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

I still say that the top on Royal Shifters T is a benchmark that others can shoot for.
Perfection in my eyes, I only hope mine will be as nice when I get there.
I'm thinking mine will be slightly different just due to windshield height and the year difference etc., however I'll try to get the "right" look.
A few shots of the car and one of a slightly different top approach done by Rod Tops on a Shadow rods build that also looks good IMO.

 

Royal's T is perfect!

 

"I think what I don't like is that it is just too short. The back of the top should roughly follow the line of the back of the body as in the B&W mag. drawing."

I agree. Back of the top should not be forward of the back edge of the bucket.

 

Take note, as I said, Skippers top also has both bows higher than the windshield. Its a must. I can concede that the back bow can be slightly lower than the middle, both must be higher than the windshield, and the back bow cannot be forward of the back edge of the bucket.
I am talking T-Bucket specific here.

 

I see by that post of Chips that it payes to use wood around the top of the bows too so that the trimmer can staple the material to them so I will have to take a wood work class aye. I have plans from a New Zealand Hot Rod magazine dated 1979 for a folding type T roof where the bows concertina down on themselves so that when down the roof will clear a roll bar. Must see if I can find it and post here.

 

Please do Whiplash!

 

If you're talking about me, they are Equus gauges. Autometer and S/W are GREAT gauges, but then and now, they just weren't in my budget. I got them from the auto parts store and they worked. That was and is enough for me.

Now, if I had the coin and inclination, I'd probably run vintage S/W gauges for the look and reliability. Until then, the Equus will stay. Hell man, they work great.
If it's any comfort, I use a stick as a gas gauge. Came off an old Hickory tree in the park. VINTAGE!

If I had to do it all over again, the only gauges I'd have in a Hot Rod are the oil and temp. Everything else is self evident or on "feel".

 

Sorry Fred if you took my question the wrong way, I wasn't out to offend you by any means about the gauges. My comment was more about the later model Auto meter gauges like one sees in modern street machines and race cars and when I purchased my set, I sat at home wondering why I had purchased them when it was obvious every blind person in NZ could see that they didn't fit the era I was building too. As for the fuel stick, I think most hot rodders still have their own stick in their car for just that as I do and I have a fuel guage.
Chip I will have to find the mag and scan the article to upload her for you. I like the bases of the idea and even though I have a roll bar, I am thinking of following along the lines of Dana's roof etc.

 

Whip, no offense was taken. Far from it. There are a LOT of things I installed on my T Bucket, when I first did her, that I'm constantly looking at and trying to improve. At the time, enthusiasm and a budget, dictated what I bought and did. That's why, when Louvers started this thread, I was all eyes. If we were all gathered in his shop, I'd be all ears and eyes. Louvers and Rebel are the "old sages" that I cherish. They have either been there, done it or in their cases, both.

Now...... I drop to my knees and shout, "Praise da Lawd! I can see tha light!!!"

Usually, before I go for a spin, I spend a little time looking my Bucket over. Mostly to check if something's getting ready to break or just to remember where I came from and where I'm going, Bucket wise. Then, I mentally add to my wish list. Comments from peers, positive or negative, are mentally recorded and analyzed. I ask myself, "Is this something that can or could, make her faster and or look better? Or is it something to be "one of the herd". I hate the herd, but sometimes the herd is right. Then, it's back to MY vision and in the end, it's my vision that I'll have to live and drive.

If you go back to the very first post in this thread, Louvers laid it out. T Buckets have always seemed to get a bad rap. Louvers thread opened a book that was basically closed. Bucket guys just accepted being the bastard Hot Rod. He laid out his vision and allowed every T Bucket owner or dreamer, to just take a look at the possibilities. He and others, have addressed issues and offered solutions, or at the very least, food for the collective thought.. What we do with that information is up to the individual. This thread has allowed T Bucket owners a forum to not only comment on Louvers build, but toss out ideas about our own cars.

Now....... a couple days ago, I broke a motor mount. I'd love to say that the torque of my MONSTER engine broke it, but the reality is that it may have been a bad design for this type of car. I was using this:



See those little "tabs" that secure a high horsepower, 600 lb. engine? THAT is not only a weak link, 1/8" metal, but it means that in order to drop the oil pan, you have to remove it. Counter productive to the DIY Buckethead. So, after doing the needed welding, I went in search of a stronger and better looking solution. I found these:



They look like a stronger unit that makes dropping the oil pan a question of, "Where's my jack.". As a bonus, my engine guy says that's what was used on older Chevy P/U's. So, they are on my list of upgrades. Yup, I'd seen them forever, but until my mount broke, they were ignored. Traditional or period correct? I'm not sure, but they'll find their way onto my Bucket.

So, I guess the end of this rant will conclude with what I stated in the first sentences. No offense taken and all thoughts are welcome. whew..........

 

Hey Fred,
I like your idea for updating (or backdating) your motor mounts. I used something very similar to what you've pictured, and although my car isn't out there testing out their strength yet, they seem to be a pretty good and solid design. I got mine from Chassis Engineering, Inc. If you look at their website, you can get the "frame adapter" brackets, biscuit style motor mount cushions, and SBC motor mount brackets for about $100. They make different width "frame adapter" brackets, so installation is pretty simple. I really like them. Anyway, if that's info you can use, great. Good luck with your motor mount repair.

 

The repair was done and I thrashed (tested) them last night. In fact, I'm getting ready to thrash them again, in about 10 minutes. I had to work last Saturday and my employer decided to give us today off. I've got a full tank of gas and a 3 day weekend. Be back in a bit.

 

An "old Sage"? Me? BWWwwaaahhahhahahahahahahhaahh! Nope! Just a T-Bucket dork with enough knowledge to be dangerous to himself and those around him!

And, for the record, my car has the inexpensive, parts store Equis gauges too. The P/O put themin after I GAVE him a set of older SW gauges, 'cause he was worried about the reliability of that "old stuff". They haven't stopped working yet, and only one person so far has commented that they had to look to see that they weren't SWs.

 

had to post this, my gas guage

P8160124 (Medium) by k1w1rodder posted Aug 16, 2014 at 11:39 AM

 

Sage?? Thats what I put in the stuffing for my Christmas goose!!

 

Fred
Old I admit to. 70+ I had to look up SAGE and I thank you for that Fred. I'll try to live up to it. Actually I have been studying this T bucket stuff since grammar school in the '50s. Actually wrote a story about one in the sixth grade. That's how anal I am. That and $5 will get me a Starbucks coffee. I guess you can't pick your passions. They pick you. Don't know why ugly on a bucket cuts me so deep. Guess it's like what my writer baby sister 60+ feels when she hears bad grammar. Anyway if I can take a little ugly out of a few buckets, I'll die happy. Not soon I hope.
Gary

 

I'll give you wise old Sage status Gary!

 

Heck mate, I thought that was you sitting on that stool over by the " Light Refreshment Cooler Apparatus " handing out Chips beers. Although I think we will have to request to Chip for a brighter bulb in the said apparatus so that at least while the door is open we get a clear picture of those sitting over there.
I will go and Goggle Equis instruments now as I am not familiar with the name.
Hope you enjoy your drive Fred and sorry, I wasn't counting how many beers you had so hope all the " Officers " are in purchasing Donuts when you out and about.

 

Well I dont know about sage, but I'm certainly a wise guy, and I'm kinda old...does that count?

 

arn't we all!!

 

You know, for the price of a new equus from Summit, I can find SW mid/late fifties big logos and mid sixties green stripes all day long, and if you really search and cherry pick, considerably less that that.

 

I agree with the old SW gauges being comparably priced to new Equus ones, but you gotta be a little more patient. It took me 5 years to collect the 9 gauge matching set of Greenline gauges in my T, and I had at least two duplicates of just about every gauge except for a few in order to really match them up nice. Most of them I dropped $20-$30 for, so it wasn't too bad of a price to get what I wanted. Never mind the seat webbing- that was "Rev A" lol.


Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!

 

Not sure why or how I attached 2 photos of the same thing....

Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!

 

Gauges for me are still just like I always did them,what ever fit and was cheep,so when they brake I replace the same way. Wow Tim , yours looks like a airliner cockpit compaired to me,I did have a tach,but it finiely failed so gone tell later maybe.

 

When I put my Roadster back on the road in 2006 I looked long and hard at different gauges. I had lots of old S/W but since I put my fist through the Old Speedo and Tach when I wrecked the car I was in need of replacements. The Moon Gauges that I choose were just like the old S/Ws but with little moon eyes at the bottom.

 

I agree! George, I think you've hit it on the head! I now realize I do like this style of top on the cars with the shorter windshields. The cars with the taller windshields (like in the magazine drawing) need to have the taller rear bow and closer together height and spacing of the bows to keep them looking in proportion. I don't think Ivo's top would have looked so good if he hadn't brought the top down further on the body, effectively hiding the upward rake of the rear of the body under the top.

 

All this talk of gauges makes me think of my own choice for my RPU, Classic Instruments Hot Rod Series.
Very nice.

 

It is good to see these dash panels with the matching rev counter with the speedo as that was one of the reasons I rushed out and purchased the Autometer set which I on sold. Interesting fact was when I had purchased within a month or so I read in the NZHR mag that Autometr had released there old style gauges which would of suited me better but they didn't have a matching rev counter. I like both of the above dash layouts so thanks guys for posting photo's.

 

First gen. roadster I had a great set of '60s Ford Cortina gauges that worked great. Of course great wasn't good enough so I had to go retro old S.W. that don't work as well. I even had to make spacers because the S.W.ers were smaller. I even have to tap them sometimes to get them to work. Why do I like that?

 

Probably Smiths? Funny how the brits can make excellent gauges, but they cant make electrical components...

 

Blue, every time someone says I need a top, or I'm sweating at a stop light, I think about Shifters top. It's perfect, for the height of his windshield. It's form and function living together.

For now, a top is far into my future. But if I get there, I've got a lot of pics of his to study. Does anyone have thoughts or experiences, on what these tops are like at speed? That's also a reason why I stayed away from them.