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Hot Rods T Bucket Interiors

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by tfeverfred, Aug 12, 2017.

  1. Dick Stevens
    Joined: Aug 7, 2012
    Posts: 3,710

    Dick Stevens
    Member

    You can use a gasket punch or a leather punch if you have access to one!
     
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  2. RodStRace
    Joined: Dec 7, 2007
    Posts: 3,907

    RodStRace
    Member

    Layout the pattern of pleats, rolls or other material pattern on the panel. THEN lay out the screw placement so they complement each other.
    Drill the screw holes in the panel, then do the material. Staple or glue the material down and poke through the holes from the back side with a punch or awl.
    This creates an opening in th4e padding and the material and shows where the screws go from the front.
     
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  3. tfeverfred
    Joined: Nov 11, 2006
    Posts: 15,791

    tfeverfred
    Member Emeritus

    Great tip, Rod!
     
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  4. tfeverfred
    Joined: Nov 11, 2006
    Posts: 15,791

    tfeverfred
    Member Emeritus

    Another good idea! Thanks!
     
  5. tfeverfred
    Joined: Nov 11, 2006
    Posts: 15,791

    tfeverfred
    Member Emeritus

    Ups, it was a combination of factors. The main one was I simply got bored with it. Yes, as much as I loved it, I found myself coming up with reasons not to drive it. I blamed weather... too hot, too cold, looks like rain, etc. Towards the end, I had gotten a welding job and the hours were very long and sometimes 6 days a week, so being too tired became an excuse.

    Then, one day, I sat down and remembered all the things I had wanted to redo or make it better. I came to the conclusion that the cure was to take all I'd learned in the 6-7 years of driving it and just build another one, only better. I knew I didn't need 2 cars, so I sold it. Paid off a few bills. Took a short vacation and began to formulate a plan. I spent a few months reading about and looking at what appealed to me in other peoples builds.

    But the one thing that stuck, out of all that reading, was comfort. I had gotten used to sitting in my T Bucket, but I knew the only way to get lower and increase leg room was to get a stretched body. I knew CCR offered one and I knew the price was high, but the body I had before was theirs and I knew the quality was top shelf. No reinforcement needed and they increased the length in the cabin and cowl. So, the proportions look good. That's when I called CCR and made plans to get their stretched body.

    I think I'm a little OCD. Once I put my mind on something, it kicks into overdrive. That's why I tend to over think some things. It took me 2 months to decide between wish bones or radius rods! Not having the money to buy a lot of parts all at once, gives me a lot of time to obsess the next steps.
     
    Last edited: Oct 4, 2017
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  6. patmanta
    Joined: May 10, 2011
    Posts: 3,872

    patmanta
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Woburn, MA
    1. MASSACHUSETTS HAMB

    I was bopping around on Amazon looking for a memory foam cushion for my daily truck since it's not super comfortable on long hauls and I came across a bunch of simple cushions. They make a fair number of outdoor cushions of various sizes, shapes, and colors. There are HUNDREDS of them in all shapes and sizes.

    This one in particular jumped out at me because it's 16" square and would fit into the seats I made with my brake. These might be a good option for guys with pretty minimal seats and upholstery aspirations/budget.

    https://www.amazon.com/EONSHINE-Non-slip-Outdoor-Cushion-Dinning/dp/B01MDK3Z8G

    [​IMG]
     
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  7. tfeverfred
    Joined: Nov 11, 2006
    Posts: 15,791

    tfeverfred
    Member Emeritus

    Pat, that's almost cool enough to use as is! In a pinch.... a couple plywood pieces, 4 of those and roll on, baby!:D Thanks for the idea!
     
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  8. upspirate
    Joined: Apr 15, 2012
    Posts: 2,299

    upspirate
    Member

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  9. tfeverfred
    Joined: Nov 11, 2006
    Posts: 15,791

    tfeverfred
    Member Emeritus

  10. patmanta
    Joined: May 10, 2011
    Posts: 3,872

    patmanta
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Woburn, MA
    1. MASSACHUSETTS HAMB

    Yeah, that's what I was thinking. The ones I posted are outdoor, so I would imagine they're fit for roadster duty without a re-cover. They're no-slip bottomed too so you might get away with just dropping them down and going.

    The Black/Red works pretty nice in a lot of cars. Unfortunately that's about the only COOL color combo that particular cushion comes in! But the covers are removable via zipper for convenient templating and re-covering.
     
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  11. Bangkok Dean
    Joined: Jan 31, 2008
    Posts: 210

    Bangkok Dean
    Member

    1976 SFSR
     

    Attached Files:

  12. tfeverfred
    Joined: Nov 11, 2006
    Posts: 15,791

    tfeverfred
    Member Emeritus

    That looks nice, but it's a bit too plush (fancy) for me.:)
     
  13. saltflats
    Joined: Aug 14, 2007
    Posts: 12,592

    saltflats
    Member
    from Missouri

  14. Blue One
    Joined: Feb 6, 2010
    Posts: 11,459

    Blue One
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Alberta

    That overstuffed sofa look was popular and is a throwback to the days of those horribly ugly Fad T's of the 70s Fred and you do NOT want to go that way :D
     
  15. tfeverfred
    Joined: Nov 11, 2006
    Posts: 15,791

    tfeverfred
    Member Emeritus

    When I first got into T Buckets, the "Fad style" T Bucket was awesome. Then, I grew up. Brings back some cool memories of reading "Rod Action" magazine, till the pages wore out.:D If I were building a "traditional" 70's T Bucket, I'd be all over that.
     
    Last edited: Oct 5, 2017
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  16. DaPeach
    Joined: Apr 22, 2009
    Posts: 260

    DaPeach
    Member
    from NE OH

    Been wanting a sofa like that lately, but thinking it would be a bitch to clean...I can only imagine what a pain it would be in a roadster.
     
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  17. Blue One
    Joined: Feb 6, 2010
    Posts: 11,459

    Blue One
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Alberta

    I'm with you Fred I remember the period in the magazines too.
    I'm just old enough that for me I was never able to embrace the fad t phase.
    I don't think too many Ts are being built anymore to recreate that era.
     
  18. Dick Stevens
    Joined: Aug 7, 2012
    Posts: 3,710

    Dick Stevens
    Member

    I didn't like Fad Ts when they were the style! :eek: They make me cringe now! :(
     
  19. butch27
    Joined: Dec 10, 2004
    Posts: 2,847

    butch27
    Member

    Spirit has some nice seat inserts that fit like a couch
     
  20. steel rebel
    Joined: Jun 14, 2006
    Posts: 3,604

    steel rebel
    Member Emeritus

    Whatever you do don't build anything that looks like this if you want any comfort.

    Otherwise I have made my point.

    Rebel

    SANY0129.jpg
     
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  21. DaPeach
    Joined: Apr 22, 2009
    Posts: 260

    DaPeach
    Member
    from NE OH

    Ran at lunch for some progress pics. Might be done next Thu, waiting on carpet to come in. Should be more comfortable than what it was, but this will never be a long distance car.

    int.jpg int6.jpg
    much better than the crumbling foam I had been sitting on...
    int7.jpg
    Cover placed loosely on the bottom for pic, everything will match up and be tight when done. Black stitching between pleats on white.
    int8.jpg
    int2.jpg
     
  22. tfeverfred
    Joined: Nov 11, 2006
    Posts: 15,791

    tfeverfred
    Member Emeritus

    Very nice. How'd you do the rear curve in the side panels?
     
  23. DaPeach
    Joined: Apr 22, 2009
    Posts: 260

    DaPeach
    Member
    from NE OH

    Thanks. I'm having a shop do it, but I'll ask him the next time I talk to him. Looked like a heat-formed plastic.
     
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  24. tfeverfred
    Joined: Nov 11, 2006
    Posts: 15,791

    tfeverfred
    Member Emeritus

    Cool!
     
  25. Blue One
    Joined: Feb 6, 2010
    Posts: 11,459

    Blue One
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Alberta

    Probably just like my side panels Fred.
    I heat formed 1/8" ABS.
    I then made and mounted arm rests which I'll upholster when I get there.
    IMG_0477.JPG IMG_0478.JPG IMG_0479.JPG IMG_0480.JPG IMG_0482.JPG IMG_0484.JPG IMG_0485.JPG IMG_0486.JPG IMG_0488.JPG IMG_0495.JPG
     
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  26. tfeverfred
    Joined: Nov 11, 2006
    Posts: 15,791

    tfeverfred
    Member Emeritus

  27. tfeverfred
    Joined: Nov 11, 2006
    Posts: 15,791

    tfeverfred
    Member Emeritus

    I'm coming back to this interior because the flaw I see is what made the seat in my first T Bucket, not as comfortable as it could have been. It appears that the back is straight up or horizontal. My old T Bucket seat was made using 2 side pieces from a folding boat seat. You can see one of the end pieces in the photo. The bottom was webbed and padded, on 3/4" plywood. The back was 3" foam on plywood. The back folded down and the whole thing lifted out. That bottom was great!

    [​IMG]

    But the flaw in it was that the back didn't lean as far back as it could. In trying to save space, the back of the seat bottom was as close to the back of the body as I could get it. That kept the seat from using the 22 degree lay back that the side pieces had. The result was that I sat straight up. BUT.... since my car had a rake, I was actually sitting slightly forward as well! The rake enhanced the already flawed installation. I would scoot forward a bit, but even that sometimes didn't feel good. Basically, while my seat LOOKED comfortable, it sucked. It's amazing what you get used to and that's what I did for 6-7 years.

    So, in my new build, I'm paying special attention on keeping that 22 degree angle in the seats. Since I'm going with a stretched body, I can afford to lose a few inches by moving the seat forward to keep that angle. But even if I had a standard body, I'd still try to keep that 22 degree angle. It's crucial to comfort.
     
    Last edited: Oct 7, 2017
  28. wsdad
    Joined: Dec 31, 2005
    Posts: 1,259

    wsdad
    Member

    Here's a new-guy question: How did you arrive at 22 degrees? Is that the standard?

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
  29. TerrytheK
    Joined: Sep 12, 2004
    Posts: 1,273

    TerrytheK
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Maybe Fred came up with that through research and an analytical mind!? :D
    I don't know if 22 degrees is any kind of standard or not but the the tilt of the lower cushion in a car like this is pretty important for comfort alright. My first roadster back in the early '70's was a '26-'27 style body, channelled at that. I used a bottom rear seat cushion from a '67 Mustang fastback and put it at a good tilt. (Stole the floor shifter too!) Legroom was still limited as I'm 6-2 but as I recall I still had decent thigh support even with my knees up around my earlobes!

    26Tinterior_800.jpg

    Just another option to further widen the choices! :rolleyes:
     
    Last edited: Oct 7, 2017
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  30. tfeverfred
    Joined: Nov 11, 2006
    Posts: 15,791

    tfeverfred
    Member Emeritus

    I looked at a gazillion seats and their technical crap. Some manufacturers mention it and some don't. 22 to 25 degrees was what I found to be the average. Some were more, some were less. The Corbeau seats are 30 degrees. Rotten Leonards are 13 degrees. Speedway Bomber seats are 20 degrees. Etc......
     

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