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(Redirected from Rat Rods)
"'Rat Rod'" is a style of Hot Rod or Custom car that imitates (or exaggerates) the early hot rods of the 40s, 50s, and 60s. It is not to be confused with the somewhat closely related "Traditional" Hot Rod, which is an accurate re-creation or period-correct restoration of a Hot Rod from the same era.
Most Rat Rods appear "unfinished" (whether they actually are or are not), with just the bare essentials to be driven. More recently however, a trend has arisen of making the vehicle appear "unsafe" or "scary", whether the vehicle actually is or not.
Originally a counter-reaction to the modern "Hot Rod", a label recently applied to rarely driven show cars and high-priced "customs". The "Rat Rod"'s beginning was a throwback to the Hot Rods of the earlier days of Hot Rodding, built to the best of the owner's abilities and meant to be driven. Rat Rods are meant to imitate in form and function, but not replicate, the "Traditional" Hot Rods of the era.
The typical rat rod (an early 1920s through 1950s coupe or roadster): Early (pre-World War II) vehicles often have their fenders, hoods, running boards, and bumpers removed. The bodies are frequently channeled over the frame, and sectioned or the roofs chopped for a lower profile. Later Post-War vehicles rarely run fenderless and are often customized in the fashion of Kustoms, leadsleds, and low-riders. Chopped Tops, shaved trim, grills, tailights, and other miscellaneous body parts are swapped between makes and models. Most, if not all of the work and engineering is done by the owner of the vehicle.
Recently, the term "Rat Rod" has been used to describe most any vehicle that appears unfinished or is built simply to be driven, without any concern for cosmetics, whether or not the vehicle would even have been customised or even existed during the early days of Hot Rodding. There is a trend in the Rat Rod movement that leans toward overly dramatic, unsafe, and exaggerated vehicles built for nothing more than to display their "Radical" engineering at shows, rarely driving or moving under their own power for more than short distances.
Many of these cars appear unfinished with primer paint jobs being common. Other common rat rod finishes include “patina” (the original paint with rust and blemishes intact), a patchwork of original paint and primer, and bare metal with no finish at all in rusty or oiled varieties.
Interiors of rat rods will vary from fully finished to a spartan, bare bones form. Mexican blankets and bomber seats form the basis of many rat rod interiors. Most are designed to be functional without many creature comforts although this will vary with the owner’s taste.
While most Rat Rods are equipped with Flathead V8's, early Chrysler Hemi engines, or more modern Small Block V8's of any manufacturer (Although Chevy is the most common), of varying displacements and modifications, there is quite a variety in the types of engines used. It is not uncommon to see straight sixs, four cylinders (Most commonly, those originally offered in Ford Pintos), V6's, Straight 8, or even diesel engines.
Most Rat Rods are built rear wheel drive, with an open driveline. Rearends are typically passenger vehicle (Usually S-10 or Maverick pieces), as are transmissions. The Ford Banjo rear-end is popular, as is the "Quickchange" type as used in many early hot rods.
A "solid", "straight", or "beam" axle, which was commonplace under most cars until the late 40s and under most trucks until the late 60s, but now only commonly found under modern medium and heavy duty trucks is commonly accepted as the only type of front suspension that will look right when exposed without fenders on any vehicle running with an open front suspension. Independent front suspension is discouraged, simply because it appears too "bulky" when exposed.
Most Rat Rods use a 1928-1948 Ford I-beam axle with a transverse leaf spring. Although any solid axle is acceptable, parts are easy to find with the amount of after market products available for the Ford I Beam axle.
Springs vary from coil, parallel, and transverse setups in the front and rear. Parallel is not as often seen as the more common single-spring transverse setup, although both are used commonly. Coil springs are often deemed unsightly without fenders, but are still occasionally seen.
Several aspects of the "Rat Rod" style are often criticized by fellow hot-rodders. Most notably is the amount of effort put into some (but not all) of these cars to appear "unsafe and scary", whether this be only cosmetically (Radically chopped, sectioned, or lowered vehicles), which is simply a matter of taste, or in the engineering of the vehicle (Bad welds, inadequate construction/materials, or in braking, steering, and structural components), which is a matter of concern. However most of these "unsafe" vehicles are never inspected, registered, insured, or street driven.
"Traditional" Hot Rodders will often criticize the "exaggeration" of some of the cars constructed following the "Rat Rod" style. Some vehicles or body styles would quite simply have never been used as a Hot Rod in the early days of hot rodding, yet they are passed off as genuine in modern times. Maltese crosses, skulls, and other accessories are often tacked on as a sort of combination of biker, greaser, rock-a-billy, and "Punk" culture continues to shape the fad of Rat Rodding culture.
The most severe criticism, however, is leveled by preservationists against those who transmogrify any rare surviving original, historic and probably-restorable vehicle into an irreversible caricature of itself.
Someone has to save these cars, and not all can afford to restore them to original condition.
Following the progression of "Rat Rodding" into a fad of sorts, many vehicles are mis-constructed as a simple low budget exaggeration of the traditional vehicles. These will often use truck cabs from the 50s without fenders, "mini-truck" frames from Toyotas, S-10s, and Rangers, and a various array of "accessories" attached to further exaggerate.
The December 1972 issue of Rod & Custom Magazine was dedicated to the beater, a low-budget alternative to the over-polished, slickly-painted, customized early car. The beater could easily be considered a progenitor of the rat rod. However, owners of these beaters often had a high-dollar machine sitting in their garage: no expensive upholstery, primered if painted at all, no chromed and polished Corvette/Jaguar rear ends.
As with many cultural terms, there are disputes over the origin of the term "rat rod". Some say it first appeared in an article written in Hot Rod Magazine by Gray Baskerville about cars that still sported a coat of primer. Some claim that the first rat rod was owned by artist Robert Williams who had a '32 Ford Roadster that was painted in primer. It is well documented on the Hokey Ass Message Board (HAMB) that the first rat rods were built by the Low Flyers Hot Rod club in the UK in the 1980s. This predates Robert Williams' oft-stated (but unproven) claim that he built the first.
★ Rat bike
★ Custom car
★ Hot rod
★ Kustom
★ Rat fink
★ Pinstriping
A 1932 Hudson rat rod.
Still from Hot Rod Girls Save The World (Go-Kustom Films, 2007)
"'Rat Rod'" is a style of Hot Rod or Custom car that imitates (or exaggerates) the early hot rods of the 40s, 50s, and 60s. It is not to be confused with the somewhat closely related "Traditional" Hot Rod, which is an accurate re-creation or period-correct restoration of a Hot Rod from the same era.
Most Rat Rods appear "unfinished" (whether they actually are or are not), with just the bare essentials to be driven. More recently however, a trend has arisen of making the vehicle appear "unsafe" or "scary", whether the vehicle actually is or not.
| Contents |
| Definition of a Rat Rod |
| General |
| Paint and Finish |
| Interior |
| Drive Train |
| Suspension |
| Criticism |
| Origins |
| See also |
Definition of a Rat Rod
Originally a counter-reaction to the modern "Hot Rod", a label recently applied to rarely driven show cars and high-priced "customs". The "Rat Rod"'s beginning was a throwback to the Hot Rods of the earlier days of Hot Rodding, built to the best of the owner's abilities and meant to be driven. Rat Rods are meant to imitate in form and function, but not replicate, the "Traditional" Hot Rods of the era.
The typical rat rod (an early 1920s through 1950s coupe or roadster): Early (pre-World War II) vehicles often have their fenders, hoods, running boards, and bumpers removed. The bodies are frequently channeled over the frame, and sectioned or the roofs chopped for a lower profile. Later Post-War vehicles rarely run fenderless and are often customized in the fashion of Kustoms, leadsleds, and low-riders. Chopped Tops, shaved trim, grills, tailights, and other miscellaneous body parts are swapped between makes and models. Most, if not all of the work and engineering is done by the owner of the vehicle.
Recently, the term "Rat Rod" has been used to describe most any vehicle that appears unfinished or is built simply to be driven, without any concern for cosmetics, whether or not the vehicle would even have been customised or even existed during the early days of Hot Rodding. There is a trend in the Rat Rod movement that leans toward overly dramatic, unsafe, and exaggerated vehicles built for nothing more than to display their "Radical" engineering at shows, rarely driving or moving under their own power for more than short distances.
General
Paint and Finish
Typical "rough" finish of Rat Rods.
Interior
Interiors of rat rods will vary from fully finished to a spartan, bare bones form. Mexican blankets and bomber seats form the basis of many rat rod interiors. Most are designed to be functional without many creature comforts although this will vary with the owner’s taste.
Drive Train
While most Rat Rods are equipped with Flathead V8's, early Chrysler Hemi engines, or more modern Small Block V8's of any manufacturer (Although Chevy is the most common), of varying displacements and modifications, there is quite a variety in the types of engines used. It is not uncommon to see straight sixs, four cylinders (Most commonly, those originally offered in Ford Pintos), V6's, Straight 8, or even diesel engines.
Most Rat Rods are built rear wheel drive, with an open driveline. Rearends are typically passenger vehicle (Usually S-10 or Maverick pieces), as are transmissions. The Ford Banjo rear-end is popular, as is the "Quickchange" type as used in many early hot rods.
Suspension
A "solid", "straight", or "beam" axle, which was commonplace under most cars until the late 40s and under most trucks until the late 60s, but now only commonly found under modern medium and heavy duty trucks is commonly accepted as the only type of front suspension that will look right when exposed without fenders on any vehicle running with an open front suspension. Independent front suspension is discouraged, simply because it appears too "bulky" when exposed.
Most Rat Rods use a 1928-1948 Ford I-beam axle with a transverse leaf spring. Although any solid axle is acceptable, parts are easy to find with the amount of after market products available for the Ford I Beam axle.
Springs vary from coil, parallel, and transverse setups in the front and rear. Parallel is not as often seen as the more common single-spring transverse setup, although both are used commonly. Coil springs are often deemed unsightly without fenders, but are still occasionally seen.
Criticism
Several aspects of the "Rat Rod" style are often criticized by fellow hot-rodders. Most notably is the amount of effort put into some (but not all) of these cars to appear "unsafe and scary", whether this be only cosmetically (Radically chopped, sectioned, or lowered vehicles), which is simply a matter of taste, or in the engineering of the vehicle (Bad welds, inadequate construction/materials, or in braking, steering, and structural components), which is a matter of concern. However most of these "unsafe" vehicles are never inspected, registered, insured, or street driven.
"Traditional" Hot Rodders will often criticize the "exaggeration" of some of the cars constructed following the "Rat Rod" style. Some vehicles or body styles would quite simply have never been used as a Hot Rod in the early days of hot rodding, yet they are passed off as genuine in modern times. Maltese crosses, skulls, and other accessories are often tacked on as a sort of combination of biker, greaser, rock-a-billy, and "Punk" culture continues to shape the fad of Rat Rodding culture.
The most severe criticism, however, is leveled by preservationists against those who transmogrify any rare surviving original, historic and probably-restorable vehicle into an irreversible caricature of itself.
Someone has to save these cars, and not all can afford to restore them to original condition.
Following the progression of "Rat Rodding" into a fad of sorts, many vehicles are mis-constructed as a simple low budget exaggeration of the traditional vehicles. These will often use truck cabs from the 50s without fenders, "mini-truck" frames from Toyotas, S-10s, and Rangers, and a various array of "accessories" attached to further exaggerate.
Origins
The December 1972 issue of Rod & Custom Magazine was dedicated to the beater, a low-budget alternative to the over-polished, slickly-painted, customized early car. The beater could easily be considered a progenitor of the rat rod. However, owners of these beaters often had a high-dollar machine sitting in their garage: no expensive upholstery, primered if painted at all, no chromed and polished Corvette/Jaguar rear ends.
As with many cultural terms, there are disputes over the origin of the term "rat rod". Some say it first appeared in an article written in Hot Rod Magazine by Gray Baskerville about cars that still sported a coat of primer. Some claim that the first rat rod was owned by artist Robert Williams who had a '32 Ford Roadster that was painted in primer. It is well documented on the Hokey Ass Message Board (HAMB) that the first rat rods were built by the Low Flyers Hot Rod club in the UK in the 1980s. This predates Robert Williams' oft-stated (but unproven) claim that he built the first.
See also
★ Rat bike
★ Custom car
★ Hot rod
★ Kustom
★ Rat fink
★ Pinstriping
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