nobux
Member
I built my t-bucket in 2003. The deal was I bought the engagement ring, the (future)wife bought me a MAS t-bucket body. She came out ahead on that one. She then told me the car needed to be done for the wedding which was 8 months away. Well, I blundered ahead and built this in time for the wedding:
It was fun, it was crude, and it had some serious issues. I didn't even know what I didn't know when it came to building a t-bucket. But at least I got it licensed. A couple years later, I blew it apart and turned it into this:
It was fun, not quite so crude, and had some minor issues. I built the frame too short (90" wheelbase), trying to go for a early 50's look. By the time I finished working out the problems, it looked nothing like an early 50's car. Plus, I needed the flathead for my 46 Ford COE. And now, a SBC wouldn't quite fit where the flathead was. And I decided I wanted to channel the body. So, I took it apart, and stuck it in the shed. Which is where it sat for 5 years. 3 kids, a new job working nights, a wife going back to school, all contributed to the project stalling out.
Last week, I pulled the pieces out and surveyed what I had. I built a new frame, loosely based on Youngster's plans. I just want to put together a simple cruiser. Nothing fancy, no super cool ideas that turn out to be super problems when they're welded together.
In order to finally get the car on the road this time, it needed to be done as cheap as possible. Which meant using as many parts as possible from the first version (V1.0) and the second incarnation (V2.0).
For the rear suspension, I used the S-10 rear and coilovers from V2.0, with a set of RPM's ladder bars. The wood panhard bar will be swapped out for one of the metal variety. The rims and tires are 15x8 Cragar SS's with Hurst cheater slicks from V2.0. The gas tank is a mock up of the Model T oval tank that no one has in stock right now. The tail light is a Model A with a STOP lense. Turn signals will find their way under the rear frame rails.
The motor and tranny are both Chevy 350s from V1.0. I love the old ram horn manifolds, so the exhaust will run under the car. I plan on doing a heat shield for the master cylinder. The radiator is a Mustang unit that I got off of Ebay and stuck inside the Model A shell. The Corvair box is one that I reversed years ago for V1.0.
The front wheels and tires are 15x4 Cragar SS's with some old tires for rolling. I'll be going with some taller ones.
The front end is a Magnum I-beam and '36 wishbones from V2.0. I used Dodge truck shock mounts to mount a pair of P&J shocks. I have a little more work on the headlight mounting brackets, but the general idea is there.
So there I am right now. The car will be torn apart soon for finish welding and winter storage. Winter plans are limited because of the unheated garage. My plan is also to replace the body. The old MAS body is full of holes and bad fiberglassing on my part. The body has always been screwy. The cowl sags about 3/4" in the middle, and it is uneven across the back. I think I'm gonna go with a new body from the latest cheap bodies thread, http://www.tbucketeers.com/threads/real-cheap-bodies.12624/. They're about an hour and a half drive away, and $275 is in my price range.
Thanks,
Karl
It was fun, it was crude, and it had some serious issues. I didn't even know what I didn't know when it came to building a t-bucket. But at least I got it licensed. A couple years later, I blew it apart and turned it into this:
It was fun, not quite so crude, and had some minor issues. I built the frame too short (90" wheelbase), trying to go for a early 50's look. By the time I finished working out the problems, it looked nothing like an early 50's car. Plus, I needed the flathead for my 46 Ford COE. And now, a SBC wouldn't quite fit where the flathead was. And I decided I wanted to channel the body. So, I took it apart, and stuck it in the shed. Which is where it sat for 5 years. 3 kids, a new job working nights, a wife going back to school, all contributed to the project stalling out.
Last week, I pulled the pieces out and surveyed what I had. I built a new frame, loosely based on Youngster's plans. I just want to put together a simple cruiser. Nothing fancy, no super cool ideas that turn out to be super problems when they're welded together.
In order to finally get the car on the road this time, it needed to be done as cheap as possible. Which meant using as many parts as possible from the first version (V1.0) and the second incarnation (V2.0).
For the rear suspension, I used the S-10 rear and coilovers from V2.0, with a set of RPM's ladder bars. The wood panhard bar will be swapped out for one of the metal variety. The rims and tires are 15x8 Cragar SS's with Hurst cheater slicks from V2.0. The gas tank is a mock up of the Model T oval tank that no one has in stock right now. The tail light is a Model A with a STOP lense. Turn signals will find their way under the rear frame rails.
The motor and tranny are both Chevy 350s from V1.0. I love the old ram horn manifolds, so the exhaust will run under the car. I plan on doing a heat shield for the master cylinder. The radiator is a Mustang unit that I got off of Ebay and stuck inside the Model A shell. The Corvair box is one that I reversed years ago for V1.0.
The front wheels and tires are 15x4 Cragar SS's with some old tires for rolling. I'll be going with some taller ones.
The front end is a Magnum I-beam and '36 wishbones from V2.0. I used Dodge truck shock mounts to mount a pair of P&J shocks. I have a little more work on the headlight mounting brackets, but the general idea is there.
So there I am right now. The car will be torn apart soon for finish welding and winter storage. Winter plans are limited because of the unheated garage. My plan is also to replace the body. The old MAS body is full of holes and bad fiberglassing on my part. The body has always been screwy. The cowl sags about 3/4" in the middle, and it is uneven across the back. I think I'm gonna go with a new body from the latest cheap bodies thread, http://www.tbucketeers.com/threads/real-cheap-bodies.12624/. They're about an hour and a half drive away, and $275 is in my price range.
Thanks,
Karl
. I've been working on a shifter design similar to a old B&M Series 60 shifter. I'm shooting for a mid 60's look and I think it's getting there.
