4 Cylinder T-Bucket Hot Rod, the ‘S**t T’ by Brad Masterson is Anything But!

Having a dream hot rod is one thing, but having a fun, practical hot rod you built yourself for almost nothing and drive the snot out of is another thing altogether. Brad Masterson accomplished that when he wanted to reduce the cost of his daily commute and make it less boring. Brad’s solution took an unconventional approach, partly because it was cheap and partly because it was different yet practical. Politically correct, maybe it ain’t. But, man this 4 cylinder T-Bucket hot rod is cheap, fast and fun. In spades!

First off, Brad Masterson is the last guy you’d think of building and driving a 4 cylinder, fiberglass body T-Bucket hot rod. He’s a traditional customs guy through and through, with a capital K as in Masterson Kustom Automobiles, his shop in Lynwood, California.

4 cylinder t-bucket Brad Masterson Kustoms

 

As Brad says, they “specialize in traditional kustom stylings of the 1950’s done by our forefathers in this very shop. We don’t use fancy machinery or laser technology but the tools that the original builders used to create some of the greatest kustom cars ever produced. This shop is rich in history and is the closest feeling you will get to owning an original Barris kustom car.”

4 cylinder T-bucket Masterson Kustom Automobiles

To put Brad’s Kustom roots in further perspective, he’s worked under two of the greatest legends in the field, the late George Barris and another late customs legend, Bill Hines.

Barris Kustoms Dean Jeffries Brad Masterson Atlantic Ave Lynwood

Brad’s commitment to the Kustoms legacy is further evidenced by the fact that his shop resides in the same building that was occupied by Barris Kustoms from 1950 to 1961, along with custom painting legend, the late Dean Jeffries.

4 cylinder t-bucket Brad Masterson Kustoms

Growing up, Brad’s dad was the hot rodder in the family while Brad was always drawn to the fascinating and creative world of custom car building. Not flashy show rods, but Kustoms like those built by the Barris, the Alexander brothers, Gene Winfield, Bill Hines and other masters of the metalworking arts.

t-bucket masterson

Before building the T-Bucket that’s the subject of this story, Brad did have some T-Bucket experience. After opening his own shop Brad had an opportunity to pick up a survivor T-Bucket that had been a show car back in the day with its distinctive panel paint and button tuft interior. With his love of traditional rods and customs Brad grabbed it.

t-bucket masterson

He bought it off e-Bay as a diversion after tragically losing a loved one.

t-bucket masterson

Brad found the T to be great fun and it was enjoyed as well by his mother and grandfather.

t-bucket masterson

But, that was short-lived because the T’s polished vintage Halibrand quickchange caught the eye of someone building an authentic traditional rod that had to have that rare “Culver City” version and was willing to pay a nice premium to Brad over what he’d bought the T-Bucket for just to get it. Which leads us to Brad’s inspired T build.

masterson-kustoms-lynwood-shop

Brad’s shop in Lynwood was a 30+ mile commute each way from his home and with L.A. traffic being what it is traffic jams and gasoline fill-ups were killing him. So he put a plan in place to cure the situation. On a visit to see his friend, Von Franco, for $200 he bought an old fiberglass T-Bucket body that had been wasting away in his yard along with a cast off Model A rear crossmember and a 1927 T windshield frame.

4 cylinder t-bucket Brad Masterson Kustoms

Brad took those parts to his grandparent’s farm near Sacramento and built the chassis on the floor of their quonset hut outbuilding. Of course, every farmer has a welder and tools.

4 cylinder t-bucket Brad Masterson Kustoms

Up front, Brad used a Model A axle with hydraulic brakes and steel wheels from a 40’s era Ford. The rear end is from a ’49-’51 era Merc custom and of unknown ratio. Which brings us to motorvation. Remember that Brad was looking for fuel economy as well as fun.

1985 Nissan Sunrader

At a wrecking yard Brad found a trashed 1985 Nissan motorhome (like the one pictured above) that only had 29,000 miles on the odometer. And you might be thinking, why??

4 cylinder t-bucket Brad Masterson Kustoms

It turns out that to lug that traveling camper, Nissan used their 2.4 liter, NAP Z engine, which when sold in California has two spark plugs per cylinder. It also came with a 5-speed manual transmission and a heavy duty clutch. Plus, it’s relatively easy to find speed equipment like headers for that particular engine. All that for $1000. For a very dependable, peppy, not far from new engine and 5-speed tranny to boot!

4 cylinder t-bucket Brad Masterson Kustoms

So much for unconventional thinking. You can bet that an engine designed to haul around a 4400 lb. vehicle while getting 20+ MPG on the highway should do pretty well in a T-Bucket weighing two-thirds less!

4 cylinder t-bucket Brad Masterson Kustoms

The T-Bucket body got a quick coat of available yellow and the radiator was pulled from a ’61 or ’62 Chevy C10, sectioned to fit the T fiberglass shell, and brazed back together.

4 cylinder t-bucket Brad Masterson Kustoms

The radiator was mounted the same distance from the engine fan as the stock one was in the motorhome.4 cylinder t-bucket Brad Masterson Kustoms

4 cylinder t-bucket Brad Masterson Kustoms

And it was all put together from junk parts in about a week and Brad dressed up the engine with some red paint, a chrome air cleaner and his own comical renderings on the valve cover.  But before you jump to conclusions on political correctness, keep in mind a couple of things. The first is that Brad’s a traditional customs guy with respect for it’s roots and the guys who pioneered traditional customs. Such as:

Bob Hirohata Mercury Custom

Customs pioneers like the late Bob Hirohata whose chopped Mercury was built by the Barris Brothers and known as “the most famous custom of the classic era”. Of Japanese-American ancestry, Bob took things lightly as in his photo sentiment of “Rots of Ruck” to photographer Andy Southard, Jr.

kansas-trip brad masterson

And the second point to be made that no Japanophobia exists is that after the T-Bucket was completed Brad was accompanied on a cross-country trip to the Kustom Kemps of America Leadsled Spectacular in Salina, Kansas by two visiting Japanese hot rod enthusiasts, Toschi and Tad, who had already spent days in Brad’s shop helping prepare the vehicles.

4 cylinder t-bucket Brad Masterson Kustoms

You gotta’ admit that with an unconventional engine like an inline four-banger that it lends itself to some distinctively different approaches. But how does it perform?

4 cylinder t-bucket Brad Masterson Kustoms

But before Brad mounted the windshield, lights and other extras he just had to take this little 4 cylinder T-Bucket out for a “test drive”.  And what a test! Brad had a friend along for the ride and after he decided to put his foot in it his friend pointed down to the speedometer reading 135 MPH. And it was still pulling in 5th gear!

4 cylinder t-bucket Brad Masterson Kustoms

That surprising performance motivated Brad to produce this custom 5-speed shift knob.

4 cylinder t-bucket Brad Masterson Kustoms

And along the way Brad also created his own custom window decal.

4 cylinder t-bucket Brad Masterson Kustoms

So Brad accomplished his performance goal for the 4 cylinder T-Bucket, but what about his idea of a fuel saving commuter car?

4 cylinder t-bucket Brad Masterson Kustoms

According to Brad, when the project was completed what consumed 13 gallons in his old commuter car now only consumed 5 gallons in the 4 cylinder T-Bucket. But was it more than just a commuter car?

4 cylinder t-bucket Brad Masterson Kustoms

Brad’s next test of his 4 cylinder T-Bucket was the aforementioned 1500 mile journey to the KKOA event in Salina, Kansas.

4 cylinder t-bucket Brad Masterson Kustoms

That journey went without incident and it so happened that there was a drag racing event at the same time and the little 4 cylinder T-Bucket attracted its share of attention.

4 cylinder t-bucket Brad Masterson Kustoms

And with only slight urging Brad decided to see how his T would fare in competition on the strip.

The drag race was flagged by famous customizer and friend Gene Winfield, and the video clip above shows the little T did well.

The return to Southern California went smoothly for Brad’s 4 cylinder T-Bucket: 3000+ total miles and no mechanical difficulties.

4 cylinder T-Bucket Brad Masterson
Photo taken in front of Lynwood, CA city hall, where years ago George Barris photographed so many Kustoms and hot rods. Those photographs which appeared in the magazines in the day are a big reason that mid century kustoms and hot rods even exist today.

As you’ve no doubt noticed, we owe a debt of gratitude to Olav Kvipt for the really great looking photos accompanying this story. If the name sounds familiar it’s because he and his brother Sondre Kvipt are behind the awesome Kustomrama site. Olav left Norway to study automotive science and mechanics in Southern California and Brad Masterson served as kind of his host while he was here. And in addition to making the KKOA journey with Brad, Toschi, Tad and others Olav honed his skills in Brad’s shop. There’s an amusing story about Olav and Brad’s T-Bucket.

Brad Masterson 4 cylinder T-Bucket

For his first day of college, Brad let Olav drive the T-Bucket to school and he parked it in the automotive tech department, per the above photo. Olav was kind of bummed about his assigned curriculum, which was heavy on everything but automotive. Walking back to the T after class, an automotive instructor ran out to Olav, excited that he was the first student in decades to drive a hot rod to school. They chatted and when the instructor saw Olav’s class schedule he said it was B.S. and went to the Dean’s office and had the requirements changed for this new student who’d come “all the way from the North Pole” to study automotive technology.

Brad’s little 4 cylinder T-Bucket was a huge temptation on the streets and Brad recalls his first ticket simply identifying it as “yellow hot rod”.  And the above video shows that at times the men in blue were amused by it, too.

But what’s really heart-warming is that one of Brad’s mentors, Bill Hines, enjoyed the T-Bucket just as much at the age of 93 as evidenced by the above video.

4 cylinder T-Bucket engine view
“Ya’ see, son … this is the kind of motor that’s in a ‘normal’ car!”

Of course, Brad’s 4 cylinder T-Bucket attracted attention wherever it went and he would even put it on display at some car shows.

Masterson Kustoms 4 cylinder t-bucket
First indoor car show sign board.. Some people thought it was great. Some people thought it was really not.

You can also imagine street rod owners with investments of $75-150K being somewhat dismayed by the attention captured by this ratty little T-Bucket “valued at … almost …$3000”.

Brad Masterson T-Bucket

As a professional customizer, Brad noted that one of the really cool features of a T-Bucket hot rod is the “ease of color change”. After all, there’s just not that much there.

4 cylinder t-bucket Brad Masterson Kustoms

The body Brad bought from Von Franco was rough to start and was developing some cracks so when Brad found another for $300 he picked it up and replaced the yellow body with a red one.

Brad-masterson-1923-ford-model-t-

After driving the red 4 cylinder T-Bucket for a while, Brad decided to make the easy color switch again to dark blue.

Brad-masterson-1923-ford-4 cylinder T-Bucket

I really love this T-Bucket because what Brad created is the epitome of hot rod fun in a distinctively different way. It’s got performance as well as economy, was done on a real low-buck budget and the payoff is more bang for the buck in terms of fun than one could ever hope for.

[thrive_text_block color=”blue” headline=””] In case you may think the performance of Brad Masterson’s 4 cylinder T-Bucket is a fluke or exaggeration, similar 4-cylinder T-Bucket performance was well-documented over three decades ago. In 1984, Pat Ganahl published a “performance test” in Hot Rod magazine of Paul Hattrup‘s Pinto-powered T-Bucket. The little 2000cc (122 cu.in.) powered T turned the quarter mile in 13.71 seconds, compared to 14.02 for Paul’s ’69 Plymouth GTX 440 Six-Pak! In his review, Pat said “this roadster accelerates like a drag car, stops like a sports car, and sticks to the road like a Formula car.” Just goes to show there’s more than one way to build a T-Bucket.[/thrive_text_block]

John Morehead
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26 thoughts on “4 Cylinder T-Bucket Hot Rod, the ‘S**t T’ by Brad Masterson is Anything But!”

  1. My dad built that blue and white t-bucket way back before I was born, and sold it to put the down payment on the house I grew up in. I have pictures of it being built from the rails up, and would love to get ahold of the person that owns it now if anyone can put me in contact with them. Feel free to drop me an email at WhiteS1020@gmail.com. Probably drop Brad an email as well. Originally it had a supercharged big block chevy motor in it, and it won an award at the 1978(?) Autorama.

    Reply
  2. love the look on the 4-banger T’s they have very traditional look and just seem to be about fun. i was thinking down the same path possibly a rotary motor could be in order.

    Reply
    • That’s the kind of creativity I love, Rob! A rotary would look — and sound — awesome in a T-Bucket and would definitely be a great performer.
      While it’s been mocked up before, I haven’t seen one in person but would love to.
      Mazda rotary engine T-Bucket
      Thanks and here’s hoping you can make it a reality.
      John

      Reply
    • Thinking about building a bucket powered by a 4 banger front wheel drive 5spd Chevy Beretta. Can it be done? I have an old fiberglass body, frame. Can use the rear axel also.

      Reply
      • Hi Bruce, it can probably be done but I haven’t seen any similar FWD T-Buckets. But, if you were to adapt the independent front suspension to a T-style frame that might work. I’m not so swift on 1990s FWD cars so it’s hard for me to imagine what the final result would look like. If you might be doing it from a budget standpoint I’d caution you that it very likely will ultimately cost way more to do than the traditional route. If you’re doing it from the building something different standpoint also take into consideration the fact of what it will look like. But again, it’s an area I’m not too familiar with. Best of luck, John

        Reply
  3. In the 1950’s, my step brother would drive his 28 A roadster pickup from San Jose 300 miles to visit. It was powered by a modified model A 4 banger, with 2 Stromberg V. 8 Carbs, and a high compression head. Hydraulic brakes, no fenders, or hood, it was essentially a t bucket with a little more room. He could drive lit anywhere, except the rain (no top). If they did it then, you could do it now.

    Reply
  4. Better to be getting your kicks driving a simple rod you can afford than daydreaming of driving a fancy one you can’t. Great project that proves it doesn’t have to cost much to drive or maintain. A plus is that I’d feel comfortable driving and parking almost anywhere everyday. This car costs less than a minor repair of a 100k beauty. More people would get into rodding if they saw these at the local shows, it’s doable. I’d like to see more of these on the road.

    It’s about the driving.

    Reply
    • Yep, David, the budget barrier is really quite low when it comes to building a T-Bucket. A lot depends on your skills at locating bargain parts and also your willingness to do-it-yourself. That’s where the big bucks are saved and that’s why we’ve gotten such great response to the info in Chester’s “How to Build a T-Bucket for Under $3000” eBook. As you said, the real fun is in driving and with a T-Bucket you’ll be able to drive it sooner because it’s cheaper and easier. I really appreciate your comments,
      John

      Reply
  5. Fantastic! Now that’s a HOT ROD! Cool story…..great inspiration. Always something interesting on the Tbucketplans.com website…..thank you John!

    Reply
    • Glad you liked it, Denny! We try to present a variety of T-Bucket stories and although our focus is on budget building we make an effort to include big buck builds as well because they can provide some nice inspiration and ideas.
      Thanks for your ongoing support,
      John

      Reply
  6. Thank you for posting this story! I love finding inspiration like this!!

    I have been gathering the components for a project like this one, for the past few years, now. I picked up a 27 T Coupe body, then found a low mileage 86 Mustang with a 4 cyl automatic, as a power train donor. Once I finish my 41 Tudor Ford, I will get started on my T!

    Reply
    • You know, Ed, it’s amazing how many guys will take several years just to collect the key components for their T build and, to me, that’s the way to do it. It allows you to add components as your budget permits and invariably along the way you’ll see something you want to do different from your original concept and by not going out and buying everything at once it’s easier to make that improvement. Sounds like you’ve got two cool ones underway. All the best,
      John

      Reply
  7. Guy I knew back in Wilmington DE in the early 70’s built a Pinto powered T for his kids to learn how to drive. Always liked that car. He’d built it simple but with the quality of workmanship of any blown big block T on the streets at the time.

    Reply
    • You know, Richard, I’m surprised more people don’t build simple T-Buckets with 4 and 6 cylinder engines, which are so plentiful and almost giveaways today. With a little spit and polish they can be made to look good and just about any engine is going to give you more thrills in a T-Bucket than you might imagine. Blown big blocks are nice but not necessary. Thanks again,
      John

      Reply
  8. Thanks so much for sharing this story. I just retired and built my dream garage/shop. I have been looking for an affordable project. I’m so encouraged. You made an old geezer’s day.

    Reply
    • Thanks Paul. Your comment makes my day. Yep, the T-Bucket is the ideal low cost, simple hot rod project to build at home. Of course, it doesn’t have to be cheap and easy. That’s up to each builder in terms of what he wants to create. Good luck with your fun retirement project,
      John

      Reply
  9. Happy New Year John,
    This gives me encouragement, I have had the idea to build something like a Tudor van on a 1986 Nissan Navara 4X2 ute (truck) chassis with the original 2.5lt. 4 cylinder diesel engine and 5 speed gearbox. I bought it new and put about 500,000 Km. on it before it dropped a valve. You just can’t get anything to last anymore! I used to get about 40MPG out of the ute on a long run, Darwin, N.T. to Cairns, Qld. a 29 hour trip at 60-65MPH with two drivers. My idea is partly influenced by the motor vehicle regulations we have here in the Northern Territory of Australia. When I register it, it will be classed as a Nissan ute with a modified body. I am yet to convince my wife of the idea of cruising around Australia in it, but…………… who knows. I’m sure I’ll get at least one of my sons in for a run and/or some of the grandchildren.
    I’m trying to retire, but I keep getting sucked into taking on another mining contract.
    Yours,
    Geoff Casey,
    Darwin,
    Australia

    Reply
    • Thank you Geoff. I’m glad to hear it may move your plans forward. I’m a firm believer that the T-Bucket is an amorphous hot rod that can be built in any particular way the builder wishes to go. I’m wishing you well on your T-Ute project. You should be able to find lots of T-Bucket company in Australia. All the best,
      John

      Reply

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