I went to our local cruise night last night and was wandering around talking to some friends. Walking from car to car ,I came upon a 29 Ford , I hadn't seen there before. It had decent paint and overall wasn't in too bad of shape.
Well this older fellow walked up and said it was his car. He began to show me all the work he did. He made alot of parts himself and alot of them were pretty crude. But he was proud non the less and I was impressed with his enginuity with limited resources.
We talked for 1/2 hour and I really enjoyed the conversation. It was great to talk to someone who wasn't bragging over a newly restored car they bought and didn't know the first thing about the work put into it and then look down on other peoples cars who try to do thier own work with limited cash.
I hope he's there next week, I'll invite him to park by some friends and I.

I think there are too few of those guys left. I know a retired guy with a rather unusual Nova convertible that is a fine example of his sheet metal skills. Nothing that I would do, but you have to respect his creative abilities and desire.

all those old cars we built years ago before China started making parts that dont fit are now back in, they just call them "Rat Rods", lol

OK, so what are the qualifications for a rat rod?

I figure it is like what an older gentleman did here a few years back. He found a 49 Ford pickup behing an old collapsing chicken coop.
He took it home and power washed it inside and out. He went through the suspension and brakes (put back original except for a 3" drop 50's style) He pulled the original motor which was unrepairable and replaced it with a 312 with 3 deuces and a 3 speed OD manual transmission. Straight pipe exhaust!He repadded the original seat and put on a plain brown leather cover and a new rubber floormat. The dash was original with the original gauges. (not perfect but servicable)
He did nothing to the body at all! Original faded paint with surface rust showing in the really thin spots and the faint traces of the name of the feed company that used to deliver in it! right down to the remnants of the 2 letter 5 didgit phone number! Oh and the rust holes in the lower cab corners and around a few of the fender bolts in the bed. Old weathered bed floor with a couple bad boards replaced.:)

It was a big crowd draw and an even bigger contrast to the other "rat rod" truck that a slick bodyman parked across from him.
It was a 50 Chevy. It had a created washed out faded paint look with the faded made up name of a business barely visible, over a professionally massaged rust free body.
It had a fairly plain interior (with new paint) except for the digital dash. Lowered suspension (Camaro front and rear) and a 454 Ram Jet with a 400 turbo trans.

I'd say the old guy with the Ford had it right.:)

OK, so what are the qualifications for a rat rod?

I saw some real "Rat Rods" while I was in Maine 2 weeks ago. Primered, rusty turds with hot engines and solid front axles in them that were rearl steel cars, not out of thoe box bolt together plastic cars.

The car I'm talking about wasn't a ratrod. It was actually a rough resto sort of. You could see he did it with limited funding, making alot of the brackets and such. I just enjoyed the pride in his eyes. His work was far from perfection but he was proud of it and I was proud of him for being so.

most of the guys from that time are gone ..... :(

I remember seeing the stuff my grandfather did in the garage :thumbsup:

these were things done without a 4 axis CNC milling center !! while most of them weren't what we would call show pieces ....... they served the intended use :yes:

nessesity is the mother of invention :D

This thread reminds me of the movie, "The World's Fastest Indian"

You're right. There aren't many of the old timers left who can build parts from scratch.

OK, so what are the qualifications for a rat rod?

Wikipedia---
A rat rod is a style of hot rod (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_rod) or custom car (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Custom_car) that, in most cases, imitates (or exaggerates) the early hot rods of the 40s, 50s, and 60s. It is not to be confused with the somewhat closely related "traditional" hot rod, which is an accurate re-creation or period-correct restoration of a hot rod from the same era.
Most rat rods appear "unfinished" (whether they actually are or are not), with just the bare essentials to be driven.
The rat rod is the visualization of the idea of function over form. Rat rods are meant to be driven, not shown off. Sometimes the customization will include using spare parts, or parts from another car altogether.


I relate it to a time before Summit, Jegs etc. When local salvage yard were you parts source.

Kevin, where was this cruise at? You aren't that far from me.
I was also at one last night, and the guy up the street from me has a 29 Ford (or is it a 28, now I'm not sure) and he was also there. I'm thinking it might have been a different cruise, as I see you have a 66 Chevelle, and there were no 66's at this cruise

Old timers are pretty smart...That ingenuity is hard to find nowadays...


My buddy built himself one of those rat rods years ago...before they really got big. It was a crack up. He had the radiator cowl, and the cowl for the the windshield off a 1920's Ford. He built, built the bucket. It had no seats, you just sat on the plywood floor. He works for a fabrication shop, so they had all sorts of leftover parts sitting around. It had a Toyota Landcruiser steering box, a mustang 6 cylinder/transmission. Had a keg for the gas tank. He got pulled over one day for not coming to a complete stop. The old officer was cracking up and thought it was cool, and the young officer was just flipping through the book trying to catch him on something else. Pretty funny....I wish I had pictures of that car.

Kevin, where was this cruise at? You aren't that far from me.
I was also at one last night, and the guy up the street from me has a 29 Ford (or is it a 28, now I'm not sure) and he was also there. I'm thinking it might have been a different cruise, as I see you have a 66 Chevelle, and there were no 66's at this cruise

Near Uniontown. Actually Connellsville. It was held at the old Laurel Mall. Usually 50 or so cars. Not very big but alot of different cars. It will be held every Fri thru Oct 24. Another that's not far from either of us is the Sat. nite cruises in Irwin. Right off the turnpike exit at the Norwin Hills shopping center. Usually 300- 400 cars. I havn't been there this year yet but would like to make it by fall.

Kevin, where was this cruise at? You aren't that far from me.
I was also at one last night, and the guy up the street from me has a 29 Ford (or is it a 28, now I'm not sure) and he was also there. I'm thinking it might have been a different cruise, as I see you have a 66 Chevelle, and there were no 66's at this cruise

Hey Bill, what part of Pittsburgh are you from? Feel free to send me an email or PM.

Back before I could drive, I remember my older Buddy telling me that an old Mechanic that had his shop out on his farm offered to him to drag out a '29 A Roadster and crank it up and sell it to my Buddy for $75 and he passed on it!

I'm talking '60/'61 here.

Buck Reedy was the old Mechanics name that had his shop out on the hill over by Sue City, MO back then.

pdq67

Back in the day. The only way you could build a Hot Rod was to make your own parts. Now-a-days, There are so many aftermarket manufacturers you can get anything you need, so the "art" of building "Hot Rods" is lost.

I am so sick of the "Rat Rod" crowd and cars it makes me puke. I ignore the cars and drivers at all cost now.
So you need to show how creative you can be at building a pile of CRAP? That does not show any talent at all, it just shows you are a hack.
A guy who has a work in progress has more talent the the rat crowd.

Near Uniontown. Actually Connellsville. It was held at the old Laurel Mall. Usually 50 or so cars. Not very big but alot of different cars. It will be held every Fri thru Oct 24. Another that's not far from either of us is the Sat. nite cruises in Irwin. Right off the turnpike exit at the Norwin Hills shopping center. Usually 300- 400 cars. I havn't been there this year yet but would like to make it by fall.

No, that wasn't the one I was at, but sounds like both had a 29 Ford owned by an older gentleman. Did you happen to make it to the Wexford cruise last Friday? (Was the final of the year) They had well over 1700 cars. Not bad for a weekly cruise :yes: I'll have to try to make it to some out your way (BTW, I live right in Pittsburgh, North Side near Ross Twp)

I am so sick of the "Rat Rod" crowd and cars it makes me puke. I ignore the cars and drivers at all cost now.
So you need to show how creative you can be at building a pile of CRAP? That does not show any talent at all, it just shows you are a hack.
A guy who has a work in progress has more talent the the rat crowd.
Huh?:wacko:

No, that wasn't the one I was at, but sounds like both had a 29 Ford owned by an older gentleman. Did you happen to make it to the Wexford cruise last Friday? (Was the final of the year) They had well over 1700 cars. Not bad for a weekly cruise :yes: I'll have to try to make it to some out your way (BTW, I live right in Pittsburgh, North Side near Ross Twp)

No, I wasn't at Wexford but I'll definitely mark it on the calendar for next year.Sounds like a good one.

Huh?:wacko:

The guy has a work in progress not a CRAP ROD.

I am so sick of the "Rat Rod" crowd and cars it makes me puke. I ignore the cars and drivers at all cost now.
So you need to show how creative you can be at building a pile of CRAP? That does not show any talent at all, it just shows you are a hack.
A guy who has a work in progress has more talent the the rat crowd.

The rat rods are meant to be an homage to the early days of hot rodding, back when the cars were all built on tight budgets and no aftermarket support.

Hot rodding began at the end of World War Two when the car makers began turning out new cars once again, following years of producing military hardware for the war effort. Since no new new cars were built during the war, people had to hang on to their old automobiles that were built in the 20s and 30s and try as best as possible to keep them running.

Following the war, people bought new cars in large numbers and the old cars were virtually cast aside. This translated to a surplus of old cars that could be bought for practically nothing, and people who were looking for cheap transportation grabbed them up. Most of the buyers were young men who were in high school or trade school or college, and the older cars simply could not match the performance of the newer cars. So they would modify those pre war era cars by replacing the engines and drivetrains and upgrading to larger tires that handle the added weight and power.

But again, they were on limited budgets. They would salvage engines and transmission from newer cars that had been wrecked, but body work and paint jobs were luxuries that few could afford. Quite often, a coat of dull black primer was all a car would get in the way of a custom paint job. And many of the old cars were simply driven as is, surface rust and all.

The rat rods and hot rods were products of the times. Money was spent on engines and other mechanical upgrades. Paint, body, and interior was way down at the bottom of the priority list. Many parts were fabricated by hand because there was no aftermarket support. So the rat rods we see being built are tributes to that era, an era when people had little money, but were rich in ideas and ingenuity.

Today, we can bolt together just about anything imaginable. Parts are available from an endless number of aftermarket suppliers.But I think the real talented people were those of the post war era who were the pioneers of the contemporary hot rod and restoration industry, the people who had to build from scratch!

I am so sick of the "Rat Rod" crowd and cars it makes me puke. I ignore the cars and drivers at all cost now.
So you need to show how creative you can be at building a pile of CRAP? That does not show any talent at all, it just shows you are a hack.
A guy who has a work in progress has more talent the the rat crowd.

Gear heads that can actually spell "maintenance mechanic" get the rat rod scene. :D

rat rod is just a trendy term to describe a certain type of car- they used to be called "beaters". in the old days, they were works in progress that used whatever parts they had on hand or could get cheap- these days, people go out of their way to make them look like crap and use outdated parts on purpose. sometimes, it costs a lot of money to make a car look that cheap.
and then there is the uniform of the rat rod driver- greased back hair and those funny looking bowling shirts from the 50's.. what's up with that? why would anyone dress up in a costume to make them look like they were in one of the gangs in West Side Story and drive around int heir POS cars? i just don't get it..

Remember this, all the Chip Fooses, Boyd Coddingtons or Vic Edlelbrocks
of the world learned from the older guys of their day. Not a single one of us woke up one morning knowing how to weld, fabricate, or do body work, or any of the hundreds of other chores necesary to rebuild chevelles.. Remeber the first small or big block you took apart..the first bracket you welded, the first glob of bondo you put on? Most likely you had watched someone else before you do it, and thought, i can do that. Whats the old saying,"experience is still the best teacher".:thumbsup:

Remember the first glob of bondo you put on?

Andy don't! That was too many globs ago!:D

Boy, by that definition Cuba must be full of rat rods! :)

Thought I'd throw a post in here. My family is full of old gearheads. I have 5 uncles on my moms side, a uncle on my dads side and my dad and grandfather as well as numerous others that are gearheads. It amazes me how much these guys can do and how much you can learn from them about making things work. I had the pleasure a couple years ago of working on my cousin's 1919 and 1923 model T's that were completely original and were bought locally new that he got from the original owner. It was definately a learning experience to help him work on those as most the stuff had to be made for it. I guess what I'm getting at is I'm 24 and it kills me to realize that none of my generation including myself will ever be the people that there generation's were. My dad doesn't have any college or even a high school diploma and neither does my grandfather but they owned and operated one of the largest concrete/construction crews in North Ga. back in the late 70's and 80's. To now building turn key frame off cars and operating a storage facility for evidence involved in court cases. Sorry for the rambling. But I agree its amazing to see what the real old school guys are capable of with some simple and basic tools.

I am so sick of the "Rat Rod" crowd and cars it makes me puke. I ignore the cars and drivers at all cost now.
So you need to show how creative you can be at building a pile of CRAP? That does not show any talent at all, it just shows you are a hack.
A guy who has a work in progress has more talent the the rat crowd.
I agree for the most part... I REALLY like "traditional" hot-rods, and even weathered' vintage looking hot-rods. The ones I can't stand are the ones that are intentionally built to look like bigger piles of crap than what they started with. That's not what traditional hot-rodding is about... it's a fad that can't pass soon enough.

Hot rodding began at the end of World War Two when the car makers began turning out new cars once again, following years of producing military hardware for the war effort. Since no new new cars were built during the war, people had to hang on to their old automobiles that were built in the 20s and 30s and try as best as possible to keep them running. Hot-Rodding began WAY before WWII. :yes: Model T "speedsters" were very common in the 20s and into the 30s. Most of the "hot rodding" done then was just to get a car as light-weight as possible, removing everything they didn't absolutely need. Engine mods at the time were very basic, such as shaving the head. They all kept their stock Ford 4-cyl because they were cheap and easy to build/maintain.

and then there is the uniform of the rat rod driver- greased back hair and those funny looking bowling shirts from the 50's.. what's up with that? why would anyone dress up in a costume to make them look like they were in one of the gangs in West Side Story and drive around int heir POS cars? i just don't get it..At "Car Craft" a bunch of us were laughing at a guy all dressed up in his "greaser" outfit wearing a black-leather jacket on a 95 degree day... we lauged even harder when he turned around and we saw "Kawasaki" written accross the back of the jacket. :D

What a poser!!! :rolleyes:

I had the pleasure a couple years ago of working on my cousin's 1919 and 1923 model T's that were completely original and were bought locally new that he got from the original owner. It was definately a learning experience to help him work on those as most the stuff had to be made for it.
Not any more. :noway: You can order just about anything from a catalog for the 17-25 T's. Restoration parts for those are plentiful. You can just about order the whole car new today.

My '23 was restored in 1967 and many of the parts on it were hand-built because there were no "repro" parts at that time.

A lot of this stuff really took off in the 40s and 50s when drag racing started becomming popular. Whatever it took to make more power and faster times. Most cars were solely built to do one thing, go fast, not look good. I kind of dig the look of some of those rat rods.

Not any more. :noway: You can order just about anything from a catalog for the 17-25 T's. Restoration parts for those are plentiful. You can just about order the whole car new today.

My '23 was restored in 1967 and many of the parts on it were hand-built because there were no "repro" parts at that time.

I agree with you and we did have a couple catalogs just my grandfather is 76 and just doesn't believe in it for some reason. Its just cool of how much he already knew to do with stuff around the shop without having to think about it. Our 1919 has a wooden cab that was built by a local lumber company that is now out of business. And our 1923 is a C Cab.

Our 1919 has a wooden cab that was built by a local lumber company that is now out of business. And our 1923 is a C Cab.

Are they "TT" trucks, or on "T" car chassis?

I fail to understand why if someone else's car concept isn't your cup of tea, why folks feel the need to diss the cars and their owners. Some of our crowd feel the need to validate who they are by what they drive and how perfect (in their view) they can make their ride. Those people need to get a life. Gearheads are gearheads, no matter what they're lavishing their skills and attention on. This hobby is big and broad enough to accommodate everybody. I get a kick out of wandering the car shows looking at non-chevelles picking up on ideas I can apply to my car. The old guys always seem willing to share what they know, and it's a pleasure to listen to their stories. These guys have a wealth of knowledge to share if we listen.

I fail to understand why if someone else's car concept isn't your cup of tea, why folks feel the need to diss the cars and their owners. Some of our crowd feel the need to validate who they are by what they drive and how perfect (in their view) they can make their ride. Those people need to get a life. Gearheads are gearheads, no matter what they're lavishing their skills and attention on. This hobby is big and broad enough to accommodate everybody. I get a kick out of wandering the car shows looking at non-chevelles picking up on ideas I can apply to my car. The old guys always seem willing to share what they know, and it's a pleasure to listen to their stories. These guys have a wealth of knowledge to share if we listen.

You said bluntly what I said diplomatically! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

I know a guy like that from my gym and he's a Ford guy. I know exactly what you mean by crude parts because he invited me over to his shop to help me make my throttle linkage for my 66. The whole process started out pretty caveman style but the finished product is a piece that looks as good as any that can be bought.