I sent you a PM with Vince's home phone, the Chan brother's were friends with my older brothers and are about 15+ years older than me. I did not see that car on the streets I may have been 1-2yrs old. My brothers remember all their cars. Gene built that "T" to drag race and cruise Main St, back in the day, according to my conversation with Vince Chan. The guys had some really cool cars in their days, and got to be close friends with Larry Watson in LA. Vince told me a very funny story about the day they were picking up the T body from Watson's, his other brother dropped a peice of a cheese burger on the turtle deck right after Watson cleared it and it left a mark in the paint. He said Watson was a little upset and grabbed his striping brush and outlined the deck with white pinstriping. Gene did not plan on the pinstriping, but Watson made the paint issue look cool! The car is still local in a garage here in Visalia, but has been through so many changes, you would not recognize it according to Vince.
I sent a pm back and I thank you for the contact info. I will be giving him a call over the weekend if not before that. I can't wait to hear the stories and get to know not only the car but about Gene and his brother and their cars. I need to look at the car a lot closser not sure I noticed the pin stripping. I think this car has a lot of detail in shuch a small package. I fell in love the car when I first saw and I started a car club here called Valley Rodders and I have a facebook page. I put that picture of and everyone always comments on it and likes the car. I need to link them to the HAMB to see and hear about it. I would love to build something like it but not a clone just something that would remind you of Gene's car. To bad it wasnt left alone and kept the way it was. I wonder what kind of changes have been done to it. I would also love to hear about the drag racing and the crusing. I wish they would make a movie and use all traditional rods of that time period today. So much history in these cars and they deserve to be told. Thanks Sandford&Son for sharing and also putting me in contact with Vince.
Awesome! I can see where the wheels and tires have changed. Did the interior change too? Also is that a bucket seat in it? Falcongeorge thanks for posting the pic where did you find it?
Hey, CRT; Lots of good info here to digest, & many ways to go. If you don't really care which makers' mill you run, your chances of getting a decent one @ a decent price get a whole lot better. Each make has some (perceived) advantages, & they do give a little different look. IIRC, from reading your past posts, you're quite well aquainted w/mopar, from the resto days/projects. Well, how about looking around &/or putting the word out to the old resto buddies, to see what - if anything - they have that they're not using? Might turn up a lot of cast-offs(read: older "speed" equipt), that w/some clean-up, will look right at home in the soon-to-be-T. I do think that placement of components in, & the proportions of, wheelbase/body/stance/etc, are more important than which specific piece is used. Sometimes it only takes an inch or two, to make a huge difference in appearance. & I'd use that 8 3/4 w/o hesitation. . You're on the right track w/proportions using Chan's T as a good example. Others to consider might be Isky's T, & Multi's T . I realise they're time frame is earlier than what you're after, but the proportions are worth studying. FWIW. Marcus...
Hey thank you and if you want to pm me links on those T's and I will check them out. I agree studying all of them is the best way to learn anything. Gene's car just hit me and it hit me hard and there is not one thing I would change on it. Yeah the 8 3/4 rear I think I can pick it up for 100-150 delivered. I dont know if the guy will include the drums and I wouldnt mind the front drums as well. The worst part about my area is car snubs. The club I was in they only helped one or two guys get some cars done and really everyone else was left on their own. It is sad because at one time that club was well over 100 members and now it might be less then 10. I have tried to buy parts and cars from them but it is a no go. I will keep trying and looking around with a few of the members that left. Also the guy who bought my R/T may have something and he may have some old HEMI's that would be worth checking into. My goal is to build a nice clean ride to just enjoy. After the past ten years of being sick and working my way back from a stroke I just want to enjoy things more and not stress out of a correct part, OEM paint and whatever. I want to drive! I will put out some fillers around me and on the Mopar boards where they hang out. Thanks Nrgwizard. That it would be! It would be cool to be restored back to original too.
Try these: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=101436&highlight=multi http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=8439241&highlight=isky#post8439241 (Reply #588, 1st photo) My search skills suck (at best). Also, Youngsters' plans have good info. Think they're available @ tbucketeers. Proportions are a pain for me. I can recognize them, when they're right or wrong, but it's very hard for me to both draw & create them. Kudos to those who can. &, This may be the wrong thread to post this stuff, but at least you'll see it. Didn't try to hijack. Maybe find a street-rod club in the area, similar to the Minnesota Street Rod Association? We've got all kinds in there, lots of good examples of traditional, too. & a good FS/W section in the monthly newsbook. Marcus...
Thanks Marcus, I will check those out. We do have a car club called Valley Cruisers that I might look into again. I checked them out years ago and they seem to be still holding strong. I suck at math so getting something right takes me a log of figuring out. Now if your car needs paint I know how to strip it down and weather or not it needs it to the bare metal. I can tell when there is a high low spot while sanding by the feel of it. I should have spent more time in my dads shop but he was always the one that didn't like me doing the work or most of the work for health reasons. But it is in my blood! Now that I think about those speed parts I think I have an intake for a big block Mopar lying around some where.
The thing that makes a fenderless pre-'23 bucket bodied rod "pop" has to do with the external engine dimension-to-body dimension ratio. The 283 is just too small. Same for small block Mopar and small block Ford. The 440 Mopar is large and parts are readily available (a bit pricey) and the 8 3/4 rear is an excellent choice, especially from a late '60s Dart or Valiant. Gene Chan looks to be around 5'5" tall. I'm 5'11", the rear of my seat sits on top of the 4" frame rail (body channeled 4") and slopes upward to a 6" riser - very comfortable. And I still end up looking over the windshield! Norm Grabowski was also short in stature (but large in character). See my avatar and go to Hoser for more pictures.
What he said. When you start compromising with small engines, ugly differentials, T bodies with large '23-25 firewalls you loose it. Look at the slope on the pre 23 cowl and the small firewall against a big engine. That is what you are looking for.
Not to be too disagreeable, But I many times over prefer the '23-'25 body. Matter of fact, I've given away an earlier body just because I wasn't going to use it. My very first "T" bucket I built back '81 had a 440 dodge engine in it. I always thought it looked too chunky and took up too much space ahead of the firewall. And being fairly heavy it handled like a stone too. It was okay on a pair of 165X15s up front, (the biggest tire a "T"-Bucket should ever wear) but it really would have been happier on something bigger. Ya, even being a low compression single four barrel engine it ran hard, but finding any traction with a pair of 235/75-15 was rare. I also am not a fan of front mounted distributors for aesthetic reasons as well. Just my opinion, short of an early Cad engine, Hemi or Buick nail head, the small block Chevy detailed with two fours and Corvette cast valve covers is as good as it gets for an open engine, early themed car. I don't see it as a "compromise" in any way shape or form. Maybe I just built and rebuilt Monogram's "Big "T" kits too many times as a kid. It's just that the early stuff has gotten sooooo expensive to work with and hard to find, that these days, if you want to get a car on the road and actually enjoy it, simple is the way to go. It's also light, keeps the car nimble, and is simple to fabricate stuff for, 'cause there is sooo much in the market to look at and borrow from. Keep it simple for the first one, get more exotic on the second or further down the line.
IMHO, T buckets are supposed to be a novelty, over the top and certainly not practical. Hell ya might as well throw in there lacking any amount of comfort. They are 100% shock value. I hadnt made the big engine connection personally, I just knew it looked "right" but it makes total sense to me now as to why. That being said build what ya can when ya can and enjoy the ENTIRE experience.
Maybe i'm just feeling like being an ass this morning or I just feel strongly about this subject but if you just want a T bucket to drive and don't really want to make a statement why don't you just beg, borrow or steal a few thousand dollars and go out and buy one of the thousands on the market at any time. Does the world need another I-800 bellybutton T bucket. The guy that started this thread picked an iconic picture and said he wanted one that looked like it. You just can't get that look with fiberglass 25 body,350,350,8 1/2. Or better yet buy a cookie cutter T and start collecting parts to build the one you really want. Mine was a ten year project. Von Franko doesn't have any trouble finding early T bodies. Hell there is a girl with a build thread on the hamb doing it. Okay my rant is over and yes I feel better.
I agree with Chip on small blocks in T buckets. IMO Chuck Penry's car is one of the best looking T-buckets ever built, and it was small-block powered. Knutsons Novel-T wasnt exactly chopped liver either, and it was also a SBC. You dont need a cad or a chrysler to build a good looking T bucket. One thing to keep in mind is to keep the wheelbase in proportion to the engine size. If you are using a small-block, keep the wb on the short side, like 94"/96" range. I DO agree with Steel City about one thing, because all the mechanical components are so exposed, you have to be careful about what you use. If you go SBC, and then load it up with cheap eighties billet swap meet parts, its gonna look like a cheap, eighties swap meet T bucket.
Btw, FG... did that pic originate in England????? Lol. This thread has really got me going, i've had T bucket fever a very long time, i nearly bought one when i was 16, but couldn't come up with the money.....so the spark has been back there in that dark corner nobody talks about.
Sorry guys for going off this morning. I too have seen some very kool small block T buckets in fact my T was powered by a SBF for it's first maybe 15 years. I do agree about the shorter wheelbase and KISS keep it simple stupid moto. Gary
T Buckets were the simplest and easiest hot rods to build. I like them that way. When I first got into hot rods, the T Bucket was my favorite. I looked at every article and picture I could find. But what I didn't like was all the crap that guys started adding to them. That, along with fat, over sized rear tires made them a joke. I guess the fad T's come to mind. Like rat rods, they progressed from a guy trying to build a simple hot rod, into piles of stuff slapped on for shock and amusement. One thing I never liked was a fake 14" or 20" pick up bed. Gennie looking coach lights used as tail lights. Or the miniature coach lights used as cowl lights. A huge wind shield with a larger padded top. When you start adding stuff, just for the sake of adding, you end up with an art car. I guess that's also a belly button car, as well. As far as engines, anything other than a banger in a T Bucket. I like a dressed up banger in a T, but not in a T Bucket. For me, the bigger the engine, the better. I love my SBC, but if I could have found a reasonably priced 396 or 454 BBC, I would have used it. It goes back to the biggest engine in the smallest body idea. I don't see how you could over load it with cheap billet parts because there nothing there but a basic engine. If overloaded means the alternator bracket or air cleaner, well, whopped de doo. Gene's car is cool as all get out, but there are some things I'd change for practicality reasons. Like the exhaust pipes. Cool, but it wouldn't last on a T I'd drive. The headlight stands look awkward at that height and the lights are too small. They look "cute'. Hot rods ain't supposed to be 'cute". "1-800...." here's my rant on that load of shit. If you're a person with limited resources, you can't find what you want at the local swapmeet or your buddy doesn't own an old car junk yard, then get what you need from the aftermarket by...wait for it... calling them on your phone. I read the "1-800...." crap and I get an image of a guy who has a Jay Leno garage and he's fabricating EVERY single part of his car. Every nut and bolt. He's rolling out his own steel from his mill, from the ore he dug out of his mine. He's shearing wool from his sheep to make material for his goose down seats. Unless that's you, you bought your stuff from either a private seller or a business and guess what? They had a damn phone. IMO, the OP can do one of two things. he can build something simple to get his feet wet, like a lot of guys. Or he can spend 10 years looking for stuff to build a superflexmegamongoultra T. It'll look bad ass, as long as his enthusiasm doesn't burn out.
I agree with you and a lot of stuff that I will need for any build will come from the aftermarket. My area used to have a few junk yards but most have been clossed and everything crushed. I have maybe two still left in the area. I'm going to be talking with them and seeing what I can find. A lot of old car guys in my area have either passed away or have sold off everything. So finding a lot of vintage parts is and will be hard unless I used the net. I used to go to Carlisle shows and I still might (depending on my health) and see what I can find. I just dealt with an old school hot rod club here in my area. The main guy was an ass and I told him so. I'm in it for the fun factor and enjoying the car. If by chance I get people coming up to me asking about it and I get to form my car club I will do that and teach the next generation coming along. I'm tired of young kids thinking a Honda with a hopped up engine is a hot rod. I will go easy but with me nothing is esay. I have a very creative mind but a body that wont let me be the creative person I once was. The motors I can find chevy small blocks from time to tome at a good price. The 283 in my area is 400 obo but now the add says might run. I think a 283 would be as traditional as they come. I'm sure there were a lot of them stuck in a car and a lot of buckets back in the day. I have found two big block Mopars both are 383s. The bad part in my area I have one guy who works on and knows Mopar motors like the back of his hand. The other shops will tell me they dont know much but will figure it out and gives me the price by the hour to do the work. The 383s with their 727 trans is something that I have kept in the back of my head and I know its there. I can get the one that runs with a rear and drum breaks for around 500. Gene's car is something I would never try to recreate other than the stance. I would like to let some of my creativity show through. I do know a lot of guys who call up and not only order what they want in parts but a full car. Do I wish I had that kind of cash to do so yes do I wish I could do that NO. I want the feeling of I built that I did it myself. There are things I wont be able to do but I can do a lot of the build myself. When I did OEM cars I thought I was having fun. I didnt know how wrong I was until I sold a car in mid restoration. So whatever I build next will be a driver and if it is on a trailer 1) It's been stolen or 2) I broke down lol. One thing that having a stroke at 29 taught me, life is short and if you dont stop and take the time to look around life will pass you by. I plan to not let life pass me by and I promised myself to enjoy it and each day because that is the biggest gift. This weekend I'm going to call Gene's brother and talk with him and maybe I will learn about the Bucket and what kind of shape it is in.
Lets get this thread back on subject. The Gene Chan T bucket. I'd like to find out more about it and what it looks like now. Back in the day you had to change them so you could keep showing them and most guys couldn't just leave well enough alone. Everything was modernize and keep up with the trends. Even in the late '70s when I started mine nostalgia wasn't a word used. Not until Von Franko came out with his Kookie Kar Klone and then a couple of years later when I got mine running did things start to change.
I'd love to see this car today too! I seem to remember seeing something about it being in a garage somewhere, maybe written by Pat Ganahl? It does kinda make me wonder, how much of a car do you have to modify before it becomes unrecognizable?
Ha, never noticed that till you pointed it out. Honestly dont know whereI found it, it was just in the photos on my HD. I too have a pile of parts (I have 3-4 "designated" parts piles around here) That is intended to become a mid-sixties t-bucket one day, patterned pretty closely after a mix of the Penry car and Metal Nazi's SBF car. Thing is, I have two other "piles of parts" that are ahead of that pile in the lineup. I figure I gotta live at LEAST another 30 years if I'm gonna finish all this crap. Anyone that came of age car-wise in the mid/late sixties probably has a closet T-bucket fetish. Knutsons car on the cover of R&C, The Texas T in Hot Rod in '67, Rickles injected buick, The blue pontiac powered job in the Walker/Geary article in R&C, man, you couldn't avoid them if you wanted to, killer T-buckets were REAL hot then.
Agree! So guys I started this thread to find out more about Gene Chan and his T bucket and I was lucky enough to be put into contact with his brother. This is not just my thread but our thread. Tell me what you guys would like to know when I talk to Gene's brother? I hope that maybe I can get some more pictures of the Bucket as it was and how it changed over the years and to how it is today. The one picture that was posted in this thread shows it with Anesen mags and I'm guessing bike wheels? Correct me if I'm wrong. Thanks everyone for keeping the thread going, all the advice and talk about Gene's awesome Bucket and the dream I have to make an awesome bucket of my own soon. So tell me what you would ask? I wonder if I could set-up a time like on blogtv that maybe Vince would be able to talk and we all could be there and ask questions?
If the OP is interested. The 8 strombergs look to have Scott Tops installed which is why they look like stacks.
Hate to break it to you, those arent ansens, they are 4 hole halibrands.Assuming you can find a pair, take what you would pay for a pair of mint ansens, and multiply that by, oh say, a factor of six, and you are getting in the ballpark. between the wheels and the scott carb tops, I'd guess that would pretty much take care of the entire budget for building your car!
My head just hit the desk! Who makes wheels today that look like those and give you that vintage look? I found a set of American racing wheels called Anesen but they have a cap on that just throws the look of the wheel off. I have to admit to that as of late I've been digging the motorcycle wheels on the front and torque thrust or anesens on the rear.
If you dont mind CoronetRT, I am pinning these links. There is so much info going on here, seems a bit appropriate. If not just let me know, no harm no foul. I too am on the edge of my seat to hear what you find out. The historical research of my build has been probably as rewarding if not more-so (especially because of the family tie-in) as the actual fabrication. Even if you dont end up with building something similar to the Chan T, this has been a great education on all sorts of levels. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=505967 http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=98480 http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=603870 http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=84054 http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46905
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