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Monster Garage builds a T-Bucket Snowcat

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Leave it to Jesse James and the Discovery Channel's Monster Garage TV Show to build a T-Bucket snowcat.

http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/monstergarage/episode/season3/episode_57.html

When you think of a snow cat — a multi-ton tractor used by ski resorts to groom their slopes — the adjectives that come to mind are probably along the lines of: Large. Powerful. Hardy. But this is Monster Garage after all, and there's no reason "large, powerful, sturdy" can't also be cool. So for this challenge, Jesse and his team set out to create a high-performance mountain cat complete with caterpillar tracks, skis and a blown motor using a custom 1923 T-Bucket hot rod as its base.

Yes, that's right: not a rear-wheel-drive SUV, mind you, but a 1923 T-Bucket hot rod.

How'd that turn out? Click through our pictures of the T-Bucket/Snow Cat, or just check out its specs below.

THE BUILDERS
* Jesse James, custom-bike builder/designer, West Coast Choppers, Long Beach, Calif.
* Eric Bates, snow cat and Heavenly Mountain Resort grooming expert, Gardnerville, Nev.
* Luke Chennell, auto restoration technology instructor, McPherson College, McPherson, Kan.
* Norman Pedigo, auto technician and car buff, Kenny Hill's Autowerks, Austin, Texas
* Fritz Tegatz, horse-ranch owner and jack-of-all-trades, Lake View Terrace, Calif. Calif.

SPECS
Make: Ford
Model: T-Bucket Roadster
Year: 1923

Height: 62 inches
Width: 100 inches
Length: 207 inches
Ground Clearance: 20 inches
Weight: approximately 3,000 pounds

Additional Acquired or Machined Parts: Includes sprocket adapters milled at West Coast Choppers.
Moving Parts: Includes rear tension arms and caterpillar tracks.
Body Modifications: Includes moving the Ford's differential.
Special Welds: The team performed special welds to extend the rear-end frame and to turn the front struts into snow skis. They also used welds on the new shock mounts, roll bar, seat mounts, break handle, throttle bracket and Jesse James custom exhaust.
Biggest Challenge: The team's biggest challenge was overcoming nerves, radiator problems and a lack of specialty tools ... not to mention actually getting the vehicle out of the garage.
 

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pixie

Well-known member
SUPER Site Supporter
WOW :respect:

Is that flames coming out in the last pic ? Is that s'possed to happen ?
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Yup those are flames. I saw it shoot fire when they ran the episode on TV.

It didn't look like it would turn very well, and I doubt it could handle powder either. They ran it on a groomed ski slope. There are about a dozen photos on the website that I linked to in the first post.

One other thing, it says they used "Caterpillar Tracks" but to me they look like they are cut down Thiokol tracks? Here is a close up of the track.
 

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NorthernRedneck

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
Cool........didn't see that episode. He did do another one with a mini cooper and snowmobile tracks. It didn't turn so well either.
monstermini.jpg
 

chopperguy

New member
Kinda reminds me of something like this
 

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