Another newbie

[B rad]

Just got my first start on building a t-bucket. I picked up a damaged total t-bucket body and chassis. Now I'm going to be asking a lot of questions. This project is to get my grandson excited about hotrods and mechanical things in general.

 

[Spanky]

Welcome to our family. Your goal of stimulating interest in your grandson is a worthy one, and we all hope that our hobby doesn't die out among the young guns. Put up a picture when you get a chance.

 

[WebMistress]

Welcome, and feel free to ask away.
There is a TON of knowledge in here.

 

[RodStRace]

You mention that they are damaged. First thing, DON'T throw anything away until it's back together!
You can use even badly damaged parts to confirm what it was and what you need.
Second, build a list of what's needed. Since Speedway bought out TP, I'd get a build guide and parts list from them. It may not all cross over perfectly, but it will guide you.

 

[JJK]

This may help. Column E is from the current Speedway site (10/25), or if it's a used part will just be an approximation. If there is "example" in column D, that's a note to self that that part number is not correct for my application but is in there to provide an amount for the total. If there is an amount in D that is an option I could consider but didn't want a duplicate amount for something similar that I already had in E.

You can see that totals over $21K. And I may have missed several necessary parts.

 

[Indycars]

This project is to get my grandson excited about hotrods and mechanical things in general.

You could save several thousand dollars by buying a good rebuildable core and going thru it building yourself a new engine.

It does take a little knowledge and a few special tools, but still way cheaper than $,000 ATK engine. There is plenty of help on this forum if you decide to go that route.
.

 

[RodStRace]

Another point to add to purchasing things new or rebuilt is to time the purchase so it can be checked/tested or run within the warranty period.

It stinks if that engine (big) or starter (small) doesn't work right. It really stinks if it's warranty has already expired before it's used.

It's common to have a 90 day warranty. Don't buy a big ticket item and have it sit in the background for a year while doing other stuff.

It's difficult to set things up for Just In Time (JIT) on a rebuild project, but it's better if it's the small thing that has to be replaced again.