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

Garys T.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/garys-t.834294/

 

Thanks

 

fwiw i've seen a few drag cars of the 60s with a grant or covico-style wheel mounted up side down. i assume for clearance. at first it's a bit jarring to the eye but once functionality/purpose is understood it became (to me anyway) almost kinda cool.

reminds me of the unresolved debate i had with friends regarding mismatched wheels front to back. if it was me i'd flip the steering wheel just to irk people.

dig your t!

 

@Snicklefritz65 Thank you! It's a work in progress, and probably will never fit into an exact time frame, but I'm trying to back date it to around the HAMB cutoff. White interior, reasonable tire sizes, not a ton of chrome due to money, upkeep and worry. I've already got chips in the primer, so I'll probably not go crazy with body and paint.
The T wheel is normally 'dish down'. I wouldn't put another wheel that way, mainly due to the back being not finished for viewing.

 

i'm in the same boat re: chrome and period-dating. i'm shooting for a mid-60s look however there will be some errors for the purists to pee on like disc brakes but backdating the windsor is in the plans and i'm going to be as true as the pocketbook allows; kinda proud of the older style repro 'glass body. i'm a bit behind ya in the process but i do have more parts collected than seen here... hoping to have a roller this year.
(yes, the outdoors is my workshop )

 

here are some cars i'm using for direct inspiration... fwiw.

 

It's nice to see you using the traditional cinder block method.

 

@Snicklefritz65 Great to see, and those inspirations are good too. The gray primed one even has the Olds wheel.
You keep working on it. I had to go with a reasonably complete car I could change to suit. I have more of a garage than you, but not all the tools to fabricate. If you are in MASS and the work area is the woods, is it under snow now?

 

unfortunately i think those cinder blocks only date to around 1980 but i hope it slips by.

 

i never noticed the sweep of the headlight mounts before. love those headers.

 

the frame and body are under heavy tarps and all the other smaller parts are in a shed. headers are in my bedroom closet, headlights under dining room table, etc...
this year i'll get a tent of some sort but moving a cherry picker on dirt has been a bit of a hassle so i imbedded cinderblocks in the dirt.

i had considered buying a car to modify. it was a toss-up. part of my reasoning is that i want a roughly 100" wheelbase and everything out there is longer so i had a guy make up this for me.

 

norm letendre-built t.

 

^^^^ That’s such a nicely executed roadster. The body/chassis rake is right on, the windshield is vertical, perfect bed length and rear axle placement. But the radiator is just a touch too short. I’m a sucker for that wheel and tire treatment….
This is a great thread! I always look forward to new posts.

 

more of the same...

 

A few of my favorites. The first 2 pics are of Clint Carmen's St Louis-based bucket from 1963.

No info on the next one.

The third one is from Kansas City, 1960. Teenager Larry Ryanbuilt this low budget, short wheelbase example.

Lastly, Ted Brown's definitive example from Southern California.

 

Some of my favorites.
They have differences in design choices and parts used, but all exude a clean simple approach for the most part.

 

stance/profile sure is key. amazing how many get it wrong but then there's also a bit of charm with the awkward hot rods from the old days.

 

I purposely chose a couple (middle 2) that aren't 'flat' like modern kits, but had some rake between the frame/body and the drivetrain.

 

Can I like this one many times?

 

Raining buckets .....

 

that's neat!

 

yeah that dark green with white headers has a great look. i also love 'top banana' too.

i think chip quinn (it could have been someone else tho) once suggested a 2 degree rake is a good amount- does that seem right? i'm at a bit of a crossroads on how much rake i want and from where. i figure i'll have about an inch difference in tire height but i want a bit of suspension rake too. dunno about body rake. this is new to me; i grew up on muscle cars.