Shameless Self Promotion

A lot of people who work on cars will tell you building the car is the best part. Don’t get me wrong, driving them is a blast, but wrenching on them (tuning the engine to get all the horse power you can out of it, rubbing the paint until it looks like a mirror, adding all the chrome goodies) is the part I like best. I had a lot of fun driving my El Camino, got a lot of compliments on how it turned out, and met every goal I set. But as much fun as I had with it, I’ve decided it’s time for a new project. Like most people, I only have a limited amount of money to spend on a project. That being said, the El Camino was sold in July of 2010 to help finance my next car. I thought long and hard about this and did not come to a decision lightly.

I was traveling overseas for work in May 2010, it was one of those “hurry up and wait” types of jobs that gave me some free time. I regularly scan Craigslist just to see what is out there (and what some people think their crap is worth). I came across an ad for a 1923 T-Bucket Roadster. The pictures weren’t great and I could see this thing needed a lot of work. When I returned from my trip I stopped by and looked at the car. It was missing most of the steering components, had no brakes, and the engine hadn’t run in a few years, but it was a good foundation. It was actually a little too well engineered; it looked to me like someone had started setting it up for racing. That wasn’t the route I planned to take with it, but it gave me some ideas. Unfortunately I didn’t have enough money for it at the time, so I told him I would get back to him as soon as I could get the money together. In the mean time I started researching the parts and supplies I would need and realized that everything I would need is available from a couple of catalog stores online. A month and a half later I sold the El Camino, by that time he had sold the T-Bucket.

I decided to take the money from selling my car and start my own T-Bucket build. My plan is to drop a mild SBC 350 engine with a TH350 transmission. This car will be extremely light weight so I don't want to go overboard on the horsepower. Unlike the El Camino, this car will be "more show than go". I can always upgrade later if I decide I want more power. I'll post pictures and more information as I the parts arrive. I have the frame and 4 wheel disc brake setup ordered, that will give me to a rolling chassis which will make it easier to move around as work progresses. If all goes as planned I figure I'll have the car running by Spring 2011.

Update:
As with most plans, things change. Use the T-Bucket link on the menu above to see what changes have occurred lately.