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

BTW, looking at stuff, here's an older one ready for de-uglifying, although it really is a good example of one a bit too new to fit in HAMB standards.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1923-Ford-M...ash=item283bdb6f43:g:nCAAAOSwR4FZgSbB&vxp=mtr


and then another one (in Germany) that is also the wrong era but is more of a FULL CRATE of ugly instead of just a bucket!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1971-Ford-M...ash=item283c499745:g:zvgAAOSw8lpZIXMR&vxp=mtr

 

Wow.... that's a lot of stuff. Not really. My change of mind on the rear cover was..... "Why?". I have a simple S10 rear end. Nothing fancy. Nothing complicated. And nothing race worthy enough for a cover with the features it had. That aluminum cover would be great for a built 9" or 12 bolt that would see track use. But for a 10 bolt out of a S10 Blazer..... that cover would have been a "fake". A "poser". I did a post about that earlier, when I changed build themes from "Salt Flat Racer" (fake), to a simple cruiser (which is what I am). Plus, that aluminum cover is almost half what my rear end cost! I can spend that $160 on something useful.

For a steering box, I'm going with a simple Corvair reversed box. I'll probably get it from Ron Pope Motorsports http://www.eztbucket.com/ . I've known Ron for a long time. I remember when he first went into business and all he made was gas tanks. He's a fabricator with roots in Nostalgia Drag cars. He makes stuff to last. When people tell me something won't work, I check with him and act accordingly.

Now, he has a small business selling T Bucket parts and kits. He builds his frames and the stuff to go with them. He finds the boxes and he reverses the Corvair boxes himself. He's a blue collar guy making a go at this stuff and succeeding. I always support him, when I can. Plus, his boxes are $250. That's $70 cheaper than Speedways. That garage sale box is a used return with no return or warranty..... no thanks.

That steering box you posted looks like a Flaming River unit. I'll use a 2"x4" and string, before that over priced crap gets put on one of my cars!

In closing.... nothing beats the power to weight ratio of a T Bucket. I loved my last one. It drove straight, was easy to work on and developed into a very nice car. I kicked some ass in that car. But it was still rough, by my standards. A lot of things I did to it, I did two or three times over. Spent money on crap parts. Lack of experience. It was my first one. This go round, I'm remembering where I went wrong and correcting mistakes I did before. From a build stand point, a lot more thought is going into this one. It'll be better looking and perform better. Hell, may be a little bit quicker, too.

 

That first one isn't bad. I don't like the coach lights and brass radiator. Those rear tires probably weigh more than the car does. But all in all, it's not bad. The second one is a 70's show rod, turned into a driver. It gets a pass due to heritage, but I wouldn't want it.

 

Yeah, what I've read on Ron is all good. The place I work for consists of the owner, his wife running the front office and me. I know about small shops!
When I get serious about a bucket, I'll be calling him and asking about doing a 4 link front and rear. I just prefer the look over hairpins, like the kits Specialty Cars used to build. The lines just flowed so well.

Glad you agree on the box. It was a joke due to the direction of your build AND the price!

 

and a project bonanza for someone...
https://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/cto/d/three-1930-ford-bucket-hot/6221558287.html

One rolling chassis with Jaguar rear end.
One rolling chassis with 9 inch Ford rear end.
3 T bucket bodies with interiors.
One T bucket has wiring, two T buckets with no wiring.
Three rebuildable 350/350 Chevy
Many accessories and parts included.

All for $9500 OBO

 

That's a LOT of Bucket love going on there.

 

Rear end cover came in today. I applied some sealant and installed using the gasket, washers and bolts it came with. I had kept the brake line brackets to make for a clean look. I'll let it set over night and add gear oil tomorrow.

Edit: after noticing the top bracket was a little "off", I straightened it.

 

Thanks Jeremy for the compliment. I hadn't seen the surf T Roadster before so thanks for posting. The '32 grilled one I could hear Gary saying his usual " Grille to high for cowl " which even from that angle I would have to agree with him on but still a nice Roadster . The photo of the early American Roadster is an excellent example of checking the surroundings in where the object that one is framing is sitting as the power box behind looks like some ugly thing on top of the aircleaner.

 

Got off work and filled the rear end with gear oil. So far, no leaks. To be honest.... I was kinda expecting a leak or two. Now, I'm waiting for the trim rings to show up.

 

Almost forgot. A while back, Rich B mentioned that I should have gotten 3/16" DOM for my tie rod spacers. I scored some, cut them and painted them black last night. They'll get swapped in tonight. Thanks, Rich.

 

Everything is looking sharp Fred. Very nice and clean. I like it a lot. Did you choose your body yet that you will be using? Will be following this closely. I might be purchasing one very shortly. Its a one owner.He built in 1994 . Has 23,000 miles on it . Its a Total Performance one. Its really a nicely cleanly built one. You can tell the guy was a perfectionist. And its even registered as a street rod in Pennsylvania. That's what I was looking for. I wont have to go thru all the hassle getting one registered. I will post some pictures of it when I get it . I might change the tires and wheels on it. Put steel wheels and Firestone bias plies on it. Paint the wheels same as the body. And small hub caps. But I will run it like it is for a while, when I get it. I cant wait. Thanks for listening to me. Bob...................

 

Congrats! I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun with it. These cars are really a thrill ride. I'm going with a stretched body from California Custom Roadster. And that you for the compliments.

 

Thanks Fred. Will you be putting a bed on it or just running a tank outback? Are you going to have a opening door? No opening doors on mine. Talk to you later Fred. Bob..................

 

No bed. Up in the air about a door. My back and knees will make that choice, when the time comes.

 

Hey Fred !!! What's the word Thunderbird ? PM me and let me know what's happening.

John

 

Ok.

 

Better..........safer.

 

Tomorrow, I'll order the last piece of hardware for the chassis. The drop out transmission piece. After that, I'll be seeing my engine guy and saving for the body.

Here's a pic showing the drop out transmission piece, attached to the cross member.


And here's a pic of the stretched body from CCR. I'm going without a bed. I'm not sure of a door or not. But you can see the bracing they install for it. Quality stuff.

 

And a brake pad. Because I had the extra coin. Wow.... that's a big pic.

 

For the reversed corvair box from Ron- I purchased one, and came with a mount/joint ( splined on both sides), and the arm.....BUT- Keep this in mind= The arm has a "thru" hole, instead of a tapered hole. I caught this seeing that a tie rod end will only grab a slight fraction of the arm. This will NOT work out. I sent the arm back to Ron in hopes of getting a tapered arm to no avail. After hunting around, and finding "true" corvair arms, at ridiculous prices, I stumbled upon a speedway unit that advertised would fit tapered rod ends from either side. Looked good, and I bit. Low and behold, it's the same unit Ron had sent me. So- I'm trying to hold out as long as I can to NOT run a heim end with a big bolt thru it....... Just wont jive with everything else. A lil late to the party, but considering what you get, VS. what you THINK you'll get, is something else. If your OK with a bolt, there you go.... But- I wouldn't trust a tie rod end grabbing a 32'', or wishful thinking a 16'' of an inch. Just a heads up on that package..........-Kid

 

If you mean the pitman arm, I was planning to drill it out and use a bolt and rod end. If so, it sounds like he's drilled them out already. I'll talk to him, when I order it. Thanks for the heads up.

 

Yes Fred- it's drilled.... Just a heads up. If you want one already done, I have the speedway unit sitting here, Plus the one from Ron. But I think you'll get one as it's a package deal.

 

Thanks, but yea, his box comes with an arm,

 

Hey, Invisablekid;
Years ago ('70's), there was a write-up in StreetRodder(?) on fixing a similar problem. They made a widget (uh-huh). Anyways, it was shaped like an old top-hat. The od sides were parallel, the inside was tapered for the tie rod, & the end that had the small taper had a thick(1/8"+) lip on it to keep it from pulling through the pitman arm ends' hole. Of course the tierod nut went on the larger end. The mfgr stated that you would have to drill out the pitman arm end. IIRC, it was originaly to fix wornout tapers, or change to another oem mfgr tierod w/a different tierod end taper. Neat solution, that used backwards, would work for you. Although I'd guess if the pitman arm is chromed, the drill would mess that up.

Marcus...

 

Just waiting for the UPS truck and my trim rings.

 

Whoa..... Beauty rings ended up being the perfect touch.









Thanks, mom.

 

Yes, they look really good amongst all that black.

 

Looks real good Fred. Nothing to fancy. Bob...

 

That Fred is a Hot Rod...Cool !! JW

 

Look's good, Fred!

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