Before you do anything else, you need to ask yourself, "Do I want to drive a T-Bucket right away or do I want to enjoy building one, a project that could take years to complete?"

If you want to drive one right away, then you should look for a used one for sale. There are some nice ones out there and range in price from as low as $8,000 to as high as . . . well, some I've seen were pretty high. Most of them though are under $20,000. Word of caution - if you are going to buy used, be careful.

If you choose to test your building skills - "be realistic," says Mike Daniels. Understand your capabilities, your skillset, and your limitations. Farm out what you can't do yourself. Look into some of the packages available from different vendors. Most importantly, enjoy yourself! If it ain't fun, it ain't fun!

This article assumes that you are interested in the build option. The very first thing you should do before beginning your project is to understand your state laws governing hot rods and home built cars. Each state has its own set of laws they follow. I'm not aware of any state that has outlawed our type of hot rod; however, some states are more restrictive.

Some states will require you have fenders where others won't. Some states will require an inspection, others won't. Check out emissions testing rules. Be sure you are very familiar with your state's laws and you will save yourself a ton of aggravation later.

Titling your T can also be an adventure. Some have gone through hell and high water to get a title and plates. Ask guys from your area that have gone through this for advice.

A common practice for titling by many builders has been to contact classic car title companies. These folks are experienced and knowledgeable of the laws in your state. The cost is not outrageous and saves a lot of time. It's worth checking out. The one's I've seen listed are:

1. Titles unlimited, Inc. P. O. Box 170249 Birmingham, AL 35217 800-325-8136	2. U S Auto and Title Co. Inc P. O. Box 17325 Rochester, NY 14617 716-342-5769
3. Automotive Ventures,Inc 4989 Mercer University Dr. Macon, GA 31210 912-471-1645	4. Street Rod Works 3155 Holland Cliffs Rd. Huntington, MD 20639 410-535-1933
5. Classic Automotive Registration 1-888-878-1172

Next is to decide on your budget. This will dictate how your T will look when you are finished. Some builders have done the job for under $4,000, while others have dropped a considerable amount of money. How you want it to look has a large influence on the amount needed. Bottom line is you need to know how much capital you have to spend. What ever you set as your limit, include a 20% fudge factor.

Let's talk about how you want your T to look. You need to answer some very basic questions:

1. How much is in my budget
     A decent build with some flash will be in the neighborhood of $8,000 to $10,000 - plus
     all your labor.

2. Long or short wheelbase
     If you are going short, know how much room you will need up front for engine,
     radiator, and fan. Give yourself enough room. Steel stretchers are expensive.

     If you are going long, be sure there is enough strength in the main rails to support the
     engine weight and not sag.

3. Chevy, Ford, or Hemi drivetrain
     This battle has raged on for years and I am not going dwell - personal choice -
     enough said!

4. Auto or manual transmission
     Remember that with a manual transmission you will need a clutch pedal assembly.
     Space is limited in this area. Some guys have them - ask a lot about them and be
     sure this is what you want. See if they will let you test drive theirs before you
      decide. Again, this is mostly personal choice.

5. Front straight axle, dropped tube or IFS
     Until recently, you wouldn't have found a whole lot of Ts sporting an IFS. With much
     of the new technology, we are beginning to see more and more IFS. Don Shattuck in
     our local chapter has IFS and is extremely happy - and it looks pretty kewl!

6. Drum or disk brakes
     On the front, hands down the popular vote is disk.

7. Piston or friction shocks
     Choose one.

8. Wheels or spokes
     Motorcycle type spoke wheels look kewl. I'm running them on mine. You need to
     watch tire pressure and be careful of potholes - a good bump will run a spoke
     through the wheel and through your tire.

9. Corvair or Vega steering box
     Both are used. Corvair boxes need to be reversed. Look at Ts that run with both
     types. Talk to the guys who have them and get their opinion. Bottom line though,
     it's your project.

10. Rear Ford 8" or 9", Chevy, Jag
     There is a story for each. I'm running an 8" and I'm finding that 3rd members and
     other parts are far more available for a 9". I believe that Chevy parts are easy to
     find. Jags and other IRS types are very nice. The guys that have them swear by
     them.

11. Drum or disk brakes
     If your budget can afford it, go with disk, otherwise drums work. You can always
     change to disk brakes later.

12. Posi or open
     Depends on preference and availability. This is also an item that does not need to be
     addressed in the beginning. You can start with an open rear-end and change to posi
     later.

13. Emergency brakes
     Yep, ought to have them.

14. T-bucket, Tub, C-Cab or Turtle deck
     Personal preference - look around at the others before you decide.

     15. Working doors
     Takes work to build. Some bucket bodies now come with a working passenger door.
     They sure make it easy to get in and out . . .

16. State laws
     Be sure you understand the laws your state enforces.
          - Licensing - Fenders
          - Wipers
          - Front plates
          - Horns

17. Color
     The nice thing about these cars is that any color looks great - even primer. You
     have lots of time to think about this because if you are building, you will build it
     completely first, then take it all apart and apply paint.

     A custom bike painter I know uses tattoo books to get ideas. Now you got a reason
     to stare at that young gal in the bikini - getting design ideas for painting your T . . .
     yea, that's the ticket . . .
          - Body
          - Frame
          - Engine
          - Paint Vs Power coating

18. Interior
     Here you can be really creative. Bruce PetT used the back seat out of a Jeep.
     Roadster Mike took his wife's breakfast table stools, cut the legs off and used
     those. Other guys have used seats out of mini vans and old Mustang bucket
     seats.

19. Gauges
     Minimally, you should have a speedometer. I have a speedometer, tachometer, water
     temperature, oil pressure, voltmeter and fuel gauge.

20. Lighting
     Front lights, tail lights, brake lights, and turn signals - required

21. CHROME
     - What gets it now
     -What gets it later . . .

Do you have to answer all of these questions before you start? Nope. Should you be thinking about all this stuff? Yep. Each answer to each question will directly impact how you go about building your T. My suggestion is, if you can answer them all - do it, and write down your answers. You can always change your mind - before you start. You can also take your answers to an experienced builder for a review and inside tips on what you can expect to encounter.

The following is a promotional plug!

If you are not sure about all the different ways you can set up your T, contact Hemi T and get a copy of his 2002 NTBA Nationals video. Curt took great care to slowly go over many of the various mechanics present on the Ts that participated in the event. You will see many styles of shocks, brakes, steering, wheels, engines, interiors, gauges, rear-ends, etc. Here you can really get an idea of how your T will look. If you see something that you like, you can contact the owner to get your questions answered.

So what kind of guy are you . . .

Are you the kind that has not met a piece of steel that you couldn't bend, twist, cut, shape, form and weld into just what you wanted? And you have access to all those tools?Then you need only get yourself a set of plans, some steel and you are ready to go. Oneof the more popular companies that offer complete working plans is California Custom Roadster, or CCR. They have been around Ts for more than 20 years. Below is their ad as it appears on their web site.

Total Performance also provides a complete build manual. Below is their ad from the website:

Are you the kind that can weld up a storm but don't have access to the tools needed to cut and shape the pieces you need? You could start with a set of plans and hire someone to do the cutting and shaping to your specifications. There are also companies out there that provide package deals. Some come with just the parts needed to weld up your frame. Others have all the parts needed pre-cut and shaped to complete a rolling chassis. Contact Total Performance, Spirit, and CCR.

Each company has packages that run from all the steel cut and ready to be welded for just the basic frame to all the parts needed and welded for a rolling chassis. Which package you choose and from which company you go with is personal choice. I don't recommend one over the other. I will suggest however, that when, and if, you choose this route, it is best to stick with that company throughout your project. Mixing parts between companies does not always fit.

Are you the kind that isn't comfortable working with steel but can turn a wrench with the best of mechanics. There are companies that will build a complete rolling chassis - including paint. There are companies that will do all the welding and send you everything you need to bolt together a rolling chassis. The one's I have seen are Total Performance, Spirit, CCR, Dave Koorey, 1 in Minnesota and 1 in Belleville, IL. Again, which company you choose to work with is a personal choice. And remember, who you start with is who you should stay with throughout your project.

When you get to the point where you are ready to make that decision, go out to our BBS and ask for feedback from any of the other bucketheads about the company you are most serious about. The guys will give you the straight story on their experiences dealing with that company.

Well I hope that this brief article has given you some insight to getting started with building your hot rod Bucket T. This is the first is a series we will be writing that will cover building a T-Bucket from the ground up.

If you have questions you feel should be included and answered in our newsletter, please forward them to me. I will do my best to track down an answer and publish it in the next issue. If you have questions in general regarding this article, please forward them to me. Here are the web sites of the companies I have mentioned in this article: