Thread: need some advice

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Welcome to the forum. If that '37 Chevy is fairly solid, run, don't walk to go buy it. They make great rods, especially when the top is chopped and the body is channelled over the frame. (You S 10 guys call that "body dropping" these days)

If you are thinking what is generally considered a "rat rod" there are some things that are sort of standard to the a genre'. One is the chop and channel already mentioned, another is a straight front axle assembly with split wishbones (radius rods that run from the front axle to the frame and locate it, and open engine compartment with exhaust headers protruding out of it, many, many carbs, and a very short bed behind.

I've posted the picture below numerous times, but I think since you are new to this hobby it might be good to show you what a traditional rat is ( and yes, even rat rods have some structure to the way they look, funny as that may seem) I think this body is a Chevy of about the same year as you are looking at, and I fell in love with the "attitude" of this truck, and am about 1/2 way through building a '39 Dodge sort of along these lines.

You've made the first step, you joined a forum where you will get advice and suggestions from some real heavy hitters in the rod game, and you are asking the right questions. By the way, that S 10 frame won't really look right IMO, use the rear axle and build a rectangular tube frame like a T bucket sort of is.

Good luck. Here is that Chevy truck picture.

Don