While checking out all the T-Buckets at the 2010 Buckethead Bash in Mountain Home, AR, a beautiful black T-Bucket with flames caught my attention for several reasons: the overall look, the incredible detail — and “what’s up with that top?” I decided to spend a little more time with this one and took a short video. Sure, there are a lot of black T-Buckets with flames out there but this one really transfixed my eyes, much like a fine diamond, because of the high level of detailed craftsmanship embodied in its overall construction.
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To be quite honest, it was still relatively early in the day and I'd already driven for several hours just that morning to get to Mountain Home. Add in the heat and humidity, and I was one addle-brained bucket lover. Initially, I looked at the articulated top and admired its sophisticated mechanical construction, with levers, gas shocks, latching cables and more. "That's cool" I said to myself, "but you can't go down the road that way and if you want to let the sun in or see the sky then why not just take the top off or down?" I continued my videoing anyway and was impressed by the pinstriping on the suspension elements that really helped set off the overall look of this bucket. I was even curious enough to ask about the little chromed rack attached to the roll bar above the gas tank and learned from a friend of the owner that it wasn't for fuel tank protection, but was a saddle where he strapped in his folding chairs. Told you I was feeling particularly dense in the morning heat.
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Anyway, it wasn't until I got back into an air conditioned vehicle and started cooling off on the long trip home that it hit me -- the top lifts up to make it easier to get in and out of the T-Bucket! Doh! For all us past middle-age bucketheads faced with no doors, how clever is that?! As the cool air continued to stimulate my brain which had gone almost into sleep mode in the heat I also realized that I'd seen pictures of this T-Bucket and its unique top a couple months ago on the "T-Bucket Forums“. Now I’m curious whether this T-Bucket innovator is offering this kind of top mechanism for sale. One would think there would be a nice specialty market for it, although given the lack of uniformity in T-Bucket soft tops it might be quite a niche. Oppressive heat notwithstanding, I really enjoyed the opportunity to spend some time checking out this very nicely done T-Bucket. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did — and be sure to post a comment if you have more details on the top.

Over the next few days, I’ll upload a couple of actual videos I took of T-Buckets there that I thought had particularly interesting features. I’ll maybe even do a post or two with pics and commentary on a few of the others that really caught my attention. Overall, an enjoyable experience. If you were there, too, let us know what you thought about the overall experience or found interesting.

When looking at coverage of a car show on a North Carolina news site, this caption under a nice looking T-Bucket photo said it all: Every show has to have some “real” hot rods. That perceptive writer captured the essence of it: T-Buckets truly represent the definition of a “hot rod”.

I cringe everytime a manic John Force hops out of his generic funny car representation of a modern-day Ford Mustang and refers to it as a “hot rod”. To me, that description is just as far afield as if Steve Jobs had unveiled the new iPad and referred to it as his “ham radio”.

But, back to “real” hot rods at car shows. All you have to do is observe where the crowds congregate, where the most pictures are taken and where the most questions are asked of the owners of the embodiment of a real “hot rod”, the T-Bucket. These fenderless, engine out in the open, roadsters with virtually all their mechanicals exposed are crowd stoppers everywhere, and have been since their inception. Why else do you think the high dollar Deuce, big buck Boydster, and other life savings sapping street rod owners look down on these innovative attention getters that can be put together on a working man’s budget?

And, according to New York theater and music critic Jon Sobel (of BlogCritics.org), “The internet is a double-edged sword – while it stimulates thought, it also makes it easy to magnetize large groups of samesayers.” And that’s just how the oldest, most often repeated criticism of Chester Greenhalgh’s “How to Build a T-Bucket Roadster for Under $3000” came about.

It first appeared in an Amazon.com customer review in 1999 that said, “I have to take issue with the use of used tie-rod ends ‘welded’ to watter(sic) pipe as steering components? come on! This kind of unsafe foolishness is what gave T-buckets a bad name in the 60′s.” So, to shed some light on the unsubstantiated safety accusation: T-buckets were just becoming popular in the 60′s and had NO bad name at the time. If they did have a bad name, then it’s unlikely the T-bucket phenomenon would ever have accelerated to be as HUGE as it was in the 70′s. The fact that the reviewer could not spell offers some further insight. Again, though, he gave the book 3 out of 5 stars. 

I’ll let Chester respond: “I’ve caught a lot of flak on the radius rods. I originally made them as a temporary alternative to Heim joints and cold rolled steel. The brackets and batwings are designed to accept either, depending on your budget. My idea was to get you rolling for under $3000 and then let you replace the ‘alternatives’  or expedients when you could afford to do so.”

“How many people have facilities in their home garage, or say, in the outback of Australia, to thread cold roll steel with an impossible to find tap? They would have to be farmed out to a machine shop where six radius rods and a drag link with 15 heim ends would set you back over $1000. I was fighting to produce a roadster for under $3000: an unheard of, unbelievable price even in 1986. My radius rods could all be built for under $20. Compared to a grand, how’s that for getting on the road quick and cheap when you’re on a tight budget?”

“We’ve gotten spoiled here in America where all things are easily available. My book was written for people all around the world who wanted to build a car with what they had on hand. In the outback of Australia, or down here in Mexico,or Siberia, cold roll steel and heim joints are about as available as a used rocket engine from NASA. But wherever you find a junk car or indoor plumbing you’ll find tie rod ends and water pipe. President Theodore Roosevelt once said, ’ The credit doesn’t go to the critic who says ‘it would have been better if this had been done like this… it goes to the man who is actually in the arena’.”

“The real problem with these radius rods was that they worked so good few people ever changed them. To my knowledge none of them ever failed. Like my dad used to tell me,’If it works, don’t ‘fix’ it!’  As far as the taper goes, I had a tool special made in a machine shop that I used to taper the holes on the rods I built. In the book I mentioned you could use a rat tail file to taper yours.”

“I made further refinements on the radius rods after the book was printed. I welded 9/16″ nuts on the back side of the brackets to give the tie rod ends a more substantial anchor, so that in time they could not wallow out the hole and wobble. And, as noted, I had a special tool for the taper. I also started cutting off 6″ of the tie rod and welding this to the water pipe so that the end could be adjusted. This also allowed me to slide in an 8″ length of cement rebar into the tie rod section, weld it, and then slide it into the water pipe for a stronger union when it was all welded. I use the rebar because it is easy to grind off the ridges until it will slide in easily for a snug fit. This also allowed you to grind the weld flush without weakening the unit so it didn’t look like a snake swallowing a rat. The thing I didn’t like about these radius rods was the top bar on the front was so visible, and it was ugly! Most of my customers replaced the tie rod ends on this bar with heim ends for appearance sake. They were a simple screw in swap. I guess 4 Heim ends were better than 16 though.”

Also, Russ, aka HAMBer “Old Crow“, TBucketeer Northstar R, offered the following great tip: “As far as the taper goes, the true ‘lo buck’ trick is:

1. Before welding the tabs on the frame, heat the area around the hole red hot with an oxy torch.
2. Set the piece over an anvil hole.
3. I keep an old tie rod end, still connected to a tie rod (makes a great handle) to stick in the hole and give it a couple heafty whacks with a hammer. This forms the correct taper in the tab (without the expense of a special tool or tapered reamer).”

The purchaser’s question was, “I’m having difficulty with the section on rear shock mounts (page 39). Could you perhaps clarify this procedure?” I quickly re-read the page and while I may be a little closer to Chester’s plans than most readers it did hit me that this small section could use some more clarity to make it even more useful.  The particular section of the eBook read as follows:

“Now we move on to the rear shock mounts. With the frame on its side, measure back from the rear of the frame and mark 3 1/2″ with a square, as in the photo on page 31.

Set a bracket on the forward side of this mark, with the frame laid on its side. Align the bracket with a square and spot weld the ends to the frame. Double check their squareness, then weld the brackets solid.

Now cut two 3/4″ long pieces of 3/4″ pipe. Weld a 3/8″ washer (flat) on one end of each piece and clean them up with a grinder. Set these tubes up against the rear shock brackets, facing the rear, and run a bolt through the holes to align them. Tighten a nut on them to hold them in place and weld them solid.”

So, I decided to do a quick drawing to illustrate what Chester wrote in his eBook and sent the following response: “I’ve attached a drawing I did to help clarify the rear shock mount arrangement. Basically, the 3/4″ pipe with a washer welded on the end is where the shock is mounted. Hopefully, my crude drawing will clarify the procedure.”

–>Click on the drawing to see a larger version.

As noted in Part I, Buzz Pitzen’s T-Bucket was the world’s first using a fiberglass body. It paved the way for tens of thousands to follow and it can’t be emphasized enough that had Buzz not taken the time to correct the flaws in that fiberglass body built in the 50s that the ‘glass bucket industry may have never taken off. By building an impeccable T-Bucket, Buzz was able to show the world that fiberglass reproduction bodies were viable alternatives to “real steel”, which was becoming less available and more expensive as far back as the late 50s and early 60s.

I also want to thank prolific hot rod photographer and editor Bud Lang (himself a T-Bucket luminary) for letting me know that Buzz’s T-Bucket also appeared on the cover of the December 1960 Car Craft Magazine and was featured in a two-page spread photographed and authored by Bud. Thank you very much, Bud, for providing that valuable information. It is incredible to note in Bud’s coverage of Buzz’s T-Bucket that the construction cost  was $1250 — further proof of Buzz’s construction skills.

Buzz was nice enough to take the time to describe his monumental build in more detail, a half century later. (I’ve added a few parenthetical comments where I thought they might be helpful). Sit back and enjoy a trip back in time from a car building master.

The Glass Image

The buildup of the first fiberglass 1923 T-Bucket featured on the cover of Hot Rod Magazine June 1962.

By Buzz Pitzen

A close friend of mine recently asked, “Say Buzz, why don’t you build another Hot Rod? With all the equipment out there you could put together a real beauty’. I replied, ‘Building a Hot Rod back in the 60’s wasn’t anything at all like building a car today, a half century later.” The problem is, when you say,”put one together”. There is so much high tech equipment available now all anyone needs to do is order the parts and bolt them together. My friends respectfully call them Tupperware cars. Just snap them together. The aftermarket parts available today are the ultimate in design, quality and function, so, when I see a catalogue of all the hot rod parts available today I honestly cannot see any way to improve on them and for a guy like me, the challenge that drives me is maybe not gone but elusive.

Fortunately, not all Hot Rodders are like me and as we all know the hobby is flourishing bigger and better every year. It takes all kinds of people to fill the big tent of car aficionados and I for one have enjoyed sharing this great hobby with some fantastic people.

The following is my recollection of the construction of one of the most exciting cars I ever owned, The Glass Image. The work was completed back in the early 60’s in my two car garage in Redondo Beach. The build took about a year. I was 25 at the time and I had completed another car that was also featured on the cover of the March 1959 Hot Rod Magazine. I was not a stranger to the challenge of building a car from scratch, and I was ready to take it on. So, if you are interested in getting your hands dirty as I do and are willing to do it the old school way, you probably will find the following helpful.

The car was built on a 1929 Model A frame. It was powered by a 1951 Oldsmobile 324 V8 (bored out 303, using 324 pistons). The body was a one-off fiberglass from Diablo Speed Shop. To my knowledge, they only built one before going under. I consider myself lucky to get what I believe to be the first fiberglass T-Bucket made. The transmission was a ’39 ford with stock gears; 26 tooth Zephyrs would have been better.  The front end was 1937 tube axle with ’40 Ford hydraulics all around. The rear end was ’40 Ford with 3.78 to 1 gears. All of these parts were scrounged from the local junk yards. Now they are available on the Internet or aftermarket.

When I started the project I only had the frame and body. That was enough to start the layout, and position the components on the frame. I have found this step to be the most important part of any car build up. I actually placed the body on the frame and used cardboard cut outs for the engine, rear-end, radiator and front axle. Today a much better way to do this is to make a full size layout using cardboard cutouts positioned on any large clean wall so each location can be pre determined before any fabrication is started. One key objective is to determine the location of the seat and foot position. With the T-Bucket you don’t have much choice but it will allow the positioning of the steering gear and the steering wheel. Since that time I actually have made a full size cut out of me I use on other projects just to be sure everything fits. This is a critical step to follow. I have seen many cars where interference problems were so serious that the car was just an engineering disaster.

As the major parts were acquired and their position was determined I could move along much faster. I always like to sandblast/clean and prime all parts before working with them. Any refurbishment needed would be done later. I started with the fiberglass body. It needed body mounts, top bow brackets, dash, and not to mention some major work filling the mold seams that were located down the center of doors. Back in the 60s all you had to work with to make repairs was fiberglass, resin repair kits and lacquer sander filler. This work was tedious and took extra time for the filler to cure completely. Modern T-Buckets won’t have these problems.

The brackets were routine and went well but the dash required a plaster mold to develop the actual fiberglass dash to house the instruments. I used cardboard and mesh to support a plaster mold that was built on a wooden base. The dash fit against the body and when completed it was glassed in place. It was designed with the instruments set deep. The gauges were mounted on a 1/8 inch thick polished aluminum dash panel that was bolted from behind. This method of building a dash is in wide use today.

With the body ready for placement the frame modifications were next. The frame mods included the front cross member and spring perch, steering gear mounting bracket, all body supports, front and rear engine mounts, and finally with the body mounted, a rear kick up was built in the frame to set the correct height of the spring perch. This is a critical elevation because it sets the rake of the car. Too much rake in my opinion is not desirable.

The modification made to the frame is pretty much the way aftermarket frames are built today. Most of the parts were made from mild steel and gas welded in place. The highly touted chrome alloy 4130 or 4140 seen on some cars today was not generally available to the hobbyist back then. Mild steel is not sensitive to heat and is still preferred today. While high carbon steel is much stronger it hardens at the welds and without annealing can cause problems with stress cracks. The front spring perch was made from ¼ inch and 1/8 inch plate (Buzz did a beautiful job molding in the perch and crossmember). The frame was boxed in the middle. This served as the mounting position of the rear motor mount that also served as the center cross member. The rear kick ups were boxed with the same 1/8 inch plate to best match the frame material.

Building and positioning the steering box bracket and the front body support was critical. The steering box had to be placed at an elevation that positioned the drag link in the same arc as the radius rods. This required that the box was placed above the frame rails (and Buzz built a beautiful molded mount for it).  It worked out well and because of its conspicuous location got a lot of positive attention. Modern T-Buckets have met this challenge in many more effective ways.

The front body support is a 1 ½’, 1/8 wall tube, bent to fit the inside of the body at the cowl. I used a wooden template to heat and hand form the bends. This support is positioned to establish the actual location of the body. A hasty decision here can ruin the basic appearance of the car. This support is used to hold the front of the body, the swing pedals assembly and the 1/8 inch thick polished aluminum firewall. Here is where the early lay out comes into play. If all the early planning was done correctly the position of these parts will go well: pedal location, gas and brake, steering wheel and seat. I welded this support to the frame but today I would take the time to fashion brackets and bolt it in place. Welding to the frame in this way can cause serious frame warping that must be corrected.

At this stage of the project I had acquired most of the parts I needed. The engine came from a wrecked Olds; the front radiator shell was donated by a friend. At the time I promised it would be put to good use. As it worked out it is the only original Ford T part on the car. The tranny and rear end plus all brake parts were found in our local junk yards and at swap meets.

The radiator was built from scratch. The top and bottom tanks were found in a pile behind a very old local radiator shop, Crandall Radiator Service, in Lawndale, California. I went to school with Eddy Crandall. Eddy built the radiator. He used a v-cell radiator core that was ordered to size He calculated the capacity and assured me it would cool the big Olds. The grill was cut from expanded material that is still available in a variety of patterns. The radiator was placed to allow a small cut-down fan to be bolted to the water pump pulley. This combination did the job. The Olds ran nice and cool.

As the car progressed the rear end drive shaft had to be cut to length and the radius rod and springs were fitted to the frame. The front radius rods were fabricated from ¾ inch thick wall tubing. They were made and adapted to the tube axle using brackets welded to the axle. These had to be heli arc welded to eliminate any possible warping. The ends were made from Model A tie rod ends. A little anemic by today’s standards. But with the light weight car they worked out well.

The steering gear was a 1956 Ford re-circulating bearing design. I found it in a Main Street junk yard. At the time these were not easily located and I got lucky. This box, available in after market design, is still in wide use today. It was small, easily adapted and made the steering very smooth and easy.

The swing pedals were crafted from parts found in, where else a local junk yard. I can’t remember where or what they came off of. The clutch was actuated by a hydraulic slave cylinder. This method was state of the art then as it is today.  All hydraulic lines, available at any auto parts store were cut, flared and fitted as necessary.

The head light brackets, nerf bars and wind shield frame were all hand formed. The windshield frame was a special challenge. Frame kits for windshields were not available then and finding an original was not possible. I decided to make the frame from 1/16 inch steel flat 1018 material. No shops could do the U-bend needed to shape the frame so I had a shop bend the material as far as the equipment could. The open U shaped frame was then pressed together to form the final U-shape. It worked out well and the material was then cut, formed and welded to the final configuration. The rear view mirror was held in place by a nut brazed inside the frame at the top center. The side brackets were made from angle material and fit to the body. The original windshield was a one piece originally but later modified to a folding windshield to accommodate a folding rag top.

The top irons and wooden bows were all handmade. The geometry was very simple. The goal was to make a top high enough to accommodate my height and also fold down to rest on the rear bed. Patterns were made and a mock up was installed. The fabrication was routine. (If you look closely in the pics, you’ll see that Buzz fabricated his own windshield stanchions from flat stock that was simply and elegantly formed). The rear bed was simply two 14 inch metal sides bent to look like the T pick up bed. Because the parts were so short I could easily do the bending myself. The bed was boxed with upholstered plywood and the bed inside was stuffed with a battery and a tiny gas tank.

Next came the exhaust system. I was inspired by a car seen in Hot rod Magazine. It was to have an array of headers coming off the engine and along the body. This fabrication was a major task. The bends were all made from 1 1/2 inch exhaust pipe and bends were cut to fit as required. The gas welding went well. I had taken a welding class at Inglewood High School a couple years before. It was taught by a certified aircraft welder. The class covered the many metals I would use over the next 50 years. The bends were welded and filed smooth for plating. All materials used to build headers are still available today in your Speedway catalogue. Many builders still prefer to make headers this way to retain the old school look. This is a major task and I only recommend doing this, as an amateur, if you are seriously determined to take on some hard and meticulous work.

This is a good time to cover the intake manifold. Back in the late 50’s the only speed equipment available for most V8’s was Jahns pistons, Howard or Isky cams and the U-fab log manifold. This homemade manifold was perfect for my car. I could use my gas welding skills and build a beautiful six jug log intake manifold to perch on top of my 324 olds engine. I easily welded and brazed the parts together just as instructed. The manifold worked perfectly when actuated by progressive linkage.

Chrome plating was sent out as the car progressed. All plating was done by Roy Vachon, owner of Appliance Plating on El Segundo Blvd. in So. California. Roy was just starting his business and he gave special attention to all hot rodders. Roy went on to become owner of the world famous custom wheel manufacturer, Appliance Industries. The cost of plating was staggering at the time. As I remember, around $375.00 total. This was about two weeks pay. But it was worth it. The chrome was the touch the car needed. All was going together just as planned.

Once assembly began, less chrome, the car was prepped for paint using lacquer primer and sander filler. The paint of choice at that time was DuPont Lucite. Lacquer was still used but was not as popular as the new Lucite. The automotive painting laws in California have been under attack by the AQMD since its inception. Their method to control the private use of certain paints is to restrict the sale of non approved paints for commercial use. This had the effect of eliminating the private use by drying up the market. Most paints are available for private use today but they must be ordered out of state. My choice today is DuPont Centari with a top coat. But sadly, today I don’t paint anything I can’t do with a spray can. The car was shot in my garage. The fast drying Lucite made this possible and was applied just like lacquer. The parts were painted separately and assembled as I progressed. Final rub out was necessary to overcome my amateur screw-up’s. But in the end it was a fabulous two-tone metallic blue paint job (frame and suspension components in a lighter shade than the body).

The interior was done by Jack McNeil (Jack’s Top Shop, Paramount, CA). Jack was the best in the business. He was mentored by Gaylord (back in the Carson top days) before he started his own business on Lakewood Boulevard in Los Angeles. Jack was given these instructions, “you are the expert, the only thing I ask is when the car is finished, it makes Hot Rod Magazine.” When you turn someone loose with his talent and that challenge he takes it. Two of my cars Jack did made Hot Rod. Jack, now retired, lives in Havasu City, Arizona. The last time I saw him was at the Run to the Sun Car show in Havasu four years ago.

Driving the car for the first time was a little scary. The power was shocking. But the car ran quiet and smooth. I never attempted to race the car. Common sense said don’t even think about it. Unless the car is built for racing, just be happy motoring to the local weekend events and around town.

That’s about it. The task may seem daunting and maybe not for some of you but I have always found, and I recommend simply this “do something every day” to forward the project , no matter how small, eventually you will succeed.

Havagooday — Buzz Pitzen

In my earlier post about The Real History of the Fiberglass T-Bucket Body, it was noted that the first fiberglass T-Bucket roadster was built by hot rodder Buzz Pitzen. The story of how Buzz came to purchase that first fiberglass T-Bucket body is a fascinating look at why over 50 years ago someone would use a fiberglass body.

I’ll let Buzz tell the story: “Early in 1959 at the age of 24 I had just sold my fully restored and rodded 1929 flathead roadster to a young fireman, John Rassmussen. John lived in Westchester a nearby town. Soon after he bought the car, John was contacted by Hot Rod Mag and it was featured on the cover and centerfold of the March 1959 issue. This was a beautiful car and I always regretted having to sell it but I had a young Family and needed to get into my first house. It all worked well. John was a great custodian of my car and gave it the best of care. John went on to do some serious drag racing driving my roadster everywhere.” (Note: The Hot Rod article said John Rasmussen “lavished” $3000 on the roadster, which was a significant sum then. Basically, though, the only change John made after purchasing this beauty from Buzz was to add the Moon Disc wheel covers).

“Anyway, with a new two car garage to work in, my long past desire to build a T-Bucket got underway. Back in the 50’s finding a ’23 T roadster bucket was impossible. They were out there somewhere, but without Hemming’s and the Internet, forget it — only the luckiest hot rodders had one and they were not going to part with it. As you attested in your blog article about how Bud Lang and Curt Hamilton had to rent, not buy, a T body for Dean Jeffries to clean up to make their first body plug, these baby’s were scarce.” (Note: This is the perspective from Buzz, in rust-free Southern California).

“So not to be daunted and with Corvette’s new fiberglass bodies coming on strong the only thing to do is build my own body out of what else, aluminum! I wanted a fiberglass body but with nothing on the market I opted for aluminum. After several weeks of body buck fabrication, which was a real struggle since I did not have a real body to work with, I became very frustrated. I was not happy with the way things were going.”

“One evening when I was reading my newly arrived Hot Rod Mag and I saw it. I could have missed it but I didn’t. In very, very small print, Diablo Speed Shop in Walnut Creek, California advertised a Fiberglass T-Bucket body for $149.00. The next day I got them on the phone. My order was placed, payment and shipping were arranged, and my aluminum body Idea was scrubbed.”

“The body arrived as agreed. It was primed in black primer. I soon saw why. A quick look and I could see I was in for some serious effort to work out the imperfections. The body seam was centered at the doors and slightly concaved. The layup was anemic and the whole body was in need of some major fiberglass reinforcement. However, I did not see anything I could not correct so the work began. Actually, I was so glad to have a Glass body to start with I could not wait to get started, and that is exactly what I did.”

“The project took about a year. I was no stranger to hard work, as they say determination is just a matter of voltage. The actual fabrication is a story of its own. As you know, there were no Cal Automotive or Speedway catalogs around so the car was pretty much handmade. The cross members, radius rods, pickup bed, windshield, top bows, headers, intake manifold, you get the idea. But you have to love to do precise work, to do it well. Even at 24, I had spent a lifetime working with my hands. It was something I loved to do. I knew exactly what I wanted. My goal was clear; I wanted to build a T-Bucket that would make the cover of the most famous car magazine in the world, Hot Rod Magazine. HRM didn’t know it at the time but I did. The only thing to hold me back was a very slim budget, but what I had going for me was a lot of drive and good hand skills. Hand skills I learned from a 50 year Chevrolet mechanic, my dad. In June 1962, my T bucket was completed and promptly made the cover and centerfold of Hot Rod Magazine as the “Glass Image”. I always loved the name “Glass Image”. I’m not sure if Eric Rickman (photographer) came up with it or someone else on the Hot Rod Magazine staff. It was perfect for my T Roadster. Anyway, 50 years late, Kudos to HRM.”

“Later, the car made the cover of the 2nd Annual Hot Rod Magazine yearbook. Mission accomplished. I sold the car to a young businessman and I cannot remember who he was. He paid cash and drove away.”

Ironically, a picture of Buzz’s bucket was used in 1964 to promote the fiberglass T-Bucket bodies of another manufacturer. The T-Bucket industry and T-Bucket hot rodders owe a huge debt of gratitude to Buzz Pitzen. Because Buzz was a skilled craftsman and meticulous builder with strong attention to detail the world’s first fiberglass T-Bucket was awarded the most coveted car magazine cover of the day. Thanks to his efforts, the world saw that a fiberglass T-Bucket could be made to be beautiful and functional, while rivaling the steel original in integrity of line and excelling in terms of value. Thanks Buzz!

I’m happy to report that Buzz is still actively enjoying the car hobby, as you’ll note when you play the above video. Recently, Buzz said, “I was at a car event with my Speedster when a guy asked me if I would ever sell the car? I answered no. I explained, there was a time when I built neat cars and had to sell them but now I can build ‘em and keep ‘em. To my surprise I got courteous applause from the crowd that had gathered to check out my car. I now have 6 cars that I fully restored or built. I’m looking for a 54 Chev truck to put a Hemi in.”

For a real treat, you can learn how Buzz fabricated his historic Hot Rod Magazine fiberglass T-Bucket cover car in Part II>