Does this look like F@#$%^& junk......

Here's how the public sees it:



Since it walks like one and quacks like one it's a duck. Hunters and ornithologists know it's a wood duck, but the public only tends to work in general terms. Like mercury Bill said, it's what they see on the Discovery Channel.

Keep working on it, make it safer and cooler as you see it in your mind, and ignore the idiots. It drives them crazy when you won't rise to the bait.

 

You know what they say about opinions; everybody has one, just like a--h----s. This topic is similar to riding a Harley; 'For those who understand no explanation is necessary, for those who don't understand, no explanation is possible'!

Isn't this the 'JALOPY' Journal??

 

Seeking validation could be a sign of confusion.

 

No matter how hard you work on it, it will never be like something that was built back in the day. in all the Old magazines ive seen, ive never seen full fendered truckcabs turned into fenderless highboys. maybe it was done once or twice, but im sure it had real hotrodders laughing for weeks.

 

even when its done there will be scads of people who have no idea how much work and effort have gone into it. Until someone builds a car from the ground up, they cant possibly know. DONT WORRY ABOUT IT

Its difficult for most of us car types to understand, but there are people out there who think of a car as basic transportation and only care if it starts and moves under its own power every morning. It is not a personal reflection of themselves in their minds, it is how they get to work. They dont want to know how an alternator works, nor do they care about more power or a certain look.

Part of the reason why most of us get irritated when someone comments about our ride in a derogatory fashion, is that it is an extension of us. That is in essence they are insulting US, the builder, the owner who has put countless hours of sweat equity into the thing just so it will move on its own.

Even amongst car types there are two different camps. One side believes that if it isnt shiny, it cant be good, dependable, fast, valuable, or desirable. They cant comprehend how the glossy ride they paid for got beat by a car that has more invested in the drivetrain than the body work, and its still a fraction of what they have in the shiny thing they have.

We all want acknowledgment from our peers, but still we build the car for us, not them. And there is nothing wrong with some validation from your peer group, provided it isnt the only goal you are after.

 

I agree IT's a RAT ROD and you should know the difference by now. Do we need to take a vote on here so it sticks in your brain??

They never did build them like that in the 50's and 60's

 

To me, its not really about them being built "back then". Its more about workmanship and proportions.

Most of the trucks like this that I've seen built just don't really do much either way.

I think it actually takes some creativity to not make it look like a wannabe dragster with a 2 foot long bed.

Truck just needs finishing, details add up.

 

I'd burn rubber in it!

 

I hate these kind of post!

Fuck'n Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Nobody in my one-horse town likes me? OR MY CAR???
Sniff,Sniff
Get some balls/individuality.
I like your truck.
But,
you dont!

 

i'm pretty sure you read into that wrong, i think my truck is cool, thats why i built it, thats not what i was asking, thanks anyways.

 

A little primer would go a long fuckin' way. Since when did people preserve the patina on their ditch found rusted hulks and expect to be respected by the general public?

 

Great potential.
I like the patina.
Fix the ugly ragged bottom edge of that grille, though.
And fix the safety stuff.
Then just drive it or paint it.

I like it.

.

 

You have a sense of yoomer and a pretty thick skin. That helps around here.

Being anti social and thumbing your nose at society might be cool and even be the flavor du jour, but it ain't hot rodding.

Keep on keeping on. You'll get there. Eventually.

 

It doesn't look loud enough to be a "hot" rod.
Having a full length exhaust with harley pipes,
no visible cutouts...just may sound a little timid,
ya wanna hear it before you see it.

If you can hear what the other guy is thinkin', somethings wrong.
TP

 

I've read the posts and you seem like a nice guy. But-

Hell yes that's a rat rod.

Rusty, unfinished, with lots of missing parts - it's a rat rod. Don't be so sensitive about it. I like the proportions and the build quality doesn't seem too bad. Just finish your truck so people can start calling it a dune buggy.

 

I think the major majority finds this stage of a mans work very
interesting. The few dumb asses don't really know any better, and
who cares what they think.....? I gravitate to your type of car because it to me is beautiful, as is. It is solid, and it runs like it should.
For now I would not get too unraveled with comments that don't suit. Just smile and move on from that.
Good luck with your venture. I Love it!!!!
Sandy

 

ok. so at this point in its build it's a rat.

This has been a good thread for me, as i got some opinions i needed (and a few i didnt) to hear, and this assures that it still has potential. good and bad is what drives a person to strive for better and in a case where one does not know sometimes from right or wrong during this process can help to lead them in a better direction. I probably didnt need to mislead the title in such a manner, but at midnight after a long day thinking isnt always the best, for that i appoligize, i will continue to build this thing that i had invisioned and keep fixin' and weldn' and yes some paint of sort till it becomes just a cool ass truck.

As always thanks for your support. Ryan

 

This is the only thing about your thread that I hate as much as what you hate. Just because someone doesn't like or understand your truck, they are not stupid. They probably think that you are stupid for driving your truck whether it is safe or not.
You seem like a cool guy in your later posts, but by using the F-stuff in your header and calling people stupid, you do yourself an injustice.

I have a beautiful stock 51 F1 pickup and if I parked beside your truck at a car show, the crowd would be around your truck, not mine. The question is, do they like it more, or is it like a train wreck, they are just curious.
If I ever meet you, I will buy you a beer and we can talk about it.

 

As an interested but non rod owning member in the UK I'm afraid I find cars like this very difficult to come to terms with. Just in case the owner gets bored reading through this I'll put my safety comment in here. You are asking for comments! Can I add that the panhard mounting bracket on the chassis looks as if it will tear off when you accelerate out of a bumpy corner.
I know rules vary from state to state but from what I see, none of these type of rods can be legal. In fact the owners don't seem to care about this at all. How can you insure and license an illegal car?How many of you have full risk insurance coverage? With a lot of rods of this type it looks as if the driver would have next to no chance in the event of even a minor traffic incident. Heaven help the kid who just happens to ride off the sidewalk in front of you. A reply to this might be "what if I'm driving a restored Model A" and an answer might be " you might be on the same chassis, wheels, tyres and brakes but you've got a engine with 10 times the power and 4 times the weight up front, Go figure"
I don't want to tangle with the guys here in the UK that build rods here that loosely resemble some of the creations approved of here but we have to build within a set of rules which don't have much slack. After building the car it has to be inspected in order to make sure it meets all the rules, try "incorrect radius dimensions on a body section", and only after it's passed that can you have it tested for the MOT inspection where very joint and connection will be inspected. Any rust within about a foot of a suspension mount will fail it. Anything that looks as if it might be weak and/or potentially dangerous. Brakes, lights, wipers etc. It'll fail on a bulb or a blocked driver side washer jet. If you are going to drive it to the initial inspection or the MOT it has to be insured. You'll have to pick from a few specialists. Ok you've got your insurance and MOT, now you can tax it for the road. UK devotees will now start to take things off the car or modify things like the fenders to improve "the look" which makes them a target for every policeman in the area especially if that extra muffler has been taken out of the system since the MOT. I could go on.......
I suppose leaving all this rust is part of a rebel/punk sort of one finger salute to authority but it's not something I'd want have as a "feature" on any car. Primer is fine where it never rains but I'd always be asking "when are you getting it painted?"
Having said all that, I envy your freedom, most of the time. A car should be safe and fit for purpose, in that order.
Drive safely, you can still enjoy yourself.

 

get that s#$t off the road, you are getting rust dust all over my Volvo HAHAHA j/K. Nice truck man, dont let the man get you down

 

Werd. Safety first.

 

Your title says it all. A few more weekends work and you could upgrade it to a ratrod. Your chassis looks great,BUT the rest is in need of cosmetics. $50.00 worth of spray bomb primer and sandpaper would do wonders. I can't believe you would crank it without gauges. The POS label will stick til you elevate it to Ratrod. It's not tradtional and will never be. Put some work in it,enjoy and ignore the labels. The attention it gets from the cops can only hurt all of us.

 

Looks way cool

 

Boy, I thought California was bad

SURE GLAD I LIVE IN THE U.S.of A. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

hey, when a rat rod gets rain on dont it rust even more, soon it will rust away

 

perhaps some people did, but they probably werent into supe ups... you neednt live through an era to understand, just pick up a book or talk to someone that was there.

 

The way I look at is style by decades. I will never use and have never used the rat word to describe a rod. What you have is a late 90's to 2000's rod, cause thats the popular style within that period,then there are 80's rods 70's rods etc. etc. Now a car built in the present to look like something from a different era is something completely different. If you are trying to build something that looks like its from a certain era you have to do it right...if your not trying to do this than just have fun with what you got and drive it to the ground...just my two cents
Lets put the "R" word to sleep.

 

If you look on E-Bay every other car listed is a rat rod even 1990's corvettes. It is a stupid public that does not know right from left even if you marked it on their hands.

 

This will piss everyone off... its stuff like this that misinforms the general public
http://www.nofearmotorsports.com/index.cfm?action=get_car_page&id=246

 

Sinister, I've said it before, I love the truck, Looks great. Im starting to get the same thing with mine, people driving by in a small town see my truck and the questions roll..... You keep up the good work and if I could come help out with some of that elbow grease id help you, but my trucks not on the road yet so i got to save the grease for mine for now...