Ted Brown
Member
T Buckets practical or impractical that is the question...
I Ted Brown am guilty of trying to make a very impractical car, practical...
Why?? Because I love to drive mine all the time, to any and every where... To work, the store, my everyday transportation, except rain, I don’t care to drive in the rain...
What is impractical about a T Bucket you ask, just about everything it seems.
The bodies are fairly small to begin with, and many people tend to make them even smaller by putting a lot of un-needed wood in them. That turns out to be 8” lost, in the end from the sides, and even more to the rear, which is needed for good leg room...
But; if you are only going to drive it to a car show now and then, or around the block giving people short rides, then impractical may be OK for you...
But; if you want to drive it to rod runs many miles away, maybe even to another state, then you better be thinking more in terms of a bit more practical...
Comfort and safety wise, not to forget, to be legal for most all the rules of the road... (which, would be almost impossible) as there are many that a T Bucket does not really comply with, like fenders, windshield wipers, headlight height or even hoods in a few States...
But, for the grace of God and a few nice patrolmen out there, a nice clean, well built T Bucket can slide by a few of those laws... If you run into a patrolman that does not care for “this type of car or You!” you just may be in trouble, big time...
I have found that attitude is the biggest factor when it comes to dealing with the law...
How does one make a T Bucket more practical? Comfort is probably #1 along with peace of mind in knowing that the car will stop on a dime in case of an emergency, and will turn into a parking space with only one turn or try...
A cool running engine is also Very important for longer trips or town driving, as traffic will sometimes slow to a crawl, and that can be a very bad thing for an open engine car with a smaller radiator air-intake surface...
As you know, air takes the path of least resistance, and that would be around your radiator, not through it... That means that a real good working fan is in order... plus a lower temp thermostat may also help keep things running cooler... There are many factors that determine engine running temp and they all must be taken care of and set correctly... Correct Timing, Fuel mixture and the speed of the moving water are also very important...
The engine running temperature is probably #1 and the driver’s temp is #1 also... J
Many a show only T Bucket, makes for a very uncomfortable driver, as many drivers looks like a Monkey humping a football, not good for a long ride...
Now Days, I see they are trying and have passed; a new law about smoging all cars, even Hotrods, so this is a new factor that must be well thought about, and the car chassis built to handle the correct exhaust system... This is a do-able thing, like everything else; it all depends on how ingenious one is... Let’s face it, if it can end up looking the way you like when driving down the road, then you are winning... if you are wanting it just for shows and driving at rod runs, on private property, than nothing is limiting you at all, nothing except your imagination... and pocketbook.. Plus a great in-closed trailer... The older I get the better that is sounding J I still love to get out there and feel the wind and the road running under my tires... kind of sets one free...
I Ted Brown am guilty of trying to make a very impractical car, practical...
Why?? Because I love to drive mine all the time, to any and every where... To work, the store, my everyday transportation, except rain, I don’t care to drive in the rain...
What is impractical about a T Bucket you ask, just about everything it seems.
The bodies are fairly small to begin with, and many people tend to make them even smaller by putting a lot of un-needed wood in them. That turns out to be 8” lost, in the end from the sides, and even more to the rear, which is needed for good leg room...
But; if you are only going to drive it to a car show now and then, or around the block giving people short rides, then impractical may be OK for you...
But; if you want to drive it to rod runs many miles away, maybe even to another state, then you better be thinking more in terms of a bit more practical...
Comfort and safety wise, not to forget, to be legal for most all the rules of the road... (which, would be almost impossible) as there are many that a T Bucket does not really comply with, like fenders, windshield wipers, headlight height or even hoods in a few States...
But, for the grace of God and a few nice patrolmen out there, a nice clean, well built T Bucket can slide by a few of those laws... If you run into a patrolman that does not care for “this type of car or You!” you just may be in trouble, big time...
I have found that attitude is the biggest factor when it comes to dealing with the law...
How does one make a T Bucket more practical? Comfort is probably #1 along with peace of mind in knowing that the car will stop on a dime in case of an emergency, and will turn into a parking space with only one turn or try...
A cool running engine is also Very important for longer trips or town driving, as traffic will sometimes slow to a crawl, and that can be a very bad thing for an open engine car with a smaller radiator air-intake surface...
As you know, air takes the path of least resistance, and that would be around your radiator, not through it... That means that a real good working fan is in order... plus a lower temp thermostat may also help keep things running cooler... There are many factors that determine engine running temp and they all must be taken care of and set correctly... Correct Timing, Fuel mixture and the speed of the moving water are also very important...
The engine running temperature is probably #1 and the driver’s temp is #1 also... J
Many a show only T Bucket, makes for a very uncomfortable driver, as many drivers looks like a Monkey humping a football, not good for a long ride...
Now Days, I see they are trying and have passed; a new law about smoging all cars, even Hotrods, so this is a new factor that must be well thought about, and the car chassis built to handle the correct exhaust system... This is a do-able thing, like everything else; it all depends on how ingenious one is... Let’s face it, if it can end up looking the way you like when driving down the road, then you are winning... if you are wanting it just for shows and driving at rod runs, on private property, than nothing is limiting you at all, nothing except your imagination... and pocketbook.. Plus a great in-closed trailer... The older I get the better that is sounding J I still love to get out there and feel the wind and the road running under my tires... kind of sets one free...