WTF...Rat Rodzzzzzzzz?

that term sounds so pretty gay,and honestly, i think anyone who is ACTUALLY into building the things that we build dont SPEAK of our rides as RAT RODS...

...i live in the land that time forgot,and i still do my best to NOT call what i build a RATROD to people who dont have a clue what im talking about..

..ill say things like "real HOT ROD",traditional,stripped down,fenderless,and even "primmered black" but ONLY after that if they still look confused with out the slightest clue,then in a last ditch effort ill say rat rod.

i was reading a new magazine the other day and it seemed like they were more woried about the word "RAT ROD" than the actual cars that people are building.

i dunno,primmer is my best friend and i dig primmered rides,but at the same time im always trying to build the best car i can,,,not some rattle can piece of **** just so i can call it a RAT ROD....

just my 2 centavos

 

Had to skool our new 19 year old part timer o this term today

 

I found that "how to build a RAT ROD" story very informative! It captured the essense of "black primer, red steelies & 1000 Coop sticker" rod building PERFECTLY! All that was left ot was exactly how many PBRs must be consumed, how much Palmade must be slapped on & how big the PERFECT cuff is to reach RAT ROD NIRVANA! The "Highschool Hot Rod" was a thing of beauty- I would like to have seen the concept art that went with it- Detroit will be pumping out beauties like that in a few years just like when the original kustoms led the way in the '50s!!!

 

When I think of a "rat rod" I don't think of a primered car with red steelies and wide whites really. I think of one that was pulled from a barn, made to run again, lowered, diff. wheels put on, what ever and drove. Thats just my opinion though

 

I try not to think of the term at all...

 

I prefer"RUST ROD" ......kinda clears the air.

 

I'll second that. While some of these cars do deserve this ***le I would like to think that most of us are building reliable, safe, done right cars, with a little additude. I'm even getting tired of seeing black primer, I mean how can we pride ourselves in building such different cars that rebel against the high dollar cookie cutters, if all we are building is low buck cookie cutters. Now don't get me wrong i've built primered cars, and i will build others, and I still think black primer, red steelies, www, looks great, but come on guy's I know you didn't put all that blood sweat and tears into that ride to have it look just like a million others. Let's at least look into some different colors of primer, some are even tintable, make up your own color. I'm not trying to hurt anyones feelings, but lets mix things up a little.

 

I like both terms rat/rust rod. My car fits both, rusted with holes for the rats. Plus why use the terminology around people who no nothing of the culture ?

 

One name that makes me chringe is Retro Rod sorta makes me feel yack esp when they are talkin about my car the Rat i can handle but it aint a Retro Rat Rod
JR

 

I think the first rod name alliteration was Resto-Rod back in the late 60's-early 70's. It described a completel stock bodied car right down to th lugage racks and cowl lamps but with new car running gear and engines stuffed in without molesting the firewalls.
looking back on it I think it was the hotrod version of the Lowrider "bombs", 40s Chevy's with all the bells visors and whistles but with modified suspension, on them it was/is hydraulics.

It's poetic, and "cute" so peope use them, alliterations that is.

I would venture to guess there are people who only think in terms of Rat Rod, Resto Rod and Billet Car and they probabaly try to plug eeything they see into one of them because it makes them feel safe.

Oh, I forgot one... Mullet Mobile!

Don't worry about it, In a hundred years you won't even care!

 

Rat Rod to me sounds like something built by someone that doesn't care or know what they are doing. The whole thing snuck up and caught me off guard. My first real exposuer to it was at Hot Rod reunion 1998. It really put things in perspective for me. I was there to help on one of our clubs A/Gas cars and I couldn't stay away from the far end of the bleachers. Right in front of me was the real thing! Exactly the way it was when I started. No body did mail order parts. You alwayse used something that was free or cheep. You did the best with what you could get. The important thing was to have it running Friday night. Paint and chrome didn't have much to do with horse power, still doesn't. That trip in 98 made me drag out my old friend and go have fun with it regaurdless what it looks like or what I'm capabol of building. I've been involved in nearly every type of motor sports and nothing compairs to my primerd Coupe on the street. I call it and all like it Roots Rods because that is the way it was 50 years ago. If you had paint and chrome, you had rich parents or no girl friend. I love it, I feel comfortabol in it and it looks good on me!
The Wizzard

 

WELL SAID

 

I'm surprized that you guys are forgetting the old adage of history having a funny way of repeating itself...

The term "hot rod" wasn't coined by what we now call early day hot rodders... it was a term that the public used to refer to the deliquent young "rebels" that raced their cars on the street, "endangering the car weary public".

It wasn't until a young Robert Petersen decided to use the name for his magazine that people began to take it seriously... and even then it took quite a few years of effort to turn the name into something half-*** respectable.

Now I'm not wearing rose colored gl***es... I pretty much cringe when someone calls the Roach Rod a "RAT ROD"... and get even more defensive when someone calls me a "RAT RODDER"... I've built my fair share of cars over the years... and every one that I have built from scratch, with the exception of my Model A (it's not finished and painted yet) has gone on to win awards at car shows... but NONE of them even ever came CLOSE to gaining the amount of attention that the "compilation of used ****" that I built 2 1/2 years ago has recieved.

You might call it good timing, but I call it my 20 year old dream of building something from nothing finally realized after I had the knowledge and skill to see it happen.

The car runs faster than, and gets better mileage than most street rods (and I'm working on the way it stops ) and is just as reliable as any of them. The car also has more hand built **** on it than most street rods...

A funny story... I was at a Danville Dukes breakfast when a guy called my car a "RAT ROD"... His painted, upholstered and chromed car was sitting next to mine... and I responded "The only difference between my car and yours is a bunch of bondo and a little paint...oh, and mine is engineered a little better than yours"

He got pissed... so I said "I don't see a home made intake manifold on your car that looks as though it was cast at a foundry"... he then kind of saw my point and realized there's a little more to ol' Roachy than the "other" rat rods...

So do we continue to fight the fight... or join 'em 'cause we can't beat 'em?

My opinion is that there is going to be an even greater fraction between people who are into "tradional rodding" and "rat rodders".

The self proclaimed "traditional rodder" is more likely to be someone who started out appreciating inexpensive home built hot rods... but continues to improve his fabricating skills, with each car that he creates being better than the one prior. I say "self proclaimed" because a real traditional rod is defined by Mike Bishop's Old Bluey... a true nut and bolt restoration... I define the self proclaimed traditional rodders as guys who are clearly wanting to separate themselves from the rat roddders and the cars that they build... simply put, they are more informed.

Rat Rodders on the other hand are guys who actually LIKE to see big gaping holes of rust on their car... the butchery found on pieces of **** rat rods are things like torched holes in sheet metal instead of neatly cut holes and "monkey ****ing a football" channeled cars where the rails of the car are 2" off the ground while the car still has stock suspension... and don't get me started on the guys who keep their radiators and grill shells at stock height on these piles of ****.

I think I'm going to start my own clothing line called "RAT RODS ****"

Anyone care to join me?

Sam!

 

"Rat Rods" is for the wannabe's to hail the trendy wagon with.....

I've never liked the term. Always sounded a bit ****y.

I also hate using the term "Traditonal Hot Rod" 'cos it invariably invokes some ******/know-it-all to ask "well, what's traditional then?".......Ain't got time for that debate, seeing as I'm only a young guy and I don't know all the damn answers myself!

Can we cut out the damn labels???

 

I think the reason I don't like is is tha fact rich folks have coined the term for anything that's got less then 100k into it. Just as we insult the rich guys with "goldchainers" this is their new word for folks with cars on the other size of the spectrum. Don't like it. Low brow!

 

You're absolutely right Pedro,

I would rather drop the names all together... and just keep Street Rod and Hot Rod... that's enough for my vocabulary... but there's a mentality that has sprung up with the advent of the internet where "like minded" individuals gather... the good thing to come out of this is that we realize that we are not alone in what we like and find comfort in people who are into the same **** as us... but the down side is that we (me included) tend to psycho****yse every aspect of everything that we like. For christ's sake, take Von Dutch, Ed Roth or George Barris... those poor *******s are more popular now than they have ever been... and more people know more about them on more levels that we care to know... but as long as there are people out there that eat this **** up... the more rediculous it is going to get... the more fragmented it is going to get...

Realize my definitions are not your definitions... but I just see people trying to set themselves apart from one group to the next because they don't particularly agree with a small aspect of said group... the sad thing is, we're all in this together and the individualism that we strive to have in what we create is a double edged sword (sp?) that can separate us if we let it.

I've been away from my garage for too damned long.

Sam.

 

[ QUOTE ]
I would venture to guess there are people who only think in terms of Rat Rod, Resto Rod and Billet Car and they probabaly try to plug eeything they see into one of them because it makes them feel safe.

[/ QUOTE ]

people need to have a name for them,

they, the "Rat Rods" are not "Street Rods" as currently defined.

they are "Hot Rods" but, that term can apply to anything hopped up,

they are not shiny or store bought, they are a little crude, hand-made and ratty;













I don't care what you call them,

just make them safe and don't let the name "Death Rod" stick.

Paul

 

I want to step back to the point where JimA talked about when the original customs lead the way for the industry. This isn't intended to be a big dust-up, but I think it's good opportunity for injecting some perspective.

The old conceit that custom cars drove the styling trends of the manufacturers in the ‘50s is as naive today as it was each time it’s been expressed in the past.

One has to do no more research than examine the styling direction of the industry to see that it was headed in the opposite direction at a fierce pace.

While the customizers were simplifying shapes and surfaces, industry designers were sculpting and adding surface interest with attached details. While most customizers skewed the aspect ratio of turret-to-body in the direction of compressed turrets set on fat bodies, the industry headed in the opposite direction, increasing the volume and gl*** area of the turret relative to the main body m***.

Just as significant as the changing shapes, was adornment, reaching its zenith about 1958 with bright bits on every panel, plus large areas of matte-finished metallic appliqués on the flanks of most models of just about every line in the US industry.

Earl, Teague, Lowey, Darrin, Buehrig, Farina, and Ghia had a far greater influence on American production car styling and design in the ‘50s than Barris et al. Kelly Johnson’s Lockheed “skunk works” and Dutch Kindleberger’s design team at North American Aviation had a much greater influence on production car styling and design in the ‘50s and beyond than did our best-loved, popular customizers.

The irony of all this is that the current-tech bar-of-soap cars we all disdain are far closer to our ‘50s ideal in terms of aspect ratio, shape, and clean slippery surfaces than the actual production cars that evolved in the ‘50s and later. What a pisser that is!

 

my rat rod is a 92 olds cutl*** calias turbo quad 4 - i got 100 bucks in, not to pretty not to nice, but i can smoke most damn near any thing that comes along, within reason , and still strap on the boards and make the 500 mile trip to the coast when ever i want. to me its about taking any thing thats not suposeto, and make it suposeto. that makes the owners of those hot little imports and mustangs wonder what the fu#$ they spent 23k on.

 

Amen..exactly how i feel.

 

i think the term rat rod has to exist what else would we call all the pos cars that shouldnt be on the roads problem is the definition is confused , anything primered or not prisine automatically becomes one also, what ****s is

when a few of these p.o.s. cars finally self-distruct and kills someone we will all be lumped into the same catagory, who knows what will happen then, people should make an effort now to slap some sense into the people buildin stuff thats unsafe or eventually we'll all be ****ed!

 

before there were rat rods, long before, there was rat bikes. if only rat rods, and their owners, were only more like rat bikes...

rat bikes are ugly as hell, generally with all kinds of **** hanging off them, but they get you there! made to ride.

its really too bad that "rat rods" got off to such a bad start, cause everybody should really have one. to go along with their nice finished rod or custom.

 

Somehow or other....we need to figure out a way to blame **** Reynolds for it....yea!....Let's blame **** for the Rat Rodder term.......

Hey ****, let's see some pics of that..."lowrider" 56 Chevy of yours...

 

I am with SamIyam and everyone else who HATES big rust holes in the body work and UNSAFE engineering.....
DAMN rat rodders! Stupid ***es are gonna ruin it for the rest of us!

What are the current trends based on anyhow? Where does all this celebration of the UNSAFE come from?
Why back in the past they ALWAYS made things safe and well engineered.

I guess its just like everything else....the old days were better and the members of the older generation were saints. Damn hooligans nowdays have no respect.

Look at this guy. I know this is a new picture. It simply CAN'T be a picture of the old days! Nobody back then would have built such an unsafe "rat rod"! ....Damn PUNK!

 

[ QUOTE ]
I am with SamIyam and everyone else who HATES big rust holes in the body work and UNSAFE engineering.....
DAMN rat rodders! Stupid ***es are gonna ruin it for the rest of us!

What are the current trends based on anyhow? Where does all this celebration of the UNSAFE come from?
Why back in the past they ALWAYS made things safe and well engineered.

I guess its just like everything else....the old days were better and the members of the older generation were saints. Damn hooligans nowdays have no respect.

Look at this guy. I know this is a new picture. It simply CAN'T be a picture of the old days! Nobody back then would have built such an unsafe "rat rod"! ....Damn PUNK!





[/ QUOTE ] the **** buckets we are talkin about dont look that good..... i dont think **** kraft would even think of driving one around the block......besides get out your magnifying gl*** .inspect that pic! i see very stout wishbone brakets , i see a seatbelt i see a fairly decent constructed RACE CAR , i dont see anything that will break off at the whopping 70mph that thing probely did on the closed course drag strip the only person it will hurt is the driver when it rolls,, enough of that happened back then too ...mandatory roll bars.....cause and effect ,my friend...enough scabbed together rat rods break and take out enough bystanders on the freeway.what do you think the effect will be...

i know hot rods are supposed to be rebellious blah blah blah, if people arnt going to build a car that is safe on the road(built sturdy) they shouldnt be ****in with them PERIOD..... get out the hair greese, make sure you do up your pomp nice and tall, give your jetta a nice fresh suede paint job, dont forget the red wheels and go talk with your buds about the latest tats you got, that would be a much better use of their time

 

I'm a little confused.. I thought the whole genre of hot rods, customs or whatever were built on the concept of guys making a unique, modified car that was different than the next guy's. Each guy built it with a bit of himself attached to it.
You have guys trying to fit things into a certain category, and sorry to say, you go to Goodguys and bring your rod thats not all "goldchainered" out, those guys will poke fun at it.
Take real people like we're supposed to be, and a guy has something he literally created from junk, as my dad and all his friends did, and it fits the part of being "accepted by you as being a hot rod" then it should be in there..
I fully understand the safety issues and not everyone should "build" a car. But if a car is safe, but a little tatty looking, why crumb on the guy? Not everyone has the $$ or the luck of finding good cars that some guys have..
It almost seems like some of you really care what someone else thinks about you or your car.. I grew out of that in high school..
I guess if you don't like it, don't ride in it, and if you don't like what's coming at you, get out of the way!

 

Maybe you all have a huge problem with crazed "Rat Rodders" out there in Cali.....If so, then I apologize for poking a little fun at the situation.

I just find all the hair splitting funny. I mean SamIyam is making fun of gaping rust holes when the Roach Rod (correct me if I am wrong) has a nice shotgun blast pattern in the side of it.

So rust holes= BAD ...... Real bullet holes= Cool and "in the Know"

Fellas, SLOPPINESS ****S. That is universal.
STRONG powerful and fast are good. Thats about as far as one should take it.

Hahaha "get out your magnifying gl*** and look at the seat belt"....hahaha

Oh yeah, it looks real SAFE to me! ha haha.

Later,
JT.

 

You obviously ain't a "real" rat rodder ****... you cain't even spell PRIMER!

 

i hate the word. its sound like the word all the posers use or something. I call everything a sled, kustom, or hot rod. Nate

 

Is it really a big deal?
they who knows,knows.