Thread: Rat Rod is a Rat Rod?

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Having grown up during the age of Hot Rods and Muscle Cars, the term Beater or Rat Rod meant a low cost amature street rod, thrown together in some dude's garage with the badest power plant they could afford, but little else.

It seems many of today's "Rat Rods" are Hollywood or Disney versions of beaters. Namely a high dollar professionally built Hot Rod that has been maded to look like a beater, but still has many of the features of a pure custom Hot Rod.

Now there is nothing wrong with this and artistically these are damn hot rides. But I feal we should come up with different term orther than Rat Rod. Or maybe we should note the difference between Beater and Rat Rod.

To my poorboy pocket book way of thinking a Beater is badge of skill - making something out of trash. Hot Rod and Rat Rod is a badge of artistic ability and cash.

But that is just me!

Although I don't like rat rods generally, at least some of the ones I have seen, I agree that they are a category unto themselves. I think that there should be a term for the 50+ thousand dollar car made to look like a rat rod. don't you guys in the community have a derogatory name for guys that farm out all the work? just like HD riders call the richies that just buy the bike all done up and only ride it on weekends or trailer it from town to town "R.U.B.'s" Rich Urban Bikers.

The truck that we are working on the guy did as a rat rod, mechanically it was sound and done right, but cosmetically other than stickers on the window he didn't do anything. Heck, it even has old street signs inside on a couple of spots, old school.

Red

Welcome to the forum Ivan. Those two little words, "Rat Rod" have probably caused more contoversay than the investigation into who killed JFK. As soon as you write them, people start lining up and arming themselves for the battle that is sure to happen. I hope this thread doesn't go that direction, as you just asked about the application of the words, not whether we like them or hate them.

You are right. The word is overused and has now become synonymous with any car on four wheels. If you look under rat rod on Ebay, you will see every kind of car imaginable being described as such. It no longer matters if the car is trashy, painted, old, new, etc. people have latched onto this term, and it is the first thing many say to describe a vehicle. Even people who do not know a Porche from a '32 Ford know those two words. It is simply overused and misused way too often.

Now, since we are on the subject. I think rat rods are evolving......at least a segment of the genre'. There are some rat rods that are still clinging to the hardcore, built without regard to generally accepted methods and materials school of thought. But I see some new thinking happening among many people who like this art form. Many rat rods are starting to display building techniques that create a safe and dependable rod, and I like that new trend.

I am a member of a rat rod forum, and was on another up until recently. I have learned that most rat rodders are no different than you or me, and simply found a type of car that they really relate to. H***, I like them myself, although I personally find it hard to leave a car in rust or primer. But I like the spirit and creativity of them. Over the past year of being involved with the rat forums, I have learned a couple of things:

A) Some rat rodders will never change. They wear the "in your face" attitude like a badge of honor, see themselves as outcasts and rebels, and don't care to learn a d*** thing. I saw more on more of these guys coming onto one forum I was on, so I bailed out.

B) Most rat rodders are everyday joes, with jobs, families, decent morals, hopes and dreams, and the willingness to learn new things. They do not have any anti-social issues, and can play by the rules. The forum I now belong to is made up of group B, and the word "Safety" comes up in every discussion relative to building a car. These guys and gals like this art form, and lack of paint and some rust do not bother them. But they are very proud of their ability to take very little and turn it into something that starts and goes straight down the road. They are doing it the way their Fathers did, with their own two hands.

Lots of the members are heavy hitters, with professional shops that turn out some really well done cars, and some are simply hobbyists, like me, who like to play with things made of steel.

Sorry to get off track a little, but I wanted to say that not all rat rodders are out there building deathtraps that are going to take our hobby down the tubes with them. They just choose a different look cosmetically for their works of art. Soapbox is put away.

Don

I have tried to muddy the waters a bit while building mine. It is a home-built hot rod that used a field-fresh, rusty body (no fake rust here!). Even though it is a ratty body and is built with recycled parts, I am trying to make it look like the build was planned.

My dad calls it a rusty street rod instead of a rat rod.

"A rose by any other name would still be a rose." Great looking truck, whatever someone chooses to call it.

Don

I think the words "rat rod", is a 21st century word, coined by the latest class of people getting into cars. When I was coming along (back in the stone age of the 50's), they were Hot Rods or Customs. There were no "Street Rods" or "Rat Rods".
Most of what I see classified as "Rrat Rods", they have the old patina look, but billet engines and suspension, etc. In the 'old days', we did not want rust of suede paint, it was because that was best we could do at the time. We got rid of the rust and suede paint just as soon as we had saved up enough money to paint them. We did not take hammers and hit our car, or sand to metal and poor water on it to make it rust.

Jack

rat rods again? i choose to arm myself with a musket!

Some of you have watched me build my truck, how would you classify it, rat rod street rod or what?
Ken

I guess I'd call it "yours". Titles and catagories are nothing more then a waste of time and a point of contention. Wish we could just stick to calling them ALL hot rods!!!!

Thanks Dave, that's what I call my cars. They are real tire burning Hot Rods. But you know when you get old things change, just checking.

Originally Posted by gassersrule_196

rat rods again? i choose to arm myself with a musket!

Might I suggest this Rev War Fusil (yours for only $4,500 )

The first time I saw the "rat" term used was in a bike mag, in the early '80's. It was a rusty old Harley with new tires and a blanket seat cover, with a screwdriver for an ignition key. Ratty!
I agree with the guys who say, "chuck all the silly names, a rod is a rod!" A Renault Dauphin with a Porshe engine is still a hot rod!

That is my understanding too, that the term rat came from the biker crowd, and the rodders adopted it.

I saw a term the other day I had never seen. Someone called those shortened, fenderless pickup trucks "Rudy" trucks. Does anyone know the origin or meaning of that term? They also referred to them as "Bobbers" which I can sort of figure out to mean they are "bobbed" shorter.

Don

Some of you have watched me build my truck, how would you classify it, rat rod street rod or what?

One word comes to mind - SWEET!!!

I think Hot Rod says it all, but I agree with SBC, "Sweet" fits very nicely

Jack