Thoughs on this "Rat Rod"?

Crush that piece of shit !!!!!!!!!

 

i like it.

 

i saw build something with them as well, but I am in agreement with a lot of the guys here...on a budget, or cheap, doesn't mean crap...Safe yes, but I walk past a lot of these cars because they are all melting together...just like the "boring street rods" you mention....Get creative with these kids, and finish it, then the students who want to go further into body/paint, engine, mechanics, etc will have some kind of base...

 

Is he just welding that frame right on top of the new back half? Scary

 

Lots of useful input here. I taught 18 to 24 year-olds for few years, and we built and competed in the cr-mo tubed, and Al framed cars they welded.
You mentioned Rat Rod.
You may have suggested, that you seek to inspire, and encourage the student(s).
Rat Rod is a capitualization. It acknowledges that ugly, is somehow art. How sad to begin, with a built in contradiction. IF, and this a is a significant IF, you were part of the rod movement before the cubic bucks, the magazine spreads and the high-roller cars, you would know that there were no boring, ordinary street rods. Each car showcased the skills and resources of the builder. Clever builds will trump money, but one has to be able to see beyond the shiney and the superficial. The cars and builders mentioned express something that cannot be comodified. It is original art. I trust that your students would give their all, to be a part of such a project.

 

Hey, is that guy flippin the "bird" on the site that tossed me for bad language (they called it "potty mouth")? FUNNY!

 

THANK YOU ALL! Enough rust already

 

Wow it is so odd for me to read this and think that I am on a car fourm. You sound like a bunch of bickering kids about this idea. Thats fine if you don't like the rat rod look. I know I asked for your thoughts, but to say "crush that car".....You sir are way out of line. I stand back and look at 100's of cars all year long. I like them all, some more then others. I want to pass on the understanding that you do not have to build a car just like all the other ones you see. I have a group of kids that do not come from a high buck end of town. So I want to show them a option that they themselfs can actuly do in real life. I will tell you flat out that these guys will not be driven to build a $30.000 street rod. I do believe there is a art to building a car from a big pile of parts, and not hiding all of it with paint and chrome. But thats just me.

And you guys have to take the time to read that guys post, nothing on that car is final. It is still in mock up. Don't cut him down for doing it his way, and doing it in 1/4 of the time it took us. You watch the pics in the next two weeks, I think you will all be surprised.

 

I'm not defending anything, but why weather the roof insert piece "down" to match the body instead of bringing the rest of the body "up" to match the roof insert? Why try and build a pile of rust? Why not at least teach the young to TRY and better the project? Just curious

 

You asked opinions about a Rat Rod, and you got some really outspoken ones...


Sounds like you are trying to find a cool project for the kids to work on, and learn some skills.

Good for you, man.

If you have to call it a Rat Rod to get them interested, thats OK.

As long as you teach them how to lay a nice weld, take out a dent, build a safe car...

 

Right ON! My sentiments exactly...........

 

Look, I'm way more into kustoms then I am into hotrods so the only reason I even read this thread is because my wife is a high school teacher and I was stoked to see that some kids were going to get a chance to build something cool instead of learning how to pull dents on a 1982 Citation. It only took me about 40 minutes of looking at this site the first time I logged into it to know two paramount things, 1) These are about the most passionate group of people about traditional hot rods and kustoms that I've seen so your going to get some passionate threads and 2) They HATE the word rat rod. So your first post was starting off on the wrong foot. Let me just address a few things about what your saying that I don't understand.

Well, the problem with that is that's what "Rat Rods" are now, the new fad and now they are just like all the other ones we see. I go to a show and I see more cars that were built to look like rusty hell then I see nice traditional rods.

My wife teaches in a very poor district herself and I truely feel your pain about motivating these kids to get involved, but you can still build a car just like the one in the link but instead of sand blasting stuff so it will rust faster teach the kids to have some pride in their work and put some paint down. Even if it's just spray bombed with 15 cans of rustoleum. I applaud your dedication to these kids and this project but it only takes an extra few hours and maybe an extra $30 for some spray cans. I'll even donate the $30 if you want. Low Buck does not mean rusty.

Rolling a car out of the barn that has been sitting there rusting into oblivion and getting it running and driving it seems cool (to me). Or having something that is rusty but running and driving it while you work on it is also alright in my book. But taking the time and effort to build something only to have is look like hell is something I'll never understand.

Search on this board, there are a TON of really great traditional hot rods and even some kustoms (The Space Herpie comes to mind) that have been painted with rattle cans.

Hope this helps even some and THANKS A TON for what your doing for these kids!

 

AMEN! And you perhaps insure that our treasures might also be around for yet ANOTHER generation to be enjoyed. instead of rusting away

 

Well Said! Kids need every chance to find their way. Projects and visions that speak to them mean a whole lot. Words carry different freight, or meaning, to different folks. Good luck, you're on the right track. Metalshapes and Groucho are part of the resources here, you'll find people generous as the paths are similar, to yours.

 

To sum up what everyone has been saying, teach the kids to build something the best that they can with their budget and ability.

The trend with the "contemporary" Rat Rod is to make things look worse on purpose. Instead of being/looking cheap or low budget, its to look cheap or shitty.

However with the time and budget constraints of working with a school, I don't think you'd intentionally be "downgrading" anything on what your working on, like this guy has.

 

killbillet-- i was amused by how serious those guys got when i accidentally blocked their video camera for .5 seconds while they were building they 3 day VLV project. Reminded me of a strange twilight zone episode of folks possessed by watching too much discovery channel and reading too much Old Skool Rods. But then again, im just the dumb fuck who blocked the camera-- while they were having a good time doing stuff on a car....

how about building a custom (call it a "kustom") ?? pick up a clean stocker, do some mechnical work to get it running well, do some body mods, lower it, change things around....

for low dollars you can build something that doesnt have to be a rat. Rust and rat rods are the same.... they both eventually disintegrate into nothing, and are thus worthless.

with kids, it's all about the roots your set in them. things grow from there. good for you..

-scott noteboom

 

Building a car well has nothing to do with which end of town you are from. It is just an excuse for accepting mediocrity.

You seem to jump from rat rod to street rod as if there is nothing out there except those two types. Read up on what this site is about; you will find out that both rat rods and street rods are not well accepted. You should have read Ryan's posting on the introduction page explaining this to you. "The HAMB is dedicated to spreading the gospel of traditional hot rods and kustoms to hoodlums world wide. That’s right – TRADITIONAL."

O.K. Now start over and tell us that you want to build a "Hot Rod" with your students and want some guidance. If you really want to encourage your students to build hacked up crap, you are at the wrong site.

Neal

 

I tell you what, I know only one thing from here. I will not teach my kids to have the BS attitudes that all you narow minded guys have. You guys are the problems on bored like this........

 

Make up your mind...do you want opinions or not??? If you're here to start shit,,,,which it definitely seems like you are,,,go away.

Bryan

 

How about teaching them grammar and spelling?

 

I dont think my responce had any BS attitude at all.

Narrow minded? As in liking a certain type of car and not liking an other?
I think we should be allowed to have our preferences...

The aesthetics of a Rat Rod dont do a thing for me.
But like I said, if you can use one to teach some kids some usefull skills, then thats great.

You might be able to get some of the next generation interested in Hot Rods.
And if you do,

Thank you.

 

What the Hell do thirty thousand(and counting) narrow-minded H.A.M.B.ers know, anyway?

 

The one over the top negative comment and you seize on it. ALL the others were constructive. I held my tongue as to the lack of quality. No more. You have copped an attitude about that one comment instead of addressing the constructive criticism. You are installing bad habits. Very bad unsafe habits. Showing kids how to build an unsafe piece of shit. You sir are what is wrong with education. Low buck does not mean shitty construction and crappy looks. Maybe next time everyone will just flame the hell out of you instead of trying to give a damn. You latched onto that one response and found what you were looking for. Now fuck right off....

 

Please don't keep the term "rat rod" alive. Rat Rods are gimmicks that will go out of style.

Build a simple hot rod the way they really did it in the 40s. They did use paint, and here are color pictures from the late 40s to prove it. (Post from Petejoe a while back...)

 

Maybe he just doesn't have the SKILLS (or is "dat" skillz, I forget) to show the kids all the aspects of building a "more finished" car. It takes a LOT more work(and skill) to paint a gloss black car then a flat black car. If you have never fitted fenders, you don't understand how much work is involved. Build the car anyway you like (or can) but don't ask our oppinion if you really don't want to hear our oppinion.

 

Lets give this guy the benifit of the doubt.

He is trying to do something cool for his students.



Thread closed because of the Drama....