very interesting t builder company
- Thread starter flatheadgary
- Start date
HomeBrew
New Member
Very true. I bought alot of my parts from a friend that lost interest in the project. I got the rear axle for free, and the engine. It is just a 307, but the price was sure nice. Building your own frame is not all that tough. Get a decent welder and a chop saw and get crackin. Building these cars by hand and from what ever you can find is what makes them so much fun. Happy rodding.
Hackerbilt
Active Member
Can't get a simpler car to build...or a more fun ride!
The frame is very basic and multiple plans are available...or just copy of another frame you like.
Just like Ted says, a carefully chosen donor car will give you a huge headstart on the build and save a pile of money.
The NEHR guys say on their site that they use an S10 rearend with an inspection, new seals and brake components.
THAT means the rearend that comes with the kit is used and from a junker!
Nothing really wrong with that especially as they're very up front about it, but its obvious you could cut out the middle man and save a bunch!
SCCustomRides
Banned
I agree with both of you but I think by creating a complete kit where only a battery, engine, and trans are needed would be a great father son hot rod starter package and a great way to learn the basics of building. I will offer the U-WELD-IT kit for under 10k and I don't expect to sell many but if it helps a few people then that's good enough for me. I am not doing this for a living I am doing this to prove you don't have to be rich to own or build a street rod. I am working on the instruction manual now, but having problems with explaining it all in an easy to understand form without being technical and confusing for most. Should I layout the instructions in IKEA form? LOL
Any input from people here would be nice even though most will probably be negative but i can take it. To answer some questions, yes I have experience in building street rods, hot rods, muscle cars and more. Yes I understand the engineering and design involved but with this pretty much already done in the world of T-Buckets there is not much needed if you use already tried and true designs. I do understand how people want to personalize their rod but if you could build and drive within a month you can change the things in the design over time while enjoying your ride. The only option I will give is the engine and trans mount as well as the radiator inlets and outlets. It will only be designed for an automatic trans due to the differences in clutch styles and the complexity of the install variations.
Any input from people here would be nice even though most will probably be negative but i can take it. To answer some questions, yes I have experience in building street rods, hot rods, muscle cars and more. Yes I understand the engineering and design involved but with this pretty much already done in the world of T-Buckets there is not much needed if you use already tried and true designs. I do understand how people want to personalize their rod but if you could build and drive within a month you can change the things in the design over time while enjoying your ride. The only option I will give is the engine and trans mount as well as the radiator inlets and outlets. It will only be designed for an automatic trans due to the differences in clutch styles and the complexity of the install variations.
SCCustomRides
Banned
BTW, only real profit to be made is around 1k and that is actually paying for labor (if that) involved in legwork and cutting and welding of materials. Just in case that question pops up.
Look at the instuction sheet for a model kit. That would be a good outline for you.
Now for the 1k, that wouldn't begin to cover the labor etc. Even a U-Weld -It kit is going to take 60 to 70+ hours to put together then you have the cost of your consumables, power etc. I do applaud your efforts but don't sell your self too short. I me took 2 months to put together the plans and then posted them where anyone could download them for free. I DON"T regret it but they have been downloaded over 5000 times last I checked so I do appreciate what you are doing. If I can be of any help, just let me know.
Ron
Now for the 1k, that wouldn't begin to cover the labor etc. Even a U-Weld -It kit is going to take 60 to 70+ hours to put together then you have the cost of your consumables, power etc. I do applaud your efforts but don't sell your self too short. I me took 2 months to put together the plans and then posted them where anyone could download them for free. I DON"T regret it but they have been downloaded over 5000 times last I checked so I do appreciate what you are doing. If I can be of any help, just let me know.
Ron
SCCustomRides
Banned
That is why it is something I will be doing on my off time. I have had alot of potential customers frown when they get the overall price of what it would cost them to have me build them a car, so my hope is to offer them an affordable solution. In the past I have referred them to total performance but since then the economy went bust and speedway took over with most kits on back-order. So this seems to be an alternative plan as well as maybe some work for me to build it for them. I have always had a passion for T-Buckets since I saw Ted Brown's when I was a child but life happened and I got sucked into the expensive high end customs so I never built my dream. I decided recently to invest my spare time to do the research on the roots of hot rodding. Doing this made me realize what I forgot about, and that is the Hot rodding community. That is why I am giving back, after all it is about the passion and not who has the most cash to spend.
Hackerbilt
Active Member
You'll find a market for that!
Hope my posts didn't hit you as negative...certainly didn't mean for them to be!!!
I think you're pretty cool to be doing what you're doing and trying to pass some savings on down the line.
SCCustomRides
Banned
You'll find a market for that!
Hope my posts didn't hit you as negative...certainly didn't mean for them to be!!!
I think you're pretty cool to be doing what you're doing and trying to pass some savings on down the line.
Any and all input is actually great input and more realistic than asking the people i know personally who always agree just to keep from hurting my feelings. BTW, your posts were not negative they were a genuine response and did not come off to me as negative.
Funny you should mention the roots of Hot Rodding. I'm a big advocate of the T-bucket. Last year I got bit by a "Gow" bug. I'm in the process of building a '21 steel bodied roadster on a '29 chassis. Having built several t-buckets. This has turned out to be so much fun.
Thanks for giving back to the hobby. Your line of supporters starts right behind me.
Ron
Thanks for giving back to the hobby. Your line of supporters starts right behind me.
Ron
SCCustomRides
Banned
Thats
Thats an honor coming from you.
You would do better IMHO to make and sell parts individually with as much fabbing done as the customer wants. Not everyone can weld. Everyone wants the best price, some just want specific parts and pieces, others just a basic KIT so they can persoalize it. Outlay of a lot of cash isn't in everybodys reserve right now.
You lose so much money in labor trying to recoop it in kit prices, therefore no sales. Start small and then span out. Shop equipment, consumables, electricity and such will set you back also. You just can't pass everything on to the customer. I Know!!!
You have to sell a lot of kits just to break even after awhile, unless you have a lot of advance orders waiting. Others have tried and have gone BUST. Call some others in the business and ask them. There is not a lot of profit in the business of building T-Buckets.
T-Test
SCCustomRides
Banned
It is not always about the money, not trying to do a full time thing here, with all the good people out there such as RPM I dont even want to try and compete with but just to know I have helped someone to fulfill a dream in witch they would otherwise be overwhelmed and not know where to begin that would be good enough for me.
This would be what I call FELLOWSHIP among like minded rodders with nothing more than beer and wings to git er done!!!
Johnny Sweet
New Member
I find this thread interesting. T Buckets are an interesting venue, and there is room for more company's that at present exist. I've been involved in buisness start up for over forty years. My first venture was manufacturing motorcycle sidecars. I grew the company to the third largest in the country. Third only to Harley, and Vetter building a total of 450 units. I kept it small with only a few in the work force doing most of the work myself. I learned a lot in the 70's and made a lot of money living my dream. It was time to stretch my wings. so I developed the tooling, molds, and jig fixtures for the 55-56 T Bird reproduction. It took two and a half years to get the company up and running and almost immediately it was a success. I grew the company to 25 employees and 20,000 sq ft. My sales where 2m the first year. The problem when you start to get large is the filthy unions want to come in and take you over. I sold my Sweet T Bird Reproduction Kit Car company, but along the way learned a whole bunch. Because of my past experiences I've been called upon to design and develop products for some of the medium to large company's around the country. Over the last five years I've been involved designing such things as the worlds fastest composite down hill gravity sleds that reach speeds well over 80 MPH. 427 Shelby type Cobra reproductions. 50 Merk lead sled reproductions, and the Victory Crossbow motorcycle Trike for Lehman Trikes out of Spearfish South Dakota. The reason I'm mentioning all this is I've had a chance to see what's going on out there in the real world. Entrepreneurship is alive and well, but lets face it, all of us have noticed since 2008 that the economy had made an economic down slide all relating to government polices and bank lending practices. Everyone I know in buisness is concerned as to what direction they should take relating to product development, or employee hiring. We are a resilient country, and if you look out over the landscape you will see people adjusting to the simplest things like gas prices, or the price inflation on food. No one likes it, but what are we to do. We as a people don't know what it is to give up.
How does this relate to T Buckets? Well if you a young entrepreneur and want to jump into the T Bucket world there is defiantly room. Three years ago I was reintroduced to T Buckets when Total Performance sold out to Speedway. Mickey decided to retire, and a long time friend of mine who also retired purchased the last kit form Mickey. Along the way my friend still needed a roof and custom made rear fenders. So he called me to ask if I would take on the project. I did a little research and was told that Total Performance had sold all there molds and inventory to Speedway. So I called Speedway to see if I could purchase any of the Total Performance inventory that Speedway had on hand. Speedway was great and sold me one of the last Total Performance roofs and a set of fenders that I could cut and modify. I took the roof and pulled a mold and at the same time cut and widened the rear fenders to except the 16" wide M/T tires. I then made fender molds. Along the way I got excited about my childhood dream of building a Kookie car T Bucket. I attended a T Bucket Nationals and got to see first hand what was going on in this great Hobby/Sport.
The next step was to get a set of plans to make the project simpler. I could have just drawn up the frame plans myself, but why reinvent the wheel. I still needed a body to make a mold from. I've been in the composite industry for over forty years and once I put the word out that I was looking for a T Bucket mold I found that there are countless numbers of old mold sitting around. It seems like over the years many have jumped into the T Bucket body buisness. It's a revolving thing that seems to be timeless. Each generation takes a shot at it. They come, they make a few bodies, and they move on.
After traveling all over the South East looking for my future T Bucket body I ended up putting a deal together with a neighbor who had a T Bucket body setting in his shop for the past seventeen years. I told him that I would do all the body and finish work for free if he would let me take a mold off the body when the finish work was competed. He agreed and I did. When word got out that I had a new T Bucket body mold I sold three. So anyone can do it all you need is the ability and the time. Granted not many would do it the way I have, but I'm a hands on Entrepreneur, and I see a market with a great potential.
Over the last few years I've observed a few things. Total Performance sold out to Speedway narrowing the field of more experienced larger T Bucket manufacturers.
One of the most interesting small entrepreneurial enterprises is a guy working out of a small 2x4 shack building T Buckets selling the frame, body, rear end, and front end. He takes the pictures of his product changing the color of the body in jell coat every time. It makes it look like he's selling more product than he is. A great marketing strategy! He only has one set of wheels and sells his cars without tires and rims. Is he making a living selling T Buckets in these hard economic times? Who knows, but he's trying.
There is a guy in the middle of Minnesota that only sell a body but doesn't have any way to ship it. Customer pickup only. These are just a few examples that can be found around the country. I realize that some of you that have been around T Buckets for a long time could add to this, but that's wasn't my intent when mentioning these few examples.
The company illustrated at the beginning of this thread is a fine example of entrepreneurship at it's finest. There different twist on a T Bucket allows them to reach a different market than most of use would venture into. Like or dislike there product, but they are still out there doing it, and probably having a good time. After all, Isn't that what it's all about.
I learned years ago that to be successful in a new venture you need to find that different market niche. Back when I was building Cobra's there was a company out of South Africa that built a Cobra complete less engine, transmission, and wheels. They would ship them into the US so that they didn't have to conform to the regulations pertaining to emissions and crash testing. Great looking cars that sold at first for around $26,00 less drive train, and wheels. As time went on the price rose to $40,000. I've recently been wondering how strong the market would be for a completed T Bucket that was also sold without the engine, transmission, and wheels. A car that had all the fit and finish, with superb paint, and upholstery. I have yet to do a buisness plan for such a venture, but it's an interesting concept. If it worked successfully in the Cobra market I beleave it would work in the T Bucket arena. Keep in mind that there are potential customers out there that may have never thought about a T Bucket until they see one at a show or outing. We found this to be true when manufacturing motorcycle sidecars, and saw it first hand when it came to the Cobra's. A customer who never had any thought of owning a sidecar, or Cobra until they saw one, and how much fun people where having driving them. There is no question that the biggest number of potential customers for a T Bucket will the hands on guy, but there still is a market potential for a customer looking to live the dream, and having to do very little work.
As I've been working on my own T Bucket between other design projects. I'm looking more and more at jumping into the thick of the fray when it come to T Buckets. Out of the box I have a different niche. My 3D flames to start. Will everyone want a T Bucket with 3D flame? Absolutely not! but they are different, and I beleave I could generate sales.
Well thanks for reading, and if some of you disagree with my thinking that's OK. Where all here for the fun of T Bucketing, and that's the most important thing anyways.
Johnny Sweet
How does this relate to T Buckets? Well if you a young entrepreneur and want to jump into the T Bucket world there is defiantly room. Three years ago I was reintroduced to T Buckets when Total Performance sold out to Speedway. Mickey decided to retire, and a long time friend of mine who also retired purchased the last kit form Mickey. Along the way my friend still needed a roof and custom made rear fenders. So he called me to ask if I would take on the project. I did a little research and was told that Total Performance had sold all there molds and inventory to Speedway. So I called Speedway to see if I could purchase any of the Total Performance inventory that Speedway had on hand. Speedway was great and sold me one of the last Total Performance roofs and a set of fenders that I could cut and modify. I took the roof and pulled a mold and at the same time cut and widened the rear fenders to except the 16" wide M/T tires. I then made fender molds. Along the way I got excited about my childhood dream of building a Kookie car T Bucket. I attended a T Bucket Nationals and got to see first hand what was going on in this great Hobby/Sport.
The next step was to get a set of plans to make the project simpler. I could have just drawn up the frame plans myself, but why reinvent the wheel. I still needed a body to make a mold from. I've been in the composite industry for over forty years and once I put the word out that I was looking for a T Bucket mold I found that there are countless numbers of old mold sitting around. It seems like over the years many have jumped into the T Bucket body buisness. It's a revolving thing that seems to be timeless. Each generation takes a shot at it. They come, they make a few bodies, and they move on.
After traveling all over the South East looking for my future T Bucket body I ended up putting a deal together with a neighbor who had a T Bucket body setting in his shop for the past seventeen years. I told him that I would do all the body and finish work for free if he would let me take a mold off the body when the finish work was competed. He agreed and I did. When word got out that I had a new T Bucket body mold I sold three. So anyone can do it all you need is the ability and the time. Granted not many would do it the way I have, but I'm a hands on Entrepreneur, and I see a market with a great potential.
Over the last few years I've observed a few things. Total Performance sold out to Speedway narrowing the field of more experienced larger T Bucket manufacturers.
One of the most interesting small entrepreneurial enterprises is a guy working out of a small 2x4 shack building T Buckets selling the frame, body, rear end, and front end. He takes the pictures of his product changing the color of the body in jell coat every time. It makes it look like he's selling more product than he is. A great marketing strategy! He only has one set of wheels and sells his cars without tires and rims. Is he making a living selling T Buckets in these hard economic times? Who knows, but he's trying.
There is a guy in the middle of Minnesota that only sell a body but doesn't have any way to ship it. Customer pickup only. These are just a few examples that can be found around the country. I realize that some of you that have been around T Buckets for a long time could add to this, but that's wasn't my intent when mentioning these few examples.
The company illustrated at the beginning of this thread is a fine example of entrepreneurship at it's finest. There different twist on a T Bucket allows them to reach a different market than most of use would venture into. Like or dislike there product, but they are still out there doing it, and probably having a good time. After all, Isn't that what it's all about.
I learned years ago that to be successful in a new venture you need to find that different market niche. Back when I was building Cobra's there was a company out of South Africa that built a Cobra complete less engine, transmission, and wheels. They would ship them into the US so that they didn't have to conform to the regulations pertaining to emissions and crash testing. Great looking cars that sold at first for around $26,00 less drive train, and wheels. As time went on the price rose to $40,000. I've recently been wondering how strong the market would be for a completed T Bucket that was also sold without the engine, transmission, and wheels. A car that had all the fit and finish, with superb paint, and upholstery. I have yet to do a buisness plan for such a venture, but it's an interesting concept. If it worked successfully in the Cobra market I beleave it would work in the T Bucket arena. Keep in mind that there are potential customers out there that may have never thought about a T Bucket until they see one at a show or outing. We found this to be true when manufacturing motorcycle sidecars, and saw it first hand when it came to the Cobra's. A customer who never had any thought of owning a sidecar, or Cobra until they saw one, and how much fun people where having driving them. There is no question that the biggest number of potential customers for a T Bucket will the hands on guy, but there still is a market potential for a customer looking to live the dream, and having to do very little work.
As I've been working on my own T Bucket between other design projects. I'm looking more and more at jumping into the thick of the fray when it come to T Buckets. Out of the box I have a different niche. My 3D flames to start. Will everyone want a T Bucket with 3D flame? Absolutely not! but they are different, and I beleave I could generate sales.
Well thanks for reading, and if some of you disagree with my thinking that's OK. Where all here for the fun of T Bucketing, and that's the most important thing anyways.
Johnny Sweet
SCCustomRides
Banned
Wow, that was alot to take in. But now has my wheels turning again, thank you.
Very interesting write-up. Thanks for sharing.
I sell 2 or 3 frames a year. My biggest problem is shipping out of the area. I guess I aim more for the home builder market. Being a oneman shop sort of curtails the amount of work I can turn out also. My point is I spend at least 6 hours a day, 5 to 6 days a week doing something I've always dreamed of. That my friends is the voice of complete satisfaction.
Ron
I sell 2 or 3 frames a year. My biggest problem is shipping out of the area. I guess I aim more for the home builder market. Being a oneman shop sort of curtails the amount of work I can turn out also. My point is I spend at least 6 hours a day, 5 to 6 days a week doing something I've always dreamed of. That my friends is the voice of complete satisfaction.
Ron
Johnny Sweet
New Member
Hi Ron,
There is a local Deputy Sheriff that for years built two to three T Buckets a year. He did it part time and sold all his cars as kits. He also sold to the home builder types.. I beleave that the home builders are the basis of the T Bucket Hobby/Sport.
Being retired myself I work around six hours a day in my shop. I never know what projects I'm going to get asked to design. The last five years have been very rewarding in that I'm picky as to what I work on. I turn down more projects than I except.
There's a new center for the development of the cars of the future in our area. We have BMW, Michelin, and over two hundred other auto related corporations in the greater area. They along with the local universitys have built this new state of the art center. Millions of dollars have been poured into it, and there on the threshold of some new and interesting developments in composites and other related products. I was asked to head up a composites division researching out new and innovative design ideas using carbon fiber technology. The problem is it required a three year commitment. I turned them down. I like retirement to much and I've had it with academia, and the corporate world.
Ill just work out in my shop, and I may decide to Ill build a few unique T Buckets for fun. Ya, I'm also living the dream and enjoying every day.
Thanks for reading , Johnny Sweet
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