I just got home Saturday evening after driving to a small town near Twin Falls, Idaho to check on what I was told was a "T-bucket and a roadster". I found out about these from a gentleman who came down to buy an older forklift we no longer used at work. He had given me the property owner's name and number, and I called and made arrangements to come up and see the car parts for sale. Here's what we found! A '26/'27 Roadster A '26/'27 Touring Lots of parts! Both bodies have nice sub-rails! Just what I wanted! My only regret is I left TONS of stuff there... I figured I wouldn't ever actually use T frames, axles, fenders or motors, so just grabbed 3 rear ends (mainly for the springs), one NICE frame and one front end, plus lots of doodads. I left all of the fenders and Touring rear sheet metal because It was crusty and I knew I would never use it. I also left 5 front ends (axle, spring, spindles & wishbone), one rear end, a pile of bent up and crusty grill fragments, 6 wood wheels, seat frames, about three motors and 3 other T frames (not as nice). I already think I should have taken more!!!! But my help was getting antsy and I knew it would have been slow to get rid of all of those pieces I had no use for. Original T restorers, don't get too mad! All in all, I'm really happy with this treasure find!
Thanks guys! I am super stoked about these. I have been wanting to start with a better '26/'27 body than my completed hot rod has. It is basically a rust and Bondo sculpture that someone booger welded the tub-to-turtle deck seams long ago. This new treasure will allow me to make my next roadster a little more "correct" and less like a glass body. I am also excited about carefully forcing myself to fabricate sheet metal for a new turtle deck and seat back that I would fit to the Touring shell. Or I can do a modified and leave the original shape and touring top posts sticking out...
The banjo rear with the tapered leaf spring is 1918 and earlier, the rear as well as the spring are worth $$$. The tapered spring goes for between 150 to 200 or more depending on condition....good score.
To be honest, I won't be building really soon. I still need to finish painting (read 1,000,000 hours of bodywork) my '62 Olds 88!!!
I forgot to show this: One of the old steering wheels had this Sinko brand suicide knob. The old Bakelite is in excellent shape!
I'd love me a T-Bucket, but I also would love a BONE STOCK T to tool around in. I've been lucky enough to cruise in a stock 1914 T.
I think yesterday (Saturday) was my last chance since the property was technically sold with the closing being on the 30th of July. The previous owner of the property had worked it out with the new owners to allow me to come take what I could so late because renters had still not moved their crap out of the old barn when closing day came. The two bodies had been stored in the rafters for 17 years. Crap, I should have at least grabbed one more rear end! Here's the photo I received via text that gave me a hint of what was up there after renters moved their stuff: The text photos were super hard to decipher, but I became pretty sure that I was going to find at least one '26/'27 roadster body. These count as a barn find!!!!
Wow... awesome. There are so many little things I would've had you look for if I knew you were heading out. Awesome grab, for sure.
Man you are right....AARRGH! I should have grabbed MORE STUFF! I am already remembering things I looked at and passed on, which now I realize could have benefited me and others!
The spring with the rounded ends, the springs are thinner at the ends than the later ones too. The frame in the pic is a 26-27, the rear cross member is lager than the earlier ones and has the flanged edges, it looks very similar to the model A ones.
The Jalopy Journal
