T-Buckets of the 1960’s

Jim Unruh T-Bucket – Is it old, new or both?

Jim Unruh T-Bucket
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John Morehead
Founder at TBucketPlans.com
T-Bucket fanatic since 1957 when my 8 year old eyes became glued to a full page LIFE magazine photo of Norm Grabowski in the wildest hot rod I had ever seen! I later discovered the fascinating T-Buckets of TV Tommy Ivo, Marty Hollmann, Bob Johnston and Ed “Big Daddy” Roth’s T-Bucket inspired Outlaw. I was hooked for life on T-Bucket hot rods!

TBucketPlans.com originated in 2005 as a personal blog extolling the virtues of T-Buckets. In 2009 I blogged about Chester Greenhalgh, the "how to" genius who wrote the legendary, out-of-print “How to Build a T-Bucket Roadster for Under $3000”. That led to a friendship with Chester and our partnership in marketing the updated eBook version of his T-Bucket building bible. The T-Bucket fire burns stronger and stronger.
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I’ve been in love with the Jim Unruh T-Bucket for two decades. You may not believe it, but that’s only how old it is — despite looking like a T-Bucket treasure from the 1950s or 60s. My eyes locked on the Jim Unruh T-Bucket when I first saw it at the 2004 National T-Bucket Alliance … Read more

Clayton’s Hot Rods Tipsy-T: Déjà Vu All Over Again

Claytons Hot Rods Tipsy-T
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John Morehead
Founder at TBucketPlans.com
T-Bucket fanatic since 1957 when my 8 year old eyes became glued to a full page LIFE magazine photo of Norm Grabowski in the wildest hot rod I had ever seen! I later discovered the fascinating T-Buckets of TV Tommy Ivo, Marty Hollmann, Bob Johnston and Ed “Big Daddy” Roth’s T-Bucket inspired Outlaw. I was hooked for life on T-Bucket hot rods!

TBucketPlans.com originated in 2005 as a personal blog extolling the virtues of T-Buckets. In 2009 I blogged about Chester Greenhalgh, the "how to" genius who wrote the legendary, out-of-print “How to Build a T-Bucket Roadster for Under $3000”. That led to a friendship with Chester and our partnership in marketing the updated eBook version of his T-Bucket building bible. The T-Bucket fire burns stronger and stronger.
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While admiring the Clayton’s Hot Rods Tipsy-T in the Suede Palace at the 2022 Grand National Roadster Show I got that strange feeling again. It was the same feeling I had when viewing Eric Geisert’s 1926 T the same day. This 1915 T roadster was a real stunner, with the unmistakable look of a true … Read more

Tom Booth Torsion T

Torsion T Tom Booth
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John Morehead
Founder at TBucketPlans.com
T-Bucket fanatic since 1957 when my 8 year old eyes became glued to a full page LIFE magazine photo of Norm Grabowski in the wildest hot rod I had ever seen! I later discovered the fascinating T-Buckets of TV Tommy Ivo, Marty Hollmann, Bob Johnston and Ed “Big Daddy” Roth’s T-Bucket inspired Outlaw. I was hooked for life on T-Bucket hot rods!

TBucketPlans.com originated in 2005 as a personal blog extolling the virtues of T-Buckets. In 2009 I blogged about Chester Greenhalgh, the "how to" genius who wrote the legendary, out-of-print “How to Build a T-Bucket Roadster for Under $3000”. That led to a friendship with Chester and our partnership in marketing the updated eBook version of his T-Bucket building bible. The T-Bucket fire burns stronger and stronger.
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In Episode 7 of our Hooked on T-Buckets Podcast we interviewed Tom Booth about his fabulous Torsion T. At the time of the interview, Tom knew where his original T-Bucket was and the owner indicated it was going to stay in a backyard under a tarp. Fortunately, after that interview the Torsion T was purchased … Read more

T-Bucket Headers History

T-Bucket headers wild
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John Morehead
Founder at TBucketPlans.com
T-Bucket fanatic since 1957 when my 8 year old eyes became glued to a full page LIFE magazine photo of Norm Grabowski in the wildest hot rod I had ever seen! I later discovered the fascinating T-Buckets of TV Tommy Ivo, Marty Hollmann, Bob Johnston and Ed “Big Daddy” Roth’s T-Bucket inspired Outlaw. I was hooked for life on T-Bucket hot rods!

TBucketPlans.com originated in 2005 as a personal blog extolling the virtues of T-Buckets. In 2009 I blogged about Chester Greenhalgh, the "how to" genius who wrote the legendary, out-of-print “How to Build a T-Bucket Roadster for Under $3000”. That led to a friendship with Chester and our partnership in marketing the updated eBook version of his T-Bucket building bible. The T-Bucket fire burns stronger and stronger.
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Originally published May 31, 2015: T-Bucket headers are an important component that are easily taken for granted. They can make all the difference in the overall appearance of a T-Bucket. As an early example from the 1940s, the Ed Iskenderian “La Cucaracha” T roadster utilized pretty utilitarian, although beautiful in terms of lines and chrome, … Read more

Kookie Kar Kopy of Gary DeFer

Kookie Kar Gary Defer
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John Morehead
Founder at TBucketPlans.com
T-Bucket fanatic since 1957 when my 8 year old eyes became glued to a full page LIFE magazine photo of Norm Grabowski in the wildest hot rod I had ever seen! I later discovered the fascinating T-Buckets of TV Tommy Ivo, Marty Hollmann, Bob Johnston and Ed “Big Daddy” Roth’s T-Bucket inspired Outlaw. I was hooked for life on T-Bucket hot rods!

TBucketPlans.com originated in 2005 as a personal blog extolling the virtues of T-Buckets. In 2009 I blogged about Chester Greenhalgh, the "how to" genius who wrote the legendary, out-of-print “How to Build a T-Bucket Roadster for Under $3000”. That led to a friendship with Chester and our partnership in marketing the updated eBook version of his T-Bucket building bible. The T-Bucket fire burns stronger and stronger.
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“Yes, I copied the Kookie Kar and Ivo’s T,” said Gary DeFer when I met him at the 2017 T-Bucket Nationals in Carson City, Nevada. I felt in the presence of a celebrity because I’d been admiring Gary’s evolving traditional T-Bucket for over 25 years in various online forums. To me, Gary had really nailed … Read more

Uncertain T Exposed!

Uncertain T Popular Hot Rodding June 1967
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John Morehead
Founder at TBucketPlans.com
T-Bucket fanatic since 1957 when my 8 year old eyes became glued to a full page LIFE magazine photo of Norm Grabowski in the wildest hot rod I had ever seen! I later discovered the fascinating T-Buckets of TV Tommy Ivo, Marty Hollmann, Bob Johnston and Ed “Big Daddy” Roth’s T-Bucket inspired Outlaw. I was hooked for life on T-Bucket hot rods!

TBucketPlans.com originated in 2005 as a personal blog extolling the virtues of T-Buckets. In 2009 I blogged about Chester Greenhalgh, the "how to" genius who wrote the legendary, out-of-print “How to Build a T-Bucket Roadster for Under $3000”. That led to a friendship with Chester and our partnership in marketing the updated eBook version of his T-Bucket building bible. The T-Bucket fire burns stronger and stronger.
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I’ve been fascinated by and a fan of Steve Scott‘s radical Uncertain T since I first saw it on the cover of the November, 1965 issue of Car Craft magazine. It was only natural that one of my early blog posts back in 2010, and recently updated, featured Steve Scott’s radical creation that was so … Read more

The Steve Scott Uncertain T

The Uncertain-T Steve Scott hot rod show car
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John Morehead
Founder at TBucketPlans.com
T-Bucket fanatic since 1957 when my 8 year old eyes became glued to a full page LIFE magazine photo of Norm Grabowski in the wildest hot rod I had ever seen! I later discovered the fascinating T-Buckets of TV Tommy Ivo, Marty Hollmann, Bob Johnston and Ed “Big Daddy” Roth’s T-Bucket inspired Outlaw. I was hooked for life on T-Bucket hot rods!

TBucketPlans.com originated in 2005 as a personal blog extolling the virtues of T-Buckets. In 2009 I blogged about Chester Greenhalgh, the "how to" genius who wrote the legendary, out-of-print “How to Build a T-Bucket Roadster for Under $3000”. That led to a friendship with Chester and our partnership in marketing the updated eBook version of his T-Bucket building bible. The T-Bucket fire burns stronger and stronger.
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Latest posts by John Morehead (see all)

I was hugely influenced by the Steve Scott Uncertain T when it exploded on the hot rod show car world back in 1965. So in 2010 I wrote a post here expressing my admiration for Steve Scott’s work with the hope it might enlighten younger car builders because to me that was the true golden … Read more

Alexander Brothers Ridler Award Winning “Top Banana” T-Bucket

Alexander Brothers Ridler T-Bucket Ridler Award Winner
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John Morehead
Founder at TBucketPlans.com
T-Bucket fanatic since 1957 when my 8 year old eyes became glued to a full page LIFE magazine photo of Norm Grabowski in the wildest hot rod I had ever seen! I later discovered the fascinating T-Buckets of TV Tommy Ivo, Marty Hollmann, Bob Johnston and Ed “Big Daddy” Roth’s T-Bucket inspired Outlaw. I was hooked for life on T-Bucket hot rods!

TBucketPlans.com originated in 2005 as a personal blog extolling the virtues of T-Buckets. In 2009 I blogged about Chester Greenhalgh, the "how to" genius who wrote the legendary, out-of-print “How to Build a T-Bucket Roadster for Under $3000”. That led to a friendship with Chester and our partnership in marketing the updated eBook version of his T-Bucket building bible. The T-Bucket fire burns stronger and stronger.
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Latest posts by John Morehead (see all)

I first published this story about the Alexander Brothers Ridler Award winning T-Bucket 44 years after it won that very prestigious award. I had just seen it at a Chicago custom car show and was quite impressed. I’m updating it with some additional historic photos, information and commentary. I’ll start with the added commentary. Today, … Read more