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

I will just leave this here: I felt the thread needed some more random stuff....lol



First time ever down a track.

 

Good bones there. The headlight bar looks like poop, and I have never been a fan of the overstuffed interiors, but I LOVE the chromed early chevy rear on Corvair coils.

 

Your lucky, most NHRA sanctioned tracks T-buckets are a non-starter without a full cage and a firesuit.

 

Is that yours, Keep? How'd you do? I called Raceway Park, here in Houston, and they said I couldn't get strip time without a roll bar.

 

Ya know what's funny about the interior in that one? I'm pretty sure it's one of the fiberglass drop-in shells that Bird Engineering made back in the day for their 'Bucket kits! You don't see them, very often, and with good reason, 'cause they rob tons of space in a car's interior.

 

Oh yeah, that's me Running in front of a fellow club member in his 64 Chevelle. He is never going to live it down either.

We have an event up here called the "Arm drop drags" its like grudge racing and run what you have stuff. Though they had some rails and other fun stuff going down the track as well. Its held on an abandoned airfield.

No timers, no real lights, just a whole bunch of folks having a blast.

My safety requirements were, overflow can, seatbelts and a helmet.

 

I agree about the over stuffed interior, although nicely done in this car, it can take up tooooo many inches of space especially for a big bum like mine. I will be keep the padding down to the minimum on all the interior panels with only the seat base having formed seating. I too wondered how the headlights were mounted on that T as I feel they could be lowered down to improve the lines.

 

Living the dream, man. Living the dream. It's also about the 5th anniversary of you giving me a helping hand after my T got wrecked. I never forget a TRUE act of kindness and generosity. Thanks again.

 

No worries Fred!!

That was the first time I had ever been down a track. I have to say the first run....I lifted. I was doing about 90mph and it started getting floaty. Freaked me out. Next runs, I didn't lift

 

WOW! When I first built my T, I took it on HWY 288, here in Houston. At about 120 MPH, I thought it was "lifting" or floating and I got off the throttle. I have told that to probably a 100 guys and they all nod their heads like, "Yea, right."

Thanks for confirming what I always knew my car was doing. That's also why I tell people, "I really don't know how fast my car is." But that's also why I love these little monsters so much. Appetite for destruction? Maybe. Or just the love of speed and the sensation of QUICK. I honestly and realistically can't see me owning any other style of Hotrod.

I've recently gotten into researching the early and mid years of F1 racing. The cars were over powered frames with a shell and a seat attached. The typical "purpose built" T Bucket. Open wheels and balls to wall.



NOW, it's a more traditional photo.

 

Since we are posting random stuff, I did this today
A grille accent bar, with a Y Block V8 emblem that is actually a fender emblem I picked up at a swap meet.

 

That looks great! I also like the way your shocks are mounted to the wish bone. VERY cool.

And... GAWD, I should have drilled my axle.

 

That emblem is off a Y-block car. Just a little detail.


jerry

 

Thanks, I like the drilled axle too. I used a mag base drill and a 1 1/8" annular hole cutter to do them.
If you check out my build thread you can see how I used the F1 shock mounts for the upper mounts and then mounted the headlights off of them.

Right you are, I bought a pair of them and a very neat little miniature version that is a glove box emblem.
Need to find a place for it
Larry

 

My note about T's on tracks. Our local track, Rocky Mountain Raceway, has a once a year event called Nostalgia Drags so the street rods can come play in the 1/8th mile and they also run their weekly points series and other classes on the same night. At the 2013 event, I lost in the quarter finals so I head to the stands to spectate. The night's going on, the track officials are needing more time to switch classes and arrange brackets. The announcer is calling for people to do time only runs to fill time. I think no way they'll let me do a full pass without a rollbar. The announcer calls for a third time so I think the worst they can say is no. I suit up, pull up to the line, the guy stages me, and off I go! 12.73 at 111 mph.

 

That's just plain great. I'd LOVE to know how QUICK my T Bucket is. I can't really tell from the smucks I've beaten in Challengers or Mustangs because.....well.... they're smucks and have the dealers change their oil. I mean, would you brag about beating a blind midget in a basketball game?

 

That's funny

 

C'mon up to Ft. Worth, Fred. The little 1/8-mile track not three miles from my house runs "test-and-tune" sessions on Wednesday nights. Usually not very crowded so you can make passes until you run out of gas!

Usually on Friday or Saturday nights there's grudge racing or brackets if you'd care to put your T up against the assorted local "smucks"...some of whom actually do change their own oil. Makes for a fun evening either way.

I race my beater '64 El Camino every so often and have a ball. It runs in the "sundial class" (Street Eliminator) brackets - not very fast but consistent as hell. I've actually won track money with it on a busy night. C'mon up! I'll even buy you one of the worst hamburgers you've ever had...at the track concession stand!

 

If I get up there, I'll take you up on the offer. Thanks! I like truck stop food, too.

 

I am impressed with the way the tie rod goes behind the radiator instead of having it sticking way out in front. I will have to go to your thread and check out the headlight / shock mounts also as you have accomplished getting the lights to sit just right. And now I too will be going to swap meets looking for some old V8 badges I could use. Thanks for the idea.

 

What's the name of that track?

 

Texas Raceway in Kennedale, Texas. Their website no longer mentions the Wednesday nite test and tune but I'll call over there to confirm that it's still a weekly thing.

EDIT: Test and tune is now on Sundays from 4 to 10 pm - unless an event is scheduled. See their website for more information.

http://www.texasraceway.com/

 

Thanks. I've been meaning to visit that one anyway. Now there's all the more reason.

Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is not wise to ask such questions.
- Soloman

 

Our club held 1/8mile sprints as part of our swop meet /rod run back in May, we hold it on a closed public road in front of our clubrooms. It was so popular we are doing it again in November as a club sprint. Looking forward to it.

 

Pha! Should be THIS guy HE was a hot rodder...

 

Oy Vey, such a week!

...And it's only Monday! So far, today the "T" was the only car running in the fleet, as Judy's stupid Honda was hit by our neighbor ONCE AGAIN and back in the body shop. The CarFax on that thing has to look like a multi time loser's arrest record.

I came close to having an aneurism Saturday night, as one of the few times I have driven my Mother's loaned 2006 Yukon, the oil pressure gauge decided it could live life no longer and went to "0" while I was on the freeway home. Two days of nail biting and fervent prayer, plus lots of diagnostic proved that it has oil pressure, but the gauge doesn't think so...

So, as I said, this morning the "T" was the only running car in the fleet. Judy and I hopped into it to make a Wal Mart run and pick up some oil. She saw the crack in the windshield that it has picked up recently, and said "That going to fall off and hit you". I explained to her how with the little tabs holding it at the bottom, the process of making safety glass, and a glass set channel in the grooves it was a veritable impossibility... And, that I'm pretty sure I'll be chopping it this fall, so I'll have a new one made then. So we got back home, and I had to run down to the parts store and hopped in the bucket, of course, and blasted off down the road. UNTIL.... I got about six blocks away, hit that heavy bump that I sometimes forget to miss, and damned if the upper pane of the windshield DID fall out! Clonked me a little bit, but I'm of hearty Swede stock, so my head is the toughest part.

Welcome to my week...

Oh. and you better bet that I took the glass that I caught (kinda with my face) stuffed it back in the frame, took the frame out and carried it in when I got home. I explained to her that I was a little worried that she may be right and it could be a danger, so maybe I should just glue it in with some urethane...

 

Holy crap! Your week can only get better. I think your neighbors should start using public transit! Great "cover" on the windshield...I would have had to hear about it for about a month! Hang in there.

 

Only a month? I know I would hear about it for the rest of my life.

The bright side of this is, it has to get better, it can't get much worse...........can it?

 

After a month it would just move down the "list" a little. Oh well, take the good with the bad...

 

Nah, just a typical week for me.... Well, day! In case you guys haven't caught it yet, I am endowed with the worst possible luck on this planet. One of my family's favorite games is "what the hell else, can happen to Chip that wouldn't to anybody else..." always has been. Ay least I have a constant supply of good stories.

Trust me Dick. the potential for this week to get worse is quite strong. Some day I'll tell you about the day I called my self in to my own business and employees as "dead", 'cause after killing a coffee maker, a washing machine, setting my carpet on fire with an iron, and disabling THREE (not two) vehicles before 8:30am, there was no way I was going to risk the rest of that day! Ya, that really happened...