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T Bucket Bodies Question "Who To Use"

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by CoronetRTguy, Jun 18, 2013.

  1. S1B
    Joined: Mar 18, 2004
    Posts: 679

    S1B
    Member

    Another
     

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  2. S1B
    Joined: Mar 18, 2004
    Posts: 679

    S1B
    Member

    And another
     

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  3. S1B
    Joined: Mar 18, 2004
    Posts: 679

    S1B
    Member

    Plus
     

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  4. S1B
    Joined: Mar 18, 2004
    Posts: 679

    S1B
    Member

    Sorry they are out of order. It was the only way they would download.
     
  5. steel rebel
    Joined: Jun 14, 2006
    Posts: 3,604

    steel rebel
    Member Emeritus

    No turtle deck but this was always one of my favorites.
     

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  6. steel rebel
    Joined: Jun 14, 2006
    Posts: 3,604

    steel rebel
    Member Emeritus

    One built recently.
     

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  7. S1B
    Joined: Mar 18, 2004
    Posts: 679

    S1B
    Member

    What year is the magazine?


    Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
     
  8. steel rebel
    Joined: Jun 14, 2006
    Posts: 3,604

    steel rebel
    Member Emeritus

    It's from the middle to late '50s It was built in Conn. I have a friend there building a Kookie Kar Klone that knew the builder and would love to find it.
     
  9. S1B
    Joined: Mar 18, 2004
    Posts: 679

    S1B
    Member

    I'll have to keep an eye out for that magazine.

    In my humble opinion. I believe it's best to use Model A frame rails on buckets. Give a distinct look
     
  10. steel rebel
    Joined: Jun 14, 2006
    Posts: 3,604

    steel rebel
    Member Emeritus

    Here is one I used to see driving around San Lorenzo (a suburb of Oakland Ca.) in the '50s when I was a kid. It was one of my inspirations.
     

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  11. S1B
    Joined: Mar 18, 2004
    Posts: 679

    S1B
    Member

    This one is a bit odd how it sits on top of the frame, but I dig it.
     

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  12. CoronetRTguy
    Joined: Dec 26, 2012
    Posts: 826

    CoronetRTguy
    Member

    I dig that Bucket and I like that it shows the top on it. I always wondered what one looks like with the top down and I had not found any pictures as of yet with a top down.

    I really dig it!
     
  13. steel rebel
    Joined: Jun 14, 2006
    Posts: 3,604

    steel rebel
    Member Emeritus

    I don't remember seeing this one before. Kinda a Tweetie Pie look. I like it too.
     
  14. CoronetRTguy
    Joined: Dec 26, 2012
    Posts: 826

    CoronetRTguy
    Member

    Dig it I really like it. More!

    More!

    More!

    I really dig that one as well. I have started falling love with the trutle decks but my first build idea was with a truck bed and then with out. That one is a great looking one and could sway me back to a bed.

    I have seen this one and I think it was competing for riddler.

    Does anyone have pics of a T on a model A frame? I was wondering how they would look.

    I dig it I really dig it.

    I was thinking about sitting the T on top of the frame to save some room inside the car. I would love to see more like this to kind of get an idea.

    I also thought about Z the frame in the front to kind of give it that low look.

    I really like these cars and this thread. Keep it going guys.
     
  15. A Boner
    Joined: Dec 25, 2004
    Posts: 7,419

    A Boner
    Member

    image.jpg Anyone see one of these bodies in person? They are out of Minnesota and are always on Ebay listed under "T bucket bodies".
     
    Last edited: Jul 1, 2014
  16. S1B
    Joined: Mar 18, 2004
    Posts: 679

    S1B
    Member

    Ok, you would just be using the A rails. Front frame horns cut off and a new tubular front crossmember put in with a spring perch. Then step the rear crossmember. A lot of the early buckets used this setup.
    If you "Z" the front, you can lose interior room.
     
  17. Don's Hot Rods
    Joined: Oct 7, 2005
    Posts: 8,319

    Don's Hot Rods
    Member
    from florida

    I don't see anything bad about that body from what I can see in the picture. Looks pretty smooth, the insides look well laid up, and it seems to follow the original shape of a T body pretty well.

    One consideration is that there can be dimensional differences in the windshield mounting area from body to body. So if you buy a body one place and then try to put on something like a Speedway windshield it might not fit.

    I ran into that on my 27 when I built it years ago. It was a Speedway body but when I later ordered a Mr Roadster (Speedways brand) of windshield the frame was too wide. I called Speedway and they told me to make a cardboard template of what frame would fit and to send that to them and they would custom make me one. They didn't understand why their off the shelf one wasn't a good fit, but they were very accomodating and the new one they sent me fit perfectly.

    Don
     
  18. S1B
    Joined: Mar 18, 2004
    Posts: 679

    S1B
    Member

    You have a link?
     
  19. need louvers ?
    Joined: Nov 20, 2008
    Posts: 12,903

    need louvers ?
    Member

    Hah! I haven't chimed in yet 'cause Coronet and I have talked off the board about this, but I had to say something here.

    If this is the mold that I think it is, these bodies were what M.A.S. was offering for the better part of 35 years... And, the molds they bought from my dad's company when he called it quits. Even if they are not the original molds, I'd put a pretty good bet on these being a descendent of ours.


    Oh, by the way, the unchanneled bucket above was Rudy Herrera's from about '63 or so. Car Craft ran a feature in '63 or '64 and it was out of the Bay area I'm pretty sure.
     
  20. need louvers ?
    Joined: Nov 20, 2008
    Posts: 12,903

    need louvers ?
    Member

    Oh, and on that bucket body, just type in T bucket parts into the search on e-bay.
     
  21. CoronetRTguy
    Joined: Dec 26, 2012
    Posts: 826

    CoronetRTguy
    Member

    I see these bodies on ebay a lot and another one on ebay a lot as well.

    I did have a member email me last night and told me to look for a guy on ebay

    I will see if I can find the email. I thought I saved it but I can't find it
     
  22. CoronetRTguy
    Joined: Dec 26, 2012
    Posts: 826

    CoronetRTguy
    Member

    Louvers I was wondering where you were and when you were going to chime in.

    Tell us more about the molds your dad used? Also tell us what you think of the molds in the ebay add? I have seen two different ones on ebay and I will post a link to them in just a second.

    I think the one above is this one and I also think it is the one the guy told me he had heard good things about but until I find the email I can't confirm it.

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fiberglass-...ries&hash=item20d2cff9ed&vxp=mtr#ht_103wt_932

    This is another guy on ebay the body has two doors.

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fiberglass-...6206?hash=item4173b9944e&vxp=mtr#ht_313wt_932

    This is also one that I have looked at a few times trying to figure out who makes them.

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fiberglass-...5125?hash=item41744d4495&vxp=mtr#ht_256wt_932

    I will keep looking for that email and keep the comments coming and the info coming.
     
  23. steel rebel
    Joined: Jun 14, 2006
    Posts: 3,604

    steel rebel
    Member Emeritus

    I too was wondering when you would jump in. Shit I'm beginning to like and appreciate fiberglass T bodies. (slap me)

    Rudy Herrera god that sounds familiar but probably a common name in the bay area. I'll ask my friends there. Any more info on him? I like a good mystery.

    Gary
     
  24. CoronetRTguy
    Joined: Dec 26, 2012
    Posts: 826

    CoronetRTguy
    Member

    Welcome to the dark side Steel Rebel lol.

    There are a lot of T Buckets that when I google for images that are just really cool rides and no names attached to them. To bad there is not a registry showing the cars and telling the stories of who, when and what was done to them.
     
  25. need louvers ?
    Joined: Nov 20, 2008
    Posts: 12,903

    need louvers ?
    Member

    Well, just looking at the body I can tell you it looks like a "T"! That's a big victory here, because a couple of the previously mentioned glass body makers have taken some serious liberties with the basic shape and design of their bodies. I'm sorry, but I still maintain I CAN pick out a stretched T-bucket body from space! They just don't look right. Nor do the ones that make the molding lines around the cockpit and cowl too big. They take on a sort of cartoon look when stuff has been altered.

    This particular body, I would say would be a pretty good investment. It will be of the lighter type that will need wood reinforcing throughout, but I take that as a given. I will say the last time I bought a body out of M.A.S. when they were still around the molds were wearing out a bit because the top of the cowl (base of the windshield area) was a bit sunken, but nothing that couldn't be fixed with some glas and a long sanding board. I do notice that they offer an opening door version that has both doors opened, too. If nothing else it's cheap enough that I wouldn't feel bad about spending some serious time working with it to make it nice, 'cause to an extent you'll be doing that with any body you buy.
     
  26. need louvers ?
    Joined: Nov 20, 2008
    Posts: 12,903

    need louvers ?
    Member

    Didn't stick the landing on the last name of that bucket I mentioned earlier. It's Heredia. I'll still give it to me though for knowing a picture of a car that existed 50 some odd years ago, though! The cover below was a shot of that car from down low on the drivers side, and there is a small shot of it in a three quarters on page 31 of this issue. I'm tellin' ya, if you want to build a period "T"-bucket, a collection of Car Craft from about '62-'66 is a must!!!
    I also am posting some pictures of what has to be my favorite Turtle deck "T"-Bucket ever. It was in Rodder's Digest #43 in the early ninties out of New Zeeland...
     

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  27. CoronetRTguy
    Joined: Dec 26, 2012
    Posts: 826

    CoronetRTguy
    Member

    Yeah I'm thinking and planning on whatever body I use to spend time on making it right. The one that I'm leaning to heavy is Speedway. RPM also has me leaning towards them but Speedway so far has my vote.

    Now the ones posted above are from I think three different people. What one do you like out of those louvers?

    I wonder if I could glass in some steel to re-enforce the body?

    I have been looking on ebay at buying Hot Rod, Rod & Custom and Car Craft from the 50s-60s but I just have not spent money on it as of yet. I'm trying to save up some cash to buy a few things but maybe I should just buy the magazines.

    My car build wont happen until this fall.
     
  28. S1B
    Joined: Mar 18, 2004
    Posts: 679

    S1B
    Member

    He is 100% right. There is a wealth of info in those old mags. I have a stack of them just for them having T buckets in them
     

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  29. pasadenahotrod
    Joined: Feb 13, 2007
    Posts: 11,775

    pasadenahotrod
    Member
    from Texas

    A friend of mine built his own mould and sold bodies for many years across the TX-AR-LA-CO-NM-OK swap meet circuit. He built several rolling chassis buckets for local customers to finish as well. His own bucket with turtle deck and racecar nose was built in 1969, finished in 1990, first driven to the 20th NSRA Street Rod Nationals that year with but 7 miles on the odometer at the start. Still has it and the sum total of of wood reinforcement in the body is none. He bent a piece of rebar to fit under the top lip of the body from dash end to dash end with a dip down into the cowl section about a foot long. The bar was primed, painted and encased in a bed of body filler then allowed to cure. The body has had no cracks or flaws in all these years and around 10K in mileage.
    (Sidebar to this story. He got out of the glass business but retained his body mould for possible future sales. A local came by and "borrowed" the mould so he could have a body made for his son's first hotrod. He never came back and was not seen again.)
    My old roadster, CalAuto body, was built in the same period and has wood glassed in but nowhere near as much as some I've seen. It too has no cracks.
    Just examples of various ways to do these without getting crazy.
     
    Last edited: Jun 21, 2013
  30. CoronetRTguy
    Joined: Dec 26, 2012
    Posts: 826

    CoronetRTguy
    Member

    I'm also starting to love the kick up in the back but not enough yet to say I'm going to go that way but I do like it something about it screams out at me.

    Great pic! I do need to pick up a bunch of these magazines. I have sold a couple of parts (coronet) and car models I was thinking of putting into engine and body fund but maybe take a little of it and get a few magazines.

    That sucks the guy didnt bring it back. Does he know where he went?

    The only thing I was thinking would need wood in it was the flooring and I was gusing the seats if I made my own to set low into it.
     

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