A rat rod is a new name for a new style of the original hot rod of the early 1950s. Like its predecessors, rat rods are still hot and road appropriate but they carry the toned down façade of junk heaps.
A rat rod, normally an old car or truck has had many of its non-essential parts removed. They’re usually coated in rust (the desired mantra) or sometimes finished in primer or period-correct paints. They’re often a collection of parts of different makes, models and after-market parts. The label “rat rod” was first coined by the high dollar show car owners to describe the low end, homemade cars.
The typical rat rod is an early 1930s through 1950s coupe or roadster with the body adjusted to set low on the frame. The fenders are removed, they may have whitewall tires and big/little tire combinations, an exposed engine bay, perhaps homemade upholstery and loads of power.
Rat rods differ from hot rods in several ways. Rat rods are homemade, low-budget, one-time custom vehicles that are driven often and have many imperfections. Hot rods are now synonymous with the term “trailer queen,” a perfect show car that isn’t normally driven but exists solely for the purpose of display and is moved by trailer from one show to another.
Most rat rods are not high performance vehicles but are instead large two-door sedans with chopped-down rooflines, lowered suspensions and most of the trim work removed. Following are some basic guidelines used in building many rat rods:
CHASSIS
Because they provide a rugged base for ensuing alterations, frames from older cars or light trucks are the choice for the chassis. However, the maker will often design and build the frame himself.
INTERIOR
Interiors of rat rods are designed to be functional, not comfortable. They vary from fully furnished to the Spartan bare bones form.
DRIVE TRAIN
The most common engines found in rat rods are flathead V8s, older Chrysler Hemis or more modern small block V8s from Chevrolet. It is not uncommon to see straight-8s, straight-6s and straight-4s also.
SUSPENSION
The only type of front suspension that is commonly accepted is a beam axle because it looks best on a vehicle without fenders and open front suspension. Most rat rodders use a 1928-1948 Ford I-beam axle. While any solid axle is acceptable, the availability of spare parts make the Ford axle a preferred choice.
Rat rods have generally been around since the early 1980s but the earliest one may have appeared as long ago as 1972. Early owners were once considered disgraced but the industry has become so popular that it’s now even angering some upscale hot rod enthusiasts.
Many car shows are now providing space for rat rods since interest in them has grown to a feverish pitch. Rat rods are no longer a regional phenomenon – it’s becoming a national obsession. Much of the lure of rat rodding lies in the age of the participants. The rat rod group is decidedly younger than that of the traditional hot rod generation. Two likely reasons for this are that the younger generation likes the opportunity to do things differently than everyone else and they can do it for a fraction of the cost.
Whatever the reason, rat rods and their makers appear to be here to stay. As Kirk Jones, publisher of the Goodguys Goodtime Gazette, a hot rod magazine in Pleasanton, California put it, “There’s something much more romantic about [rat rods], getting on the road and driving 300 miles in this old car. It’s uncomfortable. There’s a question of whether you’re going to make it. And when in our world anymore do you get to have a real adventure?
Tags: performance vehicles, rat rod, rat rods
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