So for a while there was a big movement to the rat rod culture. And there still is myself included. At one time the Rat Rod was what you could afford to build with bone yard pieces for cheap. Over the last few years I have noticed that the quality of the build on most of the cars has been excellent and are quality builds. So now I ask myself are they Kustoms, Street Rods or do we still class them as the classic Rat Rod. I know first hand the hours and the dollars that go into a build. Probably as much if not more than trying to restore a classic to original. Some of these cars are like art or they are art I am leaning to calling them Kustoms no rat's anymore. JMO
Rat rods are unsafe peices of ****! I use the term hot rods
thats a broad generalization, how can every rat rod be deemed unsafe? the truck im building is being certified 100 percent legit and will roll any inspection i guarentee. granted ive seen some heaps that wouldnt pass a cert in a million years, those are the rides being certified illegal and putting people at risk. theres hot rods as well ive seen that look like crap and shouldnt be on the road. these are the perceptions that make our hobby endangered.
Rat Rods is a term that to me means shoddy workmanship,and junk tacked on for shock value. Just cause a car is in primer and no chrome it isn't necessarilly a rat rod. Modfathers car is a custom [or Kustom]. If it was a 32 ford/model A etc. it would be a hot rod. Street Rods usually have bittit,more than one fan belt, and are painted like a easter egg.
The word Rat Rod .....to me..... = rusty unsafe POS.
Not all....but over time it have evolved from unfinished to....who can build the biggest POS
Gary Bakersfield, writer for Hot Rod magazine first used the term in the early 70's when he went to do a feature on a chicano car club in LA. when he got there he found the cars unfinished, in primer and "Well Used" In his article he said the cars were unique but kinda ratty in appearance.
Only in the last 7-8 years have they come on strong as the "Anti-billet-trailer-queen-$100k- undriveable-built-by-someone-else-dust-collector"
Some are sooooo far beyond that they classify as..."Art Cars"
Most people call my car a Rat Rod....even though it had full paint, interior, finished bodywork, excellant drive train and certifiable. Probably because it does not fit in any "catagory"
Personally.....if they are lookin at it...and its gettin me down the road.....its accomplished its function. What they call it....who cares ;)
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I agree Grump. I personally call mine a Traditional Hot Rod, as everything is painted and fits a theme that would have been built 60's-70's. By no means is it a show piece, Tremclad paint and all.
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I'm not one for specific titles ... hot rod, resto rod, rat rod, street rod, traditional rod, jalopy, whatever ...
When we go out, we take the "old car" just because that IS what it is, all these STUPID "rules" regarding "oh, it has billet valve covers so that makes it a street rod" or "the paint is dull, that makes it a rat rod" or "Mustang II IFS?, hell no, you can't call that a traditional rod" or "keeping all the original trim and not chopping it clearly makes it a resto rod" or "real hot rods don't have bagged suspension" is all just total BS to me.
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If at first you don't succeed you do have options ... lower your standards or just plain quit are the two I usually choose from :)
RAT is overused,,usually rusty and no paint job in the future..I have seen many trailered because there is no way they are streetable in Ontario. Few are really clever and dropping an old body on a s10 frame with no fenders is just butt ugly. But that's just my opinion. I drive an old truck
Stuff like that is just going to cause problems for all car hobbiests !! At least some rat-rods have a bit of artistic value, that car above is just for shock factor.
Stuff like that is just going to cause problems for all car hobbiests !! At least some rat-rods have a bit of artistic value, that car above is just for shock factor.
Agreed!
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Like pornography it's hard to define but I'll know it when I see it. Is my truck a rat rod, to the general public, yes. No paint, won't get any. But to well built to be a rat. Is it a hot rod, not really. Hot rods usually have a healthy V8. Is it a kustom, it's got lots of hand built stuff. To me it's custom built but not a kustom. It's got a fuel injected turbo 4 cylinder foreign engine, but there is no stupid stickers or 20" rims. Thus it's no a tuner either. Maybe I'll call it a Kustom tuned hot rat, just to cover all the bases.
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To me , If it's got Holes in the floor,[or anywhere else] tractor seats from the 40's, frt. end "glob" welded in, & chickenwire anywhere in the vehicle, etc then it's a POOR "Rat Rod" & certainly a POS that shouldn't be on the road!! I've looked at some of these last yr. at cruise in's & car shows!! Some are well engineered vehicle BUT "most" are 'truely" not fit for the road & the majority of these are running "HISTORIC" plates, that is a NO NO right off the bat!!! How some of these got their plates is a miracle, & the mechanic must have just "lost" his sight for a short time while doing the inspection for safety???? At least they could stop using the Historic plate cause thats going to kill it for the true users of these plates & it's a $5000 fine [Max] if caught, but as I heard "I'm screwing the Gov. out of their full plate charge" but your also "screwing " the people those plates were mean't for!!!!!
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To me , If it's got Holes in the floor,[or anywhere else] tractor seats from the 40's, frt. end "glob" welded in, & chickenwire anywhere in the vehicle, etc then it's a POOR "Rat Rod" & certainly a POS that shouldn't be on the road!! I've looked at some of these last yr. at cruise in's & car shows!! Some are well engineered vehicle BUT "most" are 'truely" not fit for the road & the majority of these are running "HISTORIC" plates, that is a NO NO right off the bat!!! How some of these got their plates is a miracle, & the mechanic must have just "lost" his sight for a short time while doing the inspection for safety???? At least they could stop using the Historic plate cause thats going to kill it for the true users of these plates & it's a $5000 fine [Max] if caught, but as I heard "I'm screwing the Gov. out of their full plate charge" but your also "screwing " the people those plates were mean't for!!!!!
Absolutely right on Pete.
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It's quite easy to tell the difference between a "Rat-Rod" and a "Custom" !! The Custom will pass certification.
given the amount of rat rods i see on the road, they are being certified and plated by people who either are doing a legit inspection or risking thier garage license and peoples safety as well. i think in my opinion i am building a rat rod as being my idea of a rat rod is a combination of different vintage and newer parts brought together to function as one unit using ingenuity and creative expression, i would agree slapping primer on a car and calling it a rat rod doesnt cut it. my truck will easily pass a safety as i wont be driving it if it doesnt, pretty simple. i would imagine getting a rat rodcertified would be difficult since most garages wouldnt want to get into such a vehicle but if you read the mto's basic requirements for a vehicle to be safe, its easy to see why alot of these cars are getting on the road.
I always thought in order for a car to pass certification it needed basic stuff like a windshield defroster, wipers etc. I don't ever recall seeing a Rat-Rod with either of those.
i agree with that, even old stuff from the thirties came with that. my truck only has driver side wiper which it will have and i have a heater and defroster, why would you not wantto have those things? we get some chilly mornings here which require a defroster for sure
I spent hours getting the defroster to work in the 52, has no heater [yet] but the def. works for the safety, & more time & $ converting the wipers to electric. Both my cars have passed the NHRA safety insp. at shows & both had "Legit" safety's when put on the road, as "fatstax" said I wouldn't drive it if not safe!!!!!
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it really does not matter what category you want to put any thing in the individual looking at it will call it what ever they want. Are Kustoms Low Riders or are Low Riders Kustoms? I dont care I like some but not others.
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I spent hours getting the defroster to work in the 52, has no heater [yet] but the def. works for the safety, & more time & $ converting the wipers to electric. Both my cars have passed the NHRA safety insp. at shows & both had "Legit" safety's when put on the road, as "fatstax" said I wouldn't drive it if not safe!!!!!
exactley bro, why people risk thier lives driving unsafe junk is beyond me, they must think they putting it to the man by driving a heap with no floors and tractor seats. i suppose when it comes to a saftey inspection its left to the opinion of the inspecting garage to deem what is safe. money buys opinions i guess
label this car whatever but it was driven to the show in St. Paul,,plated and insured but that's Minnesota,,,bet she does not drive it in the winter
that car is a joke, you have to remember the muricans also fought successfully to ride motorcycles with no helmets, nobodys going to take away thier god given right to spill thier melons all over the road after they wipe out
Im new to the game here, but I had no idea there were so many labels and judgement in the rodding community. I can see why the enthusiests are upset with those who drive unsafe vehicles around with phoney safeties, cuz thats just plain dumb. But whether rat rods are considered customs, or 'kustoms' or..whatever, to me, I think that anything that had to be creatively put together, with mods and custom fabs then...yes. Rats are customs....but that doesn't necessarily mean that they all fall into that category. It just means that there can be some sweet ratrods out there, and there can be some sh*te ones too...but hell...atleast they tried. That can be said too for 'hot rods' and 'kustoms'....i mean i've seen some hidious looking machines with god awful paint jobs, and wacked out body mods...Anything that was built with integrity, creativity and passion....to me...is a rod. Plain and simple. Luckily we can call a spade a spade, a turd a turd, and a hot rod.....just...sweet!
(hope i didn't step on any toes)
too bad opinions weren't like rods instead of a**holes....cuz then I'd have one too! :P
cheers!
-- Edited by Chance on Sunday 3rd of February 2013 10:56:35 AM
