How much work until its not a rat rod?

You can call my car anything you want. I don't give a shit.
If someone's words upset me, then I'm the pussy, not them.

Who told you to get all wrapped around the axle because of some completely irrelevant doofus' choice of words?

I hope I'm dead before I get so oversensitive and politically correct.
I have better things to do besides be fixated about wordsmithing the way people who mean nothing to me express their thoughts.

 

Post some pics when you can. I'd love to see them.

 

I will try to get some pics up within the next few weeks. As far as getting pissed at someone over a few choice words, thats was not really the point of the post anyway. I was just trying to see what you cats labeled as rat rods.
Cheers

 

I think that my car is still a rat rod. the other day a piece of headliner fell down and this was underneath. I think that it looks cool and I might leave it there.

 

What's in a name. Are you building this truck for yourself or for the masses. If it's for the masses then you need to just buy somethin. If you are building it for yourself it is about the Love of Cars not a silly name.

 

Traditional, i hate the term 'RAT ROD" its by those that don't know, I've had my cars call that term and it really pisses me off, there are those people building a POS's just to emphasis the trend in shit that just down grades people like us that are building traditional Hot Rods , different class of people, just a bunch a of "wanta be's" that don't have a fuck## clue what it is all about . My 2cents....

 

Hey wait a minute, what if I want to run a RAT engine in a 41 Studebaker type M? That's always been a rat rod to me. Mouse motor, Rat motor. I grew up with drag race terms, I'm behind the times . When I call it a Rat Rod, I mean it! That 396 under the hood is a freaking RAT and that's my Rod.

I figure the guys that don't give a crap, building something that they don't care if it looks good - patina or not- are the ones to take offense to if they smart off. Otherwise, I would assume they are ignorant like me.... It took me a while to figure out what guys around here were taking offense to with that word. Quality! If someone is being a dick about my work, I'd take offense to it. If they are truly admiring it, then be proud of what you did and know they think the same. I

 

tell them it's not a RR, it's a jalopy.

should be fun

Anyways, if you build it so it generally looks like a RR (whatever that may be) then you will always have lots of folks calling it a RR. If you don't want the label, then build it different.

 

Heh! Heh! Heh!

 

You will always find someone who will call a hot rod a rat rod, either out of ignorance or malice. By using the term, some will be trying to compliment your work and some will be trying to denegrate your work. After 62.5 trips around the sun, I've discovered that the only opinions I value (regarding hot rods) are my own, and those of folks who I think "get it."

 

It's been covered before but which is better-

Hey, nice rat rod!

or

Hey, that's a cute dune buggy!

 

Famous last words before the argument starts. Among the people I know who are into rodding and have been for a long time, a rat rod is now designated to a POS car that isn't sure WHAT THE HELL it is. It's not traditional, it's a piece of shit that got thrown together by someone who wanted to be a part of a group of people who were having fun. The owner usually has little to no skill at fabrication or anything else. He just thought it would be cool to be one of those guys. His excuse for shoddy work and a lack of knowledge about hot rods will be: "This is how they were done in the day." He will use that to validate the death trap. They are found unloading their POS off a trailer a few miles from the event because the damn thing is so unsafe. They will tell you how quick and fast it is, but will never produce a time slip. They'll swear that they built it themselves, even though you saw it on Egay the month before.

Should you be offended? Yea, but no words are enough to fight over. Check the source and walk away. Chances are he drove to the event in a mini-van with his ole lady and four kids and he really doesn't know any better.

 

a million dollar street rod in primer is a rat rod to people who dont own or know rods very well. the term gets thrown around way too much and people dont really know what it means.

 

You are SO right..... these guys seem to really "get it" ...... Link

Everyone seems to have their own version of what a ratrod "supposedly" is.......

 

Evidently, they do.

 

tell them to get off your dick the only reason they know the term is from fucking tv or mags . its a car u built its just an old car thats the name for it just like a honda is a car thats a car or truck
done

 

Boy you got that right. A well known muscle car freak around here took one look at my 55 Chev as we were talkin about the car and I said something about the finish body work that it still needs. The car is flat black with the body work roughed in and doesn't look bad and he says well thats ok it's a rat rod anyway.I 've known this guy for at least 30 years and was ready to pop his dumb ass

 

I work in a car museum in germany. Last week we had some guests from the good ole´usa.They were in their mid 40´s or so ,not really carguys, just tourists. We talked about cars and they asked me what kinda car I´m drivin´.I mentioned that I´m building a traditional 27 roadster with wirewheels and a flathead V8 in it.
Guess what they said ? " uhm, you mean a RATROD ?"

 

Insecure...are some of us?
its just a word. two of them, rather. All this wanting to punch someone for not being privy to our world, and its associated terminology...( which, by the way, is ALSO ever changing...because, now the buzz word is "Traditional", 5 years ago "Rat Rod" didn't anywhere near carry this kind of contempt, and if you were there, you KNOW it. yes...you DO. ) even if you did not like it then, it was not stigmatic. Who F-in cares?!

My friend...at a cruise in the other day, said my rat rod was real cool...I said, "yeah, man...thanks."

He meant it as a compliment, so...I tryed to explain to him what the general intonation of the words had come to mean, nowadays...

what a bunch of dicks...If its meant as a compliment, try to enlighten, maybe...or maybe...just take whats supposed to be a compliment.
I mean...damn.

parrots...lots of parrots...

 

I would say that to there are alot of people that learned the term "Rat Rod" from TV... honestly, be polite, but completely discount what they say. You and your peers are the only ones that really matter. If you want to avoid the Rat Rod moniker build your hot rod safely & traditionally with the term "less is more" in mind at all times. If your pickup has skulls, a spider web grill covers, mile high shifters, tasteless murals, bad or over done pinstriping... not to mention if it's unsafe, poorly designed or just a rusty POS that was too far gone for even a HAMBer to build - you have a built a Rat Rod.

- Joe

 

Jalopy term used in the 50's and 60's for rat rods of the 90's and 2000's. seems things never change. "Jalopy Journal" with a name like that how does anyone not take this forum as an open forum to all types.

 

Maybe instead of getting pissy when someone says it you should be productive and reply informatively.

"No, this isn't a rat rod, this is a hot rod. The difference is that I took the time to really research and select my parts, my car has a true vintage style to it with my own personal touches, and it's just as much about safety and style and it is performance."

Instead of being a dick, be a source of CORRECT information.

 

you´re right !!
well, that´s almost excatley what I said to my guests in the museum !

 

I think it all boils down to what a person means when they call something a "rat rod". In this forum rat rod is a derogatory term. to the high dollar rodder who had his ride build by boyd coddington, rat rod is probably meant as a derogatory term as well. But, to grampa down the street that builds what he would call a street rod, "rat rod" might be the term that he knows for "traditional hot rod". A "rat rod" to him might be a fenderless pre-war car with no billet or the latest wheels.

Hot rod is also a word that takes different meanings when used by different people.

 

If grandpa is any where near 50, he knows what a hot rod is and wouldn't give a damn what you called his car. Heck, he may even give a lesson or two on the subject. If yer lucky.

 

-Bad design=rat rod

-Shitty build for the sake of making a "statement" (hey look at me)=rat rod

-low buck build that takes correct design cues from the past=hot rod

There are reasons that some cars designs "work" and some don't. It is a mystical and magical thing when they do, and a kick in the nuts when they don't. Go with your gut. If it feels like a rat rod...it is.

My personal opinion: Fenderless, hoodless '46=rat rod regardless of shinyness of paint or quality of fabrication. Why would you pull of the pieces that make up the personality and complete shape of that model?

 

While I agree with most of what you're saying, Kirk, that assumes you had the pieces in the first place......or could find replacements after they were removed.

Tim D.

 

I like hot Rods.....period!

 

Kirk got me thinking... and searching.

This is a stock '46 Chevy.


What are you going to do with the grill? Do you have the fenders? Once the bed is bobbed it will look really tall. Are you going to run the stock headlights (long with the "swoop" bottom)? If you are going to run the stock grill - how are you going to deal with the bodyline that goes from the front of the hood into the grill - are you going to cut the front of the hood and use it to make a custom grill?

I don't mean to pick your project apart, but these trucks are beautiful stock or with some really basic modifications (lowering, maybe a small chop, etc).. Throw a 2x12 in the front and it would look killer out on the salt pushing something slippery.

- Joe

 

I have a street rod and a rat rod and the rat gets the attention.