" builds. Hope these came out, 'cause they were on paper on the garage wall for years.

 

Scan that PHR feature on the black RP. I really want to see a chassis shot. BAD.

 

Hey George. I can't get back into my office / guest bedroom to scan yet tonight. The curse of living in Phoenix for the first quarter of the year is you need a big guest room! But, I'll take some time tomorrow and scan then post it on the full fendered roadster pickup thread that we were discussing it on the other day.

 

You da man! I have a big stack of period stuff I want to photograph and post on this thread and a couple others, but the battery in my camera is charging. Will try to get a bunch of stuff up tomorrow.

 

The top T was built by George A Burns, better know as GAB, now of Kansas City, with a friend. I believe he said they used an Almquist body. The rims were nickle plated. he's still building today out of his shop, Tubular Dynamics.

Ron

 

Wow! That one is SHORT! Looks like around 85" wb? I have a Car Craft that has a feature on the nailhead powered one below it.

 

That body isn't cut down on the sides. I think it is an earlier body that 23-25, like 15-16. Note the cowl has an abrupt drop from the windshield base to the short firewall. Early Ts had a much lower hood than the late 23-27 cars. It is of course using the 23-35 turtle deck rather than the much shorter in front height earlier versions.

 

You're both right and wrong on this one. Yes it is an earlier "T" body, a '17 - '22 to be exact, but it is cut down about two or three inches tapered from behind the dash and windshield posts around the back. It was a fairly common mod back in the "Gow job" days in the thirties, but normally just the "flip" at the back was cut. Makes me think that little car was a hot rod loooong before it was a T bucket. Been studying that little one page article for almost forty years now...

 

Okay, now I have to ask, has anybody got a picture of the car at the top of post#190 from the rear? Even with my crazy magazine collection, I can't remember a feature on this one. I have seen the picture posted before, but nothing else.

Here is my somewhat convoluted thinking. Over the last year or so I have alluded a time or two to having a "vintage glass" body. It was built exactly like this car with an ultra short wheel base. I think I might have found my car featured in a copy of ROD ACTION from '72 or so... but here is the kicker - That car featured looks ALLOT like a later version of the car above, was out of the midwest, and some of the details (windshield posts, steering posistion) look ALLOT like the body I have in the yard right now. Mine was big flake blue metal flake over black at it's last paint job, and I have narrowed the body manufacturer down to Almquist (did they make their own?) or an early Cal body because of the flip at the bottom of the body. I might be reaching on this one, but maybe not...

 

Nothing on the shorty. Heres a couple more I have always REALLY liked. These will get bigger if you click on them twice and open them in another window. I REALLY dig the aftermarket Plymouth cones on the white one, wish those were re-popped.

 

And heres Ivos car as it appeared in the movie. I should hit the old Car Crafts as well, dig through some of those.

 

I bought one of the chopper gun shot 'glass bodies you show with that all-the-way-across-the-back ducktail recently at the swap meet in Decatur TX. It was obviously never used and must have been early early production since the mould separation lines are very thin with none of the knots and bulges on the seams which mean worn out moulds. Several who have seen it say Almquist.
I also have an old roadster with a Cal Auto 'glass hand laid body which has only the "stock" narrow ducktails on each side in the rear.

 

Love it!

 

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1580623&d=1330815689

this is what I think of when I hear the term T 'bucket'...

 

if your over 5'10 deff sit in a few before you think of doing one up... Im 6'3 and its not feasible...

 

Here my Tee. 41 Ford V8, 39 top loader trans. I'm 5'7" it's a tight fit for me. Fun as hell to drive...

 

Over stuffed seat backs and tall seat risers make for uncomfortable seating in these cars. Another contrubing factor is a lack of a toeboard. I did a T for a 6'4'', 225 guy and it fits him like a glove. Last summer he drove form the Twin Cities area to Denver, Dallas and back home again. Now he's planning a trip to Florida this summer.

I can't find the post right now but I think GAb said the lil' bucket had a banjo rear in it. Sent him a PM for more pic's.

Ron

 

That's EXACTLY the stance and wheelbase I want! Love it-

 

The older I get the more padding I take out of the backrest in my roadster. I am now down to contoured 1/4" plywood and 1/2" rebond carpet pad. Think that's the best I can do. The old towel is wet and the clamp holds the contour.

 

Thank you sir!

One question though. Does yours have a small ledge at the firewall for say a hood rail? Some one else and a few magazine adds also suggest Fiberfab too...

 

'27 Highboy on a '32 frame w/ '32 rad

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc138/prb51/IMG_0369.jpg

 

Yup, I got 1/4" paneling, 1/2" of that white padding (batting?) that upholstry guys use and a canvas cover.

I'm very comfortable. The more time I spend in it the better. 5-10 or 11 and 240's.

My kid is 6-4 and 250 and he can drive it but knee room is his issue. He thinks when I die he's gonna put cowl steering in and sit in the middle, gas on the right, shifter between his legs.

Frank.

 

I've said it earlier, I'm 6'3" and fit fine. I've driven ALL day and not cramped up. You have to do some serious thinking when it comes to setting up the seat. It can be done and without looking like your sitting on top of it, instead of in it.

Also, I'm skinny (no gut). If you think you could loose a few pounds in your mid-section, then you will have problems. Some "heavy" folks install a tilt column, but that never looks right, IMO.