My name is Len. I live in Oakland, CA and am Restomoding a 65 Mustang but am constantly looking at ratrods for the next vehicle. I have 3 requirements:

1. It must go into Parking Garages
2. I can put my Scooter in the back for car shows
3. It needs to have enough leg room. I am 6'1".

The next issue becomes "what makes a vehicle a rat rod?"

1. Is a rat rod just a "ratty-rod"?
2. Does painting it flat black make it a rat rod?
3. Does taking off fenders make it a rat rod?
4. Mexican Blanket?
5. Low to the ground?
6. Shoddy workmanship?
7. Low budget, unfinished?
8. Primer and rust?
9. Swirly Paint?


After doing some research I found 3 sites of interest:

1. http://honolulustreetsmagazine.com/autoshop.html
2. http://wikipedia.org/
3. http://www.billetproof.com
4. http://www.turlockswapmeet.com/

After going to high dollar car shows such as Goodguys, Hot August Nights and Cherries Jubilee to low budget car shows -- Billetproof, Turlock SwapMeet, etc and everything in between, I think that the best definition for Rat Rod can be found in the Honolulu Streets Magazine above.

It is generally a pre-49 vehicle that probably was pieced together with a lot of dismantler parts probably from a lot of different vehicles with great ingenuity. As street machines indicates a lot of the people into those vehicles did not have much money and pieced the vehicle together with whatever they could find. More Power to them!!!

The vehicle may not have door panels and is generally in an unfinished state - permanently. It was probably done LOW BUDGET

I can show you a 29 Ford pickup bought for $5K with $5K put into it.....Total moded vehicle. It looks like a "Rat Rod"

I can also quote from Craigslist and Traderonline and EBAY --- "Would make great ratrod project!"....The bottom line is that the term "Ratrod" is frequently misused...It has developed mostly with the last 6 to 7 years to mean whatever you want.

Is the Honolu Streets Magazine a fair definition for ratrod?

Len Trimlett -- www.smogrfg.com