Hello I just recently got a 1927 t bucket body. What should I use for a frame? I have read that model a frame will fit and some people say the model a frame is too wide? I see speedway offer a frame all done for $3k. I am trying to build a 50's era correct t-bucket. Any help or suggestions would be great. Thanks
Hmmmm...maybe look thru some old magazines to see what they ran in the 50's? I thought the model A was pretty much a perfect fit to a T but I'm only going by what others have said on here. One late T Roadster that stands out in my memory used a custom round tube frame and looked awesome. The owners name escapes me at the moment...but someone will know! LoL I'm not sure how close a Speedway frame would be to a 50's style but a lot of it is covered I guess. Hey...good luck with the build! You will enjoy a T!
I narrowed a '31 Chevy frame changing front cross member out for a '32 Ford. Going to keep the rear parallel springs. This is under a 23 body.
Hackerbilt has good advice. Get some "50s hot rod magazines and do some homework. The Speedway frame with the A rear X member is close to the look that would be built in the late '50s early '60s.
Model a frame fits a 27 body like it was made for it. Here is my Speedway body on a 30 model a frame. Don
No way should a frame cost $3,000. There is probably $75. worth of steel in a bucket frame. Make you own.
I think if you do more research a frame doesn't cost $3000 but more like $500. The $3000 is for the KIT with the front suspension and Diff. If you have the skills and equipment or want something special for all means build your own frame but if you just want a T bucket start you can just buy the Speedway frame. If you want period T it is all in the parts you surround that frame with. Their is a lot of old suspension parts and other period correct parts out there.
Ive been doing a lot of research looks like I am going to use a model A frame. How do the shocks mount using a drop axle? Thanks
Looks like I am going to pick up a model A frame this weekend. How would I go about mounting gas shocks to the axle? Thanks
Are you asking about "gas charged" shocks, or some sort of air ride? Air ride or "bags" might get this thread closed. Be careful what you write, for that reason. traditional, like you mentioned, would be a buggy spring up front, also on the rear in most cases, but a few were built with light duty coil springs in the back, but not modern coil-over suspensions. If you really mean gas charged shocks, you don't need those on a very lightweight car. They will ride a bit stiffer, and on a very light rear body, can slightly raise the back, if very little weight is on the rear.
Tube shocks can mount to a bracket that mounts underneath the perch pin on Model A axle - I presume you'll use a dropped 'A' axle - the replacement perch pins are longer than stock for the bracket. You really need to figure out whose T bucket you pattern yours after as that will tell you what front end stuff to use. Probably Kookies' Tee is the definitive 50's look - search for Norm Grabowski
Long perch bolts with LOWER shock mounts ( Speedway). 1-weld on top brackets (pictured) 2- bolt on f-100 shock mounts or, 3 , be creative - make your own Just make sure you mount them at the travel mid-point of the piston and under load ( engine weight)
Good answer boner. From the questions asked sbf001 you have a lot to learn and purchasing that book above is a great start. Also look online and try to buy some magazines from the '50s and '60s with a car on the cover like you want to build.
Do you mean that you have seen them with gas shocks, or with regular shocks, or with and without shocks, all together. Gas shocks are too stiff for this application. Kingpin-era VW Bug fronts work well. Running without shocks is attempting suicide. Anyone who tells you otherwise is ignorant of their function, trying to kill you, or both. All suspension systems have a frequency at which they will oscillate out of control, leading to potential instantaneous catastrophic loss of control of the vehicle. Shock absorbers dampen this, and all other excess kinetic energy in the suspension, and convert into harmless heat.
I have seen them with these on the front at local shows. http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Carrera-SR2254P-Street-Rod-Shock,177.html
You can also go with friction shocks up front. Mine had them since it was originally built and they worked...ok...at best. Had some highway tire tramp etc. Last winter I put together my own setup with shorter arms, wider spacing between them and modified the mounting to allow working friction rubber on both sides of the arm. Really worked a lot better and now I'm happy I decided to stay with them. Hydraulic are still a step up from them but a little harder to mount potentially. I think the guys are dead on with suggesting non-gas hydraulics though. Overkill.
Not just the books, they have a T Bucket blog with 34 pages of info......some is not very traditional, but lots of interesting info about all types of buckets.
Ok so use hydraulic shocks instead of gas. Thanks for the help, Picking my model A frame and will get build started. Is a fuel cell a common gas tank for a 27 t? Thanks
There are several forums devoted to t buckets , and more info than you probably want to read. just search for them.
This is a bit of a curve ball. Due to the fact that you seem to have very little idea of what's what, I'm going to assume you used the expression T-bucket because you don't know any better. What I'm thinking is it is really a roadster body, by the year stated (1927.) If so, all this T-bucket talk is a little off kilter. If the body is 1927 roadster body, then what you need to study are cars like Don's that he posted above. There are threads on here about 26/7 roadsters if you do a search. If you want it to look like a T-bucket, that's one thing, but maybe you don't? Perhaps post a pic of what you've actually got and a pic of what you want it to look like. Then people will be able to give even better responses. When you say 1927 body, I see this:
This is a lakes modified I built for a friend, using a Model A frame with a steel body. The frame width worked out fine.
Here's a '27 T bucket. Built this one from mid 60s Car Craft (I think) series on How to build a T bucket. Rectangular tubing with kick up in back and round tube front crossmember with spring perch. I believe the question is: Do you want a frame over front axle car (like pics above) or a suicide type frame with the spring perch at the front (T bucket style, like in Marty's pic directly above)?
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