Thread: 17 hour build

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I agree 100 percent on the few making everyone look bad........heres some good viewing on that very subject,lots of similairities here.Hopefully they can come full circle like the kids in the video The more you exsplain it Dave ,the more I get visions of the kid in this flick
http://www.archive.org/details/CoolHotRodA

I like it. I'm an a fan of rat rods mostly because it's cheap though, i'm as clean cut as they come and stick out like a sore thumb around most rat-rod types. the car dosn't have everything just right for looks-but they wanted to do a 17 hour job so this makes sense, as far as quality goes? I don't know because I can't inspect the car in person. However, if they took the time over the last three months to plan this, and could do it in that short of a period, i'm sure it was at least half-way decent. I agree that crappy unsafe cars are uncool but I don't think the people that build those cars could have pulled off something like this in 17 hours.

So friggin' what..........................Its obvious looking at the body that it has no tranny tunnel and probably little floor in it now............

Pile's of parts before.....and not much better now. Just thrown into one pile.

What truly impresses me is how you ( hotroddaddy ) can still come here to this site and talk to these a$$ holes. You have a stronger stomach than I do.

Well, mighty nice of you to stop by and call folks names... We were discussing our opinions of the car and now you have to come in here and make it personal. So is this the new deal, if you don't like rat rods then you're subject to insults from those that do???? What a grand way to promote your interests!!!!!

I was originally going to stay away from this thread because I felt from the moment I saw it that no good was going to come from it. There was too much potential for it to just turn into the same old " I like rats.......I hate rats" controversay that we have seen time and time again. However, let me just say this about the build.

The man who spearheaded this event is named Austin, and he is the Administrator of Killbillet.com. I have participated in that forum since early last fall and although I am not a true rat rod builder, I really enjoy it because of the nice people there, and this includes Austin. From all of my dealings with him, he is a standup guy, and has created a very family oriented, fun forum that addresses a particular segment of our car hobby. I also enjoy posting there because the young guys are very hungry for knowledge about how to build a car, and the word "safe" comes up a lot, and they take each other to task if they see something that they feel is not properly done. This alone is a great change from some of the garbage we have seen in the past coming under the umbrella of rat rodding.

The event hotroddaddy mentions takes place in Las Vegas, and Austin thought it would be entertaining for people to see a car come together during the weekend event. It was not intended to be any different than when Spirit Industries built that T bucket kit during a show, or some car club does a demonstration of chopping a top at some event. It was meant to be purely entertaining, and educational from the standpoint of letting people actually see the nuts and bolts that it takes to make a car come together.

Is this a perfect car? NO. It is as barebones as they come, and in only 17 hours of work it could not be anything other than that. But it is an achievement to go from zero to running driving car in only 17 hours. It takes me that long to build a license plate bracket.

So, please just take it for what it is...........a little show put on for fun at an event. Do we all want our cars to look and be like this? Again, NO, but that doesn't make it all bad. Hotrodddaddy was just trying to bring another subject to the table to look at and have fun with, not to create another controversay. Let's take it for just that, please.

Don

Well, as a lot of us know who have been Hot Rodding actively the whold rat rod thing is another one of the fads that come and go in Hot Rodding. I've always set out to build a car that looks good, runs better, and is a dependable driver to take out on the steets and perpetuate the sport of Hot Rodding....

I'll stand by my reasons for disliking the rats and the image they present and remain resentful to those who choose to call us folks who don't like them names.... I will also never understand why someone would intentionally build something that looks bad.....

As for a 17 hour build, no big deal to me. Only shows a complete lack of attention to detail which to me is what separates Hot Rods from showroom stuff.

A quality Hot Rod doesn't have to be full of store bought billet, I do like the ones that are full of home built quality components. Do it yourself, make it safe, fast, and aesthetically pleasing is what the majority of Hot Rodders strive for. Era correct cars are kewl, and show some of the history of Hot Rodding. I just can't for the life of me figure out what good rat rodding has done to the sport other then get more people involved. Fortunately, a lot of these guys build their rat, then move on to other project cars done with more attention given to a quality car that shows the builders true craftsmanship, fabricating skills, and innovative solutions to just spending more money!!!!

Dave, I think in one sentence you summed up one good thing that rat rodding has done..............it has gotten more people involved in the hobby. These are mostly younger guys and gals who have limited financial resources, tools, and knowledge, and yet have a burning desire to have a hot rod to call their own.

Kinda reminds me of ME when I was their age. I bet a lot of us fit into that same description way back when. I built some horrible cars before I started to get the hang of it, and ruined a few along the way. That is how we learned.

I already see the rat rod movement evolving, as some of the members on that forum are asking questions about how to make something better, safer, or prettier.

Don

yup, and that is the one redeeming value the cars have. I just hate to see abilities and capabilities sacrificed for following a fad... A lack of money is really not a reason. I've been broke, too. But I've never allowed it to effect the quality of my work. The easiest way to overcome the "all I could afford" syndrome is to work harder, get a better or a second job, and set out to learn more and apply the knowledge and the $$$ to my build... To me it comes down to what kind of person you are. Are you a dedicated Hot Rodder or not?... Kind of like the Kamikazee pilot who flew 28 missions. He was involved, but not dedicated!!!!!

Kind of like the Kamikazee pilot who flew 28 missions. He was involved, but not dedicated!!!!!





Don

This car does NOT shame hotrodding! What a rediculous accusation! This is what hotrodding is all about. I applaud those guys! They have spirit. Some of us apparently pretend we are artists and reek of self sophistication. A hotrodder is one who hotrods. That's all there is to it. I bet they had the time of their lives. I live in Washington and wish I could get ahold of them.

Ok,Daves analogy is much better than mine was...............
Are you dedicated or committed.. .good stuff!!!!!
My take was not soo much what they built,but the fact that they were building instead of destroying,you never know this may of been the mock up and the ride is gunna get blown apart ,painted and look perfect or they may drive it like this forever .....who knows.
But I do know they were not getting into trouble or getting anyone else in trouble which seems to be what most are doing nowadays.
Maybe 20 kids went down that sidewalk that night and saw something that got them started in the field of cars from that build...........maybe 20 people stopped and talked to them and found out not all traditional rodders are rude beligerant whisky drinkers.
Anyway heres part 2 of the saga.........
http://www.archive.org/details/CoolHotRodB
Ya need to watch the first one to better get this one.

Good points shawnlee, thats all i was getting at guys, these young guys came up with an idea, planned and followed through, plus had lots of fun in the process, i bet they get major mag page time for this, plus they will make a fortune off the dvd proceeds, and like shawn said, maybe 20 kids will get inspired to build because of these guys, and i promise with the right media backing, this car will go down in hot rod history no matter what condition its in. Doubt me if you want, but im making my prediction now!

Ok so what have we learned from all of this?

Those who liked rats before the posting still like 'em, while those who didn't, still don't.

I personally don't really care for rats, it's not really my cup of tea. I choose to go a different route and spend a bunch (in fact, an excessive amount) of money buying all new parts or rebuilding everything because I want it to last a long time. I also have learned enough over the years that I don't want to have something break on me halfway between origin and destination. I want it reliable X 2.

All of that being said, I would also say that I think what they were able to accomplish, based on the pix, from start to finish IS pretty damn impressive for a 17 hour time frame.

No, it's not a looker and obviously isn't going to be taking a bunch of trophies or go for a pretty penny at Barrett-Jackson; but, I think it's pretty obvious that's not exactly what the builder had in mind.

There was a mention in a previous posting that there was no apparent theme involved, I respectfully (and I really mean that) submit, that perhaps, the theme was a 17 hour build. What I mean by that is, take a pile of parts and 17 hours later, have a running, driving car. Not a show winner; but, a running, driving car all the same.

I wouldn't do it, because it's not what I like, but I also know, and will readily admit, that I couldn't do what they did in 17 hours. I also would have never had the balls to drive it the 20 or so hours that it would take to get from Vegas back to WA. Not unless I had a damn good back-up plan to get home. My hat's off to them for that.

As for the safety aspect of it, that is something that should have been (I'm not saying it wasn't) the #1 priority IMO. I'm not talking about the safety of the driver/passenger here, because if somebody wants to turn themselves into a greasy spot on a road, that's up to them and there will most likely be nothing I can do or say to stop them. I'm talking about other drivers on the road. If it wasn't safe, it shouldn't have been out there.

Originally Posted by Kermit

This car does NOT shame hotrodding! What a rediculous accusation! This is what hotrodding is all about. I applaud those guys! They have spirit. Some of us apparently pretend we are artists and reek of self sophistication. A hotrodder is one who hotrods. That's all there is to it. I bet they had the time of their lives. I live in Washington and wish I could get ahold of them.

Well, in my opinion it does... I don't pretend to be an artist, just a hot rodder. That accumulation of worn out left overs is NOT a hot rod.,,,,,,, As far as getting hold of them, look at the trailer in the build pics, the website is on there...

I guess I'll never understanding how hurrying through a project and ending up with something that crude deserves merit.... IMO it makes about as much sense as seeing how many people you can fit in a phone booth!!!!