My T Bucket

[Mr T Bucket]

Sorry about the double picture above. Grabbed the wrong image tag. That's what I get for trying to do this at work, LOL.

November 2007

It was time to move to the rear suspension. Bought some QA1 coilovers from Speedway. Bought their lower mounts for the axle and made my own upper mounts.

 

[Mr T Bucket]

I was trying to decide on a watts linkage or panhard bar to keep the rearend in place. Kinda wanted to stay with the watts, but thought that clearance might be an issue, if I decided to go with a deeper sump on the fuel tank. Had purchased a Total Performance watts linkage and was thinking about trying to cut the center pivot down for clearance, or move it down onto the pinion area of the axle when I stumbled upon the answer to a really old question.

In January of 2002, I robbed this picture off the NTBA members site.

I studied it, but couldn't figure out how it worked. I loved the clearance, loved the look, but also didn't know who made it. It was literally, the day I center punched the Total watts pivot to drill new holes, when a quick internet search popped up the "meaning of life". Dozens of searches prior, netted me nothing. Other than being mildly perturbed about spending $80 on something that I now wasn't going to use, I was ecstatic! The Streetrod Manufacturing Company in Colorado Springs is the company that makes it. Still didn't know how it worked, until I had it in my hands. Pricey, but was happy to pay it.

Couple years back, I found out it was Luggy that had this setup on his T. He'd done the Hot Rod Powertour with this setup and as far as I know, he thought it was ok. He's since changed it out for a watts or panhard, but he also was changing a lot of other stuff too for a complete makeover on his T. Sooo, I'll know more when mine is roadworthy. I do have some pics of the unit dissasembled that I can post at some point. That's the only way you'd be able to see how it works, LOL.

 

[Mr T Bucket]

Towards the end of 2009, Mickey Lauria from Total Performance fame, adverstised on here, that he was clearing out all of his left over T Bucket parts after retiring. I sent him a list of what I might be interested in, and wouldn't you know it, he had some stuff I would eventually be needing. And at good prices too.

January 2010

From Mickey, I got some lantern tail lights without lenses. I was able to use some leftover trailer/box lights we had laying around at work and modified the lenses off of those to fit the lanterns. Thanks to Mickey for the tip on the lenses!

Also from Mickey, and a big thanks too, the mac-daddy radiator, Walker Cobra Z in Chevy inlet/outlet configuration so that I could use the passenger side water pump inlet on my SBF. Brand new in the box. Moto-meter and wings from Speedway and all that's lef to find, is a chrome grill shell.

Mickey also had some headlights. Didn't have any of the stands I wanted, but that was ok. I really wanted the old smooth style Total stands, but they'd quit making them about 6 or 8 months before Mickey started clearing everything out of his garage. Just my luck. Anyway, I'd spied some stands that looked good at the T Nationals in 2008. They were '32 Ford stands and with the idea for the front shocks I had in mind, they would probably work wonderfully. Bought some of the stainless stands on ebay and mocked up a light for kicks.

The light wasn't what I originally had in mind. I had thought I wanted one of the sets that has the turn signal integrated into the lamp lens, but those typically aren't cheap. These were affordable and the tri-bar sort of struck me to look bitchin with the somewhat period look I'm after.

(yes, I'm still stuck at work posting T bucket pics, LOL)

 

[Mr T Bucket]

January 2010 (still)

I ended up buying 2 windshields. One, was a one-piece from CCR, cause I knew it'd fit my body. Plus it was solid aluminum rod with the glass channel milled out. The downside was that it was aluminum. I know you can polish them, and they come polished, and that you can still have it chromed, but when you look at the Speedway catalog and see chrome ones listed, you start to wonder. I also ordered a 2-piece foldable Mr Roadster frame from Speedway, but an inch or so shorter. My problem is that my torso does not match my lower body. I have a tall upper section and being able to look through the glass at the horizon, or close to the horizon appealed to me. Having a T with a windshield that wasn't 4 feet tall also appealed to me. So, I ordered them both. I decided a while back I'm going with the solid CCR frame, but having both on hand helped with the decision.

I also ordered a top bow kit from Speedway. It's the Total Performance kit repackaged.

Mickey had a mockup top that he'd used as a demo at shows, and the price made it worth it if nothing else, to be able to take it to a trim shop and have them reverse engineer it, change it, make it better, etc.

Had to move everything outside to truly see how it looked.

The next 3 pictures are the first time the tires ever touched pavement since I got them.

Mmmmmmm....I like it! ( a lot!!!!!)

 

[Mr T Bucket]

Those 3 pictures were taken in November of 2010. Long time coming to be able to see it sitting in the street.

 

[Mr T Bucket]

 

[fordsbyjay]

I love that last picture...

 

[Flatsman]

Me too! That last picture is Killer!

 

[Mr T Bucket]

Took that one yesterday!

 

[Mr T Bucket]

November 2010

With the front brakes already determined by the wire wheel choice, I had yet to figure out which way to go on the rears. Initially I had thought about staying with drums, but trying to stick with OEM Ford pieces was difficult to figure out while using what was left on the 8". Plus, I'd still be stuck with drums. I had wanted, in my head, to have black Wilwood disc brake calipers (with white lettering) visible through the back wheels. Can't recall for sure, but I think I recall finding out that they weren't really an ideal setup for something like a T. I know, I know. Running go kart style Airheart calipers on the front, I can't really complain about anything that might be used on the back. But the cost was also a consideration. I know lots of streetrod guys using the GM metric calipers, and I briefly thought about them too. I mean, they don't cost much and they have a proven track record, but if you're going to go to the trouble of running a Ford drivetrain in a Ford, you might as well go all the way, right?

I then thought that it would be cool looking, that instead of a black Wilwood w/lettering showing through, that a COBRA caliper, black with the lettering would be even cooler. Problem is that all those calipers were fronts (late '90's Mustang Cobra) with no e-brake provision. The rears have a built-in e-brake internal to the caliper instead of the fairly popular Ford Explorer setup which has park brake shoes that run inside the hat of the disc brake rotor. I'm not sure why I decided against using the Explorer setup, and I even looked at Crown Vic/Marquis/Town Car rear brakes, but the car stuff uses the same part on both sides. Meaning, the left side caliper mounts on the front and the right side mounts on the rear of the axle. Not cool. I think the expense of the Explorer version may have been part of the problem, but more likely, that system just looks bulky and well, OEM. The Musters/Frankenstein look, has weird things hanging off here and there, sort of an industrial look, not simple or aerodynamic or module-ized. The Explorer brakes are popular enough that Lokar makes cables for the e-brake however, so that was always in the back of my mind.

While thumbing through the Motorsport catalog, I noticed a part number for a pair of rear calipers for something like a '94-04 Mustang. I looked up a single caliper at work and picked one up from a local supplier and looked it over. Like the GM metric caliper with e-brake, they had that industrial look I wanted AND they said FORD on them. Bonus!

Coming up with a mounting bracket wouldn't be hard, but wasn't sure about the rotors. The 4.5" bolt pattern? Easy. The diameter? Easy. The correct centering hole for the axle hub? Problem! As luck would have it, I found a couple places that were supplying Mustang rear disc upgrade kits and they had what I needed.

From Currie Enterprises I got:

Hub centering adapters....

...that keep the 11 5/8" vented rotor centered on the axle hub.

I sent the one caliper back and bought the Motorsport set off ebay (cheap deal at the time), so I now had a pair plus pads.

Also from Currie, I bought their caliper mounting plates that allows you to mount the caliper in about 8 different positions on the axle. They also act as bearing/axle retainers. Bonus!

I had also called Lokar, and asked them the dimensions of the threaded ferrule on the end of their Explorer cables and it was close enough that I picked up a set off ebay to play around with. Minor trimming and they fit the mounting hole on the Mustang calipers. The only issue that I see right now is the nut on the back side to hold the cable ferrule to the caliper.....there isn't much distance between the portion of the caliper with the hole for the cable and the lever for the e-brake. The nut for the ferrule takes about 1/4" of that distance. So until I get the e-brake handle hooked up, the calipers bled and adjusted, I won't know if there's enough room for the lever on the caliper to fully engage the park brake before the lever hits the nut on the ferrel. We'll see!

 

[Mr T Bucket]

Sorry I've left you all hanging.

I'd spent many hours sitting in my bucket, making engine noises, trying to figure out what kind of shifter I wanted. I had always planned on a column shift automatic. Compact, more room in the middle of the floor, I could turn the e-brake handle sideways in front of the seat, etc. After careful study, and making many, many more engine sounds, I decided there was not enough room to do it the way I wanted. And, let's face it. There's nothing wrong with a traditional shifter coming up through the middle of the floor. I just couldn't decide between a short stubby unit, or a tall swan with a skull or beer stein on top, LOL. It also freed up a little money for a cheap column. Picked one up off ebay. Taiwan/chinese I'm sure, but I didn't feel bad about taking it all apart, cutting it, etc. I think it was $250 and used a GM signal switch and splines. Don't have any pictures of it, but I'll be taking it back apart at some point to put the wires back in it and I'll grab some then. I finally decided a tall shifter was what I wanted. Big and in your face, just like a T Bucket should be. Went with a 23" Lokar for the C4. I do have a non-billet knob to install down the road, or maybe I'll go with an 8 ball.

It was a little tricky getting it all together and some trimming of the rear shifter mount was required for it to clear the case. Once all bolted up and tight though, it feels good! I'm going to mount a Lokar e-brake handle off to the side, which will be low profile and mostly out of the way of the passenger's feet.

 

[butch27]

SRM makes a lot of things to use on a bucket. Check out their through the frame brake line adapters ( no extra fittings needed). I use them.

 

[Kaaso]

Your T looks awesome so far. Look forward to seeing more.

 

[benT]

Looking great!

 

[fordsbyjay]

Are those 15" wheels you have in the rear? I didn't think they would clear the 99-04 cobra 11 3/4" rear brakes.

 

[Mr T Bucket]

Thanks guys. I'll post another update or two soon. Fordsbyjay, yes, those are 15" wheels. There is maybe 1/2" clearance between the caliper and the rim. It's close enough I'm concerned about my chosen aluminum wheels if/whenever I get the funds to buy them. I'll have to see if the manufacturers can get me detailed specs before I shell out $1200 for something that doesn't fit. I can modify the caliper mount to move the caliper in closer to the axle and use the smaller GT rotors and gain a full 1/2" more of clearance. Solid vs. vented, but if it'll fit with the smaller rotors, then that's what'll have to happen.

 

[fordsbyjay]

I know what you mean. I just upgraded to those brakes on my 93 Mustang. With little front brakes I would want all I could get in the back.

 

[Mr T Bucket]

Buddy came over tonight and before he left we were looking at the caliper clearance. There is about 1 inch right now between the caliper "back" and the rim. But, where the rim necks in where the center is welded there would only be about 1/2". If the pads wore down to almost nothing, making the caliper move out towards that neck, well, it's going to be tight. If my chosen wheels fit with new pads, I'll be lucky if I don't have to change out the pads halfway through their life. I'll deal with it when I have to cross that bridge.

January 2011

Most of you would agree that some aspects of your build are set in stone. In other words, if you want wide whitewalls, then redlines or raised white letters just won't cut it. Brass radiators are the bomb! Period. But they're expensive and need polishing. And they're expensive. I guess I hadn't really made up my mind whether to go with brass radiator, headlights, windshield hinges....vs. all chrome. It must have been the cost and/or that I just kind of wanted the shapes from the stock steel radiator shell and typical teardrop headlights. My problem was, that chrome shells were not available anymore from anyone. You already know I went with the Walker radiator, but there was no way I was going to be happy with a fiberglass shell. They look good on some Ts, but those are usually a slightly different style than I was going for. It just wasn't for me. Speedway had a few metal shells, but not for the early '23 AND they didn't have the Ford script in them. What to do, what to do?

I'd been keeping an eye on ebay. You never know when someone is changing something out on their T, or cleaning out the shop, etc. I'd run across bunches of original shells, but they were always in original condition, or rusty, or bent, or missing the lower piece. Hardly any of them were nice enough to be able to have it chromed without paying Duesenberg restoration shop pricing. Then one day, this came up for sale on ebay:

(actual ebay pic)

I couldn't believe it! An orginal shell that had been chrome plated and wasn't all bent up and the chrome wasn't peeling and......I made sure it was coming to my house!

It's not so nice that it's perfect, but it has just enough "character" to help pull off the idea of this T being built from the 60's or 70's. I'm not advertising the T as such, but that that is the era or vibe I'm going for.

I like these wings better than the shorter, angled motometer wings.

Plus, since it's original, it has the notching for the hood welting/weatherstrip. Even cooler! Some light brown leather strips would be just about perfect.

 

[Mr T Bucket]

Remember the issue with the 2 302 blocks I got in my original deal for the frame? I'd been constantly on the lookout in case a decent 302 popped up. I started looking a little harder and had even thought about getting a complete vehicle with the drivetrain I was wanting, so I could test it and make sure there were no issues with it before tearing it down for a rebuild. Plus, I could yank the driveline out and plop it in the T frame and have it instantly working. Called on a few vehicles but most got sold before I even picked the phone up. One day at work, I had a couple customers standing in front of me. Both were gearheads I'd known since almost high school. I thought to myself, if anybody would know where there is a 302 sitting, one of them surely would. They both looked at each other and at the same time said, "John Smith" or whatever his name was. Score!

June 2011

Early 70's 302 out of a full size car. Supposedly 40,000 mile when the car got totaled. Guy picked the engine and put it in an old F100 and then pulled it back out where it sat in guy A's shop. Nobody wanted it, but A hated to throw it away. Guy B said I'll take it, but it sat in his shop. Didn't want to throw it away, so guy C took it and it sat in his shop. Repeat for several more letters of the alphabet and you get the picture. Speaking of picture:

Got it all torn down and no funny business to be found inside! Yay!!! I also had a hunch that the C4 I originally got was going to be trashed inside. I didn't have any problems doing a rebuild on it, but the idea of finding a drivable vehicle really appealed to me. Once I found a decent engine though, it seemed silly to pursue that adventure. Still, I had butterflies in the stomach on that C4. Found several on craigslist, before finding one that had been taken out of a '79 Versailles in the mid 80's. Still had fluid in it. I had a good feeling about this one!

I picked up some GT40 Heads off a Lightning pickup and was now set to build the engine and transmission.

July 2011

Another former T forum signature pic....

 

[bobs66440]

Very nice build!