Vehicle Description
The Ford T-bucket is one of the most enduring and endearing styles
in all of hot rodding. The idea has always been that the T-bucket
was built from scavenged parts, with a focus on unbridled
horsepower, low curb weight, very little comfort and even less
aesthetics. But many of them, such as this enflamed blue roadster,
are just too cleanly finished and detailed to be considered
junkyard dogs anymore. If huge power and easy comfort is what
you're looking for in a T-Bucket, then your search is over.
Finished only 2,122 miles ago and based on a quality fiberglass
body, the shape is archetypal T-bucket, with the tall, vertical
windshield and stubby pickup truck-like bed out back. Nobody's
really sure how this exact iteration came to be the standard, since
Ford pickups never looked like this, but today it's the accepted
style of the T-bucket and it just looks right. Every inch of this
one was prepped for battle, so the paint and bodywork is every bit
driver quality, but when the curb appeal is this good you're not
really concerned about sweating the small stuff. Closer examination
will reveal a few imperfections, nothing too major, and if you're
the type of person that's looking for a 'perfect' T-Bucket then
you'll quickly reveal a paradox - there's really no such thing. The
point is to drive these little monsters like you stole them, and
the very design turns enough heads as it is, so getting carried
away with a high-end paint job is practically overkill. The paint
is a vivid blue, which is a nice change from either the primer
black that has recently come back into fashion, or the excessively
metallic or pearl hues that characterized T-buckets of the '60s and
'70s. The blue finish is contrasted by the red-hot flames down the
sides of the bucket, the black vinyl top and bed cover, and all the
chrome and polished bits along the frame and suspension. You'll
find more of the shiny stuff around the Model T style radiator
shell, the straight-pipe exhaust, the taillight surrounds and
license plate frame, and King Bee-style headlights - all of which
work together to give this streetrod a traditionally cool look.
In their back-to-basics style, many T-buckets had bare interiors
with nothing more than a blanket for upholstery and if you were
lucky, maybe an oil pressure gauge. Not so here, where there's
cushy tan vinyl upholstery and a full array of Equus white-face
gauges inside the blue dash that keep an eye on the cackling small
block up front. Stitched up in traditional pleated fashion, the
wrap-around bench seat and interior panels are nicely done, and
this one even features a neatly tailored black carpet set below
that helps insulate the open-air cabin a bit. The 'doors', of
course, are simply for show, because no true T-bucket driver does
anything other than hop over the sides and hit the road. The sporty
steering wheel is a fat-rimmed Grant GT unit mounted in
traditional, nearly horizontal, T-bucket fashion on the chrome
column and it's joined by a chrome-ball topped shifter and set of
sporty pedals below. Also included is a 'Dragula' style black vinyl
top that helps round out this tough street brawler.
The engine is a 350 cubic inch Chevy that's been augmented for a
little extra pop and features long-tube headers for that
high-performance sound, along with a Weiand intake and Edelbrock
4-barrel carburetor that helps the block breathe easy. Dress up
gear includes a big B&M hood scoop and polished valve covers
atop the Chevy Orange block, and those aforementioned headers are
exactly what every T-bucket wears: long-tubes blowing through
massive side pipes. The chassis is nicely finished, with most of
the details out in the open for easy examination, painted black or
polished up for a little added pop. The front clip is a zero-drop
straight axle with a 4-rod set-up and a 'spring-behind' leaf spring
stack (along with front disc brakes), while out back there's an
early GM rear end with a 4-rod set-up as well. In between, you'll
find a quick-shifting TH400 3-speed automatic transmission, and it
has plenty of moxie in it to handle the grunting small block up
front. The only rolling stock you can put on a T-bucket are
skinnies up front and massive meats out back-in this case, they're
gigantic Mickey Thompson's wrapped around shiny Weld Racing
aluminum wheels.
Remarkably, it seems that T-buckets are as popular today as they
ever were, and their combination of outrageous looks and potent
performance makes them a real party to drive, with this one being
nicer and more affordable than most. Call today!
Please note this car is titled as a 1989 Ford RD on a clear Texas
title.
