COCHRANE— Tyler Thirsk's 1917 Ford Model-T hot rod, a.k.a. “The Big T,” has been a labour of love that has spanned generations.
Thirsk grew up in Calgary and helped his dad Rolland build the T-Bucket from the ground up with his brother Trevor.
“It’s been a labour of love— Growing up he taught us how to work on things,” Thirsk said. “My dad started on it in the 90s— We spent a lot of time in the garage because we were very interested in what our dad was doing.”
Rolland acquired the unfinished Model-T chassis first, and slowly pieced the car together from there.
His dad would always be working on the Model-T and other cars, Thirsk said, and anytime he and his brother had the chance they would be helping him on his latest project.
His father passed the Big T onto Thirsk after experiencing a stroke in June 2013. Thirsk said, Rolland, gifted the Model-T to him in July 2016 because he wanted to see his son and grandkids enjoy the ride.
The Model-T boasts a Chevy big-block 402 engine under the hood— Thirsk estimates it can make around 600 horsepower.
“I like the way the engine as is right now, same with the transmission,” Thirsk said. “It’s a pretty bulletproof combination that I’ve got.”
The hot rod is an automatic because his dad found with the amount of power in the engine it was a nicer choice to go with. However, Thirsk noted it still has a shift kit.
“It still shifts like it’s race-ready all the time,” Thirsk said. “If you put your foot into it hard enough it will lift the front wheels off— You gotta be mindful of that.”
When the T-Bucket was first built it had no front breaks and his dad added front disc-brakes to ensure it was a safer ride to drive.
The interior of the hot rod was also trashed but was fully reupholstered in the mid-2000s.
“It's a show car that's a street-driven hot rod,” Thirsk said. “This one goes down the highway— Any place that it can go I’ll take it.”
He added it sits low on coil springs so he can feel every bump in the road. The hot rod has big tires on the back, but motorcycle-style wheels on the front causing the ride to sit even closer to the ground.
Legally the T-Bucket does not require seatbelts because of the vintage of the vehicle, he said, but they put seatbelts in because safety is always top of mind.
“Just cause you didn’t need it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t put it in,” Thirsk said.
Thirsk is continuously modifying the ride and is rethinking the design of the front wheels and may go to a solid rim combination. However, he noted he wants to maintain the skinny style motorcycle wheel setup at the front. He is also looking to add new back tires and possibly widen the look of the car.
Thirsk would like to eventually talk with Alberta Metal Works to design and create wheelie bars for the T-Bucket, and possibly add a set of street glow or an undercarriage lighting kit paired with an interior lighting kit.
“I always see things and always want to adjust things on my car,” Thirsk said, explaining he is always on the Speedway Motors website exploring the next project he can add to the vehicle. “There’s always something to work on.”
In the end, though, Thirsk said, the important part was the time he spent in the garage with his dad, learning about the art of car restoration.
“Even if it was just holding a wrench for him while he did something, it was a neat experience for me growing up,” Thirsk said.
