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Scratch T

volksnut

volksnut

Member
Well a few more honey do's and I'm gonna get started on my new T. My old VW powered T is gone and now I want a V8. I also want an old school short wheel base type and I'll build my own frame ect. What front axle set up keeps it short, don't like the look of all that acreage out front. I've been reading up on the Ohio T bucket blueprints and that's about what I'm shooting for.
 
Some of us like the better ride of a longer wheelbase, but . . . to each his own. Sounds like you might be looking for something like the famed "Tweedy Pie" car which had a short wheelbase. To achieve that look, a spring-over axle setup is the way to go, rather than the spring-behind axle which most of us use.
Tweedy Pie.jpg
 
Is it that much better? When I was building dune buggies, and there real short, they were pretty stable at even over a 100 mph, maybe a difference in weight/ front rear?
 
take your desk chair , wheels close to center = not very stable , move the wheels out 2 feet from center = very stable , longer wheelbase = smoother ride
 
I have two T-buckets, one with a 104" wheel base and the other with 114". The extra 10" makes a much better ride.
 
Tongue in Cheek I suppose......................LOL......
 
409t, whose chassis did you use to get the 114" wheelbase, did you build your own? Or did you go with a vendor? I have a 25 Tudor sedan and that is the wheel base I'd like to run...however, I'm having a little trepidation on who to go with..I have been burned before....but I want to get this stalled project going again...I am missing the two T's to build my own chassis.....time and talent...lol

Thanks in advanced for any advice
 
Getting back to the original question... Have you ever seen Ed Roth's Tweedy Pie from the side? IMO, it's so short that it looks stubby and out of proportion. I think it had something like 89 inch wheelbase. It also sat fairly high compared to other "fad T's" of the time and the stance enhanced the stubby appearance. The T-bucket frame plans that were published by Car Craft in the '60s rendered a wheelbase of 96 to 100 inches, depending on your choice of suspension. Both of my C-Cabs (1976 and 1990) were built on the Car Craft style T-bucket frame dimensions and both had 96 inch wheelbases. To me, they were well-proportioned and had a nice stance. Both were steady as a rock at any speed (The first one ran 13.60 at 100 mph at Orlando Speedworld. The second one pictured below). My current Track-T has a 97 inch wheelbase; it runs down the road straight and true at any speed (except in gusty crosswind - it's so light [1360 lbs.] that strong crosswind affects it, but that's not a chassis issue). I agree with you that too much length can make a T look out of proportion, especially if the rear end is too long. I like the T's that have 96 to 104 inch wheelbases, depending on body style, body length and suspension. Stretched bodies can utilize longer wheelbases, too.

Just for reference: a stock Model-T has 100 inch wheelbase; stock Model-A has 103.5 inch wheelbase; stock 1932 Ford has 106.5 inch wheelbase. A typical T-bucket with a 2 x 3 rectangular tube frame and small block Chevy or Ford engine will weigh somewhere in the 1650 to 1900 pound range.

C-Cab pics 038.jpg
 
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