Thread: What Fiberglass T body would you buy?

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I have some great input from some very kind fellow's on here, so as it stands I have a good chunk of cash that I need for the body for my next project that I keep putting off. So I need pro's and cons to the fiberglass bodies out there.I have questions like shipping prices(I live in the Cincy area), sizes, manufactures and such. I'm 6' 240 so I want something thats gonna fit me. I like the 26/7 bodies, I'm looking for the tub only no deck or bed needed. But not ruling out the 23 style, so you guys who have built these what are your thoughts?

you can't find the tub only in a '26/'27.. if you want that. they are '16-'25 bodies. CCR sells extended bodies where you can get 4" in the body area and 6" in the cowl, or 1 or the other.

anny idea on there web site, or phone number.. Or prices?

http://californiacustomroadsters.com

(909) 393-4005

The '23 bodies are about $1,400 they are the most expensive, but I'm not aware of any others selling extended bodies

Speedway Motors sells a '27 with no floor

I just saw that one... I'm leaning towards just the bucket in the 5 to 6 hundred range just need to get some insight on who builds a good one for the money...Thanks guys for all the time you spent helping me with this so far...Ryan

I'm using a Dave Koorey '23 T body on my build thread (Another build thread? Yep, my track style T). It is extended 6 inches in the cowl and comes with the tunnel and reinforced floor already installed. It was $630 when I bought it a year ago.

Since mine was made about 2 hours from my house, I saved on shipping. That went a long way to making up my mind what to get.

Mine has a "modified" seating setup. The rear of the bucket is cut out and the seat insert pushes the seat back a few extra inches. I think Don(IToldYouSo, Project $3K) did something similar on his car. Down side is the RussNoMore body is only available with the bed already molded in. It's also only available with a door.

Mike

I think the one limiting factor for you might be the 6 foot/240 thing. Not saying anything bad about that, but T bucket bodies and even 27 bodies are pretty tight inside when channeled even a little. I'm only 5'9"/ 170-ish and can slip into a smaller spot, but even then my '27 is a little tight in leg room. The 23 is a little better because of the way I laid it out.

The suggestion about a stretched body is a good one. There are some out there (CCR ?) so you might want to look into these. I would also go to some shows and find some accomodating owner who will let you sit in his car to see how it fits you. I know if someone came up to me and was contemplating building a rod and asked me I would let them try mine out for room.

About 10 years ago I had my '27 at a show and a guy walked up and said he wanted to buy my car. I told him I didn't want to sell it, but he insisted everything is for sale. My then GF looked at him and said, "I think you better try it out for size first, you are a little bigger than Don is." He climbed in and quickly realized he wasn't going to fit and that was the end of the negotiations.

You might consider a Model A because as the years went on Fords got bigger. My Son's '29 has a lot more wiggle room than either of my T's. But if you have your heart set on a T, there are ads in some magazines like Streetrodder that feature the stretched versions. You might post this question also on the National T Bucket Alliance forum. As the name implies, T buckets are the main focus there and the various members have probably dealt with this issue themselves. Here is their website:

http://www.nationaltbucketalliance.com/bb2005/index.asp

Good luck,

Don

Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

I think the one limiting factor for you might be the 6 foot/240 thing. Not saying anything bad about that, but T bucket bodies and even 27 bodies are pretty tight inside when channeled even a little. I'm only 5'9"/ 170-ish and can slip into a smaller spot, but even then my '27 is a little tight in leg room. The 23 is a little better because of the way I laid it out.

The suggestion about a stretched body is a good one. There are some out there (CCR ?) so you might want to look into these. I would also go to some shows and find some accomodating owner who will let you sit in his car to see how it fits you. I know if someone came up to me and was contemplating building a rod and asked me I would let them try mine out for room.

About 10 years ago I had my '27 at a show and a guy walked up and said he wanted to buy my car. I told him I didn't want to sell it, but he insisted everything is for sale. My then GF looked at him and said, "I think you better try it out for size first, you are a little bigger than Don is." He climbed in and quickly realized he wasn't going to fit and that was the end of the negotiations.

You might consider a Model A because as the years went on Fords got bigger. My Son's '29 has a lot more wiggle room than either of my T's. But if you have your heart set on a T, there are ads in some magazines like Streetrodder that feature the stretched versions. You might post this question also on the National T Bucket Alliance forum. As the name implies, T buckets are the main focus there and the various members have probably dealt with this issue themselves. Here is their website:

http://www.nationaltbucketalliance.com/bb2005/index.asp

Good luck,

Don

Thanks for the insight, I've been thinking alot about the stretched version and have to say it does sound more inviting, just curious if it looks out of proporsion when built. Being that I need to make this as comfy as possible since I just had a 2 level fusion on my lower spine, this is a must...lol. I have a interstate cruiser (my 54) this would be more of a short trip car, for a little alone time....

Ouch. I have to say this type of car isn't the best on long distance travel. When a person is younger you can tolerate it more, but as the years and injuries add up it becomes less fun. On the trip I took recently to Daytona I had to stop a few times to stretch and it was only like 250 miles each way. My back and legs started to cramp up and I am still feeling it in my lower back a little.

Love the car around town though. It is making me want to finish up the Dodge truck before Billetproof in March. It will have a more normal seat layout so it should be better on trips.

I have never seen one of the stretched T bodies, but I don't think those extra few inches would make it look bad. You could hide some of that by playing with wheel placement I bet.

Don

You can see all the pics in my build thread, but here are a couple of pictures. First is just the body; next is a mock-up I did when I first started so I could find the wheelbase I wanted. This is the Dave Koorey body that is sretched 6 inches in the cowl. As you can see in my pictures, Dave Koorey blends the shape smoothly from the top of the cowl to the firewall. It almost looks like it was always that way... I saw an extended-cowl '23 by a different manufacturer at the Turkey Run recently and it was just plain ugly. They had left the cowl in its original shape and just pulled the firewall straight forward; it looked totally stupid!

I saw the other one that you are speaking about too at Daytona. Have to agree it was not like the one you own, cowl looked tacked on.

Don