Why do you offer more than one set of T-Bucket plans? Which T-Bucket plans should I start with? Which is your most comprehensive set of T-Bucket plans? Do I need more than one good set of T-Bucket plans? Excellent questions we get all the time and we’re happy to answer them.
We offer a variety of T-Bucket plans because there are literally thousands of ways to build a T-Bucket. The beauty of the basic T-Bucket design is that it’s so simple you can customize it to suit your own requirements, taste and budget.
What you want to do is start gathering a collection of different T-Bucket plans. Sure, that sounds like a self-serving statement coming from a site that sells T-Bucket plans, but that’s the easy way to do it. And that’s why we offer a variety of plans.
The “Youngster Free T-Bucket Chassis Plans”
This is where you start. These plans for a basic T-Bucket chassis were created by the late Ron Young. Ron created these plans as a token of appreciation for all the help he received over the years from other hot rodders. It was Ron’s hope that future hot rod builders would find these plans inspirational and useful. His wish was to have them freely distributed to a wide audience and we gladly accepted that responsibility. To date, over 20,000 copies have been downloaded here at TBucketPlans.com
They cover just a “roller” chassis and are the easy way to get an introduction to what is the backbone of a T-Bucket. If you haven’t downloaded them already, you can do so by going here>
How to Build a T-Bucket Hot Rod Roadster for Under $3000
This is the legendary bible of budget T-Bucket building written by Chester Greenhalgh and based on T-Buckets he built for customers in his own shop. It’s so comprehensive that when it was out of print copies were selling for over $200 on eBay and Amazon, and some still do. We worked with Chester to put together the updated digital edition that can be yours today for only $18.99.
It covers steering, brakes, engine and transmission mounting, body reinforcing and mounting, upholstery, paint, wiring, building your own windshield frame and tons more money-saving topics you’ve probably never even thought of. This is our recommendation for anyone thinking about building or buying a T-Bucket because once you’ve gone through it you’ll be an expert on T-Bucket building. You can see all it covers and download your copy here>
California Custom Roadsters’ T-Bucket Chassis Plans
Up until this point, we’ve only discussed basic, budget T-Bucket chassis construction. Now we’re talking about an elegant looking T-Bucket chassis that has stood the test of time and is recognized for its stylish design. It’s kind of like the difference between a basic stripped down Chevy and a loaded Cadillac. But, without a gigantic price difference. In essence, you’re just fabricating a chassis that’s much nicer looking by following the CCR design instructions and templates without having to spend much more to get the nicer finished result.
One of the nice extras to the CCR plans is that they cover both coil-over rear suspension construction, which the others don’t. And as a bonus they even include how to use the awesome Jaguar independent rear suspension. You can see and learn more about the CCR plans here>
Ohio Street T’s T-Bucket Plans
These T-Bucket plans from the 1970s are a nice supplement to the the CCR plans and “How to Build a T-Bucket”. What’s unique here is that the plans show how to build a quarter elliptic spring rear suspension and they contain some really good tips and tricks for alignment and fixturing that complement any of the other plans. You can see more about them here>
The Nostalgic Bird T-Bucket Roadster Plans
Talk about nostalgia! In 1965 Bird Engineering announced a new T-Bucket kit for only $169.95: at just $10 down and $9 a month. Those really were the days. But, there are plenty of good tips to be gained from Bird’s T-Bucket plans. For example, how to scratch-build your T-Bucket frame using inexpensive 8 gauge sheet steel, rather than rectangular steel tubing. And another one manual transmission fans will like is how to build a cool combination brake and clutch pedal assembly. Plus, we’ve included some Bird history as well as a great collection of their T-Bucket kit ads that were in all the rodding magazines back in the day. Check them out here>
Allied Industries’ T-Bucket Roadster Plans
Not quite as popular as Bird, Allied Industries offered quite similar T-Bucket kits. A fairly unique feature of their plans is that they include drawings and dimensions for building transmission mounts for either a small block Chevy with 3-speed manual or a Y-Block Ford with Ford-O-Matic transmission. Also included as a bonus with the Allied plans is a brief history of the company. You can see more here>
Once you start collecting and comparing and contrasting a variety of T-Bucket plans you’ll see an incredible opportunity to mix and match components and elements. This spring perch and that batwing design. Rear coil-over shocks or quarter elliptic leaf springs? Higher rear frame kickup or none? Steering shaft through the firewall or straight up from the floor? Firewall or frame mounted foot pedals? The possibilities are virtually endless and that is what makes it possible for every T-Bucket build to be different and a reflection of the builder’s interests and creativity.
The more plans you see, the more possibilities you have.