Equal time complaint: The bad side of Rat Rodding

I Am New Here, But Really Old At The Car Hobby. When I First Started, We Drug Home Whatever We Could Afford And Adapted Whatever We Could Find For Cheap To Put Together A Neat, Safe To Drive Hot Rod. This Was The Way In The Late 60's, Early 70's Era. Then , In The 80's And 90's, Along Came "mr Gold Chains" Who Paid Someone To Build Him A Car Or Bought The Best Running Car He Could Find. These Guys Killed It For Me. I Dropped Out Of The Rod Run Scene And Saved A 59 Ford Convt. From The Crusher. I Put The Thing Back Together In Mild Custom Style And 21 Years Later I Am Still Driving It. The Thing Would Probably Be Called A Rat Rod Today, But It Was Not Inteded To Be. I Guess My Point Is Build The Best You Can Afford, Keep It Up, Keep It Neat And Clean And Don't Worry About What Others Think! Just Have Fun And Enjoy Your Toy!

I am 22 years old, and my father couldn't change out a battery if you held a gun to his head. I fell in love with cars the first time I rode in a buddy's Chevelle. I WAS NOT alive when these cars were new and yet I love them to death. My Falcon is my child. I have made more mistakes in the process of building her than I would ever admit too. I have learned all by myself what to do and how to do it, through research, and countless mistakes. I don't have a "friend who knows cars" I have pages and pages of articles on how to do just about anything on a car, and I have trial and error. I don't make a whole lot of money, so what I have "laying around" gets used. I had a 89 Toyota, so I stole the seats, EBrake, and stereo. I had an old 302 laying around, so that is going in. I have a buddy that didn't need a 9" so that is going in. I found a 460 in a guy's field, so that is my future project. The point I am tring to make is that I, like the rat-rodders, use what I have. The thing I sets me apart is that I am trying to make the car look better (in my eyes), but then again, I'm sure that's exactly what those rat rodders are doing too...

I agree with most of the comments. I can appreciate the look but not big on stuff built in shops for high bucks by those that have it!

I am not big on scabby rat rods but like the ones done right. I see some that I wouldn't even drive. Bare metal and edges hanging out all over the place. Heaven forbid you should get in an accident, get you head sliced off.
And why would anybody drive a car without seatbelts? If you want different get airplane ones but get something.

Bought my first car in 1963 in high school. 1928 A coach. Have had scads since then, lost count.

I like new stuff, like old skool, like safe rat rods, like muscle cars, like the 09 Challenger, everything has its place.....as long as its safe!

Not a big fan of Boyd but he had talent, his shop foreman was an a hole. I am a manager and if I treated my staff like that I would be fired! I think the show did Boyd more harm than good but that was probably the producers not him.

What I do hate is what B-Jackson has done to the hobby. greedy sob.

I may be off base but I think a street rod is pre 48 built in a moderate fashion w/out all the billet, TQ's and shiny stuff. Close to traditional.

Doug

I really have to chime in on this
I am 60 years old, I have built a few cars. I really like the Rat Rod scene for what it stands for. Build them and drive them. Yes there are units I would not start much less drive. But it got to the gathering under its own power and not on a trailer !!!!. 25 years ago I dropped out of the Hot Rod scene because of the Bucks up guys who would pay someone $$$$$$$$ to build them a car. Kinda like when I was in school and the doctors kid drove a 63 Vette to school and I drove a 53 Ford wagon. They know nothing about the car other than it has some kind of Chevy motor. Granted the Rat Rod guys car may not be what we think is safe but I'll bet he can tell you about every nut and bolt that is on the car.
As you can see from my picture I drive a Hot Rod - A real Hot Rod!!!!!
Fuzzy

No rat rod is any more unsafe than a motorcycle.....at least thats how I look at it.

Originally Posted by Fuzzy Knight

I really have to chime in on this
I am 60 years old, I have built a few cars. I really like the Rat Rod scene for what it stands for. Build them and drive them. Yes there are units I would not start much less drive. But it got to the gathering under its own power and not on a trailer !!!!. 25 years ago I dropped out of the Hot Rod scene because of the Bucks up guys who would pay someone $$$$$$$$ to build them a car. Kinda like when I was in school and the doctors kid drove a 63 Vette to school and I drove a 53 Ford wagon. They know nothing about the car other than it has some kind of Chevy motor. Granted the Rat Rod guys car may not be what we think is safe but I'll bet he can tell you about every nut and bolt that is on the car.
As you can see from my picture I drive a Hot Rod - A real Hot Rod!!!!!
Fuzzy

You might have missed it ... But those same guys are in rat rodding. There have been a few that have "paid" people to build them a rat rod.

The point, at least in my mind, is wannabes and shirkers are going to gravitate to whatever is popular. There will always be that poser that will buy a finished hot rod and that’s not all bad. Think about this way - when you got rid of your last project, someone bought it. Likely, if he was from out of town, out of state or out of the country, ... you can bet that whatever is wrong with it was the fault of the previous owner and anything that is good about, he changed or fixed…. ‘least, that’s his story, and whose to dispute it?

I didn't waste any jealousy over those kids that got a new 'vette, BMW or Shelby just because of a lucky combination of XY chromosomes and rich parents...they were butt wipes before they got the car and were generally worse butt wipes after they got the car - the good thing (and I am being kind) is those cars don't last long before Mr. “BMOC” either wrapped it around a telephone pole or takes it to an idiot mechanic that either can't work on it or worse, starts stripping parts off it, right under their nose.

If you don't know what you got, it’s real easy for someone to feed you grade "A" BS and make you like it

I don't wish ill to any one that takes the time and effort to build a car that reflects his style and his budget. Nevertheless, it does rather irk me when a rust bucket with no floor, no brakes, tie wraps and coat hanger equipped driver, uses the excuse of "starting a revival - to the old days of Hot rodding" as an excuse to hate folks that want a civilized ride, if not a perfect ride. Then gets mad if those same people his is putting down, do not want to let them in the club. Most every car club has some kind of rules about keeping to some kind of standards – that’s the whole point of a club, to have people in it that share common values.

Not many 4X4 clubs are gonna have too many Low ridder cars on display. Neither will you see many Fords in a Chevy car club (well that might not be true, since Chevy folks seem to get some kind of obscene pleasure out of sticking their engines in anything with wheels

I don't think any car guy has "hate" for Jay Leno or Tim Allen. Even though they didn't build everyone of their cars in the garage from the ground up - they still had crediblity as a "car guys" in my book