Rat Rod or Hot Rod?? defintion?? what do you call it

[Hottrucks]

Ok I was just posting on another post and this popped into my head so bear with me

My 70 truck has been built out of all those old parts that are to good to throw away but not good enough for that "Kool" projects that I have done in the past ( mostly pre war Hot rods like a 32 and a 34 fords t buckets ect.)

I got to thinking that it's really the way guys where doing it back in the 40's and 50's they took the better parts out of the junk yards cleaned them up tweeked them and made the best they could out of them...they would make 150/200 HP and think it was the balls...reversed wheels to get them to stick out cut the tread off a tire to make a slick or ditch the fenders and hood to keep them cool and make room???or bolting RR track to the back to help transfer weight... I mean not all this stuff was....well ..safe.. but it did the job was free or cheap.... Has the supply of new parts for our old truck taken this old school building and inavaton away?? why is it when someone wants to find a new way they get flak from so many?? maybe they don't have a checkbook to buy new stuff or just want to try something new..but it seems to me like we all love the looks of an old gasser but the realy question is why did they do it?? answer cheap and easy way to make room for a BIG MOTOR...I love to see front disc swaps where guys are using junk yard parts to make there trucks better or Longhorns 500 caddy trans plant is as old school build as you can get (thanx LH) Love the build and Idea that bigger is better has been around since the upgrade to the 39AB block back in the day (some will know what that means)

Maybe this is a rant but Just woundering why? and whats happening these days I mean when was the last time you heard of someone doing lead work?? I guess I just don't want to let traditions or arts like this die.....



try to kep this post civil this is just a food for thought post and my Ahole Opinion

Jeff

[mclairmo]

I used an Eastwood lead kit on my 67 Camaro. Not easy to do but great results. I think society as a whole has moved toward the pre-packaged new is better give me something for nothing mentality. Kids today are babysat by the TV and don't learn how to do anything on their own. There are no winners or losers anymore. As long as you feel good, then that's all that matters. That spirit of ingenuity, experimentation and pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps is nearly gone. Most everyone wants someone to help them out, do it for them and/or bail them out.

[Hottrucks]

Originally Posted by mclairmo

I think society as a whole has moved toward the pre-packaged new is better give me something for nothing mentality. Kids today are babysat by the TV and don't learn how to do anything on their own. There are no winners or losers anymore. As long as you feel good, then that's all that matters. That spirit of ingenuity, experimentation and pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps is nearly gone. Most everyone wants someone to help them out, do it for them and/or bail them out.

maybe your on track with that what happen to playing street hockey with a few sticks and an old beer can (still have the scare to prove it) tree forts, and bikes...hell I learned alot of lessons just taking my bike apart a couple hunderd times......I guess using your head to make what you have work is gone....my dad use to tell me al the time as a kid

" what would you do if you where in Africa and had to fix it to get to safety"

now adays they would just pick up the cell phone and call AAA but then again most kids now have new cars just drive by a high school and look at the student parking lot and then the teachers??...WTF.....they drive better stuff than we could ever imagine..wounder what there kids are going to drive

I bet you take a collector gasket to most high school auto shops and MAYBE one kid will know what it is MAYBE

[marks71]

Originally Posted by mclairmo

I used an Eastwood lead kit on my 67 Camaro. Not easy to do but great results. I think society as a whole has moved toward the pre-packaged new is better give me something for nothing mentality. Kids today are babysat by the TV and don't learn how to do anything on their own. There are no winners or losers anymore. As long as you feel good, then that's all that matters. That spirit of ingenuity, experimentation and pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps is nearly gone. Most everyone wants someone to help them out, do it for them and/or bail them out.

You hit that on the head. I am 33 years old and I don't think of myself as a kid or a old timer. Every thing I know I learned for my dad and grandfather. All I know is the kids to day have it so easy. I try to teach my kids the things that I have learned. My two sons that are able to help me on my truck or race car or what ever I am working on run home form school to help.--------Hold on I got off track I do have two points
#1 I hate the shows on Power Block but you can't help but watch. Shows like that are the reasons the kids think you just put new parts on not make or fix the old. And I love the ( Today we are building a SB Chevy on a budget of ONLY 10k) What the hell ever build a complete truck for 1000 and I might watch.
#2 In my opinion the term Rat Rod is over used. The cars called Rat Rods to me looks like junk put in a pile. I was at a car show and a car had a barbed wire grill a lawnchair for a seat and a 5gal Bucket for gas tank (It did have a lid- Not saying it is ok) and bailing wire all over the car holding stuff on like the tag and trim parts. I don't thin back in the day people built cars like that. I think Rust Rod is a better term for that style of car.

I want to thank my wife for my sons she lets my name the kids after my passion--Car Parts Gage 8 --Vin 6 --and --Cam 3days

Thanks for the time Mark

[Hottrucks]

congrats on the new addition to the garage..

I agree rat rods have gotten a bad rap..it seems that people have taken it to the extreme there no need for that crap on the road
my def of a RAT ROD

any car/truck that has been built or being built ( work in progress) to the best of ones ability with the most parts being used,and reasonable funds they have available(most spent on mechincal stuff) while maintaining a road SAFE vech. with most or all mechical and lighting working many parts being modified from other vechicals to work together

[Shyguy]

I am an old guy, well pretty old anyhow.

I can remember living without indoor plumbing, electricity or TV here on the farm when I was growing up.

We had to sleep two to a bed to keep from freezing since the bed rooms were not heated.

One day my son and I decided to put together a truck together out of parts we had laying around.

It took about a month working nights after my son got home from work, but we got er done.

I think my '67 swb stepper is made up from parts from 6 different trucks and the only thing I had to buy was one wheel cylinder and a set of rear shocks.

It is still kind of rough but is road worthy and I drive it a least once a week just for the joy of driving something my son and I put together.

I have been gathering parts since we put it together last summer to make it look better and have started a slow restoration of the body.

When I feel down in the dumps I jump in the old truck and go for a drive - it makes me feel better.

I may be unusual, but I like it.

Danny

[coopdeville]

rat rods are just pieces of crap threown together. hot rods and customs that may not have the shiniest parts but are put together well are good.
i have been putting together my truck with the same mentality as the ol folks. its a 71 cab and chassis with 67 sheetmetal. i dont have the money to buy those beautiful dropmembers so i zed the frame myself. i hit the wrecking yards atleast once a week for parts i need and ask my buddies for help when i need it. its coming together nice now and im not into it a billion dollars. i build my cars and trucks for fun...thats what this hobby is all about!

[Hottrucks]

[QUOTE=coopdeville;3534052]rat rods are just pieces of crap thrown together. hot rods and customs that may not have the shiniest parts but are put together well are good.
QUOTE]

I love both stories but Coop what do you call them customs, hot rods?? or what??

hey Shy I totally get it!! I drive mine almost every day the other day even noticed that it doesn't have any squeeks in it?? well at least not that day I'm sure tommorrow will bring something new lol

Old school guys ........old school...................

kinda like these so called bike builders.... a bunch of bolt together shiny stuff the guy that should get the credit is the painters or guy like Indian Larry ( may he RIP) knew how to BUILD a bike from scratch...

[jamis]

A rat rod doesn’t have to be a piece of thrown together crap, some are and some are very well thought out. It’s more of a culture or theme then anything else. To me as long as its safe ....its OK.

[68gmsee]

Re: hotrods vs ratrods. My definition: I pretty much thought they were synonymous with each other just different eras.

The rat rods are the newer vehicles, say around the 60's on up. Hot rods were mostly modified older cars from the late 20's, 30's, 40's and early 50's. Most hot rods were not road worthy as they were mostly used for drag racing but a rat rod I consider any car that has been "hot rodded" but can also be driven on a daily basis.

[Hottrucks]

great def of a rat rod
http://hotrod.wikia.com/wiki/Rat_rod

and hot rod
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_rod

[70k52wd]

That tells me that the original term "hotrod" is of unknown origin. A lot of great theories though.
The term "ratrod" is a modern term losely used to describe a built to look unfinished, in the works, but driven hotrod.
Since we can make old parts look new, and new parts look old, I don't think it has a thing to do with a guy recycling parts to do a low buck build. I think a guy could build the rattiest rod he could using all new parts. And a guy could restore a pile of old parts to make a shiny flawless hotrod.

[coopdeville]

i call rat rods pieces of ****! there is a difference in building a car or truck traditionaly or putting a bunch of rusty **** together. for example if you get a motor from a junkyard because thats all you can afford , why just put it in the car? clean it! paint it! a can of paint will cost ya a couple of bucks. plug wires... use some zip ties if you dont have money for looms. the list goes on and on. if you build you car to look like ****... its gonna and dont get mad if someone calls it that! this argument will go on forever.

the one thing that always makes me laugh is when someone says.. im gonna rat rod it out, meaning they will put some whitewalls on some red steelies and primer it flat black.
to me that is not a rat rod but an easy way out. i have a car that is flat black and drive the piss out of it...but im not done. i cant afford paint at this time. but with the help of friends, family, and a job im workin on getting there someday!

[turp mcspray]

Nowadays it seems that EVERYTHING has a new/modern name. It used to be if you worked in a body shop, you were a "body man or painter" now you are a "collision or paint technision" I've been driving a "P.o.s." all my life. Now they call em "rat rods" and it's the RAGE!
Does that mean I was "cool" and didn't even know it?
By the way...I think of myself as a "Rustologist" LOL!

[diamondave]

I thought a rat rod was something you pull out of the weeds and rattle-can the wheels red?and sell it for more then its worth... At least that what Ive been seeing in the classifieds...

[coopdeville]

you pretty much got it dave!

[ratrod67]

It seemed like every carshow I took my old 67 to I had to hear the hot rod/rat rod debate. For some reason my truck used to really piss people off.

[gentry69]

1 have a 39 ford sedan, i painted the frame, boxed the frame added a 350/350 combo painted them bright red and my baby moons are a light cream nothing was rattle canned. i also added air ride, nothing is thrown together and it is clean. the body is perfect patina (rust) inside was blasted and primed. its a ratrod i took pride and joy in building it

[Bob 68327]

Street rods are pre 1934 from the old guys I hang out with ... Hot rods can be any year I refer to my truck as my hot rod as far as I'm concerned you can to......Bob (old guy )

[Hottrucks]

Originally Posted by Bob 68327

Street rods are pre 1934 from the old guys I hang out with ... Hot rods can be any year I refer to my truck as my hot rod as far as I'm concerned you can to......Bob (old guy )

according to the state of NH and alot of others anything pre 1948 is consitered a street rod and they fall into only a small set of rules to be considerd legal..the short list is 2 headlights, 2 tail/brake lights, parking brake, seat belts, windshield min height of 8", DOT rubber, hydralic brakes,

hoods fenders bumpers are all optional

[special-K]

What`s in a name?Don`t call it anything,just go about building it "your" way.That`s where it all began and if you still do that than trends will be for other people.that`s also how trend setters are born.

[texanidiot25]

I dare you guys to goto the HAMB and ask about rat rods...

It's a whored out term to anything that's made to look like it's in the building stages. Or in the 'built of scrap' look... it's a whored term and I stay away from it these days.

[diamondave]

Originally Posted by texanidiot25

It's a whored out term to anything that's made to look like it's in the building stages. Or in the 'built of scrap' look... it's a whored term

X2

People are taking advantage of this term to sell .. well crap... which in turns hurts the people who actually have one, and trying to sell it.

ei: A guy down the road had a 34 Ford pickup, all in pieces in his garage. Still had the flathead (which was cracked... He said "The heads are still good, something to start with anyhow")and everything, had a couple tractor grills. Now mind you this was looked just as if it was pulled out of the woods, nothing done whats soever. This "Rust pile" (I call it that cause the frame he had was worthless... rotted to no end... he said "It's repairable"... ahhh no) he was asking 10K for a "Rat-rod project", I asked him about it and mentioned maybe putting the body on a shortened S10 frame to make it work. He flew off the handle and said I was crazy, I told him that trying to fix a twisted rusted frame and a cracked block was crazy and I left. Oh he wouldnt go down cause he "knew he had a great ride in there".... I offered him a thousand, to be generious (thought if I bought a cheap S10 I could make it work... I wanted just the cab and box.. I could get a period correct grill somewhere...)

Oh yeah.. the spoke wheels, one was bent... where rattle-canned red... only thing was he missed a couple spots. Like he painted them with out moving the wheels.. LOL!

[70k52wd]

When I was a kid I asked my uncle what a hotrod was. He was heavy into sleds, highboys, lowboys.
He said A hotrod was a fenderless car and has exposed tierods. Well at some point someone chromed them, and the term was coined, "Those are some hotrods."
Now I have no idea if that is truly the origin, but as a kid it made sense to me.

[texas56]

Originally Posted by texanidiot25

I dare you guys to goto the HAMB and ask about rat rods...

It's a whored out term to anything that's made to look like it's in the building stages. Or in the 'built of scrap' look... it's a whored term and I stay away from it these days.

I agree with ya there! The HAMB guys are off the chain!