Out of the blue this afternoon my boss asks me to come into his office. He begins quizzing me about T-buckets and wanting to buy one to tool around in with his young grandkids. The next thing I know he's going through one of the self-promoting traveling circus-esque auction house sites and lamenting why there's no T-buckets consigned. Thinking about this for a minute or so, my reaction was "well, they're not that practical, they can be had relatively cheap if they're based on a fiberglass body vs. all steel or not a period build, there isn't much to most of them, older cars (especially pre-Depression-Era) are taking a dump compared to post-war ones with more amenities and comforts, and the auction houses probably shy away from low-dollar/low-commission cars." Now I don't pay much attention to T-buckets because I'm more of a fat-fender kind of guy, but it does beg the question why you don't see them much at auctions? Or am I just overlooking something?
Nope, all the reasons you just mentioned. Even with the scrap drives, they just made so many of them that they are still easy to find for cheap. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
As many as there are of them, it's funny you seldom see one on the road, at least around here you don't. Maybe one will show up on cruise night, or two or three at a bigger show. Everybody that has them must keep them in the garage and only take them out once or twice a year.
I agree with all of the above statements. Yet that said, my parents built a bucket and drove it a few years before selling it to build the A sedan and have room for me. I've heard all their stories of the fun they had in that car. I WANT ONE. 20 years ago I found their old car I now live in the town that guy lived in. I'm going to track him down. If I cant buy it back from him, I'll be building a loose "clone" of theirs. Purely because of their stories. Not practical in the slightest, but I really dont care about that end ( I love hot rods!)
I never really got t buckets I know where there is a few of them but you never see them out. Had a few convertibles and have one now I almost always drive it with the top up the sun nowadays just cooks you and the wind -you end up showing up - feeling like you got shot out of a cannon. Wife loves it (sarcasm). Adult kids in the backseat love it (sarcasm). Much prefer the safety and comfort of a hardtop. You don’t sit in a t bucket so much as you sit ON a t bucket
from what I have seen, most are owned by people too tall or too heavy, or both, to fit in one properly - but, a fairly cheap way to get started in the Hot Rod world - most have too short of a wheel base and make driving a challenge, especially for the lead foot types - I agree with above in that not something to haul young grandkids around in
Tbuckets are fun ! The power to weight ratio is fun !.hauling around whoever wants to go for a ride is fun. My grandkids love mine ! Their friends are jealous ! You sit IN them if they're done correctly! If you want a turnkey bucket built for you using new parts you're somewhere north of $40K , that ain't cheap in my world ..! You guys can get all tangled up in your gold chains , I'll be out giving my grandkids , my wife and my friends rides
Seems to me there is an entire 1000 page thread on T-Buckets and how to do them correctly. That's not common on cars that nobody wants. And guys like @needlouvers who is something like 6'5", or @tfeverfred who is also a big guy if I recall correctly, seem to fit just fine in them.
Down in and comfy looking and I think Norm was a pretty good sized guy. Un safe for kids? I know Norm's passed on now (Age related not T related) but the Baby in the car seat still comes on this sight once in a while. She's all grown up now. T's can't be all bad.
I agree. They are on Craigslist here. A buddy bought one cheap so he could flip it. It had a 400 Chevy, 350 trans and a 10 bolt rear. Was fast and fun but he still was getting rid of it.