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

Sure is looking good!
Just wish more hot rods like this were being built here on the H.A.M.B.!

 

Don't worry Fred, I know that you will come up with your vision of cool, similar to what I did in using my cut down and modified 28 A shell.
Far too many Deuce shells on almost anything anyway.

Besides, reading back through some of Gary's posts I see he called my build an "airplane frame perfect rod build"
in reference I think to my bomber seats.
I'm just building a home built hot rod in a little backyard garage.

 

Well I like it a lot,but I would if mine,have headlights higher,about 4in. {both so they would actully work better an too me look better. Rad hight looks real nice as is. The windshield I think hight is awsome,but I would use older type fold it down mid {giving it the lower look for shows an short trips} how ever I've done many miles in hotrods,an know having a windsheild that is infront of drivers face on long trips an,if road is wet at all=big plus. That's why I really like a real folding windshield,looks both cool and smart in up or down. I've built a few T's with an with out bed,and know from doing an driving,that planning bed design for at lest a little storage is smart if you have one at all ! Or storage behind seat back as I do have ! In my 28A Bobtail. I sit low enough so "A"winshield works as it should,I do move it out at bottom as needed cool wise or close it, if rainy.

 

I agree that the 32 grille and shells are being over used, they even put them on 32 Fords. JW

 

That's funny, Blue, because a Model A shell was on the first version of my old T Bucket and I missed it after the rebuild. Now, it's an option for this build.

" I'm just building a home built hot rod in a little backyard garage. ". Me too, man. Me, too.

 

I am in the camp that likes the 32 or model-T grilles best.
My take on things that often calls "over used" is why?
Why is some things over used?
Problaby becouse it looks/works great and are hard to do better.
With that said theres are alot more ways to skin a cat thats work just as good.

 

I stated above that i like the model-T and the 32 grilleshells best.
And on my build i have a 32.
Both are easy to find as repops so why did i shoose the 32?
To keep the top of the grille low enuff to look good to the body
my radiator sits wery low against the engine.
That means i cant use a fan on the engine becouse half of it would be above the radiator.
And trying to build something thats looks early 60:s make a electrical fan looks wrong.
A shroud would hide the fan but would look just as wrong on my rod.
But using a 32 grille makes it possibly to hide a electrical pusherfan behind the grilleshell.
A bit silly to worried about theese things on a build like mine but i want it to look early 60:s at a fast glimp.

 

I had the same problem Anders. I finally gave in and installed the dreaded electric fan and SS overflow. But when I broke the fan pulley and lost the belt it hit the fan and broke the mount. Still works though but when I get around to fixing it I plan to see if I to can find a pusher fan thin enough to fit between the radiator and grill.
The overflow is another thing. Every time I stop my roadster it spits out a little coolant. It finally got low enough to overheat. Luckily it didn't hurt the engine. My thought about the SS overflow tank is it would be less noticeable as one of the other home made bottles. Actually now I think it looks pretty kool.
My thought is if my roadster was built in the '50 or '60s somebody would have put these things on by now anyway.

Oh sorry about the too low radiator. I actually think it is about an inch too high.

Rebel

 

Anders, I like them on 26-27s too but not so much on the earlier T's, there I like T's on T's. JW

 

another image


So Fred, since you are a welder, are you planning on doing your own headers?
A personal touch that should be more comfortable than a full interior...
http://www.stainlessheaders.com/customheaders

 

One with a cut down 30 A shell. JW

 

Nope. I'm going to get a set from Matt at Gear Drive. He's actually got a newer/better design, than the last set of his I had. I'll paint them...... BLACK.

https://www.lakeheaders.com/collections/lake-headers/products/chevy-small-block-3-5-cone

 

The EX ones with the nice turn out at end of megaphone are great,but with no turn out,I think just look like builder didn't know what EX dose to the side of a car,or dosen't care=thats even crazyer.

 

My only concern would be the proximity of the turn out to the opening door. As seen in the pic below, when my old T Bucket ran Matt's headers and I didn't have a functional door. The extended cowl in my new body may let them work fine. But I'm sure a call to Matt will bring a solution to the problem.

 

Matt will make turnouts for you but they will not have any flanges, they will slip in the end of the header and be held in with a screw.

I opted not to get them as I was going to run plugs and route my exhaust underneath.

The door hitting the header could still be an issue even with the longer cowl, it’s an issue with my 26.

I solved the problem with the door check straps that I built.

Mine are retractable but you don’t have to get that fancy unless you want to

 

Yeah, I really like his new design and I dug up pics of your door check straps. In fact, I'm studying them now. I may not duplicate them exactly, but it gives me something to play with. In my opinion, Matt's headers are worth the extra effort.

Oh, as of this Monday, my body will be about 2 weeks in coming! I've been practicing my happy dance.

 

You better post a lot of pictures of it Fred. And in your work stages of it. Bob...........

 

I guarantee it.

 

Al's.C.D.Ts old coupe showed up in another thread with a link to his build and a video.
He got the fan behind the grilleshell as i have planned.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...ght-like-to-see-my-27-t-coupe-finshed.789981/

 

The highist point in any cooling set up is were air/steam goes,that is why its the spot the filler cap is designed to be by engineers,an so steam can be relested with out the loss of water as well... A note about upper hose's with hump in them , if that spot is not filled with water do the fact that it can't be done. =Possible prob.that some just get away with by refilling to offten. Spitting after turning off,from over flow?;,can be too low psi cap{ I think 12lbs is min. needed on any hot rod,6 or 7 don't do the job}. If nothing big is wrong other then cap PSI, that's great,but there are a lot of hot rods that are built with "air pocket" upper hose set ups,most times you can see as a hump in upper hose with each end lower so it holds air/steam bubbles. If your working on cooling an wish a good looking low rad. ,than be sure your fill cap an over flow hose is at the top of all the cooling water. For low rad "T"s with V8s a handy design is this;https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Spee...Housing-Intake-Manifold-Filler-Neck,9013.html
Home made designs like it have been made for lots of years in both hotrods an racecars. On flathead V8s,often have acted up heating from new hoses added that were too long an made a hump were there was not one before.

 

Anders
Nice blue rod! If he can mount it there we can too. Looks like his 32 shell is mounted in the stock location on a 32 radiator. The chrome/SS band around the mounting screws looks about as wide as mine. I was kinda disappointed one inch SS is all I had back but I used it anyway. Later I saw some on rods with two or three inch and I was glad I used the one inch.
Before I installed the overflow I would loose a little coolant overtime I stopped. Soon making it overheat. Don't seem to have that problem now. I do fill the radiator by taking off the upper hose at the engine. If you do this too remember to let the engine cool down before you loosen the top clamp. Ask me how I know. No don't, you already know.

Rebel

 

I talked to Diane at CCR today and there are a few parts that had to be cut with a water jet for the door. They'll get them installed and my body will ship. Looking for an ETA of next week!

I'm practicing "VA-ROOOM!" noises over the weekend.

 

Well that's good Fred. Get ready to take some pictures for us Fred. Bob..............

 

I grabbed some free time today to work on the bucket. I had decided on '33-'36 Ford tail lights, so I made some mounts from some flat stock. I also made a mount for the license plate and license plate light.



I'm having an issue with my tonneau cover. It's a perimeter of 3/4" wide by 1" tall wood strips on the sides and back with 1/2" plywood on top. The sides are just too chunky. I could lose 1-1/2" in width by doing something different.



I'm considering angling up the back edge at the outsides.....?



Opinions?

 

Have you considered vinyl or whatever covering a 1/2" plywood piece and held on by snaps? Hell, or maybe just vinyl and snaps?

 

I kinda used some covered tailgate chains to break up the corners. Made a metal frame work around the three sides and the cover (which incorporates a piece of thin plywood for support) snaps over it.

 

Something I haven't seen done is a stake side on a bed.
A single or narrow double side rail could bring up the top line to the back of the body and add interest to the bed.
Think of this style brought into scale for a bucket...

 

Here is a quick Paint of the pic at the top of the page to show it.
This could easily end up being something "UGLY" that should be removed, but with the right craftsmanship and design, could really work.

 

On the right truck, I really like them.



My '46 COE pick-up project will get them to match up to the cab's body line. As for t-buckets? I've seen a few in my 60's magazines with them, but I don't think I could pull it off.

 

Reminder, this is a thread about de-uglifying a T-bucket, not adding ugly things to one!