New t bucket dude 428 super marauder

[ceeya68]

Hello, my name is Troy and my sons name also. We are new to this T bucket thing. But we want to build ourselves a T bucket. All we have is an engine to use. We have a complete, very complete 1966 428 super marauder out of a 66 mercury mont claire.
The egine is in very good shape but we will have all the rebuilding done so we are working with a new engine. Anybody put a ford FE engine in a T bucket before? We would apreciate any advice on the subject greatly. Transmission advice? Rear end, frnt end Advice? Radiator advice? All of that. I'm sure you all get the picture. Thanx Much in advance. Troy.

 

[Hot Rod Todd]

Welcome from the bottom of the South Pacific.

a BBF is a great engine for a t bucket. back when I was a kid (the 70s) there were a few around down here that were street driven and drag raced to low 10s - high 9s.


The engine is pretty big so build the chassis around it. C6 auto and 9 inch diff. Beam or tube front axle and 4 bars or hairpins. Theres a bunch of people on here who can supply the bits to make it all strong and safe.

follow your dream.

Cheers
Todd

 

[fordsbyjay]

Welcome! I have two suggestions for you, unless you are really short buy an extended body when the time comes. I can not emphasize this enough. Second, I don't see why that FE would not work well, I have seen buckets with FE's before. The only problem I could see would be the large C6 transmission but that could be handled by moving the engine ahead slightly to gain more room above the body. Whatever you do keep it a Ford in a Ford.

Good luck!

 

[railroad]

Great to hear from a Ford (Merc) man. You'll have to buy one, but consider going with a C-4, for size. 428 is one of Ford's best motors, great bore stroke ratio. You may want to consider going alum on the intake and save about 80 lbs on the engine. Also there are some old 3X2s out there that make a great engine look. If you can find one, latch onto it, the prices are getting higher and higher. If you want to stay Ford, look for a 1957 to 1959 full size auto rear axle. There are plenty of charts on the net giving exact widths. An 8" rear axle works good too, but the gears and chunks are not as available. Most of the rear brakes from 66, 67 and 68 Galaxies have big brakes that will bolt onto the 9" axle. They are usually 2 1/4 to 2 /12" wide, nice. Some of them have mini fins on the drums. I doubt you will need overdrive, since the 428 will run with rear gears numbered lower than 3.00.
Can't wait for an update, good luck.

 

[mikesplumbing]

Welcome Troy (squared), your in for a real treat because this forum and the fellas in it have great experience building T Buckets so your in real good company!

My son and I are new to the whole T Bucket experience and right now we are working on welding the frame rails to each other. It's been a great experience for my son and I and this forum has answered all my questions. Sometimes in the search function and sometimes just by asking. When i'm at a stand-still I just pick a topic and start reading. Everything you need is here, good luck and have fun!:toast:

Mike

 

[rodder25]

Welcome,my t-bucket has a big block FE with a C-6 trans and a 9 inch rear end. Every thing fits well and looks good. Enjoy the build.:welxome:

 

[ceeya68]

Welcome,my t-bucket has a big block FE with a C-6 trans and a 9 inch rear end. Every thing fits well and looks good. Enjoy the build.:lol:

Hey do you have some detailed pics you could send me? I would like to check it out. THanx Much Troy.

 

[VegasBruce]

welcome :lol: 428

 

[rodder25]

Hey do you have some detailed pics you could send me? I would like to check it out. THanx Much Troy.

Here's a few pics for you to check out:

 

[mikesplumbing]

Nice ride, I like how it sits! What size and type of tires are you running in the rear?

Mike

 

[jbisme]

My son and I are new to the whole T Bucket experience and right now we are working on welding the frame rails to each other.

Mike,
How did you manage to weld a frame to your son and how did your son weld one to you? :rofl:

 

[mikesplumbing]

Mike,
How did you manage to weld a frame to your son and how did your son weld one to you?

SKILL Jb SKILL............

 

[ceeya68]

Here's a few pics for you to check out:

Hey, Thanx for those pics. Way awesome ride. My son wants to copy you. If you have any more detailed pics or if you take anymore we were wondering if you might sendem our way. He's wondering how you mounted the engine and tranny. Do you have a cross member for the tranny. My email is troydwoods@gmail.com. Thanx Again. Troy.

 

[jmr122848]

John Jr. and I have buiding a T FE for ever....
The c6 is a room hog but the only big issue turned out to be the oil filter. some dummy made the frame around a block and heads, and the filter sticks out a bunch!

 

[putz]

Really nice looking bucket. I see you changed to radial on the front did you get alot of improvement in groove in the road handling.

 

[railroad]

John Jr. and I have buiding a T FE for ever....
The c6 is a room hog but the only big issue turned out to be the oil filter. some dummy made the frame around a block and heads, and the filter sticks out a bunch!

I know it was a minor setback, as there are numerous filter relocating kits. Some of the FE filter mounts were at different angles and some allowed rotation. There is also a short filter that will fit the FE. I hope this helps, if it is still a problem.

good luck,