Projects Want to do a T Bucket do I go Steel or Glass

The way I look at it this. If someone wants to rag on me for my glass car, I'll ask him what he drove to the cruise in or show. And as far as the HAMB goes, to those who are ragging a guy because of his finished glass car, are you driving or still wrenching and welding with years to go?

 

Bravo! Great oratory! I agree!

 

Bravo! Great oratory! I agree!

 

you can get everything you need from speedway motors

 

Hilborn Injected, street driven piece of ASS:



Its even got a shitload of anodized fittings, which, when combined w/ the 40 year old wavy gravy glass body, puts me well into "Street Rodder" country.

Stay far, far away from glass if you want to be a real "Hot Rodder."

 

who really cares! , just use glass, if ya find a steel body then great. but remember RUST NEVER SLEEPS. what ever ya do just dont build an ugly one as theres already lots of fine examples on how NOT to build a t bucket out there. THERES NOTHIN MORE HOTROD THAN A GLASS BODY.

 

I'm building my first one as we speak - I opted for the cheapest glass body I could find. I think I ended up with less than $400 in it - even after I had it shipped to the house. My reasoning was simple - I really wasn't sure 'how' I was going to build the car and I knew there would be some trial and error during the construction and I just didn't want to be worried about screwing up a rare original body. Not to mention I didn't want to spend months and drive hundreds of miles in a search for one and THEN screw it up...lol. Maybe after I finish the car - if I like it enough - I'll put a steel body on it someday. IF I can find one.

 

Thanks lots of good ideas here

 

To the OP:
Why *not* start w/a glass body? Get the thing running & drivable. If you gotta have steel, & are careful w/the build, you can look for, & aquire, the parts needed to piece together a decent T body (while enjoying & driving the wheels off of the "fake" T) & then do the metalwork as you can afford either your time - or a professionals' time. Then do the body swap. Everything should exchange fairly evenly - "IF" you've been careful in the build, & this *is* harder than it sounds, but can be done. The replica parts need to be real close - & as we all know, they aren't. So that means looking for OEM stuff - which doesn't exactly match either - . So, you can use the now-cherried body for the *new* T build. . & as they say: "Double your pleasure, double your fun..." .

Real-steel is mostly for either bragging rights (usually), or personal satisfaction (rarely -but really, the best reason of all - which won't/can't include bragging ).

A friend has a Hemi-T, & drives the wheels off of it - literally. Can't remove the smile from his face - & I seriously doubt steel would make the smile any bigger, & he doesn't give a damn about the bragging rights. WTF?, it already has a 392 hemi I found for him ... .

Pay attention to needlouvers!

Find what you can, & get rolling.

Marcus...

 

i see guys driving over the top ratrods with the same look on their face.

just saying

 

I can see the argument for steel, in a full bodied car especially...28 and up even.
Trunk lids and openings, doors with an actual structure and required strong attachment points...not to mention all the obvious seams like around the cowl/gas tank etc.

I would prefer steel myself...T or otherwise.

But a bucket being steel or fiberglass, given that 'glass ones were available in our timeline, is hardly something to be concerned with.
Theres so little to a T roadster body that its just not worth worrying about anyway.

Build a 'glass one...and if you decide you would like to have a steel body at some later point, build your steel body off the frame and swap it over at a later date. That way you can enjoy the car while you build the steel body.

Mine is 'glass and at some point I may build a steel body for it.
Maybe....

 

If you are wanting to build a rat rod then go with steel, if you want a nice painted T then glass is the way to go. Rust, I don't think you can ever get rid of all the rust in a steel body. No matter what expensive process you use the rust will come back. It might take years, but it will come back.

You will probably pay just as much or more for a pile of rust, and have to spend who knows how much $$$$$$ getting it ready to paint. Patch panels welding etc. Where as a glass body is pretty much ready to paint. Yea you will have to do a little body work, filling in some mold marks, etc.

It is your car, build what you want.

Titling can be an issue also. If you buy a complete kit you should get an MSO, and you just take it to the DMV pay the tax and get a title and tags.

 

Are you suggesting that if it has a steel body, it's a rat rod and if it's glass it's not or did I just read your statement wrong?

 

Commitment to the project, weather glass or steel, is the most important part of the decision.
Skill level, IMHO, should not be a factor in the choice. You will learn as you go, thats part of the fun. I have gotten over the fear of the unknowns, on my project, one step at a time, and have learned a ton on the way.
While it has taken many years, I will be a "smiling face full of idiot" this spring.
I have nothing but respect for the guys here building true, traditional, steel hotrods.....I hope someday, to be one of them.
Jump in, head first.

 

I really like that roadster you're building, Bulletnose26. I'd be smilin' too if it were mine.

 

Go Job/ Speedster= steel
Bucket= glass

 

You read it wrong, go back and read the whole paragraph.