Thread: Describe your Rat Rod project here.

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Sorry Kid!

Now Dan, I want you to get a map of the good ol' US of A. Find Solomon, Kansas............................THAT'S the middle!!! Now I know why you didn't have any G in the description of yur skuulin'!

O'tay Bob, I know there's a big area on the other side of this river that I live next to (called the mighty Miss-a-sip), and I know you guys (including Kansas) are on the other side of it... OHHH my gosh, I'm on this side of that river with Streets! Maybe I need to move a little closer to the "middle"

Dan J

I think Rat Rods are more in the line of what we used to call Jalopys!!!

I tend to believe some of the "Rat Rod" Image was started by groups such as the SoCal Shifter's Car Club , who think of themselves as a throw back group... Below is a photo of a car known as the Purple People Eater built and owned by Mark Izardi... This car has gotten it's share of press throughout the last few years and has become a Rebel Rodder Icon... For more on the Shifters and their style of Custom Culture check out the links below...

Dave Brisco

http://www.hotrod.com/thehistoryof/53221/

http://www.purplepeopleeater.250x.com/home.html

http://www.aeclassic.com/shifters/

http://www.realgoneracket.com/

I try not to say much unless I feel that I can offer some help to someone, but I have to put my $.02 in on this one. I know that I'm probably going to piss some people off in the process but here goes.

I have no problem with Rat Rods (whatever the definition) as long as the cars are built to be safe. Juice brakes or no brakes doesn't hack it. The same with plastic fuel lines and no floors. If you want to build a period correct or "traditional" car be my guest, but don't compromise on safety!

Like I said it's not the Rat Rods I mind its the "Rat Rodder" lifestyle that really bothers me. Call me old fashioned but I've always believed we are walking advertisements of our character and the way we dress, speak, and act is a very good indication of what lies inside. The tattooed to the hilt, 115 mph down the interstate, beer drinking bad boy persona that slams anything that isn't "traditional" is not acceptable and is definitely not good for the hobby. We've spent many years shedding the "bad boy" hot rodder image created in the '50s and some (not all for sure) of these guys are hell bent to send us right back to the ranks of societal outcast.

If you want a primered, chopped and channeled Model A with straight pipes (with baffles of course) running a Nailhead then more power to ya, as long as you build it safe. If you want to live the lifestyle that’s fine too, just don't come whining to anyone when the local constabulary slams the door and throws away the key after you've been picked up for doing double the speed limit.

Some of us have outgrown the need to prove to anyone that our testosterone level is higher than anyone else’s. That's what happens when you start thinking with the head on your shoulders instead of the other one. I guess it comes with age and maturity.

OK I'll get off my soapbox now.

centerline...i dont understand, you said juice brakes or no brakes dont hack it.... i may be a bit slow but what kind of brakes do?

i have '48 linclon bendix brakes on all four corners of my rod, 12x2's, same basic design used on camaros, chevells,& tons of other cars...even today!! so what brakes do i need to be up with society standards??
i even upgraded to larger wheel cyl, and a bigger hudson master cyl...still not good enough?? i dont drive it the rain.....

i have tattoos, and a greased ducktail, but i dont drink...im i still not good for the hobby????

Thanks for the advice centerline. I don't have brakes or a floor in my roadster. I was going to use the Fred Flintstone method to stop it but thanks to your input I may reconsider this if the F/F system don't work. Who sells brake lines for a 31 Ford? I can' find them in any of my catalogs. I'm still not convinced that I need a floor. It is after all an open car. I'm not really trying for a "good boy" image but I can wear long sleeves to cover all the tats.
UR what U wear.

I expected as much.

First off mechanical brakes are dangerous as are Juice Brakes (single reservoir master cylinder circa 1940's). And no brakes on the front (as very often appear on "Rat Rods") are the most dangerous of all. Only an idiot would believe that antique brakes mixed with high horsepower make a safe vehicle.

Second: You obviously failed to comprehend the meaning of my post or to state it a little simpler; you missed the point entirely! If you want to use your skin as someone else's canvas, go for it. If you want to consume kegs of beer who cares. Neither reflects poorly on anyone, providing the individual acts in a responsible and respectable manor given the societal standards we have set for ourselves. However since both can, both statistically and historically, be associated with reckless behavior (beer more than tattoos) and when you combine them with actions like driving 115 down the interstate then you fit the mold and in my opinion you are not good for the image of our hobby.

The people I'm talking about are on the fringe of street rodding and you know it. Those of us who drive street rods, tattooed or not, beer drinkers or not, don't need the aggravation caused by reckless individuals and the kind of press they bring.

I'm generalizing here only to make a point. Unfortunately the general public is much quicker to generalize. One idiot in a hot rod has an accident while being stupid and kills some innocent person (or family of four like I personally witnessed in 1966) puts a black mark on all hot rodders in the public's eye. It doesn't matter one bit that for every idiot driving a hot rod there are ten thousand sensible people driving them. It's the perception that those hot rodders are dangerous and should be banned that may eventually kill this hobby.

Today the older segment of our population has more political clout than ever before, and these are precisely the people that will jump to this kind of conclusion. If this fringe behavior, the ("Rat Rodder") lifestyle increases, it is very conceivable that we could easily be legislated right off the road.

Ojai Rick, Do not leave this forum. Your ride rocks. The old farts still thrive on what testosterone they have left. They need the challenge you givem. These discussions of personal issues were not the focus of the string though, but I guess necessary. If this string gets too hairy, perhaps some other strings could be started such as "my issues with the rat-rod thing" , " elite skools back east" or "cool hot rod tatoos". But I'd rather see photos of antique and cool, edgy rods. Thanks to all who post them. I believe those who have oldtime unfinished hotrods are legitimately insulted with the rat-rod label. MORE PHOTOS and descriptions please!. Tell us you're not a rat-rodder if necessary.

"The old farts still thrive on what testosterone they have left."


Kid, if you ever want to make it to "Adult Dearborn" you better watch out with cracks like that!

Centerline, you're right about the image thing being a fragile item. SEMA and NSRA work pretty hard to try to keep legislators from "going over the edge" on imbecilic regulations. All we need do is look at our feelings about SOME of the ricers and see how that colors them all. As for your comment on "juice" brakes, there may be a regional thing working here that some of us don't understand. The term "juice brakes" originated from the introduction of hydraulic fluid (thus juice) as a replacement for cable or rod and crank actuated brakes. In those days they only had the single reservoir. Once 1967 came along and duals were mandated (production cars) the term continued as a reference to hydraulic brakes because they are still a fluid system. So everyone I know still thinks of any hydraulic brake system as "juice brakes".

Richard, don't forget, Wellingtons were an alternative to the pointy toed "roach killers". Just depended on what part of town you were from. I love these old memory ticklers.

C/L
Okay I lied. I don't have any tats. I do drink beer though. It's better for you than Mountain Dew, Coke or Pepsi. I don't think anyone blames the all hotrods for the acts of an individual. Those narrow minded people who do are now a minority. There's no way a movement to ban hot rods would suceed or even be taken seriously in today's enlightened society.
Most of the tragic accidents caused by street racing involve newer cars not the pre 49 hot rods. I could drive to Boston and back every day for a year without seeing a hot rodder do something stupid but I would see a lot of idiots in modern cars. If you think young guys in hot rods are a problem you are living in the past buddy.
I know my buggy spring suspension and drum brakes ( I plan on hooking them up) can't compete with a modern car anywhere but on a dragstrip. And I'm afraid my 4 cylinder Porsche could beat my 312 Y block with tri power in a 1/4 mile drag race. I know it can beat a stock 350 Chevy.
Kid D I think you started the most popular thread on this forum even if it's not going like you wanted it to. I for one don't mind the debate. If we all agreed it would be kind of boring. I'm not hurt or offended by other points of view. Maybe I'll just call my car an unfinished 50s style hot rod instead of a rat rod. I didn't know that rat rod meant it was a s#!+box. I thought it was another harmless label like street rod.
I can understand why some people think they need paint to be accepted. I have a mint 69 Cadillac that needs paint so I won't drive it till I have time to paint it. Same for my 65 Stang 2+2. The roadster somehow doesn't fit in that category so I'm thinking of keeping the rust finish as a badge of honor. I have too many paint jobs to do already. In fact I gotta get out to the garage and do one now so I'm outta here.
AL

Here is another Jalopy photo...

I think this thread is very interesting, but of course I am the "trouble maker" of the group!!! Don't worry, Streets will keep reading and posting to this thread, no matter how many times he says he won't... OJAI, sounds like you've spent some time engineering your break system, this is the kind of thinking that seperates you from the "rat rod" crowd that Centerline is reffering to...

Our different personalitys are what makes this hobby so much fun, and interesting... Hot Rods are a form of self expression and styles are as varied as the people that build them...

I enjoy them all!!!

Dave Brisco

I THINK YOU GUYS HAVE FIGURED OUT, I AM FROM SO. CALIF. LAND OF NO RAIN (YA,I WISH) I KNOW THE SHIFTERS AND ABOUT 10 MORE CLUBS DEDICTAED TO OLD STYLE HOT RODS AND WE ALL DRIVE THESE THINGS ALL THE TIME....

WHAT IM GETTIN AT IS, HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU READ IN THE PAPER THAT A HOT ROD MODEL A WAS THE CAUSE OF A FATAL CRASH, OR RAN OVER AN OLD LADY & HER DOG, OR HIGH SCHOOL KING & QUEEN LEFT THE FOOTBALL GAME DRUNK AND ROLLED OFF A CLIFF

YOU DONT....HELL HOW OFTEN DO YOU PASS ONE ON THE ROAD ON ANY GIVEN WEEKDAY???

BUT YOU DO HERE ABOUT FATAL ACCIDENTS DAILY INVOLVING
" BRAND NEW SAFE CARS WITH ALL THE SAFTY EQUIPMENT KNOWN TO MAN"

ACCIDENTS ARE GONNA HAPPEN TILL THEY BAN ALL CARS, SO IM SAYIN GET OFF YOUR KICK ABOUT HOW SAFE YOUR "STREET ROD" IS BUT HOW UNSAFE RAT RODS ARE...(YEAH I SAID IT, STILL HATE THE TERM) ANY CAR IS ONLY AS SAFE AS THE DRIVER, IVE SEEN THE NO FLOOR,NO FRONT BRAKES,PLASTIC FUEL LINE CARS THAT DRIVE HOUR & HOURS TO GET TO A SHOW WITH OUT AN ACCIDENT, IVE ALSO SEEN (HAPPEN TO A FREINDS SISTER) A BRAND NEW SATURN HIGHSIDE ON A CORNER AND ROLL INTO A TRUCK KILLING HER.....

SO GET OFF YOUR F*#!'IN SAFTY KICK, BUILD A BITCHEN OLD STYLE HOT ROD YOU DONT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT AND HAVE SOM FUN......

I really love the look of these cars. I would tend to want to be on the safe side, but I love the appearance. Not to mention, you don't have to worry a bit about chips & dings, etc...

This one runs around Olympia, and I think it's pretty sweet.

There's a hole in the floorboard to use your feet.

He's got a harness.

Oh, and a radar detector.

Nothing but safety there man.

I was kidding about the holes in the floorboards.