What's a T bucket with V8 like to drive?

This is on the west coast of Newfoundland last July, around 400 miles into our run to the Atlantic Nationals.
VERY windy conditions (thus my goggles instead of the usual shades), deeply rutted highway, 65 mph cruising...no issues at all.
Hey...the women are home...the sun is shining and the big block Chevy is just humming along. What COULD be wrong!?!? Hahaha

Theres no reason a T bucket or Mod can't be a driver, even if its capable of 12 second 1/4 mile rips!
It's all in the temperment you build into the engine and chassis.

Oh yeah...and FTF!

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xpW9OZr-MVE?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

Hackerbilt is exactly right. A t-bucket is as fast or slow, and as comfortable or uncomfortable as you build it. I know over a hundred T-bucket owners over 50, and they drive the wheels off them. Last June, my daughter and I drove 2000 miles in ours on a week long trip. That's not even a record cruise for us. Several of the guys in my club have over 150K miles on their T's, and one is closing in on 240K miles. Those guys are my heros. Mine has a mere 90K miles on it. They are more fun than you would believe! "Quick" is an understatement.

Here we are on Route 129 (The Tail of the Dragon) in Tennessee last summer.

http://youtu.be/i7WsidmBtbY

 

I've owned the sbc powered T-bucket in my avatar for over 25 years, I'm 57 now and it still a thrill to drive! Makes me feel young for awhile.

 

how do they handle. The only time I have really seen them really thrown around is in this clip from "Hot Rods to Hell". These ones seem to corner pretty flat the way they are throwing them around.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4fjwIC8Dmc

 

Buddy of mine loaned me his blown SBC powered Fad T bucket in 1979, drilled chrome I beam, Beer keg gas tank, 4 on the floor, Schiefer Competition clutch that require bionic left leg to depress. Drove it a few miles and scared myself a couple of times. I was limping from leg cramps when I got out with a B-I-G grin. Blue and yellow CA license plate was Goosey - wonder if it's still around? You out there Walt?

 

Nothing is more fun than a well-built and designed T-bucket roadster. Build them with good seat (save your back and butt, original springs available), toeboards (for best foot position and driving comfort), enough windshield to keep your face out of the wind, comfortable steering wheel and pedal positions, and working suspension (!!) and you've got along distance driver that you'll keep forvever.

 

When the weather is decent I always take my roadster. I paid a lot of attention to ride quality and driver comfort. Only problem is the wind comes around the windshield. If it is too windy I wear goggles.

 

Bob, are your radius rods attached solidly to the rear end? Some of the other T photos look to be. I keep reading how that breaks parts when you have to go up a driveway or hit a large bump with one wheel, the diff can't flex the way a front axle does?

 

If things go as planned I will be driving mine out to the Atlantic Nationals from Oshawa this year. So far things are looking good!

 

Where are you reading that? I have not seen anything about it on the HAMB or anywhere else. I have been into and out of a LOT of steep driveways and I've hit some scary bumps. All with no issue. Not even a close call.

As stated before, if you build a T right, like any other car, you'll have miles and miles of trouble free driving. A mount breaking off a rearend housing sounds like bad welds or someone who likes four wheelin'.

 

Fun as hell!
Jay

 

Then you haven't been paying attention. It has been brought up on multiple threads.

When you attatch the rear radius rod solidly under the rear axle then attach both ends to the outside of frame rails, you essentially have a big U shaped sway bar made up of the rear end and the 2 wishbones.

The rear end can't articulate as it should. Lots of light cars get away with it, but it is not proper.


In order to have it work properly there has to be a pivot point under the rear end and other pivot points so the rear end will articulate.

It came up for a full discussion in my build thread and is what led me to redesign the rear suspension for my 26 RPU into a modified triangulated 4 bar.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=460009&highlight=26&showall=1

If I recall correctly Nimrod had his 36 bones break on his duece roadster because of it and ended up re-doing his rear suspension into a triangulated 4 bar as well.

 

Yes, I believe it is better to have a rear two link set up with the bars aimed inboard toward the center of the car. Also, there is an inherent weakness in the '35 Ford radius rods I used. My radius rods have early Ford tie rod ends in the front end which provides for some articulation. With a Model A (Posies) rear spring there isn't much wheel travel. There are no doubt stresses when turning into a driveway at an angle but the strength of the parts and the quality of the welds are sufficient to handle the stresses with a car this light

I would reinforce the radius rods if I had fat, grippy rear tires and in fact, it is on my "to do" list. I don't accelerate hard because I know the '35 bones are marginal without reinforcement where the forging is welded to steel tube.

This roadster is a cruiser not a stop light racer.

 

Hard to keep a t-bucket under 1800lbs. I,ve been building them since the late 60,s and a good safe t is around 2000 lbs. This is with 1/4" frame materials, i-beam front axle,8" ford rear, full wood reienforced body with upolstry, tall glass windshield,iron corvair steering box and a s/b ford or chevy. One thing to consider there is "no" safety equip in a t-bucket at all. If anything happens your gonna be ejected to where only god knows and the power to weight ratio is very tempting to gouge on it. Even with a 2bbl carb when i was a kid with no sence it took a 69 charger with a 440 magnum to beat me. It was a miracle i survived those days. I still have the t-bucket after all these years but now i drive it with respect. There fun and easy to build and as cheap as you can get into hot roddin. I reinforced my cal-automotive body and have 0 stress cracks. If i can help you build one just ask i,ll do my best for ya.
Bob

 

Okay, I get it with wishbones, but with radius rods also?

 

I have a friend with tubular radius rods on his. Seems to work well, again I think it's because of the inherent flexibility in the radius rods.

Not to mention he is running a transverse rear spring so the side to side articulation is limited anyway.

 

On the subject of fun I believe my 26 RPU will be a blast to drive with the healthy 309 Y Block Tim McMaster built for me.

A street legal go kart that should surprise some folks

 

That makes sense. I'm a nut for checking my car out every other day or so. I'm confident in how the radius rods work, but check the welds and mounts a lot.

 

Mine has been around since the seventies. I drive it every dry, almost dry, day from March to November in Michigan weather. Gloves, scarf, leathers and a BIG smile. Rain ponchos stored under the seat. Never had a weld break. Always gets me home, even after a few, high speed, unintentional off road tours.

Those big rear tires throw more rain water on the backside of the windshield than you would believe.

Blown 383 Chevy, big M/T rear tires, white knuckles..
FUN FUN FUN. Riding it home from the shop makes you forget a real bad day. Time for some more fun.. I've been around for 65 years.

 

Geez, I'm starting to see one of these in my future. You guys are a bad influence, or a good one I'm not sure. I need a top though, can't take the sun. So I guess that means I need opening doors.

 

Like a bear with a firecracker in his ass mine weighed 1400lbs destroked 307 with a blower. had a leaf spring rear setup didnt' ride bad,but after a couple weeks got boring

 

As said a "go kart with a v8". Here's some pictures of me having fun at the HAMB DRAGS. I was 55 years young at the time. Sam

 

Me at Detroit Dragway ca 1970:

10.36 @ 133 MPH with a .440 lift hydraulic cam

What was I thinking?

 

Plain and simple - nothing but pure fun. I had a blast in this, and miss it very much, but boy they will really beat up if you drive it alot - which I did.
Had a "67 327 w/double hump heads, '66 saganaw 4sp, '57 chevy rear, and the rest you can see.

 

Me 65 Mother in law 89!



Bill

 

I hope the T-bucket won this race!

 

I got to admit, the MNL looks a lot more confortable than you do! I'm sorry, I'm just not built to put my knees togather like that.

 

He's just hiding the big ole woody he gets from driving the T-bucket from mom.

 

I Like that color Blue

 

Thanks for the nice comments on our story earlier. Frank Mazi's T-Bucket ran e.t's in the mid-10's at 124 mph back in the early 1970s, was driven on the street and according to Frank, the T was “very well-mannered, like a big go-kart.”

And, to prove it's versatility, his wife Linda also drove it on the street and ran in the 10s at the strip.

In case anybody missed it, story is at http://www.tbucketplans.com/2013/02/14/frank-and-linda-mazis-10-second-street-driven-t-bucket/

Thanks