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

If you're still looking at seating solutions, go to the boneyard and look for some Jag XJS front seats. These use a rubber membrane for a bottom spring so they could get the seat low but still be comfortable.

The Jag sedan seats may be the same deal, but you'll have to confirm that.....

 

I was bored and thought I'd take a quick stab at de-uglifying it. 28/29 chrome grill, added a carb, zoomie headers, chopped windshield & shifter and white interior (sort of).

 

Sinister, much better already! could you take a good six inches out of the steering column while you're at it? Personally, I'd like a painted grill shell, but I'm not the guy with the photoshop skills, or the car!
Ralph

 

Shortening the column was something I forgot to do.

 

Hey, NL;

Thanks, I'll look at that again. Did a quick look a while back, didn't find what I wanted.

Looking forward to your upcoming rant/editorializing on rear tire height/widths. .

Your idea of a slightly longer bed is a good one, giving better proportions - I think.
Thanks for your commentary & build threads. & the full hood deal was also used back in the 30's, but usually stock length. Can't remember many hot rod(T-buckets) running it, other than the styles you mentioned. At least from what I have read so far, although I remember reading of some drag T-buckets that ran them, but extended length. One of which was a cover car for HR(?), candy green & white, w/a lift-off body, having very good proportions. Would be interesting to see what could be done, retrospectively, using photo-chop on some various "icons", & also yours. I think to make it look right, a lot of other things would have to be changed to get proper proportion(s). While I don't think I could make many suggestions as to what, I can recognize when they are/are-not there. Big help, huh? .

While I'd like to run slicks, since I not only live where it rains, but for about 7 loooonng months/year, dumps copious quantities of the "miserable-white-shit-from-hell" upon us, adding that insult to the damn cold temps we're allowed to experience..., I'm thinking that is an experience that might be better avoided. . At least I'm finding out in this life - what I don't want to experience in the next one... .

Marcus...

 

Hey Bob,
Just got back in. I had to put a starter in a '40 Chevy for a client so he could make his lowrider show tonight. ALWAYS a ball doin grungy mechanical stuff on a 110 degree day! Whoopie!

Just as an aside real quick, For the next 4-6 weeks, if it seems like I'm doing more talking than working, don't give up on me please. I know to most of you out there, you wait with anticipation for three months of summer to get out and do stuff and work on your cars.... I live in Phoenix. Summer means you work from about 5 am to about noon if you can stand it THAT long, and retreat into the house for the REALLY hot part of the day. As an example, I walked out to the shop at 10:00pm to grab something last night, and it had cooled down to 108 by that time. COOLED DOWN! At noon yesterday my shop was 126 or so.... So bear with me and slow progress until the end of September when our years dose of hell ends.

Okay Bob, back to what you asked for. I didn't copy the last two complete pages of fine print text. If you really want to read the whole article, let me know and I will be happy to do so. That'll give me time to round up the earlier feature on this car from about '61 as well. Click on the pictures a couple of times and it'll get big enough to read.

 

Hey I hear ya Marcus! I was Born in St. Paul, and expatriated to Phoenix almost forty years ago with my family. I can definitely understand why running slicks around there would be a BAD idea! I have always laughed that in my life I have lived in the two most extreme weather states there are, and the only two where going out to get your mail can prove fatal!

 

That looks awesome!

--louis

 

DUDE! Thank you! Very much where I'm going with this, with one exception. The grill shell... Historically, '28-'29 shells really weren't used much on anything BUT '28s or '29s. There were a couple of Comp cars I can think of the used them, but that was it. Please don't take offense, but the use of that shell on other cars started showing up about the time Deuce grill shells went on the gold standard at the beginning of the rat rod era, about 15 years ago. They are now accepted as "traditional" even though there is really little historic precedent. I'll be sticking with the "T" shell or Deuce shell if I can find one.

But Damn! otherwise you've nailed it! I've never had a screen saver on a computer, but that will be it if I can figure out how to do it!!!

Hey Ralph, it does look bitchin' with the shorter column, but unfortunately, it'll probably have to stay long. That's a major part of the comfort level on these cars, and when your 6'1" and mostly arms and legs, you really need the length to be able to do mundane stuff like, oh, say hit the brake pedal and stuff! If you read through a bit and see all the taller guys saying "I wish I could fit in a 'bucket, this is one of the major things they are talking about. I wish it could be shorter, and if the proposed seat changes work as planned, I'll take off what I can.

 

Okay! I'm back from my hellish morning work, changing a '40 Chevy starter in a parking lot on a 110 degree day... I wouldn't wish that on anybody!!

I have a couple little updates for ya. First is, Judy was out in the shop with me one day last week and saw a pair of 90 fin aluminum brake drums hanging on the wall slated for my roadster pickup. "Must use on T-Bucket!" was her only exclamation! I explained how they were already earmarked for another car, and that a fall off a shelf had chipped a couple of fins, and it was gonna be some work to find the right backing plates.... Well, my '40 Chev client from this morning is Roy, the previous owner of this car, and he had a complete set of 90 fin drums, hubs and 12" f-150 backing plates spare that I didn't realize he had. Moments after finding these at his place, he kind of sheepishly asked if I intended to do anything with the freshly rebuilt brakes that are on the bucket now, and offered me the whole kit and caboodle in trade for the brakes that are on it now, back! Hell yes, says I! JOHN EVANS from here on the board will be receiving the hubs, drums and backing plates to change the bolt pattern and mate the drums and hubs later this week. So, my pretty wheels will now have pretty drums too!!! Excited? Ya, just a bit!!!

 

Oh, the other quick update this morning is I have tasked Miss Judy with a task... See, she has a habit of dragging me into stuff like this T-bucket deal, then tapping her toe until the work is all done. So this morning I started her on something she can do on the car and be proud of when it's done, and also maybe realize how hard I work at this stuff, too. She'll be making an engine turned aluminum insert for the dash. Those little swirls are done one at a time on a piece of semi-polished aluminum or stainless stock with a abrasive stick made by a company called CRAYTEX. I have mine inserted into a cut piece of copper tubing and chucked into my drill press. pull the handle, make the swirl, move to the next. Tedious at best, but not dangerous or hard to do, it's perfect for her. And I know her well, the first thing she will show any body is that dash insert! It'll fit the recessed era on the dash behind the gauges, and come down to the natural point in the center. She didn't get too far before work today, but it's a start.

 

Most welcome, NL- I was goofing around with it while drinking my morning coffee and just tossing around visual ideas. I can totally understand the non-use of a 28/29 shell, but to me the boxish and pointy T shell doesn't mesh well with the shape of the cowl, thus the reason for trying it.

The steering column was another mod that I knew wouldn't fly since there's no room in those tubs. I could pull it off since I'm height impaired, but it's not my build and respect everyone's reasoning behind their decisions.

You've already made a huge change for the better with the wheel/tire switch. Looking forward to watching your progress. Carry on with your bad self!

 

That's awesome!!! More Hot Rod Recycling!!

If one of the drums is out of spec, call Brad King. He has a spare 90 fin he isn't going to use. He grabbed a pair out of the wrecking yard a few years ago, and when he pulled the second drum off, he realized that one drum was a 45-fin and the other was a 90-fin! He sold the 45-fin a few months ago at the LARS swap meet.

I know what you mean about the heat. It's blazing here, and the garage is smoking hot and won't cool down. Because of that, I have zero motivation, and I'm trying to find something I can do in the house with the A/C running and the TV on. It stinks because I have so much to do on the '64, and when I finally get a day off, it's 104 with a dash of humidity. Yuck.

 

Dude! I do WAY appreciate the effort! It's cool as hell to me that you were drinkin' your coffee and thinking about my project enough to take your time to do that! I hated to criticize your work for that reason... Much appreciation and respect!

 

Quilting ??? Please don't do a diamond stitched seat and panels......... Jeff

 

Yup! I knew that would kill some he-man points! Hell, after last evening's 32 ounce gin and tonic I'll admit to damn near anything!!! I won't even get into machine based, mock French entredue' hand stitching... Taught a zillion class on that and wrote even more demo guides! Used to freak women out entirely to come into a class and see a guy teaching a very complicated sewing technique. Nope, won't be doing diamond stitched stuff....

 

Chip, .... this is why these cars are the epitome in Hot Rods.

With proper planning, you can build one that has a small stash of carefully selected and fabricated parts hanging on the shop wall and under the bench that allows you in just minutes to 'convert' the look and style of the overall car.

I loved everyone of the T Roadsters that I built, but I HAD to make a top on the last 2 that I did because I just couldn't stand the severe sunburns obtained sitting at stop lights.
I'll stop rambling now .......
Glenn

 

Permission to continue rambling approved!!! Dude, you hit this right square on the head. These things are fun, simple and like you said you can have extra stuff hanging on the wall to change it up every now and then. Just like a full scale MPC "Switchers" kit from the seventies!

I too might make a top for this car for very much the same reason. It will get a split tonnue cover over the drivers compartment how ever so I can "lock" the neighborhood cats and such out of it at night.

 

Man...you have a way with words!
Really like reading this AND feeling the enthusiasm you have for these cars!
(I almost said passion...but Barry Meguiar killed that word for me. LoL)

I don't think theres a car you can build that gives you the constant excitement that a T roadster offers...not being sensibly driven anyway.
You don't need anything but a nice day, a destination and a paved road to be in Hot Rod nirvana.

Yup...I'm a huge fan of this style car...and it looks like you're gonna nail the look!
Awesome stuff!

 

Got nothing on a Google search, can you post photos? Bob

 

YA!!!! And I wanna see "useless" 36DDs on anything!!!!

Too much fun Chip!

 

It's sewing with a machine to replicate what hand sewers did hundreds of years ago on seriously complicated, frilly, lacey, girly stuff. It was sort of a fad about 10-15 years ago in home sewing. Had more than a few either model, or offer to model what I helped them learn to make, too... What can I say?

There was a Viking Sewing Machine company publication that I used to frequently write for. I did most of their advanced lesson manuals, too. If your wife has ever dragged you into a Joann's fabric store and you saw the Viking sewing machine sales dept., that was my baby! It's been almost ten years now since I left that business, but as a kid I was shuffled between dad's race car shop, which you guys have been bored with enough, and mom's sewing machine and vacuum shop. Instead of being bored when I was hanging out at mom's, I learned about machinery and how it worked and was used. To demo the machines on the sales floor, especially as a guy, you had to be able to really show how everything worked. I went a bit overboard with some things, as I am prone to do, and learned crap no one had heard of in years.

Funny enough, selling and repairing sewing machines is what gave me the bucks to start building hot rods as a kid, and later funded some pretty serious street racing efforts, too. But truth be told, I literally grew up in both businesses.

 

How about BOB from fight club... And the defense rests.

 

Never again.....back to the T talk...

 

Careful watcha wish for...

 

Ah b.t.b. Meatloafs finest role

 

Thanks, NL;

I'm gonna laugh myself to sleep now.

hehehehheheh.. .

At least they weren't bare, Anderegg... .

Marcus...

 

Naw, Rocky Horror was better.

NL, this is fun to watch. How are you and Miss Judy going to keep the engine turning pattern regular?

 

I usually freehand it, but I noticed hers was a little less than straight. What I think I'll do is straighten the work piece on the board, and clamp a straight piece of tubing to the drill press as a guide. I used this deal with my nephew years ago when I taught him and it worked great.

 

I've used pegboard with dowels before. Very regular but spacing matches the pegboard, your only choice. You could make your own pegboard, any grid you want, smaller holes, nails for pegs, by drilling at intersections of a grid pattern on some spare plywood.