Projects The bucket of ugly! A de-uglifying thread...

That's Chip I'm pretty sure. Looks like a T of some sort, but the rails have quite a taper to them so I dunno.

 

Kinda long story Paul.
I ran into John from Saskatchewan at Minn. "Back to the 50s car show some years back. Builder of the Olds powered "lookalike" Kookie Kar. We exchanged phone #s. He knew Ron Brunell in Conn. who was/is building another klone and needed a 4 pot manifold for his Cad. engine. John told him to call me and see if I had one. Ron called and lucky for him I had found my Horne and didn't need my Crager and sold it to him. I got to know Ron (met him at LARS) and he sent me pictures of his build, John's car, Von Franko's build and Grant's car you had worked on.

Anyway I was going through some old papers today and found all the pictures that Ron sent me and put two and two together and recognized the young you. I have a wealth of info. on building a Kookie Kar Klone. I should publish it. Shit I'd probably get sued.

Small World
Gary

In case anybody doesn't know, Kiwi Tinbender Paul did the majority of the build work on the T below.

But then most of you probably think it's UGLY.

 

Oops. I coulda swore that was Chip lol. Sorry, Paul.

 

Not sure who drew these. Maybe you know Paul.

One dimension I don't agree with in the plan for the Kookie Kar is the wheelbase. I always read it was 96". I still think it is/was and it looks too long on Grants klone above.

 

Just thought I'd throw this in here. My T-bucket is now moving under its own power. About a year ago I rescued a stalled Total Performance chassis/front end that was mocked up with a tub of unknown origin and a SBC. I ripped it all apart and started from scratch with a 302/C4. Still a ways to go but having fun with it.

As found (yes, they were trying to use a MII rack ):



And at it's first public appearance at TROG:

 

That's a nice clean T Bucket. I like it.

 

Tim........ guys bear with me, I just re-read your build thread and saw your 9" set up. I'm rethinking going with a 9"....again. Trust me, guys, by the time I'm ready to get a rear end for my T, I'll have so much info, I'll be an expert.... an expert example of over thinking and indecision.

 

Gary, the pic makes it look longer, photo distortion. I can`t remember the actual wheelbase of Grant`s car, but I do remember that I stretched the body almost 2 inches when I joined the two together.Used an early cowl and later rear section. I want to say that it ended up at 98". I also don`t remember seeing those sketches, either, although we did have a few conversations with Franco about his car. I don`t think his is stretched, though. The `57 R&C Article has a side view that scales the car perfectly, and we went from that. I built the rails from 2x6 and tapered them so they mimicked the chassis covers on the original. Lots of subtle differences on that car. Still think the outsize Model Car stuff Gary Crisp built for the display was one of the coolest things ever, though.....

 

Paul this is a 96" wheelbase and a pre. '20 front part of a touring car body on my UGLY T. Actually I just took this photo yesterday on my trip back from our Wednesday club lunch. About a ten mile trip from my house each way. I like to go back roads and stay off the highway for apparent reasons. It was about 60 degrees and clear here yesterday.

I talked to Grant for about a half an hour at the 50th LARS right after I drove in and my friends were helping me clean my roadster. I had to decide weather to talk to him or cut him short and help my buddies. Half hour was as quick as I could cut him short. I wish he had come back later. Anyway nice guy. I don't remember if he told me this or I read it but I guess he had called Grabowski and Norm told him, Grant, he should build his roadster as an upgrade of his, Norms, original car. I really like Grant's car (beautiful construction) the only criticism I have(here it comes. Sorry Grant.) I think it was a little overdone but then you had to build it the way he wanted it. I do remember seeing the display stuff he had made. Six foot Crayons etc. They would not let him use them at the '50th Grand Nationals at the Cow Palace in San Fransisco though. That is where I saw the car. Don't know why he didn't have his car at the '50th LARS. He just said that he didn't bring it.

Those drawings might have been drawn by my friend Ron Brunell in Conn. The bottom photo is Ron's car a few years ago. It might be finished now but he hasn't emailed me that yet.

Okay guys I'll try to stop hogging Chip's thread now.

Gary

 

So, I got my first cool part today. A 47", 4" dropped, forged front axle. But the best is yet to come!

Front axle by tfeverfred posted Jan 29, 2016 at 4:56 PM

Front axle by tfeverfred posted Jan 29, 2016 at 4:53 PM

Holes! by tfeverfred posted Jan 29, 2016 at 5:04 PM

 

Hey, Gary, am I on track.....so far?

 

I like the stuff above. Just keep doing what you are doing. I see now that you are just kicking stuff around in your head to see what will work. I'll try not to jump to conclusions and second guess you.

 

Cool. Because I do that myself all day long!y

 

Got my split bones and polished stainless steel perch bolts, today. Next, I'll get the spring shackles, spring pivots, and brackets to mount the bones to the frame. Once I have the pivots and shackles, I'll measure for the proper spring. One piece or pieces, at a time.

 

Gary, what are using for a steering box? What are you planning to use Fred? I've got an F-100, a BMW (possible cowl steering) , and a reversed Corvair box and trying to make a decision

 

Gary
When I first built it in the '80s I used a reversed Corvair box and it worked great. About the time of the roadster rebuild in the mid '2000s I visited a friends garage and saw this old chrome Ross. I told him that if he didn't use it I wanted to buy it. Jack supplements his retirement buying and selling parts. A few months later he called and said if I still wanted it I could have it for the $20 he had paid for it. Jack like a lot of us didn't want to make money from his friends.
Gary

 

I'm going with a reversed Corvair box, which will be mounted on my frame rail just outside the firewall. This will free up more room for my size 12 P.F. Flyers and the brake and gas peddles.

 

The Corvair is probable a more modern and better box than my Ross. They are nice little good looking steering boxes. If I wasn't so fuckin stuck in the '50s I would have just left well enough alone.
Gary

 

Well Gary, nobody can say you haven't given a 150% into getting your Roadster period correct. I used a small than small steering box from a early Suzuki Carry Van on my Roadster as it is positioned right in front of the start motor between that and the engine mount. It works very well and turns the wheels freely without strong arm habits.

 

Quite a difference in our spring perches.,

 

Yup......... funny thing is, I wanted mine a little lower.

 

Hi Guys,
Haven't been on in a while, but lurking whenever I can. Robin and I are moving into her Mom's house to be full time caretakers for her, she had a couple of bad medical issues, and she's just not going to be able to live alone anymore. The timing really sucks because I just got handed travel orders to Portsmouth, Me for the entire month of
March for radioactive liquid waste treatment and disposal. Not leaving ANY time for car stuff, looks like I'm going to miss bringing the T to Goodguys this year, but other stuff is just more important right now. Hopefully I'll have it together for Fathers Day.

Kurt

 

Sometimes carstuff have to wait.
Its dosn't matter howe fun it is to messing with old cars its
still other things that must take prority sometimes.
Take care of you and your relatives.

 

Whiplash_---can you post a pic of the steering box??

 

As long as talk is about steering boxs,I used a F1 the first time back in 1959 on my rod,but on my refresh a few years ago found it bad rusty inside{my ownfalt} so I replaced it with a Vaga that I had from another left over perject. Eye to doing any of them is laying out good bumpsteer vs just sticking it in anyway you can. Here's a photo of my rod as it it is now. Note that the pitman arm end is fairly close to axle bone mount so it minamizs bumpsteer.

 

Moving right along.

Front axle assembly by tfeverfred posted Feb 19, 2016 at 7:24 PM

Front axle assembly by tfeverfred posted Feb 19, 2016 at 7:24 PM

 

Here you go Butch but I must say that getting a clean shot at it with the exhaust, spark plug leads and the dirt was rather frustrating,and then add to the fact that my knee replacements don't allow me to bend down as much as I could when I was a young man. Hope you can see what you are after. You may notice the the inner wall of the frame has been scalloped out to allow the box to sit in tight. Also note that the drop arm and all steering shafts u-joints are stock factory manufactured by either Suzuki Carry Van, ( box and drop arm) and Honda, connecting shaft with u-joints as we have very strict inspection and certification system to build too and comply before we can register the car as a scratch build vehicle here in New Zealand.

 

"Norm said his steering was out of a milk truck"... so I read in the annals of HRM, 1955...
A Ross box, to be sure...1985 (?) when Norm drove the clone, he said the steering was 'miraculous'! Ha! Guess so...Recirculating ball, with bearings...versus worm/sector and bushings!
Saginaw box was aluminum, out of a '66 Dart. Bonneville Butch and humble self tried to 'push that box' onto the street rod guys, but Gil Ferreira was the only one that used it at the time...(1977) We had seen the Saginaw used in Super Modifieds and Super Stockers, as it was easily converted to center/cowl steering. WE liked it for its design, plus it was FINNED! Looked like an old MOON item...
Butch supplied the box to Dan Segal, who built the chassis and set the 'Kookie Kar' on its axles.
The '52 Cad engine was an old hopped up relic from Butch's former mentor; Butch rebuilt it with its original hot rod parts, some Hildebrandt and McGurk goodies...engine was a collection of timely treasure, Stude solid lifters notwithstanding.
I supplied the Jackson Roto-Faze.
The original 3 spoke Bell wheel was off Franco's Olds powered '32 pickup. Chrome '37 Ford tube axle was a $10 item from the Watsonville Swap meet, 1978.
Upholstery was done in the bare body at Moe's 'Valley Custom', in San Jose. 'Howard the Duck' replicated the original job from photos.
(Norm swore it was his original one...LOL)
One thing about the varied gearshift knobs that Norm ran on the original car: He displayed it in San Jose in '59, in the showroom of Normandin's Chrysler, on West Santa Clara Street. It was there for a week...Norm was there one evening, I was at his throat...Every detail was queried...I was disappointed with some of his replies, thought he set every nut and bolt!
One main question was "What's with the sad lady's head on the gearshift?"
He was like...appalled..."You don't know Natasha Badenoff?" Holy crow...
Years later, I asked him if I could buy the Natasha knob. He said if only he could find it!
Was it 'swiped'? Anybody know? The bloody skull (which was attached to the rear spring center, looking out) found its way onto the stick...bolted thru, with a chrome 3/8" acorn on top.
What happened to Natasha???

 

Mike
A lot of info. Trying to digest it all. I remember the steering box from the time that Franko came back to his car at Pleasanton and found me laying under it. We both had a good laugh before he offered to let me sit in it. That was about a year before I got mine on the road.

When I changed my steering box from the reversed Corvair to the Ross I made sure I drove the roadster before I sold the Corvair to make sure the Ross worked. I really couldn't feel a difference in handling between them.

When I saw the Franko Klone the first time at Oakland Norm was signing autographs in front of it. I did ask him if it was his original car and his reply was "if it isn't it fooled me" not an out and out lie. I had noticed a few things different on it from all the photos I had seen in magazines. The front tow bar plates were thicker on the clone. The rear spring was a T instead of an A. I marked that up to changes over the years. Yeah it fooled me too. I hadn't seen a clone of anything up until then so it didn't occur to me that anyone would clone anything.

What you call the "Natasha Bedencoff" gear shift I think is what I always thought was a Tiki head. It moved from the gearshift to under the rear spring in magazine photos. Probably went with the sale of the car.

Gary