A day at Total Performance

[Mike]

As mentioned elsewhere, I visited Total Performance on 14 April and took a few pictures of the day.

Being 6'2", I was concerned with my ability to be comfortable sitting in a T, so I made arrangements with Brian at Total to pay a visit and try on a couple of options. When I saw this little jewel sitting there, I knew I was hooked for certain.

I tried my best to not get any closer to the car than this, as I knew what was going to happen if I did. :toast:

With this seat insert, even a big fellow like myself can sit comfortably.

x

Brian (standing behind the car) finally asked if I was ever going to get in and try it out. It was at this point I lost all sense of fiscal responsibility.

Hmmm, the overhead door is open and the key is in the ignition. I wonder, what are the laws governing the theft of a vehicle in CT?

After I was finished drooling all over the car, Brian pulled it outside.

I think I may have some other images. I'll try to get them re-sized and will post them later.

 

[Mike]

Here are some more images taken whilst at Total Performance -

The King-T, sitting on the showroom floor

A car that had been assembled for a customer

The King-T was clearly calling out to me, "Drive me, drive me", but apparently I was the only one that could hear.

 

[thomas]

Mike,

Do you get a lot more leg room with the body insert? I'm only 5' 8" but I noticed in most of the pictures of people driving T-Buckets there knee's seem to be up in there chest. I'm sure how comfortable this could be on a long run.

thomas:lol:

 

[Mike]

Yes, the insert actually moves you back and down in the car. That was my biggest concern, as I'm nearly 6'3". I was actually more comfortable in the car than I had imagined I could be. I wouldn't want to make a 12-hour drive in one, I'm simply too big for that, but it was plenty comfortable all the same.

I considered the Anniversary body, because of the increased length. Brian talked me right out of it, as it also has a lower cowl and sides, so it would make me look as if I were sitting on the car, rather than in it.

 

[thomas]

Great info Mike,

It all helps when it comes to making a final decision.

thomas

 

[tedwards]

How much leg room is in the King T? Would it be the same as the blue one above? I am 6'3" as well, and I was lusting after a King-T ever since I happened across it somewhere on the web.

I found your forum searching for King T Pictures and information. I was happy to see the new pictures that you have of it. :lol:

 

[Terry]

Brian (standing behind the car) finally asked if I was ever going to get in and try it out.

In this picture, are your feet on the pedals? I ask because your knees are clearly about the sides. For driving for any length of time, a person needs to stretch once in a while.

 

[Brian]

Hey there!! This is Brian from Total Performance.. Mike asked me to help answer some of the questions about leg room, both of the T-Bucket kits and the new King T. Although the T-Buckets are quite comfortable for most heights (especially when using the seat insert), the King T does have a decent amount more room in it. Keep in mind that although the cowl area of the King T is a '23 style, the main body dimensions are of the larger 1926-1927 T's. The King T is therefor longer and wider. I am 5'8" myself and have never had a complaint about any of the vehicles are interior styles. I will say that after owning a T-Bucket for years, I feel a little "lost" in the King T. I'm just not used to all the extra room. Our VP of Operations here is also 6'3" tall and has never really had any complaints about either vehicle either although he does prefer the seat insert over the bench seat for added leg room comfort. This is really a specific persons "taste" issue though. Two guys of the same height may still not agree on the comfort difference of two different vehicles. It was great for Mike that he had the availability to come to our shop on try various cars on for size. It took us a little while to schedule a meeting to insure there was enough different vehicles in the building to get the most out of the trip. I would say that if anyone could do the same, go for it! Also, keep in mind that we travel to many shows throughout the year and may end up being closer to you at some point. Check out our website and click on the "events" link to see where we'll be. We always bring display vehicles with us.

Lastly, I will pop on this board from time to time, but will certainly not make a habit out of it. BC and I both agree on the importance for all of you to be able to have something like this available to you without the business influence getting in the way. If you have a specific question that you would like to run past me, either send me an e-mail or ask it on our board. If you would like to copy and paste that correspondence over to this board, that is great. Boards like this work best for you guys if the companies like ours don't get all that involved. It really comes down to a conflict of interest. I don't want your board to become another sales tool for us.

Thanks!
Brian McAllister - Total Performance
info@tperformance.com
www.tperformance.com

 

[tedwards]

Thanks for the response Brian. I e-mailed you about 2 weeks ago asking for King-T information, and I rec'd your catalog shortly thereafter! Excellent service, even if it was just for a catalog.

I am currently saving my pennies for a King T kit. :lol:

 

[Mike]

In this picture, are your feet on the pedals? I ask because your knees are clearly about the sides. For driving for any length of time, a person needs to stretch once in a while.

My right foot was on the throttle.

While may look as if I am cramped into the car, it is an illusion. The seat insert gets you down low and you lean back into it, so the angle in my legs was natural and not uncomfortable in the least.

That was the entire reason for my trip to Total. I was concerned that I could not sit comfortably in a T. And as Brian mentioned, he and I had been e-mailing back and forth for several months, trying to set up a date that worked well for both of us. It was fourteen-hour drive out there, just to see how comfortably I could sit in one of the cars. It was so comfortable it took four people and the threat of bodily harm to get me back out of the car.

A T is definitely not what I would want to make a twelve-hour drive in, to be sure, but certainly comfortable enough for an afternoon or evening cruise.

 

[thomas]

Are you saying a 12 hour drive would be uncomfortable because of your height or the ride of the car itself? I'm 5'-8" so the insert should allow me to stretch out pretty good, I would think.

thomas:lol:

 

[Mike]

A long drive wouldn't be appealing to me, simply because of the available room in the T. While I can sit comfortably in one, the available room is at a premium.

 

[thomas]

At 5'8", what would it be like getting in and out without a opening door? I know having a door would be better, but $1,600.00 seems like a bit much. So do you think 65 yr old man and 55 yr young women could hop in pretty easy?

thomas

 

[Mike]

If memory serves, I think Brian at Total said he was 5' 8" and he popped right in and out of the car, without a hitch.

If you find that getting in and out is a problem, there are always step options to make that process simpler.

 

[thomas]

We have a big car show coming up in the middle of June not within a couple of miles from me. Hope to see a few T-Buckets their.

thomas

 

[tfeverfred]

Thanks for posting this! I am building a Total T and just got my rolling chassis done. I always tend to think ahead on things and body/interior options was one of the things on my mind today. Now my questions are answered! I figured the insert was better for me (6'3"), but I needed to see someone my height sitting in one to be sure. Thanks again!

I also had issues with which windshield to go with. I like the tall windshield, but the leaned back 14" looks sooooo much cooler! Again, great pics and thanks, Brian, for popping in. (now I have a face to go with the voice on the phone!)

 

[Mike]

Actually, my primary reason for driving all the way out to CT was to see how well I could fit into one of Total's standard bodies with the insert.

And I really liked the look of the Performer windshield, too. LOL, when Brian was showing me around the shop, I spied a car with the chopped, Carson-style top. I homed in on it like a moth to a flame, when I noticed Brian saying, "No. No. No! You won't fit in there, trust me." I really liked the way the top changed the entire appearance of the car.

There is a picture of one of the tops, here.

I think that was the first time I ever wished I was not so tall.

Be careful around Brian. The guy has some mystical power that will make money just jump out of your pocket and into his hands.

 

[tfeverfred]

I agree, Mike. That top looks good on there, but there is no way it would work for me. At best it would be an item tossed on at a show or something. In that link you posted the last pick shows the bodies on an overhead rack. I was going to install my own seat and interior wood, so that I could get my seat (I'm going to build a bench) lower like the insert. But that looks like it is as low as I was going to go. I guess what I'll end up doing is getting the body with the floor installed and take measurements for me. I'm tall and mostly legs, but very flexible. The owners of buckets I have sat in seem to have tried to get the seat to be like a conventinal seat. But then, they were a little shorter than me.

 

[tfeverfred]

Are you saying a 12 hour drive would be uncomfortable because of your height or the ride of the car itself? I'm 5'-8" so the insert should allow me to stretch out pretty good, I would think.

thomas:lol:

Thomas, the bucket drivers I have talked to say they have done long trips and they do have to stop and take a stretch. It goes with the territory. I got to ride in one and it was okay, but the seat was higher than mine will be. They also said that the only bad part about stopping is that EVERYONE wants to talk to you about the car and take pics.:lol:

These are not low profile rides by any stretch of the imagination. People will want to stop and chat for sure. I live in Houston and the only time I ever saw a bucket cruising was two weekends ago! For some reason, there are a lot of Hot Rods at our yearly show, but I never see them cruising the streets. I'm going to change that around my little area that I hang out. I'm building a driver. I've waited too long to build a trailer queen or a Sunday afternoon only car.

 

[Terry]

Living in Vermont, the summers are rather short here, so I plan to install a heater in mine, somewhere. Another thought I've been kicking around is some way to enclose the body for cold weather use. With the K&S Customs body I'm getting a door.

I plan to build a car with a low stance if I can and a low top to make (semi)enclosing it easier.

I definitely want an everyday driver for as much time each year as I can.

May even consider some type of electrically heated suit to wear and plug into the car.

All this dreaming, it just may be the price of gas that limits how much I drive it. I do wonder sometimes if it's absurd to build a gas guzzler now.