While sitting around the house one night, a brilliant idea hit me…….I will go out into the garage and build myself a "STREET ROD". Now this was an idea that popped into the head of a grown man with two of his off spring still in college and one high school ! My family, at the time, thought it was a great idea, as I never followed through on any of my other ideas and it just might get me out of their hair for a while. Life is good.
The garage was un-heated and it was late November when I started, so it was cold. I moved the cars out into the driveway to check out the area for space, trying to determine if there was enough room to actually try to do something like that, build a car. Then, what kind of car ? I thought about if for a short while and it hit…………..a T-BUCKET ! Simple, inexpensive (I thought) and easy (?).
With renewed vigor I went back into the cold garage and, armed with a "blue print", actually a picture of a "toy car" (the picture was taken a few years earlier of one of my sons hot-wheels t-bucket cars) and a tape measure, I started in on my project.
Looking at the picture and “guest-a-mating” what size this car should be, I came up with a wheel base of 100 inches. That sounded pretty good. Measured and placed some chalk marks on the floor and, again here is that word, guestimated what the frame should look like. The next day I ordered up some C-channel to use to fabricate the frame. I had a power saw and a grinder to make all the needed cuts and slowly fabricated the parts for the frame. I did not have a welding machine or a torch and at the start of this project did not know how or where I would get the welding completed. But, during the course of working on fabricating parts I was led to a man that had everything needed in a 45 foot trailer and, for 35 bucks and hour, he would come to my garage and perform all of the welding on the frame. Another stumbling block over come !!! Life is good.
"Godzilla" starting to complain about the time I was "WAISTING" out in that cold garage, not only that but I was wasting more time chasing around with some strange people looking all over for car parts. I guess “Do what ever the hell you want” doesn’t mean what I thought. She never thought I was going to spend money foolishly on a bunch of junk !!!! Oh well…one mans’ junk.......
I purchased a complete chromed front end from Total Performance out east and assembled it in the garage. I also had stumbled onto many parts along the way and stacked them in the garage also. With the completely assembled front end and a complete '57 Chevy rear end with 4:11 gears, a multitude of fabricated steel parts laying on the floor and chalk marks all over the floor, it was time to call upon the welder.
Thinking it would take the best part of a day to complete the welding, I had saved enough money to cover his time. He was pleased with all of the fabrication that was done on the parts and everything seemed to fit to his satisfaction, he proceeded to weld everything together as I directed. He surprised me and had everything done in just a couple of hours. Again, life is good.
Now it was getting real cold in the garage, late January, and Godzilla suggested she wanted a new life and was filing for divorce. This was a set back. The sheriff told me I had to leave and much time was lost moving all of the parts, tools, engine & stand out of the garage (in the middle of the night) and finding a new location to continue working on this project along with a new location for me to live as I had been "evicted" from my home. It is a shame the laws are written as they are.............. I found a small garage, with heat, to place all of the parts and sub-assemblies, with just enough room to move around the pile of parts (I also found a place to stay with a running water, a bed and heat).
Now, this project took on a new meaning. It was away of escaping from the troubles of my life. I spent a lot of hours both at work (hiding from my life) and working in the garage on this project. It was the best escape that anyone could ask for, it kept me off the streets and out of the bars. The radio blasting away, tuned to an oldie station, the little "fridge" full of Bud-light, and a “corner” full of "car parts" life was good ! A friend of mine showed up at my door every Saturday morning when I was working in the garage and assisted me on the car as well as helping with the Bud-light. This friend I have had from our high school days. We have seen a lot of water go under the bridge over the years, but building this car was a mile stone in both of our lives. Many times, while lying under, over or around the pile of parts that was to become a "roadster" and listening to a particular song on the radio, for a moment it took us back to another time and another place…………it was like being in a time machine! (We thought of painting that name on the side of the car when it was finished, but, alas, never did follow through.)
The following summer went very fast. Soon it was fall and the leaves were starting to turn and we were at the point of "firing up" that chevy engine for the first time. The headers were made from a kit with glass packed mufflers welded on as part of the header-side pipe assembly. When that engine lit up, it filled the garage with the most mellow tone that either of us had heard for many a year. It sounded like power ! Neither one of us gave any thought to a power to weight ratio at that time. We only thought about the cool sound that reverberated from the end of the pipes. Life was good (and getting better) !!!
Next came the front end alignment, caster was set at 6 to 7 degrees with a very slight toe in, checked all the bolts and nuts (safety wired all the critical nuts and bolts on the front end), checked the brakes (we wanted to be able to stop too) and, even though the head lights and some other items (horn, windshield and other un-needed stuff) were not yet installed, we climbed in for our first test drive. What a thrill that was….. The throttle pedal was set too sensitive and with 4:11 to 1 gears…….. We found this to be true when we backed out onto the street (at idle), placed it in gear and stepped on the gas..
…..we got our first, very personal introduction, to a "T-bucket". If you pushed the gas pedal down to "50 miles per hour" the car started out at 50 mph and not from zero !!! What a surprise ! Made it down that quiet residential street in record time. (To this day I believe the record still stands). The interior was sparse at best, we used an old baby crib mattress for the seat padding and nothing for back padding, just to get it on the road for a trial ride. On a fiberglas T body there is a lip running around the bucket to add strength to the sides. This lip left welts on our backs as the car almost drove out from under us when I stepped on the gas pedal !!! There was no doubt, this car was QUICK, it weighed in at 1425 pound with a real 350 horse power ! Life is good !
We knew another fellow who was building a street-rod and decided to take a short drive passed his place of buisiness and "show off" a little. He was standing outside as we came past his shop and, as we slowly drove past, I punched it……................. it automatically down shifted to low gear and literally shot down the street with the engine roaring and the tires screaming ! Unfortunately there was a police office parked at the corner and witnessed this "death defying" act. As he walked up to the "bucket" he was shaking his head. He looked at my drivers license and asked "Is this your correct birth date" ? It started to get funny. He further asked "Is this safe to drive" ? I suggested to him I would not be driving it if I did not believe it to be safe. Then came the tough questions. "Where are the headlights ?? ...and the windshield ??? I explained to him I didn't need headlights as it was not dark and, the windshield, we both were wearing glasses. At that point the laughter was difficult to hold back. He further asked if the horn at least worked. I told him it did but he could not hear it now as it was home in the garage. We all started to laugh as this picture was getting too funny. He gave me my license and (while laughing out loud) suggested I take this "car" and put it back into the garage, with the rest of the parts and keep it there until everything was installed and safety checked. We thanked him for being so understanding and assured him we were not candidates for the home, just yet. No ticket…….Life is good..
The T-bucket went back into the garage........ A few weeks later the bucket was finished (they are never finished, we just stopped adding parts to them) and has been on the road for over 14 years, it is a shame to even consider selling it. We have gone through so much together ( my friend, the bucket and me). It is like one of the family now. Some times, when I go out into the garage to check on the Budlight, I can almost hear it speak to me. I touch it and it smiles back at me. As I turn off the lights in the garage, I swear I can see a tear in the headlights.
Life is good !!!!!
Looking as though in a line up !
