The FREE T Bucket plans
From Crankshaft Coalition Wiki
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#Get catalogs from businesses. Even if you plan to do a low $ build with few new parts, having a wide range of catalogs to browse through can help make decisions easier. | #Get catalogs from businesses. Even if you plan to do a low $ build with few new parts, having a wide range of catalogs to browse through can help make decisions easier. | ||
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#Read the monthly rodding magazines that feature Ts, and browse the web for what others have done. Expose yourself to a wide variety of designs. | #Read the monthly rodding magazines that feature Ts, and browse the web for what others have done. Expose yourself to a wide variety of designs. | ||
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#Go to local car shows and talk to any/all of the T Bucket owners who are there. Most will be happy to give to a ride that will not leave you a jabbering ninny shaking on the pavement when you return. Others will scare the bejesus out of you and that will be the end of this project. The heaviest of these little cars weighs in at about 2200 pounds or so, most are under 2000, some as light as 15-1600. Damn near ANY engine: 4, 6,or 8 will make happy speed in that light a platform. Plus, smaller engines weigh less anyway. | #Go to local car shows and talk to any/all of the T Bucket owners who are there. Most will be happy to give to a ride that will not leave you a jabbering ninny shaking on the pavement when you return. Others will scare the bejesus out of you and that will be the end of this project. The heaviest of these little cars weighs in at about 2200 pounds or so, most are under 2000, some as light as 15-1600. Damn near ANY engine: 4, 6,or 8 will make happy speed in that light a platform. Plus, smaller engines weigh less anyway. | ||
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#If you have no building skills, take a welding class at the local community college for starters. You'll have tools and equipment to buy and rent as needed. You'll also need space, and more space, and more space. Although many nice cars are built under carports or in one-car garages, it is nice to have a fairly empty 2-car garage. You figure out how to tell Mama she'll have to park the Escalade in the drive for about 2 years! | #If you have no building skills, take a welding class at the local community college for starters. You'll have tools and equipment to buy and rent as needed. You'll also need space, and more space, and more space. Although many nice cars are built under carports or in one-car garages, it is nice to have a fairly empty 2-car garage. You figure out how to tell Mama she'll have to park the Escalade in the drive for about 2 years! | ||
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#Now that you have some basic knowledge under your belt, decide what style T you want to build: | #Now that you have some basic knowledge under your belt, decide what style T you want to build: | ||
*"Classic" '23-'25 or '26-'27 roadster pickup. | *"Classic" '23-'25 or '26-'27 roadster pickup. | ||
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*'23-'25 or '26-'27 "lakester" bucket with exposed fuel tank on naked frame rails in the back, and there are others. | *'23-'25 or '26-'27 "lakester" bucket with exposed fuel tank on naked frame rails in the back, and there are others. | ||
| − | REMEMBER: MOCK IT UP! Build your first frame effort from 2X4 lumber and nuts & bolts. Set it up on jack stands with your body on board and your front end assembly, engine/trans and rear end underneath. Take your time. Don't start cutting | + | REMEMBER: MOCK IT UP! Build your first frame effort from 2X4 lumber and nuts & bolts. Set it up on jack stands with your body on board and your front end assembly, engine/trans and rear end underneath. Take your time. Don't start cutting steel until you've got a real feel for what you're trying to accomplish. Be honest with yourself and build your T Bucket to perform to your satisfaction. |
The classic high horsepower, low rear end gears, steam roller rear tires and spoked front wheels are great for shows and an instant rush when you step on it, but may not be the ticket if you want to drive more than a few miles in comfort and get good gas mileage. Many builders are opting for four wheel disk brakes, fuel injection, moderate size tires, hydraulic shocks on the front suspension, 4-speed overdrive transmissions, etc. All of these features are a personal preference, and since there's no right or wrong way, build it your way. | The classic high horsepower, low rear end gears, steam roller rear tires and spoked front wheels are great for shows and an instant rush when you step on it, but may not be the ticket if you want to drive more than a few miles in comfort and get good gas mileage. Many builders are opting for four wheel disk brakes, fuel injection, moderate size tires, hydraulic shocks on the front suspension, 4-speed overdrive transmissions, etc. All of these features are a personal preference, and since there's no right or wrong way, build it your way. | ||
==Frame== | ==Frame== | ||
| − | You can down load Youngsters T-bucket | + | You can down load Youngsters T-bucket plans from a link in the "Parts companies" below. |
| − | Where you have essentially two body groups: '23-'25 and '26-'27, frame designs are all over the map. Many early Buckets were built on modified stock T | + | Where you have essentially two body groups: '23-'25 and '26-'27, frame designs are all over the map. Many early Buckets were built on modified stock Model T or Model A frames. Others were built on early Chevy rails, or even channel iron frames. The "modern" T is usually sitting on a 2x3 or 2x4, 0.120-0.180 wall thickness, rectangular box tubing frame with a 2.5-3" tubular front cross member. |
Some frame makers make their frames one width front to back like a stock T frame, others have a frame that tapers from the rear to the front similar to a Model A frame. And others have other ideas. | Some frame makers make their frames one width front to back like a stock T frame, others have a frame that tapers from the rear to the front similar to a Model A frame. And others have other ideas. | ||
| − | For mounting stuff to the frame you can use 3/8 nuts welded for a flat surface; the tubing wall is too thin for mounting anything substantial. Try to find un-plated nuts. To remove the cad or zinc plate you can buff them. Muriatic acid is supposed to remove it after soaking for a few hours. You can use your Unibit to make a tapered hole just smaller than the nut hex size. Then, use a long bolt and screw the nut on the end. Tap the nut into the hole and square it up, carefully weld the nut to the tubing, let it cool, remove the bolt, clean out the thread with a tap, grind smooth if required. | + | For mounting stuff to the frame you can use 3/8" nuts welded for a flat surface; the tubing wall is too thin for mounting anything substantial. Try to find un-plated nuts. To remove the cad or zinc plate you can buff them. Muriatic acid is supposed to remove it after soaking for a few hours. You can use your Unibit to make a tapered hole just smaller than the nut hex size. Then, use a long bolt and screw the nut on the end. Tap the nut into the hole and square it up, carefully weld the nut to the tubing, let it cool, remove the bolt, clean out the thread with a tap, grind smooth if required. |
==Front suspension== | ==Front suspension== | ||
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====OEM==== | ====OEM==== | ||
Early Ford I-beam axles: | Early Ford I-beam axles: | ||
| − | *'28-'31 Model A | + | *'28-'31 Model A passenger car & pickup |
| − | *'32-'36 | + | *'32-'36 passenger car & pickup |
| − | *'37-'41 | + | *'37-'41 passenger car & pickup |
| − | *'42-'48 | + | *'42-'48 passenger car |
| − | *'42-'47 | + | *'42-'47 pickup |
Early Dodge/Plymouth tubular axles: | Early Dodge/Plymouth tubular axles: | ||
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*'33 & '35-'39 Plymouth | *'33 & '35-'39 Plymouth | ||
| − | Early Ford | + | Early Ford tubular axles: |
*'37-'40 V8-60 only | *'37-'40 V8-60 only | ||
| − | Any other factory I-beam axle from Chevy/GMC or Ford | + | Any other factory I-beam axle from: |
| + | *Chevy/GMC or Ford pickups | ||
| + | *'60s Ford & Chevy/GMC vans | ||
| + | *Early Chevy cars '36-'40 | ||
| + | *Early Chevy/GMC pickups '36-'55 | ||
====Fabricated==== | ====Fabricated==== | ||
| − | Many makers (Speedway Motors, Total Performance, and others) usually sold and described as dropped axle in 4-5-6" drops and made to accommodate '37-'48 Ford | + | Many makers (Speedway Motors, Total Performance, and others) usually sold and described as dropped axle in 4"-5"-6" drops and made to accommodate '37-'48 Ford passenger car and '37-'47 Ford pickup spindles, or '61-'66 Ford Econoline van spindles, or '49-'54 Chevrolet passenger car spindles. |
====New manufactured axles==== | ====New manufactured axles==== | ||
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*Magnum dropped I-beam | *Magnum dropped I-beam | ||
*Super Bell dropped I-beam | *Super Bell dropped I-beam | ||
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| − | === | + | ===Opinion on coils & shocks=== |
| − | Don't do it on the front of your car!! DON'T DO IT!! No matter that Car Craft did this on their project car. Ugly is ugly and almost nothing is uglier that those nasty towers on the front of the frame and coil springs and cups on the axle and shocks running up the middle. No chrome, no paint, nothing can hide this mistake | + | Don't do it on the front of your car!! DON'T DO IT!! No matter that Car Craft did this on their project car. Ugly is ugly and almost nothing is uglier that those nasty towers on the front of the frame and coil springs and cups on the axle and shocks running up the middle. No chrome, no paint, nothing can hide this mistake, so just don't do it. There are too many other options that at least look good. |
===Coil overs=== | ===Coil overs=== | ||
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===1/4 elliptical=== | ===1/4 elliptical=== | ||
| − | + | [[File:Lakes quarter elliptical yellow 2.jpg]][[File:Quarter ellip1.jpg]] | |
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===4 link/hair pins=== | ===4 link/hair pins=== | ||
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''This section needs to be changed out of first-person narrative.'' | ''This section needs to be changed out of first-person narrative.'' | ||
| − | I just put 1/4 elliptical springs (kind of ) on My 1922 T | + | I just put 1/4 elliptical springs (kind of) on My 1922 T Speedster. I needed to lower the rear and didn't want to Z the frame since this car was an authentic old racer. The springs were free from a swap meet at the end of the day and the guy didn't know what they came off of. I think they were probably overload springs for a pickup. They are S shaped, and look like half of a stock T or A rear spring. I used some 4x4 angle iron for an L-shaped bracket and added gussets for strength. I drilled holes in the frame to mount them to the outside of the frame rails. I have a Moore rear-mounted drive line aux trans that uses the modified torque tube and modified rear stock radius rods. With this set up I used the shackles that came with the springs and made new brackets that I welded to hang under the rear axle housing. The first time out was last year's local 4th of July parade and there was a lot of rear side sway motion on rough spots in the road or the railroad tracks so I have since added a panhard bar. I have seen a few 1/4 ellipticals on the front of T buckets that looked good. There is limited space at the rear of a T body, some of the T Lakesters rear 1/4 elliptical springs look good and fit well in the chassis. |
===4 link/hair pins=== | ===4 link/hair pins=== | ||
| − | You can build your own hairpins from 7/8" DOM steel tubing. If you have a blower or lots of horsepower you will want to use 1 inch DOM | + | You can build your own hairpins from 7/8" DOM (drawn over mandrel) steel tubing. If you have a blower or lots of horsepower you will want to use 1 inch DOM tubing. You can use a Harbor Freight pipe bender to bend the tubing. You have to cut the pieces longer than finished length to work in that style bender. Cut the end that has to be tapped 1 inch longer than the finished dimension, weld a small piece of scrap in that 1 inch area to grip in the vise so you won't get teeth marks on the finished piece. Use a large right angle drill and start with the bit that will just remove a little bit of material then keep changing bits until you get to the size required for the tap. Then, drill out that extra one inch with the bit size to match the OD of your tap. ONLY GO ONE INCH DEEP. This will allow you to start the tap in straight and get good threads. Then you can cut off that extra inch, and redrill with the correct size for the tap, finish tapping to the new length and have good straight threads. |
When drilling or tapping use plenty of tapping fluid or thread cutting oil; you can use a tubing notcher that you bolt to a steel table top and tack a piece of scrap angle iron so you can clamp the tubing at the right angle to cut the ends. | When drilling or tapping use plenty of tapping fluid or thread cutting oil; you can use a tubing notcher that you bolt to a steel table top and tack a piece of scrap angle iron so you can clamp the tubing at the right angle to cut the ends. | ||
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==Engine/transmission cross members== | ==Engine/transmission cross members== | ||
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The engine is an active part of the T bucket frame though a "universal" tubular cross member is usually used with the correct rubber mounts for the engine to the tubular member. The transmission mount can be either a "universal" tubular cross member as well or a built up, custom made piece. The transmission is bolted to the cross member via a rubber mount similar to the engine. Use of solidly bolted engine-transmission components is discouraged for a street driven car as the vibrations will tend to loosen fasteners and be physically uncomfortable on longer rides. | The engine is an active part of the T bucket frame though a "universal" tubular cross member is usually used with the correct rubber mounts for the engine to the tubular member. The transmission mount can be either a "universal" tubular cross member as well or a built up, custom made piece. The transmission is bolted to the cross member via a rubber mount similar to the engine. Use of solidly bolted engine-transmission components is discouraged for a street driven car as the vibrations will tend to loosen fasteners and be physically uncomfortable on longer rides. | ||
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The simplicity of a T-Bucket, a Total Performance car in particular can allow you to move the engine forward. A SB Ford with a C4 transmission will almost certainly require at least a 4" forward movement as the overall length of the combination put the transmission tailshaft within ~4-5" of an 8" differential yoke. This additional 4" will allow for an ~9" driveshaft. The usual Chevy 350/350 combination will benefit from a 3-4 inch forward movement by allowing use of an HEI ignition. The only drawback is that you cannot use the manufacturer's driveshaft, and a new one will need to be built. Another benefit of a 4" forward moving is that the engine compartment looks "balanced" - that is, the engine isn't jammed against the firewall. The will entail moving the radiator forward a bit as well. | The simplicity of a T-Bucket, a Total Performance car in particular can allow you to move the engine forward. A SB Ford with a C4 transmission will almost certainly require at least a 4" forward movement as the overall length of the combination put the transmission tailshaft within ~4-5" of an 8" differential yoke. This additional 4" will allow for an ~9" driveshaft. The usual Chevy 350/350 combination will benefit from a 3-4 inch forward movement by allowing use of an HEI ignition. The only drawback is that you cannot use the manufacturer's driveshaft, and a new one will need to be built. Another benefit of a 4" forward moving is that the engine compartment looks "balanced" - that is, the engine isn't jammed against the firewall. The will entail moving the radiator forward a bit as well. | ||
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==Steering assembly== | ==Steering assembly== | ||
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If you are using some suppliers' spindle assemblies you may have to ream the existing bolt hole for proper tie rod assembly. These reamers can be purchased from Speedway. | If you are using some suppliers' spindle assemblies you may have to ream the existing bolt hole for proper tie rod assembly. These reamers can be purchased from Speedway. | ||
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==Bracing and mounting the body== | ==Bracing and mounting the body== | ||
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==Seating== | ==Seating== | ||
| − | + | ===Using original/repo seat parts=== | |
For crying out loud, don't make up any form of foam block seat cushion or anything like it. The only thing that gives you a good, if not great, seat is a NEW Model T seat cushion spring assembly. These are made by 2 companies, Car-Line Mfg. in Beaumont TX and Snyder's Antique Auto Parts in New Springfield OH. You can buy them from many suppliers of Model T parts but these are the 2 manufacturers. | For crying out loud, don't make up any form of foam block seat cushion or anything like it. The only thing that gives you a good, if not great, seat is a NEW Model T seat cushion spring assembly. These are made by 2 companies, Car-Line Mfg. in Beaumont TX and Snyder's Antique Auto Parts in New Springfield OH. You can buy them from many suppliers of Model T parts but these are the 2 manufacturers. | ||
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Oh yeah, about seat inserts, those [[Fiberglassing|fiberglass]] inner wall and seat and floor moulded pieces that drop in and "save you time and money". DON'T DO IT! Unless you are the guy whose butt was used to determine the size and shape of that piece, it will be a mistake. These are usually moulded with a division between the seat depressions. This is because they need those ribs for structural strength, but YOU don't need 'em because space in a bucket is at a premium. | Oh yeah, about seat inserts, those [[Fiberglassing|fiberglass]] inner wall and seat and floor moulded pieces that drop in and "save you time and money". DON'T DO IT! Unless you are the guy whose butt was used to determine the size and shape of that piece, it will be a mistake. These are usually moulded with a division between the seat depressions. This is because they need those ribs for structural strength, but YOU don't need 'em because space in a bucket is at a premium. | ||
| − | + | ===Modifying other seats to fit=== | |
One of the most popular seats used from other sources in T buckets is the short bench seat from the rear of Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth mini-vans(T&C, Explorer, and Voyager). The size is OK and the frame work can be trimmed and modified to get the job done. These can be bought cheaply at a junkyard and you may even find one with leather upholstery. | One of the most popular seats used from other sources in T buckets is the short bench seat from the rear of Chrysler/Dodge/Plymouth mini-vans(T&C, Explorer, and Voyager). The size is OK and the frame work can be trimmed and modified to get the job done. These can be bought cheaply at a junkyard and you may even find one with leather upholstery. | ||
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One of the most overlooked aspects of building a T Bucket is seating position and location of controls. Many a T Bucket builder has spent many years and many dollars building their dream machine only to have it sit in the garage because it is too uncomfortable to drive. Try not to limit yourself because you just happen to have a certain steering box or seat. These cars have a pretty small cockpit and there's not much room for controls. If you're going to have a traditional style bucket with the steering column though the floor, be very careful that you have plenty of room for your knees and you'll be able to operate the gas and brake pedals. The best way is to mock up everything and make sure your final setup will work for you, especially if you are taller than 5'-8" or so. One trick is to locate the gas pedal over the transmission hump. This allows you to stretch out your right leg a bit and be more comfortable. | One of the most overlooked aspects of building a T Bucket is seating position and location of controls. Many a T Bucket builder has spent many years and many dollars building their dream machine only to have it sit in the garage because it is too uncomfortable to drive. Try not to limit yourself because you just happen to have a certain steering box or seat. These cars have a pretty small cockpit and there's not much room for controls. If you're going to have a traditional style bucket with the steering column though the floor, be very careful that you have plenty of room for your knees and you'll be able to operate the gas and brake pedals. The best way is to mock up everything and make sure your final setup will work for you, especially if you are taller than 5'-8" or so. One trick is to locate the gas pedal over the transmission hump. This allows you to stretch out your right leg a bit and be more comfortable. | ||
| − | This is Reason 2 for buying the body and deck or bed before you begin work on a frame for your car. Mock up everything in wood, cardboard, etc. before making the final cuts and welds and assemblies. You won't regret it. | + | This is Reason #2 for buying the body and deck or bed before you begin work on a frame for your car. Mock up everything in wood, cardboard, etc. before making the final cuts and welds and assemblies. You won't regret it. |
==Shifter assemblies== | ==Shifter assemblies== | ||
Most T Buckets have automatic transmissions for a reason -- there is not a lot of room for the clutch and shifter assemblies. It can be done, but you will have to make special provisions for it. Generally, a cable operated shifter is preferred with an automatic as it's easier to locate. | Most T Buckets have automatic transmissions for a reason -- there is not a lot of room for the clutch and shifter assemblies. It can be done, but you will have to make special provisions for it. Generally, a cable operated shifter is preferred with an automatic as it's easier to locate. | ||
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==Parts companies== | ==Parts companies== | ||
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*[http://www.rodnrace.com Rod 'n Race Fiberglass] (Berkeley Springs, WV) | *[http://www.rodnrace.com Rod 'n Race Fiberglass] (Berkeley Springs, WV) | ||
*[http://www.eztbucket.com EZ-T-Bucket] (Kodak,TN) | *[http://www.eztbucket.com EZ-T-Bucket] (Kodak,TN) | ||
| − | *[http://www. | + | *[http://www.rutherfordms.com/freedownload/tbucketplans.pdf The Youngster Free T-bucket frame plans] |
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==References== | ==References== | ||
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