Ugly T buckets

T buckets don't have to be ugly. The artists eye of Norm Grabowski defined the look. Much deviation from his formula can end up in ugliness. I like Tom Ivo and Von Franco tried to stick to that look. Franko built the first clone and fooled everybody. Including me, and I had studied the car for years.

The problem with some people is they never step back to look at their car.
Some common mistakes include forward leaning windshield, engine leaning back, grill shell too high, and many others. Any one of these can make any rod ugly. Then some people just can't resist adding extra junk.

Just wanted to open some dialog on how to build a good looking "T".

Gary

 

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Isn't ugly T Buckets redundant?

Kidding. Jeffrey James has a bitchin one.

 

Thanks man!!! Is that Von Franco's hair on Leonord Nimoy?

 

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=272376&highlight=buckets

 

Adding extra junk isn't just a problem with T buckets-everthing has that problem. Buy the car, add something (usually ugly). Drive the car you built for a few years, add something out of boredom ( usually ugly). Sometimes it's the spouse or kids that want something "cute" that changes the character of the car completely. I do agree about standing back and looking at the total package, though. It's hard to do in the garage, so roll it out and see what it looks like from across the yard.

 

I'm not a big T-Bucket fan but there are several on that thread that I wouldn't kick out of my garage

 

UGLY...its not just for T's anymore.

 

Just added the avatar. The red T is mine.

 

What is your opinion on this one?

 

art in motion....err artist in motion... von bitchin' bucket

 

You can tell who I favor - The 1st and 2nd original!!

 

I'm a big T bucket fan when they look right and don't have all the crap hanging off them but hasn't this poor horse been beat to death too many times?

Norm' T bucket on 77 Sunset strip was the first rod that a lot of us now over 60 guys had ever seen anywhere. That car probably brought hotrods and especially T buckets to mainstream America an beyond. Even as a 12 year old in 1958 I could visualize myself building and driving a T bucket as it was engine, frame and body and not much else. I think that particularcar sparked the hotrod in a whole group of us just as the deuce in American Graffiti did it's contribuition and the California Kid generated another group of rodders.

Yea the guys who came along later and even now and build "show rods" out of T buckets screw them up with way too much crap hanging off them but that ilk screws everyting else they touch up too. If they aren't putting together cars like that they are down at the Harley shop buying one more unnecessary chrome doodad to hang on their bike so they can call it a custom.

 

Perfect!!

 

^^^


This is the nicest Bucket I've ever seen...

 

Don't be modest Royalshifter, your very own T is one of the best and you should share that one too!

 

why settle for t when you can have a?

 

Hear, hear! I agree, Got any pics of it that haven't been posted on here before?

 

royal,s t gets my vote as cool followed by a second by von franco,s.

 

The Von gets them right. No extra crap on his rods. Clones or originals.

 

Your T-bucket looks right, I've admired it for a long time. You even drove it to our Alviso Roadster Reunion in Austin, Nv.

 

Thanks I've driven it from the Bay Area to Bonn. twice.

 

My old friends Ken & Gloria Remo (I know what some of you want to say!!!!) drove his T-Bucket from Paso to his home town somewhere in PA. and back in the 90's......wet n wild!

 

Not ugly....fugly!!!

 

honestly, Norm's T isn't exactly my cup of Tea, but you have to respect the car for what it did for Model T's.

 

Skip.........your T-bucket is far from fugly, whats wrong with you! Your car is true to the genre, i.e. Ivo's & Grabowski's.

 

Royal's T is the only pre 26-27 T that looks good with the top on it, Ivo almost had it, but the cresent moon on the back kills it for me.

 

Oh my god... that is one of the sexiest T's I've seen. I've been wanting/planning to build a T for the past five years or so... and this sums up everything I've had in mind... PERFECT.

 

I know that there have been more recognized T's in this world but this one is my favorite. I'd take this one over all the rest even though Grawbowski's Lightning-bug/Franco Clone and Ivo's Outhouse are some really rad cars. It's perfect.

 

< mine is almost done.