The 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 but many of them such as this bright red roadster are just too beautifully finished and detailed to be considered junkyard dogs anymore. Finished in 2007 and based on a Speedway fiberglass body the shape is archetypal T-bucket with the tall vertical windshield and stubby pickup truck bed out back. Nobody's really sure how that came to be 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 has been expertly prepped eliminating any waves or distortions in the bodywork. The paint is vivid red which is a nice change from either the primer black that has recently come back into fashion or the excessively metallic hues that characterized T-buckets of the '60s and '70s. In fact just about everything on the car was bathed in that red paint including the frame and most of the suspension. There are a few chrome bits to add some contrast including a Model T style radiator shell and King Bee-style headlights give it a traditional 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 black leather and a full array of gauges keeping an eye on the small block up front. Stitched up in traditional diamond pleated fashion the seats and door panels are nicely done and this one even features a custom-tailored carpet set. 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 steering wheel is a fat wooden Grant unit mounted in traditional nearly horizontal T-bucket fashion matched by a slender Lokar shifter. The dashboard is nicely turned out with a complete array of white-faced Auto Meter gauges and there's an AM/FM/CD head unit stashed under the seat. They even put the pickup bed to work holding the 8-gallon fuel cell and remote-mounted battery. Nice! The engine is a 350 cubic inch Chevy that was rebuilt in 2007 and features a Doug Herbert camshaft for that high-performance sound and an Edelbrock tunnel ram topped by twin Holleys. Dress up gear includes the finned aluminum air cleaner and valve covers and the headers are exactly what every T-bucket wears: long tubes blowing through massive side pipes. This one is happy to run all day on pump gas and stays cool thanks to a custom radiator and electric water pump. The chassis is nicely finished with most of the details out in the open for easy examination. The front clip is from a vintage Desoto complete with hairpins and a tube axle while out back there's a 12-bolt riding on a set of coil over shocks and ladder bars. In between you'll find a quick-shifting TH350 3-speed automatic transmission with a built-in cooler under the floor. 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 29x18-15 Mickey Thompsons on shiny Boyd Coddington billet 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 than most. Call today! This vehicle is located in our Atlanta showroom. For more information please call or toll free . Price: $19,995
