T-Bucket build? Or rat style jalopy.

Started this in the CO thread...
Copy and pasted from there to start. Not sure where this will go, if anywhere, but I've annoyed the CO peeps enough that I thought I would start it's own thread and see what happens.

I need a door and I might have another project. It's already got the seats.



Got it home. I have no idea what it is. The top half of the window actually still tilts, the bottom is frozen for the moment. I think it was a 4 door, it has hinges still attached on one side for the rear doors. The hinges still operate. Driver door is welded shut, so someone started something.

Maybe @RustyGreen would know? If he would be kind enough to chime in with his expertise, I would appreciate it.

The bullet hole stays, it may have been involved in a bank robbery...

 

@RustyGreen was kind enough to find this information, hope he doesn't mind me pasting his response here...

From @RustyGreen

1. Well fellers, this one has been a grinder.
   
   I'm going to say this started out as a early to mid 1920's Nash Touring Car, often called a phaeton back then. These were 4 door open cars as opposed to roadsters which were 2 door cars. Here is a 1925 model.
   
   
   
   
   Note the door hinges and handle on this 1922 model.
   The GM cars used a horizontal style hinge and the Fords were on the outside.
   
   
   
   
   
   Note the separate instruments spread out on the dash on this 1922 model, most other makes had a center module.
   
   
   
   The windshield frame mounts into the cowl on this 1923 model and other years, other makes mounted to the side of the cowl.
   
   
   
   
   
   Last edited: May 11, 2025
   
   You, alee891, CO MTN Steve and 9 others like this

 

Set it on the nose to see the bottom. Not too many car bodies that can be done like this...
I suspected the sheet metal wasn't stock. I wasn't there at the time, contrary to what you all think, but I'm fairly sure the floor was actual floor boards.
Plus, the sheet metal bottom is definitely not the same quality or gauge, has a random break in it, and booger welds throughout. That might be lead paint.

over 100 years old and less rust than a Tacoma...


This is the worst of it...


I don't think working doors are needed at all, will prolly just skin the outside and make it all smooth. I also noticed with it being on end that it is crooked. Like 3/4" wider on the side with no door. It does flex easy enough to make that right again. I'll hit up the HMD door shops and scavenge some 16ga sheet metal for the repairs. For now, I'd just like to make the tub straight-ish, hole-less and preserve as much original sheet metal as possible.

 

Then this happened.

One Ford flat head V8. Seized. One water pump still kind of turns.

One Ford flat head block with set of valves. Seized. Inspection of the block surface revealed just the two standard factory cracks.

One cast head and some pairs of jugs from a Harley Davidson Servi-car trike. One side draft intake for God knows what. One generator that might be part of the flat head, not sure.

The jug on the far right with the plastic is covered heavily with cosmoline. It might just be nos.


Radiator and old skool Ford I-beam front axles are readily available for cheap on Amazon and Ebay. But first to tear down that block. Not sure If I'm doing it or paying a machine shop. Need to get some prices. Most likely a machine shop so it's done right.

 

Well shit, this may be over before it begins.
From the right, passenger side front, cylinders 1,2,3 and 4. #4 is seized, the other 3 move slightly. Yes, these are numbered down each side.

From the left, driver side, cylinders 5,6,7 and 8. All 4 are seized. This bank looks like it sat at the bottom of a lake. These pics are after I blew a Haboob of dust out of it.

#8, worst of the bunch, but not by much.

It is full of "oil" Let's assume the bottom end isn't rusted just yet.

Valley full of ancient sludge. Some valves move, all need replaced. lifters may be ok as they still look oily and I moved a few but didn't try all.. They are adjustable. I have a feeling this was rebuilt at some point in it's life with the aluminum heads and dual carb intake. Maybe it has a mild cam in it. Maybe it was just freshened up.

The other block only has 4 valves in it, it may be the builder block, or it may be fucked and that's why it wasn't torn down further. However, it has much less rust.
An interesting fact about these engines. Oil filters were an "option". No shit. This one is option less. No oil filter. It's crazy to think how long these have lasted considering oil back then was crap. Apparently the filter option was not great either as only about 10% of the oil made it thru the filter, the rest went thru a bypass.
The drain plug in the pan is big enough to pass a golf ball, which prolly helped get the chunky oil out when it needed changed.

 

Should prolly start a build thread for this.
Filled the cylinders with ATF/Acetone, and some have leaked down, so cross fingers. Before I did that, I took a wire brush on a drill and knocked the bigger crap off the cylinder walls. #1,2 and 3 feel smooth enough to run, the rest not so much. Worried about pitting, and if it has been bored over already....
Anyway, saw this on the front of the crank. Hand crank a V8?

That bad ass looking distributor.

Under the cap, looks like it would work, if it spins.


And a beautiful set of dual points, did not see that coming.

Noticed some small differences between the two blocks. 'Ol Rusty has centering studs for the intake.

The bare block does not, bolt pattern is the same though.

And then I noticed a big difference.
Rusty has the bell housing built into the block, pan has to be removed to remove the flywheel on this one.

The other has a more traditional bell housing bolt-up. So they are similar, but not the same. Crap. Maybe it's just a matter of sourcing a pan if everything else fits internally.

Front bolt pattern measures the same on both.

Edit:
Rusty is a 59A (model, not year) and the block is an 8BA, which is the more desirable of the two.
Crank and valves are different, along with distributor placement, water jacket, improved oiling and cooling on the 8BA, more choices for transmission, etc.
Guess I'll see what the elixir does for the rust and go from there.

 

The more I looked into it, the worse it got.

Looking at it with fresh eyes, and a flashlight, the intake ports are rusted, like clogged. Valve assemblies might come out with some cussing. Some do move and fortunately the entire spring, guide and valve comes out as one unit. Some info about cutting the things off and pounding them out thru the bottom.

Pink elixer doing what it can.

Lifters do move fairly free.
But that right bank of cylinders, holy shit.
Need to flip it over and pull the pan, remove the connecting rods and see if the crank spins, maybe hammer the pistons out.
Valve removal tool is around $50, primitive crowbar looking thing, might be able to make it. Just needed to pull one clip per valve.
All parts are readily available, found a top load 3 speed last night for $350, 3-4 day free shipping.
Figured out where the generator goes, it does spin nice, brushes look fine. so I got that going for me.

 

Love an old Ford flatty... Lots of intricacies and differences between the model years and whether or not it was a truck or a car motor I know that. Hopefully you can find some compatible bits to get one going

 

Right now I'm working on removing the frozen valves and trying to not screw up the cam in the process. Also just screwing around. If I can save the crank, cam, connecting rods and transfer that stuff to the other block, I may have something to work with.


A length of gas pipe, pressed flat on the end, slightly bent, and notched made a fairly passable valve removal tool. After struggling with the first one most of the day, I figured it out. Only broke one, doubt it could have been saved anyway. It takes just a minute as long as the valves are fully closed, or close. The open ones will most likely just be snapped off so I can release the guide clip. Lifters are sliding right out, so there is hope for the bottom end and the cam.


If this goes that far, I'll replace them with the non-mushroom tipped valves to make this less of a struggle for the next guy.

Timing gear.
That's a big bastard. Distributor plugs into that massive slot. It does have a timing mark, I'll cross that bridge when needed.

Distributor/timing gear cover.

Someone else did that damage, the cover slid right off for me. Wondering what else there is, or if it's important.

Water pumps are prolly shot as well, one turns, the other moves. Filled both with WD-40 to see if they rejuvenate.
No idea how far this will go. The 59A block is a boat anchor imo with all the rust. The 8BA block might be the choice. Interwebs says that the old crank and cam will move to the new block. Order main bearings to fit the 8BA block, crank is the same except for extra oiling ports. Cams are the same, Crab dizzy will transfer over just fine since I have the cover and gear already.
That may have been the old mans plan, he's not here to ask.
Pricing parts, and I'm rounding up, I'm between $2200-$1600 just in parts, which isn't great, but not as bad as expected. (water pumps not included) No price yet on a hot tank, machining and what they would charge to install the cam bearings. I can worry the cam in myself. Crank and Pistons are not hard and the valves drop in more or less.
I rebuilt an International 345 V8 three decades ago and that came to $3200.00 with parts and machining.

Edit, Water pumps are readily available and reasonably priced for the pair, so that's a non issue.

 

Following with great enthusiasm!

 

Any Ideas or Pic of what you might do with it or are you still evaluating what you have?

 

Slap a frame and motor in that old rust bucket and get er on the road!

 

Cut the welds holding the door on and two bolts for the hinges actually came out.
Since I just have the one, I'll use it for a template and make a pair of faux doors and weld those in. They will be somewhat structural as the tub is somewhat flexible.

some holes from that endeavor.

Some Sculptaweld. Rusty bastard for sure, if it hadn't been for the heavy gauge, it would have melted. Worse. Than it did.

This tripled in size before it finally found it's way.

Should be good enough to weld another door to it.


Trying to find a minute to get to the machine shop and see if they can do anything with one of the blocks. Pretty set on the flathead Ford going in front of this.

 

Making progress already!

The flathead is a great vintage choice, Ford made something like 15 millions of them so they are out there.

Finding what you want is only limited by:
How hard you search,
how much you want to pay,
how far you are willing to drive.


Another beautiful and distinctive engine would be a Buick "Nailhead" V8, built between 1953 - 66 and offered in displacements up to 425 cubic inches even the smallest Nailhead would propel a light roadster nicely and look good too.



Or...

How about the Oldsmobile 303 "Rocket, introduced in 1949 the Rocket is not only powerful but also beautiful and sounds amazing.



Back to Buick, there is also the 225/231 "odd fire" V6, built between 1960 - 76 the small, light odd fire might not have quite the visual "bang" of the other choices, however in favor it offers more modern reliable automatic transmissions and even better nothing sounds remotely like the odd fire exhaust note.


Due to their unique firing order, with cylinders firing in a 90-150-90-150-90-150 degree sequence, a completely stock engine with a noisy single exhaust has a fabulous "rumpity-rump" note that sounds like a cammed up V8.

 

That Nailhead is beautiful
I totally forgot about the odd fire Buick, I would not be opposed to that being a choice. They were popular as hell in the flat fender jeeps. Prolly a quarter of the cost of what I'm about to do.
Due diligence first to see if that flathead can be resurrected. Like you said, parts are readily available, just takes the desire and lots of pennies.
Speedway motors has everything needed to build the flathead.

 

The Jeep "Dauntless" odd fire V6 has a heavy flywheel more suitable to the intended use, cars used a lighter flywheel and "rumped & jumped" some more.

 

I have a special affinity for the Dauntless as that is the motor that came stock in my 71 CJ-5. It was either the V6 or inline four as options back then before AMC went to inline sixes and V8s, which extended the wheelbase quite a bit.

The original motor is long gone, but I had a marine version of the motor put in the Jeep that had larger exhaust ports and a spicier cam. Slapped some shitty no name headers and a Quadra-Jet on it and the thing just has the most awesome idle lope. It also sounds pretty great when it’s opened up as well.