What would you do to bring this 70's era T bucket up to standard?

Half the advice is to change the steering column set up, and the other half is to keep it in it's up and down configuration. When did the up and down style really come into it's own? Besides the legroom advantage, why else would you switch it over?

 

I'd fix the windshield, but otherwise, 61TBird gave you the perfect checklist.

 

Dude, what a score!!! I would clean the chrome and polish the body, and cruise that bitch!!! Totally kool!

 

get all the safety shit taken care of, put on some new shiny cragars, buff up the body, and drive the crap out of it!!! keep that vibe that it already has. even that gaudy velvet interior is cool.

 

I'd put in some blue shag carpet, add a windshield, chrome the wheel and column as it's the only brass since lanterns are chromed, and call it done.

 

I would change the wheels to wires.Pinstripe the heck out of it.Change the master cylinder to under the floor with a dual cylinder.Clrean up the wiring and make a new wooden dash except without the radio.Keep the column and everything else.Hopefully you have the stock style windshield buy looking at the rods running to it.Early seventies look will be the next craze.

 

I don't know about any of the other stuff but I would say ...
... Drive it like a rented Hyundai !!!

 

Hey, there are no "wrongs" with a T Buckets - clean it up - air up the tires - put that 396 in - and drive the hell out of it!!

 

Grabowski and Ivo both used vertical steering columns. It's functional and cool. Keep it!

 

I was always partial to this style.

Vertical steering never look right to me.

 

Yep I agree, that car doesn't need any big changes. It does need a full safety go through on the brakes, rod ends and what not but any car that has sat for any time needs that.

If you like the dash, sand it down and lay several coats of good marine varnish on it and put it back together, period correct radio and all. We put radios in our cars in the 70's.

I'm not big on the velvet but one thing about it is that you and your lady won't burn your butts on it on a hot day when the car sits out in the sun at a show. That can be changed after the car is sorted out if you want to but isn't one of the things I would worry about.

Color is your choice but I like the black without a lot of crap on it. Makes people look at the whole car instead of just the paint add ons and solid colors with maybe just a bit of detail pin striping never gets "old" or dated.

Most of all it looks like a hell of a lot of fun when you get it done and driving.

 

new steering system and some flames or pinstriping

 

Since I keep getting opinions on the steering, I figured I would just make it a poll and see what everyone thought.

 

Are you shooting for a late 50s, early 60s look? If so, ditch the big block, ditch the wheels and get chrome reverse, white tuck and roll upholstery, and ditch the radio. Definitely keep the vertical coulum, even if it is a bitch to drive. Are those Buick brakes up front? They look a little smaller.

 

Seems a lot of folk never really understood spring rates and such. You can remove leaves for a better ride. My 'T' rode nice, and I don't see why that one couldn't also.

Once you get it running, I'd four-bar it over a winter. The radius rods make the axles act like sway bars, and they definitely won't like it. I've seen axles broken and tubes pulled out of carriers from using just that setup. Not to mention broken radius rods.
But, hey, loads of folks with less knowledge will disagree with me, so YMMV.

Cosmo

BTW, I'm jealous, I'd LOVE another 'T' just like that one to get back on the road.

 

Right on , make sure it's safe , but leave it alone otherwise .

 

I agree!!

 

Man there are some great parts there. Transverse F and R springs, hair pins, etc

A lot of that stuff would be on the early T's that were built after Grabowski and Tommy Ivo did T's

I can't help it, I really like the late 50s through maybe mid 60's build styles of ANY car that would be at a local Autorama...and that T would be a great start.

But, some like the late 60s early 70s style and if you went that way, yours would really stand out with those earlier parts you have.

Great find IMO

Edit, i had said Tony Nancy instead of Tommy Ivo

 

Pretty sure the front brakes are '60s Chevy van drums. A kinda weird T bucket permutation from the early seventies. I would go through the steering and tilt the column a bit, but that's just because I hate driving with a vertical column!
I did one for a customer last week, and he's overjoyed, for me It was like pulling teeth! Everything else has been covered, and Cosmo raises a good point with spring rates, most T buckets I come across are way over sprung. Just have fun, dig up a bunch of seventies mags for inspiration, and do it to it!

 

Vertical steering + fender bender = pain in the ballsack.

 

It has already started.

I know at least 5-6 cars being built '70's style while I type. Tunnel rams, Slots, Cragars, Diamond tuck etc.

 

I would keep the vertical steering but drop it down maybe 1.5-2" or so. The steering wheel is just a tad high.

Also you need to run a tunnel ram with velocity stacks-that would really set off your car.

 

Do you guys think the sidepipes are too rusted to be rechromed? I dig the shit out of them, but the pits look a little deep to me. Any ideas other than buying new ones?

 

Leave the upright column, looks cool. As already said, wires, brakes, tires. wax, tlc, drive the shit outta it

 

Use a real good rust gel remover and run them for now. Don't use brillow pad etc because that will scratch them. Napa makes a real good jell rust remover. Brush it on and give it some time to work. Usually takes 4-6 applications. The rust remover will not hurt the chrome.
The jell remover will remove all that rust-no problem.

Most chrome shops refuse to replate used headers because there is microscopic "blast" holes through them.

 

If it was me I would try to keep as much of the cas as it was built it the '70s. Mine has the straight up steering and I love it. my car was a '70s rebuild of a '60s T bucket, keep as much of it as you can you will be glad in the end.

 

You said the gel stuff will remove all the rust? Won't there be just bare metal underneath, or pits of some sort? I can't imagine they would still be shiny, does the gel turn the places black, or just show the bare metal?

Does anyone have pics of before and after using this type of rust remover?

 

I would go through it with an eye towards refreshing all the surfaces, send a batch to the chrome shop including the Cragars, Do you like the color and wear of that interior? I would try to freshen that up, the sun looks like it beat on it a lot, other than that it's a sharp old ride, your 396 t ram will look better than the 427, enjoy it.

 

I got a T-Bucket and my steering is thru the fire wall and I think it has better handling than the upright steering tried both. the upright looks better standing still but the steering that goes thru the fire wall ride better. imo

 

My first reaction to your thread was to tell you to take off the '70s junk and make it more like my roadster. After reading some of the later posts my thought now is to keep it like it is. It looks well built and could have been a show car in it's day. Just clean it up make it run and stop well and have a ball with it.