Category: T-Bucket History
Ted Brown: T-Bucket Chassis Designer Extraordinaire
Ted Brown was a young hot rodder from Minnesota who heeded the advice to “go west young man” to seek fame and fortune. Man, was he ever successful! After arriving in Southern California, Ted had the opportunity to see Norm Grabowski’s “Kookie” T-bucket at the famous Bob’s Big Boy in Toluca Lake and “was totally [...]
Chester Greenhalgh: T-Bucket Genius!?!
The following is a personal blog post from New Year’s Day, 2009. It was a great start to my New Year because it brought me into contact with the long incommunicado Chester Greenhalgh and through our friendship has brought us to where we are today with TBucketPlans.com. A lot of disparaging remarks have been made [...]
Ted McMullen and the U.S. Speed Sport “Instant T”
Hot rodder Ted McMullen made a pioneering imprint on the T-Bucket world in a short time span. Prior to 1963, T-Buckets were individually designed and constructed. Starting with Grabowski and Ivo …
Bob Johnston’s T-Bucket, Later to Become Ed “Big Daddy” Roth’s Tweedy Pie: Part 1
Tweedy Pie was a short wheelbase, flathead powered T-bucket built by Californian Bob Johnston in the 50s. It was cool enough to be a magazine cover car, but really rocketed to stardom after being purchased and updated by Ed “Big Daddy” Roth.
TV Tommy Ivo’s T-Bucket
Shortly after becoming aware of Norm’s Kookie Kar around 1959, I was also struck by another T-bucket that had the “look” and received Hot Rod magazine coverage: “TV Tommy” Ivo’s Buick nailhead powered T-bucket. On a recent visit to the NHRA Wally Parks Museum in Pomona, CA, I had a chance to snap a few [...]
Norm Grabowski and the Kookie Kar T-Bucket
In the Spring of 1957, my 8 year old eyes were transfixed on a full page Life magazine photo of Southern California rod builder Norm Grabowski …
The Real History of the Fiberglass T-Bucket Body
We take the fiberglass T-Bucket body for granted. It seems like they’ve always been around, in abundance and economically priced: the ideal starting point for an exciting, budget hot rod.
Where Did the Term “Fad T” Come From?
fad-T (also fad car) n. Any T-bucket roadster constructed entirely from new, prefabricated components, including a reproduction fiberglass body.
Marty Hollmann’s Hugely Influential T-Bucket
I first saw Marty’s T-bucket on the cover of January 1961 Car Craft and was fascinated. I didn’t understand the beauty of symmetry, but I loved this T-bucket.
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