Hot Rods How about some love for the T-Bucket?

^^^^ pitman arm , draglink ^^^^^
Glad we got past that part of 1965

 

I actually remember that car from a Saturday morning at a shop I used to hang out at when I was about 4 or 5.

I perhaps was easily influenced at the time but in my mind this is the perfect T or at least one of them.

 

^^^The wild man himself^^^

 

Dode Martin and Jim Nelson posing with the Dragmaster roadsters

 

Other than the scrub line, which could stand to be addressed and changed, that T is nice, even down to the driver's stroker hat being on backward.

Lynn

 

I really dig this bucket right here…the stance is perfect in my opinion and looks like it could replicated today fairly easily.

 

Interesting front suspension arrangement compared to most Ts. I'd like to see some close up photos just to see the general arrangement. Looks to be spring behind the axle, and is the radiator between the spring and the axle tube? Hmmm...

Lynn

 

^^^^That was my other thought but I thought I saw shackles peeking out from under the axle tube. Inquiring minds want to know!

Lynn

 

i want a set of slicks that narrow

 

Those look like there are Hurst recaps. Hurst and Dragmaster were both located in San Diego county.

 

Rear torsion behind rear axle , very short links , very cool forwards

 

If I remember right, this car was built by his Dad way back, then sold, and the son found it and restored it back to the way his Dad built it. It was in a magazine, maybe Street Rodder, Rod and Custom, one of those after the son restored it. Probably 10 years ago.

 

thanks for that. i've only seen two photos, this being one, and admired it a lot.

looked like an old build to me.

 

featured in car craft, july 1965.

 

In pix of running chassy on its side, I don’t see a rear spring. Am I missing something?

 

I have a lot to learn about torsion bar suspensions.

 

What are you not seeing ?

 

Yanked from another forum/site.

 

Dragmaster torsion bar suspension was a very good idea that 99.9% of hot rodders completely ignored…and still are!

 

I feel like building a tbucket would be so much fun and fairly easy

 

On a recent T modified build, we attempted a torsion bar front end, but my builder (who used to race speedway so had some knowledge of how a torsion bar set up worked) abandoned it as the bars were running parallel to the chassis up front, - as most we have seen do, and we couldnt get our Vega cross steer to work with the bars.

I see that the speedway crowd seemed to embrace the cowl steering, but I didnt want that. So like many others I need to learn more about torsion bar front suspension.

Can you run torsion bars with a cross steer system?

 

I don't see why not. Look at modern sprint cars, their bars are in front of the axle crosswise. And they run a panhard bar for side sway.