To me a rat rod is what I call a poor boy hot rod.
It starts with a guy with kids,house payment,truck payment, crapy paying job wanting to build a hot rod that he has dreamed about since he was a lil kid.
Due to the crapy pay, he has to get his parts from a local junk yard. He does the best he can and decides to go to a few car shows to gets some tips and ideas for his rod build.To make sure they know what he is asking he takes his unfinished rod to the show.
this part might piss some people off.
When he gets there the rich, my crap dont stink, i got a $60000 trailer queen that I hope will get me laid, so called hot rodders who havnt even changed there own oil, make it clear that they dont want him to park his rod near theres.
After the trailer queener RUP (rich urban poser) gets done picking apart his car, he tells the RUP , lets line em up?
The RUP tells him he wont run his $60000 rod with a $2000 hoopty.
Pised off an looking for a beer tent,he meets some average joes like him and thay talk about the RUPs and how they are trashing what hot rodding used to mean. Was it not started with 1 guy telling another that my car is faster than yours?
After some hot rod storys,build tips a part swaping,one guy says , I bet it would piss off the RUPs if i put a tractor grill on my rod, another says it would get there goat if i chop my top and not grind the welds, and so on. Let the rebellion begin.there is a mag that is out on rat rods thats name explains it all. Its called rebel rodz.
Was the yellow duece in american grafitti a hot rod with a chopped top? Ya.
Joe bobs model A sits a bit lower,doesnt have alot of chrome,its a differant color but it is taged as a rat.
Is it ,if you make $100,000 a year your a hot rodder and anything under 30K your a rat rodder.
I love sooping up anything I can get my hands on so I consider my self a true hot rodder wether i got paint on my rod or not.Im building my rod for me not you. If you dont like it dont look at it.
The only thing that burns my pooper is the punk,trailer queen, RUBs that sit and pick, mine is better than yours and call them selves hot rodders.
Well dont let your mouth write checks your azz cant cash. Lets line em up and watch the smoke fly.
Im sure theres a few bike guys on here and they know what im talkn about when someone shows up with there sled on a trailer at some of the ralleys.
Trailers are for boats, if your a true rodder, rat,hot, even a RUP,DRIVE IT and you will get something better than some shinny plastic trophy, youll get RESPECT.
Next time you see a rat rod at a show actually stop and look at it with a open mind and if you see something that doesnt look right or unsafe,kindly mention it and offer some tips. Hot rodding is like a brother hood but it seems to be falling apart over this hot and rat debate. i have respect for hot rodders and what is called rat rodders, but i dont have much for RUPs. I dont want some of you to get me wrong.If you got the money to buy the expensive parts and $10000 paint job than go for it, but DRIVE IT,lite them tires up and enjoy being a true rodder.