They look like they could be Vette and if my memory serves me right the Vettes had the covers over them and was just bolt on and I think it was an option on Vettes in 67 or 68 with the Stingray...or an option all together.
gene picked up the car in fresno and was in pieces. the pic was taken right after he and my dad put it together in the early 60's. gene did the mods on it so prior to gene it was just a bucket.
The last one with Vince does it have a SBC in it? I can't tell in the pic if it still has the HEMI or not.
yup, small block with Vette Fuel Injection, IMO T style headers with block-offs and looks like tail pipes that go under car like when Hemi was in it. Yup as well to the Hemi being in the first pic. Same Halibrand wheels as page 7 but with what looks to be some of those old stock car/road racing Good Year Blue Streaks....damn this guy could get ahold of some nice stuff... Or maybe they were slicks....
Wow! Stepping away from this thread has let some great new info pop in. Awesome pics and the transformation process is amazing. I remember having the "Budget Build" issues of Street Rodder. I wore those issues out!
That is one I have saved in my photo files and it is one that I do like and really like the look. I say that is late 60s early 70s. Great looking Bucket got any info on it?
no new pics yet. vince was at my dads shop this weekend dropping off some headers but i didnt see him. i was layed up in bed sick because of my blood pressure. i dont know what it is but every now and then my medication lets me down.
Hey James rest up man I know what it's like to have health problems and there is always another day to hear some great stories. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
That belonged to my late friend Mark Niver, and the dark haired guy at the front is my buddy Dave Hill. Even more ironically that picture was shot about 500 feet from where I'm writing this now in my neighborhood.
It's so funny how things just pop up and so many people know about it or have a personal experience with it. Tell us more about it Louvers?
Mark was a master machinist and thinker beyond the relm of comprehension. I honestly didn't know him super well, as he was always away running his Top Alcohol dragster, (the same one that unfortunately killed him about two years ago). This car was absolutely hand built from scratch by Dave (who has been a buddy fro about thirty years now) and Mark in a small rented one stall shop about a mile from my house in '72 and '73. Of the many cool things on this car, one that wouldn't be considered H.A.M.B. friendly would have to be the hand built I.R.S. based off of a Ford 9" center section. It wasn't done to be trick, it was done to be cheap! The car one best engineered at L.A.R.S. in '74, and the picture of him getting his award is a regular who's who of my buddies and mentors in this deal. He sold the car locally in '76, and the subsequent owner painted it in a neat yellow/orange fade and called it "Tequilla Sunrise", and it was featured in Street Rodder in '78 or '79 or so. It still exists around town.
Very cool and I would love to build a rear like that if I had the skill. Louvers thanks for sharing that story and sorry to hear of your friend. Would love to know more and that is a great looking car. I saved that one to my file a long time ago it's really good pic and great looking bucket. What color was it originally? It really is I would love to know how he did that with a 9" rear? Makes ya think what could you do with other rear ends if you have the know how to do it.
This thread had so much cool history that just keeps growing. I love that Genes T is finally getting the history out there along with this other T now! Just awesome! Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
You could do basically the same trick with any rear that you wanted too. The thing is you better have a pretty well tooled machine shop at your disposal, as paying someone to do this would get expensive very quickly. Mark had wanted a Jag rear end, as that was what was hot at the time in T-Buckets, but couldn't afford one. He narrowed a 9" down until it was just the center section and two axle bearing flanges, took two tapered big car axles and cut them down to fit the housing, machined most of the flanges off the ends to accept a U-joint, built what amounts to two drive shafts, built bearing carriers and cut two more axles for outer drive hubs. Easy? let's just call it and advanced machinist operation!
Yeah something I wouldnt be able to do lol but it looks really great. Did any other guys back in the day do this or attempt it? I really like the jag rears in T's myself. I found one with a 350/350 chevy in it but the guy was asking far to much. That rear looks super clean and very cool.
I'm doing a Jag rear in a customers T-bucket touring right now. The XJ 6 style rears are all over the place and cheap as dirt out here, so lot's of guys have been using them again. They are a bit wide for the typical T-Bucket though.
I wouldn't mind to do a Jag rear it just has a nice look to it but I take they all are to long for it? I think in my area they are going for $800-$1000 for a Jag rear. I think all parts are high in my area lol.
Fresno had a guy advertise some of them for $200 to $500 each, depending on which years/hubs. A fellow shop owner gave me a complete '64 XKE caged rear in '84, I was thinking about installing it in my '55 F100. (it hadn't been done yet then) It ended up un-caged, and going in a 'glass Bobtailed T bucket.
heres a few more. the last version is how it looked when vince sold it, turn your screen over for that one.lol
The Jalopy Journal
