ratrod?..

Im curious to see what people on here consider a "ratrod". i have been looking on alot of forums and i see where people say a rat rod is a american car from the 60's back. but in my personal opinion ratrod can be anything, but i think it should adhear to the ratrod mantra of use parts you have laying around or if you cant find parts for that car use parts from another. not a car that was complete and made to look like its a work in progress, but a car that is a constant work in progress or rolling work of art or scrap pile.

just wanting to hear some opinions and thoughts on the subject.

u ask i shall answer
http://www.scroungers.net/t1991-broken-wing-project-the-bird

biggest rat rod this side of the mississippi.........

Check out my avatar

full figured rat wrote:Check out my avatar

I disagree. You have a hot rod.

When the whole rat rod thing started it was meant as a derogatory term. It was a POS that shouldn't have been allowed out of the garage let alone allowed on the road. Unsafe and with out any design flow if you will. The term Rat Rod became cool to the general population because they bought into the whole, if it's in a magazine it must be cool brainwashing that main stream media does.

Get in line and drink your black primer flavored kool aid

There's nothing wrong with using what you have. Hot rods and even customs have been built that way for years. It's when you start using crap just because you can, even if it doesn't add to the form or function of the vehicle that you start to creep into the realm of rat rodderism.

Well said!

Even though it has a hodgepodge of parts ? 34 cab , model A grille , hood , fenders , running boards and a 64 chevy stepside bed chopped , narrowed and shortened ? Still a hotrod ????

Almost forgot ........ Flat black primer

Many hot rods over the decades have been built from a hodge podge of parts gleened from other vehicles. Think about all the Model A's that are running a 32 frame or more commonly a 32 grille, with a newer motor. That's the essence of a hot rod.

Is your truck safe to drive? Does it have an air cleaner made from a tea kettle? Are there welds on your frame that wouldn't pass a visual inspection by Stevie Wonder? I seriously doubt it. After all I don't see the Scroungers being that sloppy in their builds.

Rat rods were always deemed Unsafe, Poor design, Not well thought out! I think your truck looks like it was well thought out. So please don't lower the class of your ride by putting it into the rat rod class.
Just my 2 cents......

Thank you very much . You honestly cleared up alot of misinformation for me .

Brownie wrote:Rat rods were always deemed Unsafe, Poor design, Not well thought out! I think your truck looks like it was well thought out. So please don't lower the class of your ride by putting it into the rat rod class.
Just my 2 cents......

Like an old hot rodder told me

Calling your vehicle a rat rod is like calling your mom a #*%#!

Well said. My belief is that a rod is a rod, hot rod, rat rod. Bottom line is we love our cars. From the shiny show cars and works in progress, to the rusty hulks that its questionable if we should even have it on the road. Each build has its own personality. Thats what makes what we do so great. Personally, I like them all. Sadly, I can't afford them all.

A hot rod has style and the flows well. RR do not. They just look like crap. There are some guys around here that build some and they're not safe. One took his to the 2011 Hot Rod reunion. As he started backing ff the trailer, the welds on the front steering broke.

https://2img.net/h/i123.photobucket.com/albums/o302/rebstew187/ss/050.jpg this is unsafe

Guess i need to change my profile name . Lol

Butch Thompson wrote:https://2img.net/h/i123.photobucket.com/albums/o302/rebstew187/ss/050.jpg this is unsafe

That's a rat

is that vickers.... whats he got these days....

JRiggs wrote:is that vickers.... whats he got these days....

Yes that's Vickers rat. Not sure what else he's got.

I guess I've been Rat Rodding for years. I've been driving cars in primer w/o interiors almost since I started driving, can't say I like it but covers the metal. I never really thought of them as Rat Rods, just unfinished. I still keep the dream of having something to wax. Some say that a car in primer is the sign of someone just to lazy to wax their car. LOL I too was alway under the impression that a Rat Rod was something that wasn't too safe. The psuedo Rat Rods with new frames, brakes, suspension and so on to me aren't true Rat Rods. I don't think that putting a beat-up body on a fresh frame makes a Rat Rod, I don't know quite what to call it besides a Hot Rod. Whatever..........

John B wrote:Are there welds on your frame that wouldn't pass a visual inspection by Stevie Wonder?

full figured rat wrote:Guess i need to change my profile name . Lol

The term Rat Rod has changed through the years. Don't take any of this to heart. Call it what you want to. My truck looks ratty but sits on a modern drive train. To me it's a hot rod with a jalopy attitude. To me a rat is a junky car/truck. I have one fender in the back that is pretty rough. A kid was looking over the truck and told me if I fixed that bad spot in the fender then I'd have a nice rat rod.

The term Rat means different things to different people. Call yours what ya want but to me it's pure hot rodding at it's best. Hodge podge of parts that a gear head put to good use. You have a cool ride either way.