Thread: What's A RatRod

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Henry Rifle , you have hit the nail.

First of all Len, welcome to the forum. Being new, you probably don't realize that this subject has been debated a zillion times on here, generally with the same outcome................the people who love them and the people who hate them get pretty close to coming to blows at the end. No other two words in the history of man has evoked as much emotion as the term "rat rod." And don't even think of going on the HAMB and uttering those words........someone will visit you in the middle of the night!!!

Some folks are tolerant of them, and some are downright offended. I am one of the tolerant ones, but have to admit that just the other day an electrician who was working at my shop walked in and said "Wow, you guys are really building some RAT RODS in here !!" I had to bite my tongue and not educate him that they are not rat rods, but hot rods, due to the fact we spent lots of time building and painting every component. But he was simply using a term that has become very commonplace these days.

However, I hate to inform you that you are coming into the rat rod hobby a little late........the initial craze seems to have waned somewhat, and the cars are starting to evolve. The thrown together, use whatever weird stuff you can find to build em philosophy seems to be gone. It has now been replaced with "build em safe and good, but still somewhat edgy." The new breed really does look a lot more like what we built "back in the day" at least some of the time.

To answer your original question, what makes a rat rod.......there is no one definition. It depends on who you talk to. However, I think it is safe to say that it is a car that is devoid of lots of shiny, expensive parts, constructed by the builder to appear to have been built with limited funds. He was also more concerned about function than cosmetics.

But, like I said, I think you will find the rat rods being built today are different than those that started the fad. But you did nail it when you said you are turned off by the mega buck rods at shows. That is the real basis for rats, and for low buck rods in general. I too am turned off by those, and walk right by them because it is just like stepping onto a new car lot.......tons of nice shiny cars, but no imagination.

Don