Register now to get rid of these ads!

Stretched T buckets

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by AGRAY, May 6, 2013.

  1. dana barlow
    Joined: May 30, 2006
    Posts: 5,115

    dana barlow
    Member
    from Miami Fla.
    1. Y-blocks

    Thanks,that was a good LOL.
    I've seen them with fairly well done extra big working door as well,that helped that guy a lot.
     
  2. 33sporttruck
    Joined: Jun 5, 2012
    Posts: 530

    33sporttruck
    Member

    Thanks to You Dana !!! LOL Jeff
     
  3. old round fart
    Joined: Jun 9, 2008
    Posts: 134

    old round fart
    Member
    from Norman Ok.

    Thanks Sir Poet Jeff! That's me! My legs don't bend so pretty good ether and my floor is put in at an angle so the front looks like it's channeled but the seat will be at the bottom of the body. My door is much wider than the reveal for the door to give me room to clear the steering wheel. The wheel will be as close to the dash as I can get it and as low as I can so it looks like it belongs there. I'm having a hard time with my hidden hinges, but I'm getting closer!


    PS I'm from Norman! LOL
     
  4. 40ford
    Joined: Mar 2, 2006
    Posts: 45

    40ford
    Member
    from Duluth, GA

    Hi Ted, glad to see you here.
    Ron Abner in GA
     
  5. A Boner
    Joined: Dec 25, 2004
    Posts: 7,419

    A Boner
    Member

    Poorly planned seating? If he ditched the steering wheel, and reduced the seat back to 1/4" thick, it would still be cramped in there.
     
  6. need louvers ?
    Joined: Nov 20, 2008
    Posts: 12,903

    need louvers ?
    Member

    A boner, this is for you. Again, this is NOT a "T" bucket but a modified based on basically the same body that was shown in the picture of the green car. I might add that the green car's body is either a glass version of a '27, or a '27 roadster with the rear subframe removed and lots of work done to the rear panel. Mine is based on a '27 cowl with the sides made to REPLICATE a '27 touring front half. And I do mean replicate, dimensionally and all. I did lay the rear panel back aproximately 1 degree over what would have been stock, and it is 38" from the dash. I would personally not channel this type of car myself, because it eats way too much space. Mine will soon sprout a full belly pan to cover the rails and hide the fuel tank and battery. My car is also narrowed a full 6", and even though she is in Hong Kong and not available for pictures at this time, I assure you my 5' 2" 102lbs girlfriend fits well in the car with me.

    I am 6' 1" tall and 196 lbs this morning and in this picture I am sitting on the piece of 3" medium density foam that will be sewn into the finished upholstery. The seat pan rises about 1 1/2" off of the floor, and the quick release steering wheel is something that I put in EVERY small roadster and coupe that I build simply because I have alien long legs and arms and it makes ingress and egress much easier.

    My point being that you DON'T have to look like a Roth monster driving a "T" based vehicle IF you take the time to really think about where you belong in the car, just as Tfeverfrad and I have both been saying. In my mind it is a much better way to go than stretching and ruining the proportions of the car.
     

    Attached Files:

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

    tfeverfred
    Member Emeritus

    Nice looking mod.
     
  8. need louvers ?
    Joined: Nov 20, 2008
    Posts: 12,903

    need louvers ?
    Member

    Thanks man, it's gettin' there. Excuse the dirty garage though, I'm always working on everybody elses stuff, mine just collects crap!
     
  9. A Boner
    Joined: Dec 25, 2004
    Posts: 7,419

    A Boner
    Member

    Your mock up looks great, sort of like the modified with the green wires from Cave Creek. Be sure to post some pic's when it is on the road.

    My seat riser at the front, is even with the top of the frame, and at the rear, it's 3 1/2" lower, between the frame rails. My seat back is 3" thick foam. To my eye, your body looks a little short.....a 3" stretch, and YOU COULD HAVE A CUSHIONED SEAT BACK, and a more comfortable ride......to each his own. With my modified, instead of a belly pan, I formed the rails to the body so that I could put the seat risers between the frame rails instead of on top of them. I like the sit low in the car look, and you like the un-modified body look. That's what makes hot rods more interesting than restorations.
     
    Last edited: May 11, 2013
  10. Blue One
    Joined: Feb 6, 2010
    Posts: 11,459

    Blue One
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Alberta


    So I guess that you would consider that I have "ruined" the proportions of my 26 RPU because I started with the cowl and front doors or a touring body and built the rest adding 4" behind the doors. :confused:
     

    Attached Files:

  11. need louvers ?
    Joined: Nov 20, 2008
    Posts: 12,903

    need louvers ?
    Member


    Yup, Joe up in Cave Creek is a fellow Red Devil, and his car is the front half of a touring and provided the body measurements for mine. My car, like his is a loose replicant of Bo Jones' car from the late sixties like most of the modifieds out there. I have seen several of those as well where they have been stretched and it's also very visble. Why mess with perfection? Where I diverged from Joe's car is seating. I'm 6' 1" and Joe is 5' 3". His seat riser is about 7" tall just like a stocker and posistions me above the windshield in his car but fits him like a glove. My point made exactly made right there. There really isn't the need to stretch things beyond Ford's design as long as you concentrate on building it to the eventual occupant.
    Honestly though a boner, you summed the whole deal up wonderfully in your final statement about people liking different things...
     
  12. need louvers ?
    Joined: Nov 20, 2008
    Posts: 12,903

    need louvers ?
    Member


    Blue One, no matter what I say to you you aren't going to be happy. Yes, to my eye that has been looking at these cars for the entire duration of a 48 year life, (lets just say I know early Ford body shapes and body lines intimately) your car looks stretched. I can see it easily. But YOUR car doesn't have to appeal to me, only you. When Tfeverfred jumped into this thread with expressing his distaste for stretched bodies on "T" based cars I seconded it immediately, simply because I do. He attempted to point out that with careful layout of the seating a standard length bucket could be as comfortable for an average height and weight person, and once again I agreed. That simple. I hear these cars being denigrated all the time as being "too small" or "undrivable" and the truth is they really aren't IF the builder spends time making the car fit him or her. Lets leave it at that...
     
  13. A Boner
    Joined: Dec 25, 2004
    Posts: 7,419

    A Boner
    Member

    Why mess with perfection..........that's funny.
     
  14. I've been giving this topic alot of thought lately and maybe this is the place to bounce around an idea or two. I think one of the problems is of course everyone loves a tbucket but size is a constant concern. Sure with forward engineering you can make it work. If your a big guy it will be snug but driveable, what if your a big guy with friends that are also big guys? A two hour cruise and your sweaty arms and legs rubbing against one another and your a big guy so you need I mean NEED a console that will hold a super big gulp ( we're talking two hour ride remember?) So...instead of stretching widening or cutting up the tbucket. how about thinking outside the box? There are some pretty big cars from the twentys and early thirtys. Go back to the drawing board and think if t buckets are made from the body of a model t what if you could do the same with a Aubern or Deusenburg or Rolls or a hand full of other early classics a lot of them have pretty straight lines big headlights pretty awsome grills. Now I am certainly not talking about cutting up one of these classics but like the Tbucket make the main parts out of fiberglass. I can see it in my mind but unfortunately I am not an artist (or writer). I know this should start a bit of outcry but how much and what do you guys think??
     
  15. A Boner
    Joined: Dec 25, 2004
    Posts: 7,419

    A Boner
    Member

    Joe Kerr just built a Buick modified for a customer......looks real slick. I would assume it has more interior room than a "T" Ford.
    00FE4F2E-7C9F-4A36-A695-50608FE72BBC.png
     
    Last edited: Dec 17, 2020
  16. tfeverfred
    Joined: Nov 11, 2006
    Posts: 15,791

    tfeverfred
    Member Emeritus

    Stock body T Buckets keep the fat chicks out.:D And I rarely give guys rides. Same with motorcycles. They always look "funny", when two guys are riding one.

    I've stopped at places, for whatever reason, and had BIG folks tell me they could never ride in something like a T Bucket. They are usually right. I'm talking 5' 9" + and over 200lbs. big. I just tell them they aren't for everyone and they aren't. A lot of early cars are small. Smaller than a lot of people think.

    In fact, Model A's and Deuces aren't very big. Yea, they're definitely bigger than a T, but I've seen some huge guys squeezed in a few. Like I said earlier......PLANNING. If you don't plan well, even a stretched T can end up cramped.

    Boner says his Mod has a sunken floor, so if it didn't he'd be looking over his windshield and mashed inside. PLANNING. That's one of the things I was saying. I... "I"... don't care for the stretch because I've only seen a few in person and the lines weren't right to "ME". I like the stock size because I was able to make it work. So, stretch away, if it works for you. I think what makes stretched T's look odd to me is the doors. They are usually left out or kept stock. When just the doors are stretched, I like them more. Just MY thought about proportion.

    Also, what REALLY kills these cars, stretched or stock, is the foot room around the trans tunnel. A LOT of room, same for a MOD, is lost around the trans tunnel, but what can you do. I suppose no channel would help, but then sitting too high is an issue. Anyway.....

    Here's a true story. Before I found my body, I had only seen a couple T Buckets fairly close. I'd never REALLY looked at them. Well, a guy in Katy, TX who had some header extensions, invited me to his place to pick up a set and check out his T.

    I get there and he shows me his ride, then goes inside for the extensions. While he was inside, I'm REALLY looking at his T Bucket. And the damn thing was TINY!:eek: I mean so tiny, I got scared that I was wasting my money and should throw in the towel. I'm thinking I don't remember them being this small. Well, the guy comes out and we chat for a bit and I ask him, "Are ALL T bodies this small?" He looks at me and laughs. "Don't worry, you'll fit. Mines a '15. They're smaller than a '23. Man, I had to wipe the sweat off my forehead. Thought I was wasting time and money.:D

    It's good to see this thread has progressed beyond picking on folks taste and preference. Sort of, anyway.

    Now...... what the hell is up with a short, fake P/U beds? Never ends, huh?:D
     
    Last edited: May 10, 2013
  17. tfeverfred
    Joined: Nov 11, 2006
    Posts: 15,791

    tfeverfred
    Member Emeritus

    Hard to tell from the pic. Line of sight. Depending on how it was put together.... maybe, maybe not. Got some side shots?
     
  18. pasadenahotrod
    Joined: Feb 13, 2007
    Posts: 11,775

    pasadenahotrod
    Member
    from Texas

    17-22, 23-25, 26-27 Ts single seat open cars are all T buckets. Now some 26-27 guys will try to claim their cars are roadsters... but without a turtle deck---T bucket!
    In the early days many roadster clubs only allowed 26-36 Ford roadsters in but today we have a big tent and even accept Dodge, Chevy, Chrysler, Buick, and most any other "Bucket" into the roadster club.
    The name of the game here is "fun with cars" and boy do we have fun.
     
  19. CoronetRTguy
    Joined: Dec 26, 2012
    Posts: 826

    CoronetRTguy
    Member

    Taging this thread I think you guys have a lot of good info and you've been there and done that so I will be asking you guys a lot of questions when I go to build my bucket or roadster.

    One quick question does the dash make a difference in a Bucket? I like the straight across look like you see on the RPM bodies and not a big fan of the round looking dash that Spirit uses.

    So tell me what one offers better use of space for a steering colum?
     
  20. Blue One
    Joined: Feb 6, 2010
    Posts: 11,459

    Blue One
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Alberta

    Well, in any case I think my RPU is looking pretty good, and the small bed turned out right too.

    I believe it's going to look very good and be fun to drive too.
     
  21. tfeverfred
    Joined: Nov 11, 2006
    Posts: 15,791

    tfeverfred
    Member Emeritus

    It's not so much the dash size, as it is column mounting and angle. The T's I've seen with a little better setup have the column run as close to the dash as possible and through the firewall. Mine goes through the floor to the steering box. I'd get more foot room with it going through the firewall. I have aircraft carriers for feet. Size 12.
     
  22. CoronetRTguy
    Joined: Dec 26, 2012
    Posts: 826

    CoronetRTguy
    Member

    Thanks tfeverfred,

    check out this link as it got me looking and thinking more about the steering colum and seating. I think this is a perfect set-up but I have never built or sat in a T so I will take everyones advice.

    http://www.streetrodderweb.com/features/0707sr_1923_ford_t_bucket/viewall.html

    I'm 5' 10 or 11" and 150-155lbs and I've been debating on going with a stretched body but I dont want a car looking all crazy. I sit in my Dodge Nitro with my legs bent and kind of up on the wheel and I drive up to four hours with only one stop like this on log trips...I know a bucket would be different.
     
  23. tfeverfred
    Joined: Nov 11, 2006
    Posts: 15,791

    tfeverfred
    Member Emeritus

    Yup. He's got twice as much foot room as I do. Build what works for you. PLANNING.

    I always drive OT cars with my left knee up. Close to the wheel. I'm skinny though.
     
  24. Blue One
    Joined: Feb 6, 2010
    Posts: 11,459

    Blue One
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Alberta

    I agree, that's why I'm building what will work for me.
     
  25. CoronetRTguy
    Joined: Dec 26, 2012
    Posts: 826

    CoronetRTguy
    Member

    Agree right now all I can do is plan, read, plan and plan some more. I have a few months until Im out of school and back to workiing I hope full time. I'm learning from everyone on here and other boards and this will be my last build...maybe.

    My dad and I are going to build it and it will be our last car build.

    That car in the link looks to have some great leg room and I need to re-read it again and see what all was used. I was reading that when I should have been studying lol.
     
  26. need louvers ?
    Joined: Nov 20, 2008
    Posts: 12,903

    need louvers ?
    Member

    Man, you'll fit a standard body just fine. Just take time to set up your seat height, and another good space saver is when wooding the body, cut out 1" thick ribs instead leaving the insides square.T feverfred hit the nail on the head again with his comment about the trans tunnels as well. Don't just use what the body manufacturer send with the body you buy or even worse buy off the shelf. Make your as tight to the trans and as close to the shape as you dare. Every bit of space adds up in these things.
     
  27. CoronetRTguy
    Joined: Dec 26, 2012
    Posts: 826

    CoronetRTguy
    Member

    We are going to do our own flooring. Yeah I've been wondering how guys got away with small trans tunnel and when I get the body I will build the frame around that and the motor and trans.

    I still have that 383 and 727 on the back burnner and still thinking the 8 3/4 rear.

    Louvers do you have any links or pics of what you mean with the seats and wood section?
     
  28. Blue One
    Joined: Feb 6, 2010
    Posts: 11,459

    Blue One
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Alberta

    Another thing you can do is to change the stock toe board angle which will gain you leg room by getting your heels further out too.

    On a stock T steel body, (maybe some glass versions too) the angle of that toe board doesn't give a lot of foot room.

    When I build my floor I will do as you say and with the toe board angle I think I'll gain a fair bit of room.

    My bomber seats are sitting right on the floor so all in all I should be well placed in the body rather than on it.

    By the way, I have been around these cars for a large part of my own 58 years and have ridden in and driven a number of T based cars.

    We all have what is pleasing to our own eye and I'm heading in that direction.

    I want my car to be a driver also.
    I have a buddy with a stock length T, also a steel body like mine.
    I can drive his car, but not for long as my knees give me hell.

    Tune in to my build thread from time to time, you may like some of what I'm doing or will do. :)

    Again,in any case I'm building to suit me.
     
  29. old round fart
    Joined: Jun 9, 2008
    Posts: 134

    old round fart
    Member
    from Norman Ok.

    I would rather have one some think "looks funny" than not have one at all.
     
  30. CoronetRTguy
    Joined: Dec 26, 2012
    Posts: 826

    CoronetRTguy
    Member

    Me myself, I came to the world of hot roding because I got tired of all the guys in the OEM correct Muscle Car world saying thats not a correct part number, thats not the correct place for paint splotch and what not. I also got tired of seeing the same thing over and over.

    Hot Rods have an outlaw appearance to them and are built by creative people. I'm a very creative guy and this time around I want to build something for fun and enjoy it 100% and if it gets a chip in the paint from driving that just makes it that much more beautiful because its driven and driven a lot.

    Now as far as the stretched cars go I have seen a few that I can't tell right away and I have seen a few first look I can tell. I think Spirit is one that it takes me a little to tell if it is stretched or not and maybe even RPM's. I have seen a few that right away they just look off.

    I still have not ruled out using a stretched T body. To the guys using them or have one I say enjoy them and drive the wheels off them! Drive it like you stole it!
     

Share This Page

Register now to get rid of these ads!

Archive

Copyright © 1995-2021 The Jalopy Journal: Steal our stuff, we'll kick your teeth in. Terms of Service. Privacy Policy.

Atomic Industry
Forum software by XenForo™ ©2010-2014 XenForo Ltd.