I've had a few muscle cars in my time but never a hot rod. I'm getting ready to sell off my Mach 1 rolling chassis and decided with the money I wanted to build a traditional style T-Bucket. Seemed like a good choice since I don't wanna dump a ton of cash into it and haven't messed around with hotrods before. I planned on building the frame myself outta some 2x3" rectangular tubing. Nothing fancy, just a straight frame, stardard height kickup, etc. I've got all the cutting and welding gear, so I figured I could save some cash by doing this myself. I was gonna set the front end up suicide style and use radius rods. I've seen on this site that some fellas build their own radius rods, which I like the idea of; seems pretty straight forward other than how to fab up the "apex" end up at the frame. I don't know what kinda spindles and brakes I'll use yet, not real familar with all the possibilities. I was gonna get a Nova steering box to use. Out back I was gonna use some homebrewed (hopefully) radius rods, a panhard bar, and a set of coilovers (which sucks, cause those things are pricy). I have a nice 9" center chunk with 3.89 gears and a Locker; I'll need to get another housing and cut it down and use the factory Ford 9" drums. As far as power, I have a half done 393 Cleveland 4V solid cam that I started for another project. Figured I'd finish it up, and back it with a Toploader I have, I've got a Hurst shifter that I could repair and make work. As far as the clutch I found a bellhousing off a truck for 20 bucks that uses the TL and SB Ford bolt patterns, but has a juice clutch cylinder. I've got a few driveshafts that I could cut down. I don't really want to but I can't find any good steel bodied cars around here, they've litterally rotted down to nothing, so I'd get a fiberglass body. Just a basic body with no bed or anything, on the back of the frame I was gonna go "borrow" a beer keg from around the college and mount it for a gas tank. Shoot it with some Blitz Black and throw some kinda bench seat in it and call it good to go. Other than the spindles and brakes and how to weld the frame mount side of the radius rods together it looks like everything is pretty straight forward. Am I missing anything or anyone have any suggestions? Has someone documented building the radius rods, and to those that did it, did you fabricate all the axle and frame bracketry or buy it? I intend on getting some books and such to help me along. It should be a bullet with its low weight with the 393 up front.
As far as the axle end of the radius rod brackets, front end or rear end, I'd just buy them unless you're REALLY good with a torch or have access to equipment to make nice brackets with the radius for the axle tubes. Concerning the frame pivot point mounts for the radius rods, My T sits quite low compaired to many others, so mine are mounted to a "crush tube" that's installed in the frame rail. If your car will sit higher you'll probably need some sort of tab to drop below the lower edge of the frame rail to mount the radius rods to keep them somewhat parallel to the ground. Most important is that your front radius rods and the drag link (if you're going that route vs. cross steer) are the same length and are parallel to each other or you're going to have an un-correctable "bump-steer". Now the discussion will begin about the evils of radius rods with a tube axle (assuming you may be going the tube axle route vs. beam axle), or using radius rods for the rear end, since there's no provision for suspension twist without the radius rods being stressed. Look at a LOT of T's. Design it in your head and on paper before you build or you'll be constantly solving problems rather than building your planned car. There will be plenty unexpected problems anyway. Good luck!
Sounds like a Healthy Combo. Dig around here a bit and use the Search Function The answers are here and it is fun finding them if you can keep from being distracted. Welcome to the Funny Farm. Dawg
First off kick that keg gas tank to the curb they look like shit.Get you a fiber glass body for now until you can find you a steel body.Speedway has springs you can mount over the axle with spring cups that are cheap.The rest sounds good.Get you some old hot rod magazines an study some pictures to see what you like all t-bucket are not a like.Some look good some like shit. Total performance has plans for building frames.Good luck
I'll likely just buy the radius rod mounts then, by the time I fabbed up a workable set I'd probably have screwed up enough times to buy them in the first place. I plan on hanging them below the frame, I want low but not REALY low; I put my Mach 1 down 2 inches and it could barely make it out one side of my alley and would get high centered the other way out. I definitely need a book, I didn't know about the drag link parallel to the radius rod. I plan on using a drag link, don't feel like fartin' around with a cross steer setup, so I'll make sure to have all that gear before I start messing around with the radius rods. As far as a tube axle vs. a beam, I really don't have a preference other than cheap, but I like the looks of an I-beam better. I would like to use the hairpins on all 4 corners, I love the look (especially since the chassis will be red and the car will be satin black). Thanks for the heads up on the coil spring setup, I REALLY did NOT want to use coilovers. Honestly of all the setups I like the looks of the leaf the best, but since I don't have ANYTHING right now the coil spring setup looks like it'd be cheap and effective, not to mention that looks like a real straight forward setup. I don't think I can bring myself to ditch the keg tank though, its free! (other than the cap and filler neck)... Free always looks nice.
There were some T bucket frame plans floating around here a while ago. They had all the measurements, patterns for brackets, etc... Search the archives, you'll find a trove of info on what you want to do. Flatman
all good ideas do far. the only thing i would add is the Nova steering box may not be the best choice..it's big and UGLY depending where you mount your steering , a vega or corvair or even VW bus may work better..i'm sure others on here can give you some help with this
This is a great site, I posted this today and already you fellas have got me frame plans and offered me free advice and pictures. Thanks guys! The only reason I was leanin' towards the Nova box is I might be able to get one for cheap/nothing... I've got a second cousin (or somethin' like that, its WV) that has a few Nova drag cars. I'll look around and see what else I can find. WV is Chevy country though, you can't throw a rock and not hit a Chevelle or a Nova (or an pastel-colored street rod driven by a fat guy in a Hawaiian shirt and loafers, which may work to my advantage since they ripped all the "good" stuff I'd like off their rods for MII frontends and such).
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