Thread: Rides " Ratrods"

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Originally posted by Dave Severson
I've been at the old hot rod game about 40 years, and I try to learn something new everyday. Only a suggestion, but maybe you should try the same...

Dave, He hasn't had that "Oh, now I get it" revelation yet. I don't see it happening anytime soon edder'. He'll come around eventually. Problee' in about '40 years when a young kid comes along and tells him he hasn't learned a thing in the last 40 years.
Ah to be a fly on the wall then. And that day will absolutely come.


gassersrule_196........... Like I said before ...... I'm not pickin' on ya'. I't just tooo funny. You think you have to be right, Your not going to admit it, but in the back of your mind your wondering if it's possible we might be right .......... but there is no way your gonna' admit it. You will tho, out of frustration, lash back with name calling, that's a classic sign. It's not that we think we are better. Although that's another mechanism you will use to try to get the upper hand. Your gonna' read this and you will start formulating your witty relpy.
It will probably be more name calling, ranting, rehashing and so on and so on and so on............... An, it won't change a thing ................ the ONLY thing that will change your mind is time.

O.K. ..... I've held it in as long as I can. HE HE HeHE HE HeHE HE HeHE HE HeHE HE HeHE HE HeHE HE HeHE HE HeHE HE HeHE HE HeHE HE HeHE HE HeHE HE HeHE HE HeHE HE HeHE HE HeHE HE HeHE HE HeHE HE HeHE HE He.

It is a shame that youth is wasted on the young.
In the 40 some years I've spent tinkering on cars I couldn't begin to count the things I've learned from folks like Dave Severson, Henry Rifle, Bob Parmenter, and Tech to just name a few. Gasser, these folks and many others have probably forgotten more about cars than you will ever learn because of your attitude. Only time will tell.

If we could get back to the original TV SHOW subject, where the Choppers (not Shifters) car club were discussing the origination of the term "rat rod", I read a great article somewhere about Gray Baskerville (after he died) that he picked up (or invented) the term Rat Rod from the motorcycle world, where some hard core bikers were calling themselves "rat bikers" and building what they called "rat bikes" Anyone else heard that?

And if I may add to the steel vs fiberglass debate, I am not opposed to fiberglass as a material, I am a huge fan of Ed Roth and his bubble top creations, which were made of fiberglass. (I had the honor of meeting Ed at a car show before he died) Fiberglass also makes cool grille shells with canted quads and drawer pull knob grilles. I also don't have a problem with really expensive cars, if I had 50 grand to spend, I'd spend it on old cars, too. The reason I'm building my car as what will inevitably be called a rat rod is because I like the way they look and I think the style is very creative. Something really different. It'll have 4 brakes and a steel floor, but it won't have much paint on it and it'll never be mistaken for someone else's car.

Has anyone else ever used a GMC 305 V6 truck engine in an early roadster hot rod, or am I the pioneer? I won't be responsible for an SBC powered car, the best fit and finish and detailing will never make up for lack of creativity. That's what I don't like about some of the "finished cars", some of them seem so uninspired and just like everyone else's car. I guess there are rat rods like that too. Those are the cars I don't like, it ain't custom if it's just like everyone elses.

There are some who credit Gray with coining the term "rat rod".
I believe that was discussed in an issue of Rod and Custom.

There. I think that post was well thought out and hopefully expressed my opinion without offending anyone too much. But then again, I wonder if anyone will post a reply unless I really piss them off. As I've said before, even if you totally disagree with what someone is writing here, when was the last time you've felt so strongly about a subject and were so inclined to share your opinion about it? I couldn't give a crap about presidential debates but if someone is talking rat rods vs street rods, I'm hooked.

Yeah, NTFDAY, I subscribe to Rod and Custom, probably where I picked that up from. As a side note, Gray had a '32 Ford that he had almost totally finished, then he left half of a rear fender in red oxide primer, because he said "hot rods are never finished" I think if I ever did a full fendered car, I'd like to do that too, as a tribute

Also, I think gassersrule_196 does make some good points in his posts and obviously feels very strongly about the subject. Don't blow someone off just because he's young. I just hate to see that after all that debate about rat rods, Gasser has a "64 nova pro street" listed under "MY HOT ROD" Gasser, tell me about your rat rod project. I bet (hope?) you're building something really badass that would fuel your debate. You score points with me to be 17 and drive anything that doesn't have a 5" chrome exhaust tip and a 3 foot high aluminum wing.

72gtojudge
I don't think people are blowing him off, but his attitude leaves a lot to be desired. As has been stated, build to your taste but don't condem others if they don't agree.
Instead of this constant bickering I think we should have more concern for those that would kill this sport.
Also, it was said that the 32 roadster of Gray's was his only transportation. Takes a lot of nerve to exclusively drive a roadster in So. Cal.

NTFDAY - I bet it takes nerve to drive a roadster exclusively in Cali, but it'd take balls of steel and an electric heater to keep them from icing over to drive one all year up here in Wisconsin. I wish I could have met him before he died. You know you are a hot rodder when your obituary is four pages long and it's in Rod and Custom magazine.

TECH - I would also agree that nose up gassers look cool, and I bet with some imagination, it could handle reasonably well. Never as good as an on-the-ground car, but good enough to drive. I don't think cars with no front brakes look good, I like spoked Halibrands, but I think I'd walk right past a car and not notice if it had front brakes or not. Not one of those mods that jumps out at me. Plus stopping is good. As for the small block, I know they're the cheapest to build, great for racing, but pretty boring to look at in a car with no hood. Around here in Wisconsin, good running engines of all kinds that don't need to be rebuilt are availible (still in the car sometimes) for $100 or so and that's cheaper than building up anything. The engine in my roadster was given to me, even dropped off, for free, with a 4 speed trans still on it. Cali and the southwest is spoiled on clean sheetmetal, but us rustbelters have engines comin' out our ears. Anyone want a 501 Cadillac, a 302, or a '64 283? $100 each

a 302 chevy for a 100 bux hmmmmm damn good deal there.. got any pics of it?.........scooter

Never said the 302 was a Chevy, I have 2 of them, one from a Lincoln and one fuel injected from an '89 F150, both run good and have transmissions with them that need to be rebuilt.

ok, i guess you guys are right. maybe i shoudnt bash someone else if they dont love<like> what i do. sometiems i just get so pis*sed when people shoot stuff that i liek down it gets the best of me. i guess there are good tips and bad tips. and pretty much why not we all do what we want<like> and be happy

oh not a chevy 302 darn.