[lowROLLERchevy]

EDIT - DECEMBER 29: PLEASE DONT SUGGEST PLACES I CAN BUY PLANS OR FRAMES OR THIS AND THAT. IM AM ATTEMPTING TO DESIGN PLANS FOR THE RODDING COMMUNITY, I AM NOT PERSONALY BUILDING A TBUCKET. IM NOT TRYING TO SPEND MONEY FOR OHER PEOPLE BY BUYING INFORMATION JUST SO I CAN GIVE THE PLANS AWAY FREE IN THE END.

THIS IS SIMPLY AN ATTEMPT TO GATHER INFORMATION TO REPLACE THE LAST SET OF PLANS THAT WERE POSTED HERE ON HR.COM, WHICH HAD TO BE TAKEN DOWN DUE TO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT.

im sure plenty of my following requests are answered here or on the web, but i cant search for everything, everywhere, and wind up with all the possible answers, im asking for help from all of you to help me gather up a TON of info

please keep this on topic

please correct any mistakes you see along the way

please feel free to submit any extra info that pops into your head

if you have / can make paper patterns of an item and its easier to snail mail them to me instead of finding a scanner & such, pm me for my mailing address

ok, so the LAST t-bucket frame plans had to be taken down due to copyright issues, i recently got a CAD drafting program, im am going to learn the program by doing 2d and 3d illistrations for a new set of t bucket plans

The original plans were just drop axle, sbc & radius rod set ups front and rear, quite plain, only gave limited options before you had to start desiging stuf yourself if you wanted to do it different

what im LOOKING for is EVERYTHING

anyone have or know i can find:

drop axle plans (of all drop amounts)
suicide front suspension plans
mustang2 bracket plans
single leaf setup for dropped axle
coil spring setup for dropped axle

motor mount patterns for ALL the major engines
tranny mount patterns for al the major tranny options
steering box mount patterns for all the major options

4 link rear suspension plans
triangulated 4 link plans
radius rod set ups

how much frame "looks good" ahead of the radiator
how thick your radiator assembly is with the fan
how much room you have between the radiator and engine
i how much suspension travel do you have
how much is your rear frame stepped ?

what else can you give me plans for ?
scratch built fuel tanks?
headlight brackets?
anybody run the exhaust under the car?
where did you mount your battery?
where did you mount your electric ful pump ?

i donno, im out of questions .... feel free to post ANYTHING that coms to mind

[farna]

I think your best bet is to create a very basic frame plan with a standard front axle and rear suspension then post that. At that point people can more easily point out problems and make suggestions for improvement. If you have a site you can post to just post the link here when you have something basic up, and ask for criticism. There should be no problem receiving that!

[RPMs]

I am a memeber of the National T Bucket Alliance. Come try our web site. All we talk about is t buckets nothing else. Also you can go to Total Performance web site and down load a 150 build page manual for $25.00. if you have never built a bucket before I would go do that.

http://www.nationaltbucketalliance.com/bb/

They are have a national event for t buckets only in Arkanass in July.

[Jon]

lowROLLERchevy -- great idea . If all of the currently-available T Bucket plans cannot be distributed because of copyright concerns, then the best thing to do is draft our own plans, and give them away for free.

I agree with farna. Start with a simple, basic design, and people can add to it from there.

As RPMs mentioned, the National T Bucket Alliance is an excellent resource, and I'm sure they'd be interested in this.

Just a heads up -- be certain that all of the member-contributed content is not copyrighted. If you need some more detail on how to determine whether something can be freely reproduced, please PM me.

[lowROLLERchevy]

im trying

hopefully people start to point me in the right direction on some of this stuff, because its impossible to find everything myself AND THEN draw it up too

theres going to be the "basic" plan, which will basicly be what the CCR plans were, but they are insiration only and im doing a number of things different

then come the optional stuff ....

1) rear frame extension if you have a turtle deck or bed
2) 4 link F & R instead of hair pins (parallel or triangulated in the rear)
3) coil or leaf F & R suspension

if i can get proper plans for a mustang 2 suspension, ill do plans for normal coil springs, coil overs, and also a pushrod front suspension w/ inboard coil overs

right now im just doing some stuff using emachineshop as a 2d drafting program because i wanna get something done w/ the plans, but my computer refuses to run alibre

some of the basic stuff so far, front perch, pattern for the front frame rail to fir the perch crossmember, and square cut & "mandrel bent" style rear frames

[Turbo-T]

I'm also with the NTBA. Good resource. Contact CCR. They have an excellent set of plans for $20 or so. They come with some templates. If you can find a copy of "How to build a T bucket Roadster On A Budget" by Chester Greenhalg, It's also a good reference.

[Chopt 48]

For the T bucket, forget the Mustang style front end. Although it would probably drive ok It is near impossible to make it look right without fenders.
The front axles are a bit more than the average bulder probably should attempt. This comes under the heading of critical welding skills. Also the simple fact that they need to be welded up in a fairly complicated jig to be correct in dimension and steering angles.
I built my first T frame using dimensions from one of the car magazines that was around in the early 70's. I would imagine that half the homebuilt T frames out there were built off that same set of plans in one way, shape or form.
It is a good and interesting idea though.

[lowROLLERchevy]

ive got the ccr plans already just trying to create something that can be passed around freely without copyright infringement, as the ccr plans

and even tho i know that very few people would put an ifs in a T, i would still love to have the measurements, even if im the only one that ever does anything with the plans i create off them. Front suspension geometry doesnt scare me in the least.

theres a good reason that i went with the user title you see under my screenname up there ^^^

[hotrodsbyray]

try going to jalopyjournal.com and check out the forums and tech archives. not a family friendly site but some good "retro" rod and "rat" rod ideas. definitely a bunch of frame - suspension info there and you can bet what they have is freely given!

[2000jack]

I had a T-Bucket, almost 40 years ago. Actually drove it for about 10 FEET! No brakes, anyway with today technology and general availability of items may I suggest that you buy a frame. By the time you set up the jig and get everything straight the cost could even be higher than purchasing one especially if you make a mistake or two. Of course this does take away the fun of building it. But there is probably a lot of enjoyment left. For example, one day my buddy Butch comes up to me when I was working on the T and he asked me if I had started it up yet. I replied "Nope,no electric fuel pump" Which he quickly noted that was no problem, "You crank it over and I'll pour the gas from a coffee can." So he takes the coffee can squeezes the top and stares directly down at the carb and diligently pours the gas down the carb. The motors purrs, well roars, no mufflers, to life. Well with this success he decides to grab the distributor, as his ear tells him that this 283 is slightly retarded and needs to be advanced. Next thing I know there is a 3 foot flame between the carb, the can and his beard. First and only time I have ever seen anyone profusely slap themselves silly in the face. I bought an electric fuel pump with the arrival of next week's paycheck. On second thought maybe you could go to ebay and perhaps buy a partially started one. Miss some of the fun though. Ah,I originally went on line to find out how to remove wrinkles from the leather I am putting on my '29 door panels, as they say, "The fun never stops"

[Jon]

I just sent out an email to the president of the National T-Bucket Alliance, informing him of this discussion, and requesting their collaboration.

Hopefully, they'd like to collaborate on these plans with us; they're the top T-Bucket site.

We can license any plans with a special non-commercial copyright license from CreativeCommons.com. This would allow anyone to freely copy, distribute, and display the plans, as long as it wasn't done for commercial purposes.

[RONNYinWAXHAW]

I downloaded the CCR plans not knowing they were intellectual property. I planned to use them only as a guide. I like the Track-T look. The Speedway kit looks good, but I too want an IRS front and triangulated 4-bar rear and working doors. I disagree that the MII IRS won't work on a bucket, I've seen it in magazines. There's no kits available for that early model, so you'd have to fab it. The Alloway Speedstars aren't that much different in frontal weight than a bucket. I think if you're going away from the norm, you'd need to gather all your body parts and start figuring placement. This was why I downloaded the plans. Truth be told, I've got too much going on with my El Camino, and my non-automotive project to tackle a bucket now. Usually, when a project bogs down, I daydream about others. It keeps my mind busy

[nissan]

I know the reno rocket, that is reno PA. not nevada he built his own T. my friend Charlie copied it an put a gold wing front end on it, making it a trike with a chevy v 6. he might let you copy it. I can powder coat them if you like.

[lowROLLERchevy]

ok, so i guess i wasnt realy clear what im doing here ...

Im NOT building a t bucket, not now , probably not this decade

chances are, ill save my first t-bucket project for when im 65, have a massive pile of unused parts in my garage, and creat a bucket or 2 out of all my parts ....

what i am doing is a favor for the rodding community, im creating a free set of t bucket plans that trys to cover as much ground as possible

want a drop axle on coils with a 4 link rear ... heres the plans
want to do split leafs on your drop axle, heres the plans

ive already got 4 rear frame configurations for
1) radius rods
2) buggy sping
3) leaf springs
4) Competition Engineering 4 link setup, such as CEE-2017 (or similar)

THE KIND OF STUFF I NEED i stuff like body length ... do you have any idea how hard it it to design a frame for a car when you hardly even know how long the diferent body options are ?

just simple measurements like firewall to the end of the body,and where your rear center is ....

otherwise following the in coming up with plans will make cars fit like this, and notching the passanger compartment for tire clearance isnt a happy thing:

edit: the other thing about this layout is that after ading the body, it turned out that the engine would be recessed into the firewall at LEAST 5.5 inches .... the firewall has to be @ the black line you see standing up of the frame at the left

[mercmad63]

If you are into the Old school way of doin' things,see if you can find a copy of "Hot Rod Chassis Construction" ,By Signet books.Published in 1966 it has the best "T" bucket plans you could want,especially if you have nver built one before.You can Upgrade your bucket as go along but this little book has the basics to get you started .Theres alos a lot of info on building a Front engined digger and a Willys coupe ....using a steel body. I guss the 'bay would be as good a place as any to start lookin' wouldn't it?
( i've had my moth eaten copy for over 34 years )