OK folks here`s my attempt to explain this contraversal subject of rat rods ,it`s gonna be a long story so bear with me .I don`t think anybody really knows when this subculter started,lots will take claim for it,but nobody has a definite timeline,i think the mentality has been there in some form since the beginings of rodding.Most of the people in the rat rod or kustom kulture scene were into the punk rock thing in the 80`s & early 90`s alot of us were skinheads and punkers of one sort or another,you had bands like the stray cats that combined a mix of punk and roots rockabilly like carl perkins and such,then you had bands like the cramps & the misfits that took modern versions of rockabilly and added a darker style which started the phycobilly scene. Then you had movies like the outsiders & grease that romanticised the good old days of greasers (can`t forget american graffitti) that gave us the idea that all kids in the fifties were hoodlems,which we liked since most of us already were hoodlems.As we started getting older all the bands we listened to started getting into this new greaser/rockabilly scene which appealed to us cause iit was`nt to far off from the way we allready thought,we already had tattoos from head to toe, so we cut our mohawks off or grew our hair out slicked it back and you got instant modern greaser.We all liked the cutom carsof the fifties but also liked a more outlaw style .we did not like the billet rods that are popular today so alot of people tried to resurect the cars we saw in the old mags,some stuck with that , some did`nt.The whole hot rod scene started changing every where,the cars started getting lower and more chopped up,the kustom kulture started growing into all the different kinds of genres ,you still have the guys building era correct cars, then you have guys building down & dirty just outright mean looking bikes & cars, then you alot of people that wanna be cool so they get in and make an ass of every body in the scene. Some of us aren`t out to affend some, of us are, So i guess it all started with misconseptions of the early days, i know alot of people won`t ever understand this subculture, but it`s just like when you some of you guys were young , when rock & roll started nobody understood you guys with your loud cars & reckless lifestyles,as with every new thing it will die down , the posures will go home , and the rest will carry on to bigger and better. I know some of you guys were just like us in yhe 50`s raising hell & aggravating folks , some were`nt, just remember were all here fore the love of speed. iI hope this helps a little ,it would take a whole book to really explain modern youth but here`s my small attempt