As noted in an earlier post, I first became fascinated with Pip Biddlecombe’s “Low Blow” T-Bucket Roadster when surfing the web a few years ago. Later, I saw pictures of what I believed to be the same car, but with a change to black paint and a flame job that in my mind might have happened after it made its way to the States. I’ll admit that, at the time, I was so fascinated by the profile(s) that I didn’t notice one was Poncho-powered and the other was Hemified — after all, they were both blown!
So, after noticing pictures of the flamed “Low Blow” next to Skip’s “Perfect” T-Bucket, I sent him a message asking if he knew who the current owner of Pip Biddlecombe’s “Low Blow” was. Imagine my surprise when Skip responded, “Who’s Pip Biddlecombe? Scott Ellis built ‘Low Blow’ and still owns it.”
Little did Scott Ellis know when he started laying out the original Low Blow T-Bucket on his Fresno garage floor in the 1970s that a decade later and 5,000 miles away another hot rodder would be so inspired as to create his own “Low Blow” vision. Of course, there are plenty of creative differences between the two T’s, with Pip utilizing a Jag independent rear suspension and the more dainty Hallcraft-style wire wheels and with Scott employing heaps more power and that nicely widened body to accommodate it all.
Personally, I’m a big fan of low-slung T-Buckets and love both of these flip-top beauties. Stay tuned, though, because there were some notable high-power, low profile T-Buckets created yet another decade earlier and we’ll cover those as well.
What’s your favorite low-slung T-Bucket? Let us know by commenting below.
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.
- The Steve Scott Uncertain T – Resurrected! - January 24, 2024
- Uncertain T Exposed! - January 24, 2024
- Y-Block Ford T-Bucket: Ted Kramer’s Snoopy Inspires Me - February 11, 2023
I was in the UK from 1979 – 1983, doing lettering, pinstriping and graphics on race cars, funny cars, dragsters, etc. I was working with racer and painter Ronnie Picardo.
I had never been a T bucket fan until I saw Pip’s car at a show. That did it for me. I took lots of pictures of it from every angle and when I came back to the States in 83, I traded a 55 Chevy for a show winning T bucket that had the right components for building a fair copy of Low Blow. Mine had a tall tunnel ram and two 4 bbls, though. But it had a Pete Jackson gear drive, so it had the requisite whine!
We had to lengthen the chassis 28″ and then z it front and rear to lower it 4″ in the front and 6″ in the rear. I channeled the body over the frame 4″, which meant raising the floor of course, and moved the body forward 14″ so the tires would stick out at the back like Low Blow.
The only super easy part was taking the top half of the windshield off. I made a fiberglass top, using parts of the frame of the original “munster mobile” style top that it came with. When it was done, the top of the windshield came only as high as my navel. I’m 5’10” so you can tell it was low.
I drove it that Spring, and it seemed like every time I took it out it rained. Cars like this with motorcycle front wheels and monstrous rear tires are death traps on wet roads! I live in So MD, just outside of Washington DC, where we have both bumper to bumper traffic and poorly engineered secondary roads. After a few scares, I decided it was more fun to look at it than it was to drive it. I traded it and a 57 Chevy that needed paint for a very clean ’65 Corvette which I still have – and love.
The individual that I traded the T bucket and the 57 to took both of them apart to do something “really special” with them. He ended up selling the 57 as a basket case to one of my friends who has treated it right and still has it. the t bucket was traded so a body shop somewhere in exchange for putting it’s engine in the 57 one day and then painting the 57 – neither of which never happened. I have no idea whatever became of it.
I was so glad to see these pictures of Pip’s car, because over the years and through various moves I lost the pictures I took of it, as well as the pictures of the t bucket I built under the inspiration of it.
Thank you so much, Steve, for sharing how Pip’s T inspired you to build your own low slung T-Bucket, which sounds pretty sweet, too. Coincidentally, I have a little follow up story I’m planning to do on the construction of Pip’s T and if you don’t mind I’d like to use some of your comments in that story. Really sorry to hear you lost your photos of Pip’s T and your own. Would love to have seen them. Thanks again.
John
Several months ago I had the pleasure of seeing a super low T bucket BEFORE I saw these ones. It had no top. But what was interesting the entire was a true homebuilt car. It had a Corvair engine in front. I saved the photo. For some reason I cannot find out the owners name or anything on the whereabouts. Can anyone fill in the blanks? thanks. Jim.
Hi Jim. My apologies for the much delayed response. The only really low, Corvair-powered T-Bucket I know of was built by the late Don Kendall. Coincidentally, I will be doing a couple of stories soon about Don’s really awesome T-Bucket builds. In the meantime, here are two pics of the Don Kendall Corvair T-Bucket. The red is his original build and the other was after it had been sold and given the full show car treatment.
