Aloha All A T Bucket Style Hot Rod has been on my Bucket List since my childhood days of building model cars. I'm getting along in years and if I don't get started it will never happen. Been lurking on HAMB for years and have finally joined and look forward to benefiting even more from the combined National Treasure of Information contained Here. I started collecting pieces for a Bucket and my Old Hot Rod friend said I need a real project car to work on. A add appeared on Craigs list and I was teetering on the edge with vertigo and he pushed me off. I am grateful to Him. This is the first of many times I have benefitted from his spot on Knowledge. My 31 Model A Phaeton; April 10, 2021 Love the door knob!
Bucket or tub....don't see many tubs any more, some of which can be really neat. Looks like some nice tin. Good on you.
You could say I got it Bad. The Add The Reality ~ Garage door was broken, nailed and they had pried it off with a crowbar.
The deal was to help clean for a discount. Twas an Estate sale. Load 1 Frame is Cherry! Grandpa had been working on this part. Best thing about that Toyota Truck is it was made in Texas.
This Sedan Floor rails has no holes in it. The grandson said he remembered Grandpa getting it new in the 80s. I feel this piece was a major score. Heck the whole thing was a score. How do I change picture sizes?
The shopper before me bought the Powder coated rims, windshield, axle, seat springs, top irons, and lots of other stuff, but they didn't bother to really dig. There appeared to be parts from 3 Model As.
I feel the same and my enthusiasm is high. Here is the back of the body upside down with me peeling off Grandpas patch. You can see the patch hanging over the rust in the wheel well. Bottom 2.5 inches of this car is gone. I imagine it rotted away with the floor long ago. Grandpa brass tacked galvanized patches over long rust holes. As evidenced by the lack of bottom revel line on cowl next to it. Yes working in the dirt! My desire outweighs things like lack of tools, money, space, and common sense.
My first patch. I know this piece is available from the suppliers and is reasonably priced but shipping to Oahu is outrageous. Every time I order large auto sheetmetal it arrives damaged. Price of Paradise I guess. Made some 1/8 plate to match sub frame. Bent some 1/4 by 1 inch steel bar for revel and added some 16 gauge sheetmetal to reach high enough to replace most of rust hole. Trimmed to fit between T~bars. Welded edge to edge to edge, no darn layers or laps. Peeled next patch on corner.
In Hawaii we call this approach, Back Yard Style! Sedan corner patches were about 7/8 inch to narrow, so bent flange over. Grandpa adjusted many things with the ball peen hammer approach. Sharp eyed regulars will notice my reveal is too pronounced.
Bought a Phaeton wheel well patch and bent a matching piece on my Old Hot Rod buddies brake while he cleaned his Aku (Tuna). Was gonna show brake but fish was neater. . Those were both shiny new metal yesterday. Every thing flashes rust instantly. You can actually watch it happen. Slower than ice melting but faster than grass growing. Even the lava rocks rot away out here.
Congrats on the acquisition and welcome to the Hamb...whatta' haul... You have family why not a Hotrod Tub?...I'm sure it's just your vision...and Buckets are it...Someone will gladly take the rest off your hand at the end of the day... Maybe you are building a Tub T bucket style and I stand corrected...
I'm with you, Tub is it from here on in! 4 doors for more fun! The more I do the more i love it. Tubs rule!
Rust in Hawaii was highlighted by our Hamb Boss Ryan not too long ago sharing some images of old engines in a dump near the waters edge on one of the Islands...they had nearly morphed into the rocks they were resting on...
Grind as much brass off as I can and heat it up a little to get grandpas tacked patch to pop loose. A little on fire is nothing compared to the horrors underneath. Rough...
So what period are you aiming for with your build 40s, 50s, early 60s...sounds like it will be fenderless as T Buckets generally are...engine choices vary as the period moves forward to 1965...I know so many things to consider...
Early 60s I guess. Fenders? maybe. When ya ride your dirt bike with no fenders you find you start liking fenders. No fenders scream HOT ROD though, and thats pretty cool too. When reading the Model A Phaeton threads by 340HilbornDuster, Mikko, and PurdueSD they no got So.....
I was thinking of Hilborn...so your new here but have been around a bit...good good...there are ongoing builds to inspire and many other Threads that help inspire where you might consider heading...
I agree and this is the main reason for joining HAMB. Lots of people with great enthusiasm here. I am grateful to be part of this community. I got lots to learn. I'm glad people are willing to share their knowledge. The sheer scope of this site blows mind.
Mock up of B pillar patch and rusty apron. Making everything bolt to sub rails instead of hot rivets used by Ford. Car came with a batch of hot rivets so grandpa was headed that way. I want it to be modular for future mods, repairs, and painting.
More 1/4 inch plate which I stick welded to 1/4 inch reveal. Did about 17 heat shrinks on the ball peened metal and welded seam trying to get it straight and right. I cut the 16 gauge metal out from where the triangle was going because no laps or layers. My Old Hot Rod buddy came and ran his hands on this panel for a few minutes and was impressed with how the warps had been smoothed out and how the panel was now becoming viable.
Some more mock up / test fitting. These 3 rear panels finally bolt to the sub rails, Yea!!! July 15, 2021 After much sanding, etching, sanding, skimming, sanding, and sanding. I went ahead and budget painted it. The Cheapest gallon at the Home Depot figured heavily in my 100$ paint job plan. Rustoleum, Jap drier, Xylene, strainers, and Lac thinner ran me just shy of a Benjamin. Yes I painted it in the dirt. Bad dog!, Bad! Bad! I know it should get media blasted and DP40 epoxy primer on it all, and that could still happen. This will work for the mean time. You can see the big patches on the fender I did during the test fitting. I may not use em but the still need to fit correctly. Some of that fender is Maytag now (think old washing machine back for free 16 ga. ). I know she will be scratched and chipped pretty bad before its all done. Probably fade instantly in the sun too. Most importantly these 3 pieces is done and I can quick thinking about em for now. I've seen parts rust through the primer in just days. I hope this holds it a little longer. Backyard Style! Every thing rots quick here. The dew point is so severe sometimes, it makes you think it just rained.
While those pieces have there extended drying time, I used some mahogany I had to make some bottom sub rail supports. Then started on the seat back. I ran a angle iron from hinge bolt to hinge bolt. Then started replacing the rot.