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Hot Rods Stupid Question - T-buckets at auctions

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Yutan Flash, Sep 3, 2019.

  1. 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?
     
    mgtstumpy, alanp561, wicarnut and 2 others like this.
  2. arkiehotrods
    Joined: Mar 9, 2006
    Posts: 6,802

    arkiehotrods
    Member

    I'd say you summed it up pretty well!
     
  3. oilslinger53
    Joined: Apr 17, 2007
    Posts: 2,500

    oilslinger53
    Member
    from covina CA

    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
     
    alanp561 and Tri-power37 like this.
  4. BJR
    Joined: Mar 11, 2005
    Posts: 9,911

    BJR
    Member

    Not to mention they are about as safe as a motorcycle.
     
    mgtstumpy, alanp561 and Tri-power37 like this.

  5. woodiewagon46
    Joined: Mar 14, 2013
    Posts: 2,277

    woodiewagon46
    Member
    from New York

    Tell your boss if his "young grandkids" are involved, to purchase a nice two or four door sedan.
     
  6. BamaMav
    Joined: Jun 19, 2011
    Posts: 6,753

    BamaMav
    Member
    from Berry, AL

    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.
     
    Tri-power37 likes this.
  7. Gearhead Graphics
    Joined: Oct 4, 2008
    Posts: 3,890

    Gearhead Graphics
    Member
    from Denver Co

    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!)
     
    dana barlow and Turnipseed like this.
  8. Tri-power37
    Joined: Feb 10, 2019
    Posts: 510

    Tri-power37
    Member

    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
     
    pitman and Blacktop VooDoo like this.
  9. 19Fordy
    Joined: May 17, 2003
    Posts: 8,053

    19Fordy
    Member

    T bucket puts you on the road to "kicking the bucket".
     
  10. wvenfield
    Joined: Nov 23, 2006
    Posts: 5,584

    wvenfield
    Member

    Some people's cheap and my cheap are obviously two different things.
     
  11. dreracecar
    Joined: Aug 27, 2009
    Posts: 3,476

    dreracecar
    Member
    from so-cal

    P'wood once told me that the Rarest car in the world is a T-Bucket without a FOR SALE sign on it
     
    BJR, Tri-power37, 49ratfink and 5 others like this.
  12. Jalopy Joker
    Joined: Sep 3, 2006
    Posts: 31,260

    Jalopy Joker
    Member

    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
     
    Tri-power37 likes this.
  13. 2OLD2FAST
    Joined: Feb 3, 2010
    Posts: 5,260

    2OLD2FAST
    Member
    from illinois

    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
     
    mountainman2, alanp561 and Old-Soul like this.
  14. Blues4U
    Joined: Oct 1, 2015
    Posts: 7,589

    Blues4U
    Member
    from So Cal

    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.
     
  15. Down in and comfy looking and I think Norm was a pretty good sized guy.
    Grabowski’s-T-Lightnin-Bug-1024x812.jpg
    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.
    BabyCarriage.jpg
     
  16. Jalopy Joker
    Joined: Sep 3, 2006
    Posts: 31,260

    Jalopy Joker
    Member

    Bucket list: 20190904_113701.jpg 20190904_113914.jpg 20190904_114049.jpg 20190904_113959.jpg 20190904_114458.jpg 20190904_114348.jpg 20190904_113557.jpg
     
    brad2v likes this.
  17. Z06-LITE
    Joined: Nov 13, 2010
    Posts: 224

    Z06-LITE
    Member

    Here's mine. On the road since 1980. IMG_0209.jpg
     
    41rodderz and Jalopy Joker like this.
  18. 41rodderz
    Joined: Sep 27, 2010
    Posts: 6,541

    41rodderz
    Member
    from Oregon

    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.
     

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