First timer, long time dreamer

[1AngryT]

Hi Everyone

I am the proud new owner of a T Bucket! A T bucket has been my dream car since I was in my teens and got to build one at Tech school. Finally, my dream came true a month ag and I couldn't be happier.

I snagged a great deal on a really nice T Bucket built in 1974. Lots of care was put into the project and it was clear it wasn't a half ass build. It needs a few things, but runs and drives and everything works as it should and it has been well taken care of over the years. I don't know much about its past, very little actually beyond what I have discovered by tinkering on it.

I look forward to being its new owner and taking care of it. My plans are to keep it retro 70s, and do mostly cosmetic upgrades. Pinstripping, change the grill material, polish it up, add a tunnel ram, get a top for it, maybe get some skinnier tires on the front, maybe disc brakes. But overall, I love that its an old school build, with many original model T parts on it and I want to embrace that.

Anyway, I couldn't be happier, this is a dream come true. Something I truly never thought would happen and I look forward to becoming a part of the community.

Thanks in advance!

 

[RodStRace]

Welcome! Very nice T you got there!
Judging from the little bits sticking out on each side, it had or was going to be set up for a top.
Glad to hear it seems safe and everything works.

 

[1AngryT]

Welcome! Very nice T you got there!
Judging from the little bits sticking out on each side, it had or was going to be set up for a top.
Glad to hear it seems safe and everything works.

Thank you for the compliment.

Yes, the gentleman I bought it from said when he purchased it 15 years ago it had a top, but that it was rotted away and he tossed it along with the window brackets. Kind of a bummer, but I don't mind driving it topless either.

 

[Spanky]

Welcome to the family! Nice looking traditional bucket. Should be a blast to drive. How many gallons of fuel does your tank hold?

 

[Spanky]

With the tie rod out front the Ackerman angles are all wrong, but I know of several buckets with that setup and the owners drive them all over the place.

 

[1AngryT]

With the tie rod out front the Ackerman angles are all wrong, but I know of several buckets with that problem and the owners drive them all over the place.

Very interesting, I learned something new. I may have to add that to the list of future fixes.

The tank is quite large and takes up most of the rear trunk, so if I had to guess I'd say 10 gallons. I haven't fully filled it up yet so I can't be fully accurate at this time.

 

[WebMistress]

Congrats & Welcome to the t-bucket family.
You are going to have a great time, working on and enjoying her.

 

[RodStRace]

1angryt you mention ackerman being new info. You also mention perhaps upgrading to discs from the current drums and narrower front wheels/tires. Read up on scrub radius before selecting new parts. Discs often change this, although narrower tires help. The wheel offset is one way to set this up.
Having something work well then making changes that make it less 'good' is something to avoid!

Technical - Scrub radius

Perhaps it's time to discuss scrub radius. The little I know about the subject is; an imaginary line drawn thru the kingpin to the ground should...

www.jalopyjournal.com

 

[RodStRace]

I will mention that T-Buckets are by nature very susceptible to changes due to light weight, both the entire car and to unsprung weight, but also have limited tuning due to the limited suspension travel and solid axle.
As Spanky mentions, Ackerman is a design point that is important, but many T-Buckets have been driven successfully with this not built in. Having 'The Look' often requires compromise.
Try to make any changes that take all differences into account. I like the look of Crager SS wheels, but they are pretty heavy. I ran them for a while on mine while trying to find something else and they were more harsh over bumps and didn't track as well due to the big size and offset they had in my case. Good on an early van, too much for a T.

 

[1AngryT]

Really great info I am already learning.

I am not tied to the Crager wheels. I like the traditional look but wasn't aware or took the weight into account. I will take some time to poke around the threads on here to get some ideas on good wheel combos for buckets. In the mean time, are there any tried and true that you can suggest for future considertation?

 

[RodStRace]

Like most things, it's Goldilocks. That middle ground where it's not too much and not too little.
I tried to highlight that this was an issue due to what I had on hand, not an indictment of the wheels you have.

I will include a couple pictures to illustrate, but I am not calling out the owners or the cars.
To each their own and these tend to be outrageous as a matter of course.

Appears to be a BBC that is pretty stout. The fronts may handle the weight and speeds well, but it's probably got a smaller window of operation than with more regular front wheels and tires. Still love it!



Cotton Werksman's T. If it was built with a typical frame and suspension, those front wheels and tires would be overkill!

 

[Spanky]

The tank is quite large and takes up most of the rear trunk, so if I had to guess I'd say 10 gallons. I haven't fully filled it up yet so I can't be fully accurate at this time.

10 gallons seems enough to me. That's what I have and it usually outlasts my bladder anyway! If you want to, take dimensions from your tank and measure the volume that way. Should be able to get pretty close to actual capacity.

 

[RodStRace]

Here is one of many that should help.

Tank Volume Calculator

Calculate capacity and fill volumes of common tank shapes for water, oil or other liquids. 7 tank types can be estimated for gallon or liter capacity and fill. How to calculate tank volumes.

www.calculatorsoup.com

 

[Bill Pedersen]

I have made a number of tanks over the years. The easy way to figure out how many gallons you have is by taking the length x width x height and divide that by 231. This will get you very close.

Length 20”x Width 10” x Height 10” = 2000

2000/231= 8.66 gallons