PLEASE HELP ME FIND MY DAD’s T-BUCKET………………………………Hello. My name is Zack Methvin, I am and have been searching for my Dad's T-Bucket that he hand built from scratch for many years now. It is a 1923 T-Bucket Roadster that he started building in 1975 and completed in 1979 when we lived in Jackson, MS. For those of you who are familiar with Jackson, MS in the 1970’s & 80’s. Dad (Lonnie Methvin) owned Northside Texaco on Northside Drive & IH-55N, next to John Bennett’s Union 76 station. In 1975 Dad bought the Briarwood Gulf @ Canton Mart road & I-55N and went on later to buy Briarwood Texaco @ Briarwood Drive & I-55N. Dad showed the car at the Jackson Trade Mart building 1979 at the “World of Wheels” and won 2 classes with it. Later that year he sold the car to Joe Speed who at the time owned North Jackson Honda-Yamaha located at the corner of State St. & Briarwood Drive in Jackson. In approx. 1988, Joe sold the car to Gary Elliott who lived in Brandon (somewhere near the reservoir). I tracked down Gary a few years back. He said he sold the car in 1991 to an elderly man named John Conner who he recalled lived in the Dallas, TX. This is where the trail goes cold. I have followed up on every lead I have received but had no luck. If you know of anyone with a car like this please let me know as I would like check into it. I've researched the last known LP (MS Antique #1196) with the DMV and have had no luck. I do not have the VIN number or any other official documentation on the car. I've also searched old insurance records & car clubs with no success. I would be extremely grateful to anyone who might know anything about this vehicle or offer advice as to how I can track this car without a VIN number. I've attached the only pics of have of the car. With the exception of the body, this car was built 100% from scratch by dad. There is nothing on the car that could be considered a "kit" part. I would assume the car has been through some minor or even major changes over the years but the interior, vertical steering column & “dropped” style steering wheel setup I would think are more than likely still as original. Last time I saw the car in in person was 1986, it had the wire spoke wheels and blower intake setup. As seen in the photos. Here are some very distinct characteristics that would identify that this is the car I'm looking for: 1. Hand cut walnut dash with centered gauge cluster (Stewart Warner Gauges) 2. Steering column is out of an old VW bus, it comes up thru the floor and is almost straight up and down. 3. The steering wheel was a custom made 6" dropped "T" style with 4 brass spokes and wood ring. This was purchased from the Florida Rod Shop in 1975/76 4. The interior was a naughyde tan color diamond style tufted and pleated. 5. Brass Radiator. 6. Paint color was a 1976 Cadillac "fire-thorn" red. 7. Brass carriage lights on the cowl. 8. 70's style Mustang/Pinto automatic floor shifter. 9. Pin striping on the body sides in the door area and on the tailgate. Also had a big letter "T" on the cowling at the center base of windshield. 10. Originally had a LT1 350 with an Offenhauser cross-ram intake. 11. TH400 Transmission. 12. Side "wind wings" that attached to the sides of the windshield frame. 13. Headlights are from a 1931 Chevy. Note: The pic’s showing it with the Cragar S/S wheels and cross-ram intake was when Dad still owned it & at the time he sold it to Joe Speed in 1979. Joe added the wire wheels & blower in 1980. To be clear, I am ONLY searching for this car with hopes of buying it back, nothing else. The car is NOT stolen or anything like that. Dad passed away in 2017, I would just love now more than ever to buy the car back. I’m been actively searching for this car for over 12 years. I had hoped of finding, buying it back and surprising my Dad with it but unfortunately that day will never happen. Even with him gone, this car is still EXTREMELY important to me. Any help would be greatly appreciated. please share this with as many people as you can Nationwide. I don’t know exactly what state the car could be in but I feel it is still MS or possibly TX. I REALLY APPRECIATE IT! Thanks, Zack Methvin
Thanks, me too. This marks my 15th years of searching. I know it is out there. It was a showing winning car that now has to be tucked away in someone's garage / shop. It's like finding a fiber-optic needle in a haystack but regardless, I will never give up searching.
Good luck but experience says that the car may have been changed so much you could walk past it at a show and not recognize it except it is a nice T bucket like Dad used to have. I see that you have already done exactly what I was going to suggest and that is post on the T bucket group on FB. T bucket guys tend to remember Specific T buckets a lot better than other rodders who may focus on different styles of cars. About you can legally do with a Vin is find out if the car is still in the system and has been registered recently. If it isn't a state issued 17 digit vin that may be a real challenge on that car as most search systems don't recognize anything except 17 digit vins and legal issues prevent the state from just doing it for anyone. Many won't even give you a yes/no answer that the vin is in the system.
Did you see the T in the classified section? Looks like the one you are in search of. Has a SBF in it but it could have been changed.@THR1LL3R has one listed
Go to Off Tropic, here on the HAMB, and post the pictures in the Post-65 T-bucket thread. Maybe somebody there recognizes it.
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