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

Pacific Chrysler and Johnston Motors both backed SS Hemis locally in the late sixties/early seventies. Johnston Motors backed John Bowdens RO-23 car.

 

I don't think it will be restrictive enough to worry about. I have seen it used before many times in quite few different applications. You think about the average car that we are trying to cool and it has lots more restrictive stuff out ahead of the radiator than a simple perforated sheet.

The argument about glass versus steel will rage on forever. I just flat don't care. T-Buckets are about the only cars out there that have had glass replicas available so long now that could be Traditional. The earlier cars with pass car rails, steel wheels, white walls, with flatheads and Caddys and Rockets and such should be steel in my opinion. Trying to do that car in glass most of the time looks sort of out of time and place with itself. It never seems comfortable unless it's the front half of a touring like Ivo's and Grabowski's cars. Just my opinion. The early sixties, just after these 'glass bodies came out and made these cars "easy", however, to me are a bit more interesting. I love period dressed small block Chevys. I love these cars with four mag wheels. I love all the drag influenced stuff that found it's way to them in that period. I love the fact that aluminum was then the new wonder material and it was everywhere. I just flat dig that 5 year or so period where there wasn't any real rules with these things before they became more "formula". I honestly wish I could just scan every damn magazine from the sixties and show you guys if you don't have your own collection. That was all made possible by the introduction of the 'glass "T" shell...

 

The glass T will always be a thorn in some guys sides and that's okay. They were popular for all the reasons you stated. And I remember the magazines you were talking about. I was there and was reading them. Damn near EVERY magazine had at least one T Bucket in it. That's a fact. As time went on, guys started doing stupid crap to them in an effort to out do the next guy. That's when it all got REALLY dumb.

I fell in love with T Buckets and could never understand how something so simple could get so damn complicated and stupid. I remember when everyone started to bolt all the lanterns and doo hickeys on them. Then the FAT tires showed up and it just got SUPER crazy. Why the hell would a car, trying to look like a dragster or rail, have a 4' top and a 2' windshield sitting straight up? And what the hell is going on with a fake 14" pick up bed?

Everyone has their own style and it's cool to see all the variations, but sometimes, FORM looks like it gets tossed in the trash.

 

Chip..have you seen this one? photo is from Kustomrama .

 

Chip, Fred reading your last posts it seems we pretty much think alike. Their are so many buckets out there and so many builders they just can't be lumped together. We've all seen thrown together Ts with no rhyme or reason by builders who just don't care and have little skills. I think they have to be thrown out of the what we are talking about. I have a friend, club member that just bought one like that. Just thrown together, truck front axle, sits high in front. Chip what you started with on this thread was way nicer than his but he is happy as hell with it and loves it and I'm sure thinks but for a little chrome would be just like mine. At the other end of the scale are the show quality Tall Ts where everything is exaggerated in an effort to outdo the last one. That is a big population of bucket owners. I can appreciate the design, workmanship and mega $ that goes into them but they are not (and I think I speak for everybody on this thread and maybe on the hamb) what we are into.
So what we are left with is the '50s started by Grabowski and Ivo and the '60s started by the fiberglass body. I think if everybody just stuck to an era and used the parts available and were popular at the time with good judgement and did some homework we would have far fewer UGLY Ts".

Well that's the T bucket world according to Gary

 

I have a bit of trivia that most folks don't know!! Canadian T buckets have opening doors on both sides of the car!!
Chip are you going to lay down some rubber between the Radiator and your new cross member??

 

Absolutely Fleet-Master! That is the old Monogram 1/8 scale "Big T" kit from the sixties. On one level that kit is the part of the reason that I am sitting here writing all this stuff right now, as one of my childhood memories was when my dad brought home an unopened kit when was 5 or 6 years old and we put it together. But, even then I remember asking my dad "why it didn't look like our T-Buckets?" Ours were Purple Metalflake (moms), and Green Metalflake (dads) ad built in high late sixties/early seventies style - wire wheels up front, tall windshields, 14" beds, polished aluminum frames with Corvair coils on all four corners, and everything chromed. I remember thinking how cool this kind of car was, and my dad answered back, "because that is an older style hot rod and ours are newer". The start of the craziness you see before you, I'm pretty sure.

As cool as the "Big T" kit was, there were a few things that weren't quite right. The top has a kinda weird shape, the rear sits lower than the front, stuff like that. Funniest thing was, the model looked better than the real car they scaled up FROM the kit! But damn what a cool way for a kid to learn and understand automotive construction!

For a better view of that kit, here... For the cooler version of that kit, I also humbly offer a picture of one of the other versions, "The Big Drag"...

 

What are saying that Ford T roadster bodies built in Canada pryer to '26 had two opening doors or are you talking about fiberglass bodies built in Canada?

 

Steel!!

 

Wow something I didn't know. Does anybody have any pictures?

 

Dead sexy. This just gets better & better.


Not really my taste in mesh, but I'm curious as to the end product of your rad shell. I want to replace my expanded mesh, mostly due to the previous owner putting larger holes in it for the craptastic chrome "ford" script.

I don't mean to highjack...I kind of wanted to pick your brain, in your experience with the T windshield posts. Actually, I'm sure there's plenty w/ experience here. I'd like to get short/straight posts, mine were installed sometime around 1971, from a company out of Cleveland (unkown)...what are the chances the ones available today would be the same bolt/mount pattern? I'm guessing these aren't completely universal/interchangeable with all mfrs through the years.

...& with that said, I've tried everything to get my top windshield to tighten & not move, but by the time I get to the end of my (very rough) road, it's swung back down & it ends up pushing backwards in the wind. I love the taller windshield, but this crap is annoying & I really don't care for the look of support rods. So, I was planning on going w/ a 14" (square top) frame instead.

I don't mean to de-rail, I can take this to PMs if necessary

 

I have seen several tourings /roadsters pre 1926. On the radiator grille shell, ,below Ford Script it says : Made in Canada..
Yet to see a roadster or touring that both front doors open, (not that it couldn't be.)
At 70 years old, I just haven't seen one yet...
Pictures..?

 

Wow your old! I can say that because I'm only 69. But in my 69 years I haven't seen such a creature.

 

I lived in BC until 69 and from 75-86, had several pre 26 T's and never saw one with both opening doors, but I have a Mercury Pickup that everyone tells me is not real. There was a Frontenac similar to the Fords that all doors opened.

 

Funny you should mention that! My next project around here is going to be a loose clone of Grabowski's lesser know '25 touring for Roy. One of his insistences was a driver's side door... Found one and it is sitting in his shed as we speak... Yup, I knew about that. The thing that makes me giggle a bit about it though is that, if you have ever driven a stock "T", the handbrake/clutch handle is right where the entrance for that door would be. They would have been almost impossible to use.

 

It looks like maybe the Canadian right-hand drive export models had two opening doors.

Here are a couple of pics of a 1925 Tourer for sale locally down here, you can clearly see the passenger door in one pic and just make out the drivers door hinges in the other.

I guess this is because they had to put an opening door on the passenger side (which is the US Drivers side) and it was easier to leave the US Passenger door there as well which became the NZ drivers door.

 

Hi 'Peach! You are not hijacking in any way shape or form on this deal! You probably have the attentions of some of the best T-Bucket minds on the H.A.M.B. in this thread, so don't be shy and ask away.

As far as your windshield woes go, it sounds like you might have the earlier style '17-'21 type stuff, or something custom. Why not take a picture of what you have, and we can kinda go from there as far as what to do? If it is early type stuff, then it would be an easy to go to the later '22-'25 long post stuff like my car and maybe chop it to where you want it.

 

Thanks, I'll grab some better pics this week...I was wondering if cutting down what I had would be frowned upon. I'm certainly not opposed to saving some cash!

It does look pretty close to what you have though.

This thread is definitely a jackpot of advice & knowledge

 

Well I just learned something.

Great thread Chip. Just bring us back to reality once in a while with updates on your build.

Gary

 

Very true and if an era doesn't come to mind, just leave off the excess crap entirely.

I'd had heard that numerous times, but no one had a photo. Glad one finally showed up here.

 

Gary, go back a page and take a look at yesterday's updates....

 

I have seen all of them and like what I see. Just hate to see this thread turn into something different than what you started it for.

 

Bought a "T" firewall from a guy at the Twin Cities Roadsters swap a couple years ago, as I was walking away something bugged me about a high cowl he had sitting there. Walked back and saw what was wrong, it was set up for two doors. Then I noticed the Robertson screws holding it together and figured it was Canadian. I think if he would have had the left door I might just have bought it for novelty of it. Took a couple of pictures; but lost them when my old phone crapped out.

 

I REALLY hope this doesn't high jack the thread, but since we have so many T Bucket guys in the same place........ how come American T's only have passenger side doors?

 

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The other one that'll get ya every time with that is a "C cab" truck cowl. They had a roadster type cowl, but two workable doors that were a different shape than the roadster and touring front doors, which interchange. The "C cab truck stuff is truly the "same thing only different"...

I kinda hinted at the answer a few posts back, but when you drive a stocker "T", the "parking brake" handle actually controls brakes and a sort of rudimentary clutch, and it is smack dab in the middle of where the door should be on the driver's side. You could easily make that door function, but between that and the steering column angle it would be of dubious use.

 

Sorry Louvers. Read it and didn't let it register.

 

Fred what I've read is old Henry surmised that only men drove and they could step over and he saved a few pennies on every roadster by not putting a door there.

 

Found this out in the mid 70s when we went to BC for a rod run and noticed 2 T roadsters with 2 opening doors. I commented to the owners that it must have been some work to make both doors open and they said they make them up here that way EH!

 

Got showed the early T with 2 front doors, Yes Chip C-cabs had 'different' opening doors both sides. I agree.



I just got caught up with this thread, AND I'll be DARNED, opening left door on a right hand drive car,, WHY NOT ? Just didn't occur to me, altho, I know the dash on some later Fords had the glove box on the left side. Thanks for the education..

I not real smart, but I can lift heavy things...

 

Ok back to the original thread now!!