I've wanted a t-bucket since I was 10 years old. I'd take a picture of everyone I saw at the Nats with my 110 camera and save my allowance to get the pictures developed. 20 years later, I bought a body. I decided to see what a guy with little experience and little money could build in a 9 month time frame. I ended up with this: I drove it for a year and hated it. I built it too long with the 1/4 elliptic front. It rode like shit and had a suicide shimmy at 50 mph. The 350 w/2x4s was fun for a while, but since I never hooked up, it just seemed like a waste of power. My buddies told me to sell it and build a different one, but I really didn't feel comfortable selling it like it was. Plus, I had finally gotten the a title and plates for it after 2 years of fighting the DMV, so I didn't want to go throught THAT hassle again. So, I tore it apart. Here is what it looks like now: I took 20 inches out of the wheelbase. The frame is based on a Model A frame, but narrowed 2 inches. I'm running a 8ba/T-5 combo with a banjo rear. The wheels will probably go. If I keep them, I'll replace the rear 15x8s with 15x6s. I'm shooting for a 60s style look, so they might stay. So what do you think? Were my friends right? Am I nuts? I can't wait to move on to my 30 Tudor. At least there, not EVERYTHING is hanging out in the open and I'll have a little more room. Karl
Wow. I like turtle decks on some cars, but I have to say that's a huge improvement. I like it alot. The flathead looks good. Is that a stock height grill?
Yes, it's a stock height 29 Model A shell. I'll end up chopping the shell abot an inch and a half. I think the car looks much better proportioned with the turtle deck gone.
looks cool! Sound slike the same boat we were in, build a T quick, don't like it, don't want to sell it, so we're rebuilding ours into an A sedan, selling the rest. I like the tank better, I only like turtle decks on 26/27's or cars with filler plates over the frame, like the bitchin' one from Hot-Rod-A-Rama or the Isky T
I'm with okie. I liked the way the car looked in the first picture, you just needed to rope that frontend and puller back a little. What was the wheel base then and what are you running now?
Build a nice little pickupbox for it. it would look better than the turtle deck and be shorter to help the porportions. and hide your tank and stuff.
Before the wheelbase was 118", now it's roughly 98-99". The 23 turtledeck to me always looked to narrow and too short, and I didn't like how it dived down. Dakato, I've got a 30" pick-up box mocked up that I'm going to test fit. The plan was to make it detachable, so I could run it as a RPU or a lakes mod style car with the removal of a couple bolts. Thanks for the input guys.
Hmmmm...... Not that you asked for my take on it, but here it is anyhow. I like it with the shorter wheelbase. Anything approaching 120" is too long in my opinion. 99" is definitely more traditional. ....however, I think you would have been o.k. in the 110-112" range even. I actually didn't question the long wheelbase in the many pics I've seen of your car. Somehow it looked O.K. I guess. I love cragars, but I think they might have to go if you are using a flatty. (you may have already said that). Very nice. I think you are doing good. I like that car a lot and always have.
IMAO I like the turtle decks on T's My favorite is the '26-'27 but I feel the same about the '25 Since Henry didn't build a factory pickup until '25 I think earlier cars look "wrong" with the typical Fad T short bed especially if it's molded on, especially with Brass radiator stuff on them. I hate Brass mixed with chrome. Brass and Nickel together is tollerable What makes most turtle decks look wrong on Fad T's is the rear wheelbase is usually tucked too far forward, right for a bed but wrong for the turtle deck because the deck then sticks out too far in the rear. With the deck they need a longer rear wheelbase than with a shortened bed or just a tank. he length of the front end should be "just long enough" to get all the mechanical parts in. There shouldn't be too much "air" between the engine and the firewall but it shouldn't look like it rubs either. There should be enough but just enough room for a mechanical fan between it and the radiator. There should be enough room between the radiator and the front cross member to get your hand and a towel in there to clean the bugs off The front axle should be Suicide mounted. Wheelbase on a turtle deck car would probably look right around 112" ± a couple inches depending ENTIRELY on the actual and visual length requirements of the engine. Id like the car in the first pic with about 5" cut out between the fan and the front crossmember and about 1" between the engine and firewall. Isn't this a fun hobby?
Great look, I like the shorter wheelbase. My 27 is 105" What alls needed to put the T-5 behind your flathead? I want to do it to mine.
very cool project.. i have to say i liked the turtle deck, the pickup box might be cool though.. i'd def loose the wheels if you can... steelies with ww's would look perfect something small like a 560 in the front and a 750 or L78 in the rear. Good luck
Well, since you asked.... I never really cared for it before, it was OK, just too damn long. It's much better now, but it still doesn't have the correct dimensions for a modified, in my opinion. The rear would need to be pulled in closer to the body, and the front would need to extend past the grill, suicide. With a small bed, however, I think that it would look perfect, a nice tight little RPU. Your mileage may vary... Rich
Not in any particular order....I like the shorter version,keep the turtle back, Cragers are fine ( there were plenty of rods with them in the 60's....)
It's funny you throw this out there cuz I just went the other direction. I picked up a T-bucket that had been started and nearly complete and it had a 40s split wishbone spring ahead front end and some terrible wire wheels. I ended up getting some Welds and big tires out back with the skinnies up front. Then, since I am cheap, I got some batwings and welded them to the stock I-beam so I could kick the front end out to get a bit more wheelbase and to lower the front end. I also cut off some horrible looking headlight stands and shock towers and replaced them with a more traditional headlight stand. I am more of a long wheelbase T kinda guy. I do agree that the turtle deck had to go and I would get a bed for it. I'm not fond of leaving everything out in the open in the back, it just kinda looks sloppy to me. I still like the car though....I am just a fan of hotrods no matter what they are. To me if you have a car and like it then everyone else can F off.
My gut instincts told me the same thing when I first looked at the pic of the shortened version....... .....however the more I look at it, the more it seems o.k. the way it is. I'd like to see a side by side comparison with the Iskendarin roadster. I think that roadster had a similar thing going on, but with a turtle deck on the back..... ...maybe I'm wrong. Edit: Heres a pic...... I was right, it too has a "cab forward" type of stance....
I like it---a whole lot. It's decidedly different. I've wondered how a bucket would look without the usual stretched front end and now I see it looks just dandy. I'll be keenly interested in hearing how it rides and handles. like the unchanneled body as well and the mod-style rear treatment. The changes give it a trim sassy look that's very appealing and non-bellybutton. Roll that puppy up to a cruise or show and you're covered up in admirers. Light as it must be even a mild flatty will make it haul buns and with minimal muffling it'll sound wicked. The photoshopped bed rather detracts from the overall look in mine eyes. I'm thinking of a nearly identical configuration but with a hopped banger up front. Except for chopping the shell a bit don't change a thing. Way to go--a dozen thumbs up.
First off, thanks for all of the input guys!! The axle location is not entirely by choice. The rear end is as far forward as it can go and still use the 40 rear wishbones. I could've gone with a spring behind axle set-up, but I thought it looked goofy when I put together a banjo like that to see how it would look. Here's the ass end now:
I whacked a good foot out of my 40 bones, no biggie. Also, I like the wheelbase now, it just needs something behind the cab, a turtle deck, bed, something. My two cents. Rich Rich
I'll try to throw on the turtle deck tonight and snap a pic. When I changed the frame from a straight ladder design to a Model A style, I shot myself in the foot as far as the turtle deck goes. The new frame is too wide in the rear to run the deck. Widening the (fiberglass)deck 2 1/2" would allow the deck to be used. I've measured and mocked it up. To me the car looks a little more muscular without it. As a side note, I had the car sitting on 35 wires and WWW. It looked like a hundred other cars I've seen. I bolted on the Cragers and sold the wires. I used Dave Gadberry's t-bucket as a big inspiration. The car is now owned by "burndup"(?) here on the HAMB.
No-Bux, I'm a huge fan of 23-27T Roadsters, steel or glass (who cares) . Two of my cars have had inline six's in them. One had a 112" wheelbase, whilst I built the other with 110" wheelbase. I recessed the firewall in this one so the front end didn't look too "Top Heavy" over the front end. I did this to get the proportions right - in my mind anyway. Me and a mate spent a lot of time sighting everything up so it looked right. Your car definately looks better with a shorter wheelbase, but personally I think it looks better with the turtledeck - more Old timey. Good on you for having a go to build your Dream Car - keep it, refine it to your tastes and enjoy it. Cheers Bob
OK, Here is my bucket sans tank or turtledeck: Here it is with the turtledeck: I was looking at it some more last night, and I think the aluminum gas tank might go and get replaced with an oval T tank if the car stays in that configuration.
I like it either way. I like T's just about any way you build em. Although mine is turning into a 26 Coupe pretty soon. I'll keep you posted on my rebuild.
At first, it reminded me of Tweety Pie, but after looking at a photo again, the wheelbase proportions are not at all similar: Seeing Tweety Pie should give you some 60's ideas, though.
Did you ever get the suicide shimmy at 50mph to go away? If so how did you do it? My '23 T with a 305 Chevy does the same thing? I need to keep the "T" in for a while longer until my finances are in better shape. So I either fix it or live with it! I do like though what you've done to your "T".
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