Intro - research mode

[joe p]

Hi,

I am new to this forum and starting to seriously consider my try at building a hobby t-bucket car. I am a systems/software engineer by profession and been woodworking for many years. This would be my first attempt at working with something other than wood. I am little intimidated. As in the life, I suspect the journey to be filled wrong turns, dead ends and pleasant surprises. I also plan to involve my children during this process. I want them to see the complexities of something that appears to be nothing more than a box with wheels that they see and drive in everyday.

To get started my research has pointed me to using a donor car with a kit from either tperformance.com or spiritcars.com. Can anyone recommend a good book and the best donor car to start from. Also would it be foolish to try to rebuild an engine myself or should I just go with a crate engine. I am not on a time schedule, it's the fun and educational factors that I want to emphasize, but also have a definite final product that we can drive and be proud of.

Thanks for any info you can provide.

-Joe

 

[madmike8]

Engines are really not hard to rebuild. It's all about cleaness and clearances. It's up to you.

 

[WMG]

Welcome to the site, lots of good info here to get you going in the right direction. How you build and what you build will be determined by time you have and, I hate to say it, what your budget is. Donor car and rebuilding engine can be cost effective but take a lot of time to make pieces right and make sure they are good to go. Have a look at RPM's products. Great guy to work with and a font of info. Good luck and as you will hear from others post pictures of the project.

 

[fordsbyjay]

Welcome aboard. TP performance is no more but Spirit seems to make nice stuff. There are a few other sponsors on the site that also have kits. As far as a donor car there really isn't one kind of car to get parts from. The engine/trans. can come from any make or model. For a rearend S10 unit seems popular or you could just get a 9" made for your needs. Money is going to be the biggest dictator of your direction.

 

[benT]

First off, Welcome! Secondly, you came to the right place- there is a lot of knowledge and experience here.

If you are looking for guides, start by downloading Youngster's frame plans. Another good source is "How to build a T-bucket" book that can be purchased as an electronic file..look at " t- bucket plans.com". Jump on Spirit's site (link at top of page) and look at how they do their bodies and frames. I think they still have some frame and front end drawings. CCR's (again, see above) are legendary and are well worth buying. RPM (Ron Pope- see above again) is a great source for frame kits, frame parts and brackets and alot of other good stuff.
My advice is to check out the archive on the forum and check out some of the builds. After a while you'll figure out if you want to buy a kit and go from there or to start from scratch. Spend some time looking and figuring out what you like and what you want your bucket to be...all kinds of possibilities and styles. Get as much info and advice you can first...

 

[ford4ever]

Welcome, Joe! these guys are right. Take a look around, see what you like, and ask all the questions you want. Someone here will have the answers you are looking for! Just make sure it is a safe Build!
Mark

 

[old round fart]

Welcome! I seem to remember Spirit having a build manual that was very good and will answer a lot of questions about just about any car out there. Use this site sponsors as much as possible and you can't go wrong.

 

[Ted Brown]

Like everyone says, budget is the big factor... A small block Chevy is probably the easiest and cheapest engine to buy and to get custom parts for, (headers, intakes, valve covers, etc. etc.) as that is the most used engine in the hot rod field and what most shops jig up to build parts for... I ran a 401 Buick engine for a few years, had to hand make all the special parts for it myself, as buying them, if they were made, was out of my budget range... If you can find the engine that you want to run, in a good running car cheap, and the engine sounds and runs well, that would be the donor car that I would use, and as much of it as possible, rear end and all... I myself have found no good reason to ever shorten a rear end for a T Bucket, because you can buy wheels that will put the tires in any position you like... and whatever gear is in the rear end stock, is more than good for any T Bucket... You can more than likely even use the bucket seats out of the donor car as well as many many other parts, both big and small, plus wire and switches and lights... The more you look at it, the more you will find to use, even the battery and all the ground cables and small straps... PS: If you ever need questions answered about your t bucket project, Jerry at CCR is a hard person to beat as that is what He has built all of his life, I know, because he was a real youngster when I got together with his Dad and we created CCR, from Ted Brown Chassis, back in the late 60s early 70s... He now knows his stuff.

 

[joe p]

Thanks to everyone who has replied. I truly feel I am in the right place of cyber space to make an honest go of this. My plan is to photo document as much as possible for numerous reasons: lessons learned, recollection, for my kids, and of course to share with others.

My goal is to get smart on everything I can, research and research some more, start collecting the needed tools (department store sales, yard sales, craigslist, etc) and keep an eye out for a quality donor car with a chevy small block engine, since that seems like the most practical engine to use. I will not hesitate to post to the collective wisdom represented here when I am in need of advice.

Thanks again!
-Joe