Technical Buying a T-bucket..what could go wrong?

Turnispeed, that would be my dream find, if it had a 351 instead of a 350! Excellent find!



Bones

 

I drove a T bucket only once before, about 15 years ago and always thought it would be fun to have one. This on was a good buy and I think we will enjoy it. One more thing that I may do is add a taller windshield. My head is higher than the one on it now and at speeds over 45 mph my glasses bounce around on my head pretty bad. Thinking about getting some goggles to go over them.

 

Something on the line of the one Turnipseed bought probably would be the most fun in the long run. Real tires and wheels that you can drive on and an engine that isn't the least bit temperamental. Most any engine with a mild cam and carb setup should work there. Get in, fire it up and go.
I've had buddies with the big block tunnel ram dual carb with bike wheels on the front buckets that never seemed to drive them except quick Saturday morning cruise around town. I've also had buddies with T buckets with mild engines and wheel tire setups somewhat close to what Turnipseed has that find every reason the can to take the T when they go somewhere be it the store or just go drive. Still there is a couple that I see every year with a stout engine in their T that do serious road trips with it and he is older and bigger than I am.

 

Can't remember riding in a bucket, but this 27 I owned was comfortable to ride in and drove well.....wish I had it back

 

Things to be sure of when buying a T,clean title,,test drive it more then around the block! How it feels is king*an that your eyes are looking through windshield/not over it.. Get a motor you like,but body color an seat color,are not a biggys ,but can be a plus. Look at engineering an welds as best you can. If the front tie rod is out front of axle,be sure ackerman has been fixed an has front brakes. Check for bumpsteer=bounce up an down on front frame an see if steering wheel is turning a lot as you do it=bad bumpsteer. Be sure the steering pitman arm is not the lowist thing hanging under car.

 

Lots of room in here if you set it up right. Here's a pic of mine under construction.

 

It's funny, you like them or you don't. It was the first car I built, I had it five years, refined it continually over five years, had a $100 motor in it, was bullet quick, weighed 1770 pounds, handled like a goddamned race car, was uncomfortable as hell and the most fun on four wheels. I tried to find it and get it back, but no, so built another one, this time a 27 track nose rpu. Drove it the first summer and decided an open car wasn't for me, getting too old, but drove it with a for sale sign on it, fortunately, no takers.
Woke me up to fun again, true enjoyment of driving something truly unusual, dangerous, loud, cold, hot, wet at times, sun-wind burns, things that don't happen in my 36. My old lady don't like it, it messes up her inch long hair, I got no hair, (very little), so more mods this winter for another summer of too much fun. This year though, gonna put on some serious miles.

 

Never owned on........never actually got a ride in one!( Does a Cobra kit car count?) BUT........my question would be, if you're gonna have a "hot rod" it needs to sound like a hot rod!! If you want a silky smooth idling engine with a column shift automatic!!! Me thinks you don't REALLY want a "hot rod"...you just want a second car with some nice paint!
It needs to cut-up at the traffic lights with a snotty idle and make some noise. It will be light enough that a choppy engine will still "pull it off" from idle. Besides...that's what manual trannys and loose converters are for!
Sorry JMHO
6sally6
My old Mustang grumbles like a Super Stock back in the day and its plenty streetable.

 

It appears that the post that I had the picture of the one that I bought disappeared. It was a picture of it 'as bought'. It may have been off topic as the wheels certainly weren't traditional. I've made lots of changes since that picture. Please let me know if what I posted was inappropriate because I don't want to post inappropriate stuff.

 

I keep looking at the Speedway 27 track t kit. Got a wrecked Ranger with a 4.0 V6 5 speed that would be fun in one. Maybe when I retire I might be able to get one....

 

Just motoring along, living life

 

There was a city police officer in my hometown that had the only one around, back when we were in grade school. He lived one door over from the school, so it was thoroughly "inspected" every day. M-code 390, Pinto (Mustang in this case, 1969) shifter, chrome sprint car style headers (t bucket, whatever), red with a black interior. Are you going to trade your XL for one?

 

And it's not IF you will go down, it's WHEN.

 

What Koz said, times-2

I've built 2 buckets the way I wanted them and they handled like Go-Karts, rode very good, I designed them to sit "into" the car rather than on-top as most do. Drove them rain or shine all over the Midwest.
And yes, I'd build another at age 62 (as soon as I get my Coupe back on the road)

 

Realize T-Bucket bodies are small but is there a way to build one so you sit in it (low) rather then on it with knees folded up. Appears only way is with a stretched body or later body.

 

Now that's how you should sit in a bucket! The wind just goes over your head.

 

What could go wrong ? Here's some study material for you
All 357 pages of it, educate yourself.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/the-bucket-of-ugly-a-de-uglifying-thread.824491/

 

I think that's EXACTLY the kind of T most here shy away from.

 

I forgot to use the again.

 

If you build it with the pedals and everything else at the right place and a well designed seating arrangement you can sit as low as you do in a model "A, (door height on a T bucket is exactly the same as a '28-'29 roadster and the passenger compartment is actually larger at 48 1/2", toe board to seat back. Where you run into a problem is the relatively narrow foot space because of the cowl taper. You need to have the clutch pedal on the outside of the frame rail with a live shaft like '39 Ford pedals and they get comfortable quick. I like the 78 case Ford trans because they are short and narrow. See the pic in my post above. On my roadster the drivetrain is a good 8" higher in the chassis than a typical bucket and I still have some breathing room. So in short you can have a comfy bucket without the ugly, (IMAO), stretched body. If yu need some real legroom build a tub and just enjoy the loads of leg room.

Note to 6sally6, I totally agree with you but beg to differ in that an overcammed, overcarbed engine is no fun in traffic. Even worse with an automatic. Like most things, moderation is the key. All depends on what your using it for. My favorite T is Dons Hot Rods on here, (pic above). I know he sold it a bit ago but he used to drive the hell out of it and was awesome........ Followed closely by the flamed black one, (pic below), of whom I have no idea of who owns or built it. The pic was lifted off the web. Both of them were reasonable though not cheap builds and had, and I assume still get, the wheels driven off.

 

No,No,No!!!! I looked long and hard for that car, it will be parked over my grave. I bought a 65 Country Sedan about six months before I found my XL. I told my wife after I bought the wagon, now I’ll find the two door hardtop I’ve been looking for , for years. And it happened... don’t need two 65s so the wagon is going to have to go away.



Bones

 

Calling Bruce Fisher.. here's your wagon!

 

Any pics of you sitting in car. Seems it’s hard to find a pics of people sitting in T Buckets.

 

Mine is all apart at the moment but I will start a new build thread as soon as it is back on the shop floor and take some pics of me in it. Just for the record, I am not a light eater. If you look at Dana's car above, my seat is back approximately 4" with only 1" of padding, (high density foam), behind me. Works great. I'm not sure what he's sitting on but my bet is I'm 3" or so lower. My body is sectioned 2 1/2" but is only channeled 2" which makes it about 1/2" lower than the typical body shell. I also have the floor of 18ga. CR. which saves another 3/4". So I'm really 1/4" more into the car than a typical T. Every inch counts in one of these. My legs stretch out so that my knees just clear the dash when putting my feet onto the pedals. A rather large roll on the front of the seat provides thigh support on the road to avoid fatigue. I caught this one on the Sunkist and Moonkist T's and it makes a huge difference. The owner Rich, let me sit in it some years ago at the Fall Wildwood run and it just blew me away how comfortable it was. So this tech is totally stolen..... Very important for long runs. I've used this interior architecture on numerous cars in the past and the dimensions and material choices are spot on. My wifes Mazda Miata is smaller inside than a T and yet totally comfortable. Sit in one and you'll know how well thought out geometry can work.

One of the best things is when I went to the steel floor instead of the plywood. I know this can be tough for some guys but it is very forgiving and puts your "split" right over the frame and I can run a 2" high density pad under my butt and be very comfortable on a 150 mile stretch which is a full tank of gas.

 

Some things I would change,esp the radiator situation, but this looks fun and affordable(not mine, nor have I seen it)

https://orlando.craigslist.org/cto/d/orlando-1924-bucket-pickup/6776919755.html

 

I agree, that's not bad at all for the price, and he's negotiable. Not sure what's up with the weird grille arrangement and I don't think I'd want "troll" painted on the back but those are minor fixes. This could be a really fun car with minimal investment.

And for the record, T buckets are one of the few aftermarket fiberglass bodies I like, seeing as they were available already as far back as 1959. A glass T body doesn't feel like a fake/replica to me, it's more like an aftermarket speed part bought to build a car around.

 

If a glass body gets you into a fun ride so be it....in my opinion

 

BTW there is an original T touring that is supposed to be restored and needs to be assembled in our area on Facebook Marketplace for $4000. Thought wasn't too bad if one was looking for one of those

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/732712677122195/?ref=feed_rhc