did not expect to see this, this ratrod talk will give a person a chance that likes ratrods to express there thoughts without getting flamed.
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did not expect to see this, this ratrod talk will give a person a chance that likes ratrods to express there thoughts without getting flamed.
Exactly, after all, a car enthusiast is a car enthusiast.Quote:
Originally posted by gasser t
did not expect to see this, this ratrod talk will give a person a chance that likes ratrods to express there thoughts without getting flamed.
It's all good.
Bill S.
Gasser T is right. This is a good forum, and the participants have a very accepting attitude toward everything with 4 wheels.
About a year ago my Son and I discovered this "Rat Rod" thing, and it has turned us on more than any of the other cars we have ever built. I'm building a '39 Dodge pickup that is fenderless, channelled 5", chopped 5" and Z'd 10" in front and 16" in the rear. It is powered by a built 394 Olds with trips and limefire style headers. The final finish will be red wheels, wide whites, ( 10" slicks on the rear) red suspension, and flat purple paint. Long nose, short bed.
My Son is building a '29 Ford Fordor that he built a custom airbagged frame and suspension for, it is chopped 7", channelled 4", Z'd 19" in the rear and 10" in front. Power is a built 455 Olds with a W-30 Olds tri power set up, and it will have Zoomies with Harley drag baffles in each pipe. Wheels are 16" with wide whites.
The entire car sits 41" at the highest point. It is really bad and I drool every time I look at it.
The point of all this is that Rat Rods don't have to be crap to fit the description. My Son hates the term, but I proudly call mine a rat. I see the term as meaning a homebuilt car that is slightly outside the normal box, and let's the builder go wild with his/her creativity. As an example, I bought a HUGE open end wrench at Turkey Run, and I plan to drill it full of holes and turn it into my shifter. That is something I could never do with one of my regular rods, and have it look right.
It is so cool to be able to find a set of headlights you like, that would have never been acceptable on a highboy deuce, and incorporate them into the overall eclectic/ old timey look of the car.
It reminds me of when we were young, had little money, and used our wits and whatever parts were available to make it work. Plus, on a rat, not every bracket or weld has to be perfectly ground smooth and filled. In fact, seeing welds in their natural state is refreshing. Kind of an industrial look, I suppose.
I think it is a trend that will survive, and the crap-mobiles will become less and less of a factor. After all, no one likes an unsafe, horribly constructed car. I also think a lot of car owners are put-off because they spend a zillion dollars on their car, and the rat rod next to them at a show gets more looks and comments.
If I wasn't so computer dumb, I would love to post some progress pix of his and my cars. Some day, maybe.
I like the rat rod designe but I don't like the unfinished/ sometimes cobjob look ( like sprung doors, poprivited panals, and other stuff ). If I ever saw the traditional low, heavy chop, look, but finished with a nice coat of paint, a top and a decent interior and all the glass, I'd love it.