I'm a newby here on the hamb as well as with working on rods. I've been collecting parts for years now and here's what I have: Fibergl*** 23 t body 1946 Ford front suspension 1957 Chevy rear axel 1934 Ford front and rear cross members 1938 Ford 1 ton steering box/column/ wheel Aircraft lights Misc T-bucket frame blueprints How well will these parts go together? Any advice is appreciated. Oh, and I'm a full-time student and a father of three so money's tight.
Don't plan on that 57 Chevy axle holding up to any kind of power, especially with a sticky tire. Ask me how I know..... T-buckets are a great first project. They're simple and easy to build, and you don't have to worry about bodywork. I can offer some simple pointers: Do all your fab and ***embly FIRST, then tear it down for paint and finishing, then re***emble. Keep paint and powdercoat out of bolt holes, measure twice, cut once, take your time, have a plan before you start, have an idea of what you want the end product to be. Don't be ashamed to have a experienced welder do the important welding for you. Most importantly, BE SMART, BUILD IT RIGHT, KEEP IT SAFE.
My advice ... research what it takes to licence/***le it as a "Model T" or a "kit car" or a "homemade vehicle" in your state before you go any further. You are going to need a ***le, find out what is required to get one (in your state) before you go any further. You state you have a gl*** 23T body and blueprints for a ch***is ... that means you have nothing that is a "real" 23T and that may mean bad things when it comes time to get a VIN (vehicle identification number), ownership/***le etc. I have no idea what the laws/rules/requirements for obtaining an ownership/***le are in your state ... but YOU need to know them. Your state may require emission controls that came on your engine OR they may require emission controls for a 2012 vehicle if that is what it ends up being ***led as. If you use an original ownership and numbers from a real Model T (it is illegal to transfer the numbers from one car to another ... it has been done before, but that does not make it legal) and your state requires a VIN verification before issueing you a ***le, it will be pretty obvious (to the inspector) that your car is not (and never was) a real Model T. As I stated earlier ... I do NOT know the rules for your state, but you need to find them out before you go any further. Best of luck but it would **** to find out what could be very bad news AFTER the car is built.
The engine I have is a 250 Chevy 6 (scored for free) with 3 carbs. The ****** is a 200r4 (also free). I've researched licensing here in Idaho and have the info ready for when I need it. I just wasn't sure how well the cross members and front end would work with a t bucket body. I'm going for a setup in the front similar to Jimmy Shines truck.
While you might be able to use the rear crossmember, the front one won't be of much use to you in a typical T bucket build. I mean, it could be used, but most people simply use some 2.75 to 3 inch round DOM tubing (don't use PIPE) and mount a perch off of that for the cross spring. Even that rear crossmember would not be most peoples first choice but could be made to work with something like a Model A or Model T rear spring. Not sure how that 1 ton steering box is different from the usual car versions , but I would not think it is the best choice either. So many more common boxes to use like the F100 steering boxes from the early 50's and the reversed Corvair boxes. But without seeing yours it is hard to tell. I've had a couple of cars with the 56ish Chevy rears and they were ok for their time and still can hold up as long as you aren't doing burnouts constantly. That 6 cylinder will never hurt it. 46 Ford front suspension can work, but again not the best choice. For one thing the spring is in front of the axle, which shortens your WB a few inches and it is also heavier than a T needs. The wishbones also sit close to each spindle, which can cause the tires to rub on hard turns. Aircraft lights ? I guess you intend those for head lights. Good news is, you have a T body to start with. Don
look around and see what hotrod clubs are around your neck of the woods. Theres usually some good guys in 'em who'll help you along. This place is AWESOME and has lots and lots of technical information but most of it is based upon peoples opinions,which is based upon they're own experiences. Someone who can help you hands on would be invaluable IMO.. Best of luck with your build, T's are waaay cool when done right!!
Learn all you can about T buckets. They aren't the easy little cars to build that many think UNLESS you're following the CCR plans or plans from Total Performance or even "How to Build A T-bucket for under $3000". The 33-34 front and rear crossmembers will be worth more to you to sell to buy something you can use. The steering box and shaft ***embly from the 38 Ford 1ton truck might get sold for a few dollars to put toward something more usable but may be OK. The 48 Ford(p***enger car I hope, cross spring in front of axle etc.) front end has adequate brakes or can easily be converted to discs (cheaper than rebuilding the original drum brakes), the spring is junk but it won't be that hard to find a 28-31 Model A front spring (new ones aren't terribly expensive) and mount it between the wishbones after you split 'em.
The best advice anyone can give: do not be afraid to do something over if it isn't just right. You will spend more time trying to compensate for something that is "close enough" than if you just stop, undo whatever you just did, and do it over so it is 100% the way it should be. Sometimes you'll even be in the middle of something and figure out a better way to do it. Rather than continue, just start over with the better idea. Trust me, this produces a much better car and you will be much happier with it.
Hello imopie; Up front reading your list of parts on hand I'll just say it's not exactly where I would start. Given that I'll also say you can work with what you have it just won't look like the "Normal" Fad T. In my book that's just fine. Nothing I build ends up like "Normal" and I've been doing it 50+ years. Were I you the next thing on my wish list would be a pair of Model A frame rails or something close. Then you can actually start building something with what you have. With the personal information you shared with us I would also say this will be a long term project. That's OK also. A man needs a hobby to Chill with and even if nothing gets done on a regular base it's your space and time. You don't need a lot of custom built parts to build a Rod as long as you don't want it to look like a lot of Custom built parts. Here is a shot of one of my projects for inspiration. Correct, it's not normal. It's my Model A frame in pieces. People that have seen it (not many) say "Why"? I just say why not. They all start somewhere and today it's all fabbed up and rolling with the motor in it. Next move is tear down for paint (just ch***is black) and it's done. Not being Normal is the new Normal so you and I are just fine. Good luck to you, The Wizzard
Good luck on your project . I would use a repro t frame or a good model a frame to mount the body on .
So an update: just traded my t body and grill for a 35 Chevy 1 ton. The cab isn't too big so I'm gonna hot rod it. I plan on building a custom frame for it soon.
Get it safe and running and go have fun with it for a while until you come up with a plan. It's summer, get that girl on the road! Love your truck as is. She's a beauty!
The Jalopy Journal
