But while those companies were busy cranking out T-buckets in the '70s, the National Street Rod Association was being formed and national automotive events had begun to pop up throughout the Midwest. STREET RODDER covered those events in Memphis, St. Paul, and Oklahoma City, and when the prerequisite photo of a parking lot filled with a sea of street rods was taken, a quarter of those vehicles captured on film were Fad Ts (and it seemed half of them were outfitted with 6:71 blowers!).
More often than not, the large turnout by T owners at these events was due to club participants, as T owners still make up a large contingent of any local car club (with some club membership being strictly T only). Though T-based clubs have been around for some time, it was only fairly recent a national club devoted to the T-based hot rods was formed. The National T-Bucket Alliance is a family-oriented club that is dedicated to T-bucket fanatics, and not only does the NTBA have their own Web site (www.nationaltbucketalliance.com), but has held a national meet devoted to customized Model Ts for the past eight years. The site for the national event changes every year, and in June 2007, the ninth annual T-Bucket Nationals will be held in Sierra Vista, Arizona. If you like big engines, big rear tires, and lots of fancy paint and chrome, then you owe it to yourself to attend.
For About Five Bucks A Pound
While the T-bucket has been acknowledged as being the iconic cornerstone of the street rod world, it is still sometimes looked down upon by owners of other types of hot rods, as the cars still don't garner the recognition they deserve. Total Performance's Mickey Lauria looks at it this way: The T-bucket continues its reign because it's the cheapest, simplest, most free and visually exciting conveyance still open to the hot rodder. "We've seen the T-bucket with or without miniscule beds," Lauria said, "or even turtle decks channeled over any type of framerail, fitted with any number of different powerplants, supported by a 'gaggle' of suspension assemblies, and painted any and all colors." The sky is the limit when it comes to wheels and tire combinations, and with a host of bolt-on doodads, it's the lowest of low-dollar forms (all for about five bucks a pound!).
The cost in the constructing of a T-bucket is generally conceded to be the main reason for its continued popularity. It's almost impossible to build any other rod for less than $10,000 and get the performance, appearance, or experience that is afforded in a bucket.
Generally, a rodder can pick up a self-build package for around $4,000. One can add a spare V-8, brakes, rearend parts, steel wheels with used tires, a bench seat, carpeting, a radiator, fiberglass grille shell, headlights, used gauges, a steering wheel, and a set of headers with an initial investment of well less than 10 grand.
However, for every action there is a like reaction, so says the law of nature. Consequently, for every low-buck bucket, there is a tire-frying, candy-coated, frame-twisting, chrome-plated, full-boogie hot rod. Those who have both the desire and the financial capabilities can indulge themselves in a bucket enterprise of the first magnitude, which makes building a T-bucket so attractive. No way can the potential builder be limited in his thinking.
The bucket isn't just a rod; it's a four-wheeled form of free expression. Some buckets are armed with enough horsepower to qualify them for a fuel-altered show. They've also been seen running anything from a Riley-equipped four-barrel to a Weber carb'd late Hemi. Chassis construction runs the gamut too. You'll find a chrome-plated chassis, simple square tube 'rails, and even shortened Model A chassis. Suspension also offers the innovative T-bucket owner everything from a self-fabricated, fully independent system to the traditionalist-type I-beam and quick-change rear.
Yet nothing, but nothing, can equal the T-bucket when it comes to bolt-ons. Like it or not, bolt for bolt, the bucket provides add-on artists with more opportunities for doing it themselves than any other rod form. There are no fenders to hide the polish, no hood to cover the glitter, and no rearend overhang to interfere with the chromatic display of a fully plated independent rear. Only the T-bucket offers the builder such a "canvas" to show off his talents. The very fact that it has no fenders, no hood, no windows, minor muffling, a vibrating exterior, and few (if any) of the creature comforts a Detroit dandy possesses makes the T-bucket just about the most visually exciting car known to man or beast.
Cost, creativity, and ego are merely part of the bucket trip. What sets this apart from all the others is the pleasure of knowing it is uniquely your own. It's a hot rod where no holds are barred, with no virginal metal to deflower, and no new old stock syndrome to get in the way of pure, unadulterated, "right-on" fabricating and creativity. Anything goes as long as it meets all the equipment requirements and safety inspections your state requires.
So, the next time someone is tempted to belittle a T-bucket, gently remind them that they are picking on the apple pie, motherhood, and the American flag of street rodding. Today, the Model T hot rod-both the early '23/25 model as well as the '26/27-is as popular as ever. Although it shares the rodding hobby with the Model A, the Deuce, and many other street rods, to many enthusiasts, the first is still the best!