Projects The bucket of ugly! A de-uglifying thread...

Hey gang,

As lots of you know, I post over here a lot. I like to answer technical and historical stuff, and at least 50% of the time, I'm kinda right! But I have never tried my hand at a "build thread" before. I do suck at stopping long enough to shoot pictures, but I will try to discipline myself to do it. I can only post from my computer, so as I go thought this just remember to click on the photos and they'll get big enough to see.

This all started about a year ago. A good client and friend of mine called me and asked if I could squeeze in a quicky project for him. He had spent the last couple of years picking up disparate T- Bucket parts at swaps across the southwest and felt he had enough stuff to build a roller. He brought the pile over, I spent a couple of weeks tabbing it all together, cheated the proportions to make it look pretty good, and sent it home a roller. He and another friend then set about doing all the things that make a car a runner. Many things such as the wiring and brake lines and such were done to a "less than perfect" level, the car started, driven around the neighborhood, covered and forgotten.

About six months ago, The incredible Miss Judy and I stopped by Roy's to check out something on another project, and she asked what was under the tarp back in the corner. What ensued was five and a half month bargaining and bartering session the likes of which the world will never see again!!! Picture a sassy, cute, but totally un-understandable Chinese gal verbally duking it out with a "been there, done that" large bearded biker, both working hard to screw each other in the process... For five months!!! Good times. When all was said and done, the sale of our beloved '71 Maverick sealed the funds to make the deal happen, and the "Bucket of Ugly" was ours.

Now, this is not going to be a "build thread" in the common sense of the word, this will be more of a "wiping the ugly off and putting cool in it's place" thread. It seems so many buckets get so many unfortunate things done to them during the build, then make the Craig'slist cheap. What I'm going to do with this thread is attempt to show how to take a cheap bucket with good bones and make it something to be enjoyed and "cool" as inexpensively as possible. I'll do this by Backdating things to create a very early sixties vibe. Some will cry Foul because I have a great many things saved up for this car. I understand that mid sixties American straight spoke Torque Thrusts and cheater slicks don't fall off of trees, but I have collected many over the years, and they are still out there to buy. But, there are many, many more currently available substitutes inexpensively available these days too. I'll point these out as I go if I can.

I'll be concentrating my efforts in a few basic ways. Correct tires and wheels, improved exhaust system to later be replaced with something much better, clean up of the wiring and hydraulic systems, A much more appropriate interior and tonnue covers, and better seating position. It may get painted, as a friend of mine has offered his services in that department. The rest will be more detail oriented, I might swap the tube axle for an "I" beam and drill it full of holes, I will probably change the tail lights and plate mounts.

That's it for tonight. For now feast your eyes on the starting point for the "Bucket of Ugly"... Drove it home like this two weeks ago tonight.

 

I was hoping this would become a build thread when I read about the ugly butts earlier.
I'm cheap (thrifty?) enough that a T roadster makeover is something that I see myself doing sometime. I keep my eyes out for somebody ready to jump ship on one.
Ok, it's been 4 minutes.. Any updates?


Posted from my office while pretending to work!

 

Oh, kinda forgot, That brass radiator is on it's way out right now as we speak! It'll get replaced by "T" shell or a sizable chunk of deuce shell and a dimple died aluminum insert...

 

Awesome! Subscribed...Can't wait to see it come together. Oh, and I think you're right at least a little bit more than 50% of the time, by the way...just sayin'...

 

Well, I will give a very SNEAK preview of things to come... From earlier tonight!

 

this is going to be a nice build, subscribed

 

I've looked the pictures over pretty carefully, and the car has some good bones already. It seems pretty well built with standard t bucket components. Certainly a better start than most we see. Is that shifter going bye bye ?

Your changes are pretty much in line with what I would do too. Have fun.

Don

 

Saaaaawwweeeeetttt!!!!!!
But when its not ugly anymore.....does that mean you will become the ugly in the bucket???
Greatest name ever!

 

Looks like a great starting point......!

 

I just don't see a Chinese gal owning that.

 

Hey, if they can't find you handsome, they should at least find ya handy!!! I am starting to look more and more like a Roth monster as time goes by...

 

I don't see the "Ugly". All it needs is the shifter extended another 12" with a big skull shift knob. And maybe something to steer with like a boat tiller handle or '59 Olds steering wheel! Don't take it to any RichGuys shows because they will tell you to"slow it down because you are making too much dust!"
(That really happened at a Pleasanton show to my buddy in his Bantam body Tee.)

 

Hell those wheels make a difference already, keep going...

Scotty

 

Well, that was my first thought, but then Judy was flipping through some early sixties magazines and saw a long shifter and said, "see it can be"! Then she walked to the back room and came in with a plaster skull my step dad found at a yard sale about ten years ago... "What think"? So It looks like it may be staying for a bit. I'd like it to be about a foot shorter though.

You and me both... And I own a Chinese gal! She has a bad habit of being too alert to old cars. She LOVES to bargain! She also thinks that I sould work around the clock. I still have to put the Plymouth back together, finish the roadster pickup and the modified. My stuff will sit a bit longer though so we can have a running, driving roadster soon.

 

I've seen much less to start with, It looks like you are on your way to what you want !!

 

Got the fronts too! I'm going to disappoint some of my harder core traditionalist friends on this one though... I stuck with radials. I went with 155X15s, as plain as I could find these days. They do mimic a phenomenon common on early sixties buckets, that was a 5.60X15 on a 6" American. they kinda "lofted" a bit, the 155s will do the same, and fill in visually pretty well. My Hurst cheaters are radials, and I DON'T mix on my cars ever since the two complete ground loops in rush hour traffic on mismatched bias/radials about 30 years ago... I really do want her to drive this a bit.

 

subscribed !

 

Part of the deal on this will be using what you've got, to get what you want. This car came with a fairly nice older brass radiator. Now, I do like these, as I am sort of a geek for Dan Woods stuff and I grew up in the seventies when they were prevalent. But, since I'm drawing the fuzzy line in the sand on this one at about '64, it won't fly. I have a few stock Model "T" shells hanging in the shop at this moment, and one might make it to this car. My other thought is a chunk of deuce shell, with a plain dimple died aluminum insert. We'll see what I can scrounge.

The other morning was cool and rainy, which is a real rarity in Phoenix in August! So, I grabbed a couple of different grades of sand paper, a block and a couple of types of mag wheel polish and set about putting what I had into photographable condition. A couple hours later, I had this! It's on that auction sight as we speak, with an opening bid that is over double what a replacement aluminum radiator will cost, with about 75 views on it at this point.

My point with this isn't "woo-hoo, look, Chip's making money", it's if your car has something on it that you don't like and won't use, take some time and make that item the best it can be and sell it to afford what you really want! Also, DON'T use something that doesn't fit your ideal "just because you have it". It's easy to find the right stuff if you look, then it becomes a matter of how to afford it. If I had put this up looking grotty and tarnished, it wouldn't draw half the attention it has. Look at the first photos of the car I posted and you would have never seen that this was out there on the front. It's all about making the most of your resources... Oh, and for the record, when Judy saw it all shined up, she wanted it to stay!!! Nope...

 

Oh, another thing, Go back and look at the front three quarters view of the car that I posted in the original post. See how high that radiator sits? That right there is the biggest "why does my T-Bucket look awkward" mistake on the planet! yet another reason why it' will be replaced in the very near future. We'll get it right this time!

 

Chip

I think you are over thinking this thing. I should talk. You are starting out with a well designed and constructed rod you built. It already has a good overall look. For the style you are going for you have a lot of latitude. Just go ahead and fix the few things that you don't like, put it together and drive shit out of it.

See you at LARS next June.

Gary

 

I agree with all commentors here, that it is a good start and I also agree with your reasoning for changes, but steel wheels are more to the 64 era aren't they and I have to ask, what is that steering box?

 

Steering box is a reversed Corvair unit. I'll be doing a rebuild how to on it soon as the sector shaft is soooooo worn out it's doing the death wobble dance at anything over about 35 mph.

Steel wheels? If we were talking '56-'59 or so, then steel would be more appropriate. But in about '60, Bill Roland bought Tommy Ivo's car and redid it with cobalt blue paint and Halibrands, and it seems every featured bucket from that point on had mags of some sort until about '65 or so, when we started to see Cragar S/Ss and the first of the motorcycle front wheels on these cars.

 

I like where your head is at on this one, Chip. You've got a pretty good base to work from, and all of the stuff you're taking off can be sold or traded for the stuff you need. I'm a big fan of parts recycling, and I know you are, too.

The wheels made a HUGE difference! Now, you've got to pull it out into the drive way and keep walking around it from different vantage points and figure out what stays and what goes. I would recommend staying with a T grille instead of a Deuce shell, using the big, original T headlights, and keeping the car's stance a bit on the "low" side. I'm thinking that the Tommy Ivo bucket from back in the day would be a great point of reference, but just updated a few years in the future with Torq-Thrusts and other subtle goodies. Take up the offer from your buddy and paint it! A nice Oriental Blue with white over black Tommy the Greek striping and a tasteful white tuck and roll interior........

Damn, now I want to build a Bucket, too!

 

This is going to be great. When I get my car legs back one of my plans is to de-ugly an unloved T. Those radial fronts appear pretty similar in pattern to the Pirelli radials lots of rods/drag cars ran back then, they'll look awesome.

 

Chip, you know the details. It will come out killer.

 

Thanks for the quick answer, I guess I always think of Ts and associate them to the "Big T" model from that era. I have one in a box in the garage I better go look at it again (lol).

 

I really like the approach you're taking.

My biggest gripe with T-buckets is the general ergonomics of the things. Steering wheel too vertical, awkward pedals, poor seats....While you can drive them, its not exactly a comfortable long distance touring car for anyone over 5'6". I've seen some 27's that were better in that regard, though still cramped.

 

Cool little build you got going here. It will be interesting to follow your progress.

--louis

 

love where you are going w/ this, nice nice

 

American 5 spokes were in use in 64 as I had a set on my 27 flattie powered RPU. Real Mag by the way!!