How Ratrods got a bad rap on other forums

[TiredIronGRB]

I love "Rough Rods" but don't care for what is being called Rat Rods these days.

 

[TiredIronGRB]

Well, besides the safety aspect, it also upsets the HAMBers and such because most have spent a lot of years and effort to make a historical and/or quality hot rod just to have Mr. Clueless Passerby group it in with a car that took a year to slap together from spare parts just for fun.

I can understand that. It's kind of like grouping Rembrant and Warhol in the same class. I'm sur rembrant would have been offended! But the thing is, it's not the rat rodders fault or the cars fault. It's the ignorant publics fault and the thin skinned rodders fault for letting it bug them.

Shock rods and art cars just make me keep walkin'.

Sam gets it.

 

[hotrod preacher]

saw a "ratrod" on dabay once that had a toilet for a seat!

well, it might be appropriate, it would certainly have scared the crap outta me to hafta ride in it...


said before, but still appropriate- if you "get it" no explanation is neccesary, if you don't "get it" no explanation will suffice...


and samfear using warhol & rembrant in a ratrod thread--that really scares me[ddev


i like cars & trucks of all kinds....but no trashy crap rods for me... my 2 cents

 

[Willowbilly3]

Haha, I got sideways more than once on those other forums when I referred to some of Roth and Barris goofy cars in a poor light. I do remember toilet cars, pool table cars and who can forget the Druid car. Of course none of them even ran and were just rolled into car shows, much the same as some of the currant crop of shock rods. I guess if they don't even drive or go on the road, they are just rolling junk art, probably the best way to look at them.

 

[gassersgarage]

I saw a Model A rat rod sedan at a show. The owner leaned against it and the whole body tilted. I looked inside and all the wood had been removed. The floor was marginal and the was no transmission tunnel. Just an exposed driveshaft. If the front u-joint ever went,,,,yeowwwwwwww!

 

[eng8tophut]

jfg455-You are absolutely correct. Thoughtful builds can be less expensive and owner built still means more to me. I still like drivers the best. I did the matching number resto once before and won't again. My Dad referered to those as," coffee tables" because every time you walked past it you had to dust it. Safe, inexpensive rides are a blast to drive and easy to sell, especially when there is a state inspection sticker in the windshield. Good looking smart builds with an eye toward selling for profit don't have to cost a fortune to build. Just my $.02.

 

[Toad]

The floor was marginal and the was no transmission tunnel. Just an exposed driveshaft. If the front u-joint ever went,,,,yeowwwwwwww!

I saw a horrible example a couple years ago that was severely channeled and the uncovered drive shaft was like a arm rest, scared the **** out of me just looking at it. What if your coat, shirt or pants got caught in that? Just proves some people are really, really stupid!

Toad

 

[jmlcolorado]

I think the term Rat Rod can easily be taken out of context. Im fairly new to the scene now but im focusing HARD on making mine safe! If for ANY reason i have worries about starting the thing up and driving away, there is something wrong that HAS to be corrected!
It will only take a few jack___'s that can ruin it for all of us!
Some rats have GOBS of crap on them, but if you peel that layer back, most of the time you'll find a very well built machine, as it should be.

I really like the term Rustic Rod better! Gives the impression that its old, but still quite usable. Rat Rod makes it seem like its something nobody wants or wishes to associate with.
I think true "rat bikes" take this whole thing to a whole new level!
See below [S

 

[Willowbilly3]

We were building rat bikes decades before I ever heard the term rat rods. They didn't look anything like those rolling trash heaps.

 

[rainman]

IMO thats exactly where the term originated!!
Unfortunately!!

 

[jmlcolorado]

We were building rat bikes decades before I ever heard the term rat rods. They didn't look anything like those rolling trash heaps.

EXACTLY! But the point is that when the public hears Rat _ _ _....this is what they think of

Sometimes its tough for me to explain to people what i mean by Rat Rod cause it really is an art form. To the normal Joe, it looks like a old rusty pile of crap, but to us, a well built rat rod means much more then that!

I couldn't agree more with how rat rods seem to get more attention then the million dollar club rod. I have caught myself going to shows to specifically LOOKING for the rats out there, then leaving rather disappointed that i didn't see any.


WillowB, id be interested to see what your idea of a true rat bike would be?!

 

[Bonehead]

Love that bike, no matter what it is called.

 

[donsrods]

I think that we are even having this discussion on a rat rod forum shows how this particular art form is maturing and evolving. Even guys who like rat rods are starting to dislike some of the goofiness that some builders felt they had to stick on their cars to be "creative." The days of seeing rat rods with camshafts for draglinks, Craftsman combination wrenches for steering arms, and intake systems that are so ridiculously built that they probably hurt hp, are gone. Shock value cars are being replaced with soundly built ones that the owner can actually drive and enjoy.

Don

 

[jmlcolorado]

I think that we are even having this discussion on a rat rod forum shows how this particular art form is maturing and evolving. Even guys who like rat rods are starting to dislike some of the goofiness that some builders felt they had to stick on their cars to be "creative." The days of seeing rat rods with camshafts for draglinks, Craftsman combination wrenches for steering arms, and intake systems that are so ridiculously built that they probably hurt hp, are gone. Shock value cars are being replaced with soundly built ones that the owner can actually drive and enjoy.

Don

I'm pretty new into the rat rod scene and ive heard that the "rat rod" craze has come to an end. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or bad, but I do know, that quality builds with tons of character will never die!

 

[Willowbilly3]

EXACTLY! But the point is that when the public hears Rat _ _ _....this is what they think of

Sometimes its tough for me to explain to people what i mean by Rat Rod cause it really is an art form. To the normal Joe, it looks like a old rusty pile of crap, but to us, a well built rat rod means much more then that!

I couldn't agree more with how rat rods seem to get more attention then the million dollar club rod. I have caught myself going to shows to specifically LOOKING for the rats out there, then leaving rather disappointed that i didn't see any.


WillowB, id be interested to see what your idea of a true rat bike would be?!

I built my first rat bike in about 1980-81 after seeing a few at Sturgis and maybe an article in Easy Riders. I just started going through all my cast off parts. It was a 34 VLD on a modified VL frame with an old RL Fork someone had stretched many years before with Ford Radius rods, truimph front wheel, K model back wheel, 3 speed reverse tranny from a UL, Hummer tank (what we now call a Sportster tank). I didn't paint anything, just left it with whatever finish it had.
I really like the bike you pictured, I guess it could be a rat bike but it is more like a well built bike with patina than what I think of as a true rat bike like they started out being.


I also go to car shows hoping to see more ruff rods. There are some pretty nice ones around but apparently they aren't interested in car shows much either.

 

[von-zipper]

I'm pretty new into the rat rod scene and ive heard that the "rat rod" craze has come to an end. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or bad, but I do know, that quality builds with tons of character will never die!

Cool cars will never go out of style regardless of how you classify them!

Zipper

 

[Crossfire]

rat rods live on.

Rat rods that are built safe to drive are one thing but what gives them a bad rap are these,idiots,yes idiots that put more emphasis on spiderwebs and meat clevers than they do brakes,steering and passenger and other driver on the road saftey. Welded steering shafts to boxes, open interior driveshafts,no tunnel at all. rubber gas lines running from rear mounted gas tank to engine. Saw one at the swapmeet last week,meat clever welded to cab corner with ,permanent marker writing underneath " Copped Top " Same truck,didn't have brake petal or master cylinder at all. Just dual handle cable operated rear brake handles. I agree with the thread that ratrods have a bad rap because of crap like this.

 

[Westtexasspeed]

Rat rods that are built safe to drive are one thing but what gives them a bad rap are these,idiots,yes idiots that put more emphasis on spiderwebs and meat clevers than they do brakes,steering and passenger and other driver on the road saftey. Welded steering shafts to boxes, open interior driveshafts,no tunnel at all. rubber gas lines running from rear mounted gas tank to engine. Saw one at the swapmeet last week,meat clever welded to cab corner with ,permanent marker writing underneath " Copped Top " Same truck,didn't have brake petal or master cylinder at all. Just dual handle cable operated rear brake handles. I agree with the thread that ratrods have a bad rap because of crap like this.

AMEN!

 

[Tripper]

Ummmmmm... I believe there was a train wreck & I can't really tell which survived... the truck or the train!?! People were just shaking their heads!!!

BoB

 

[billy]

Ummmmmm... I believe there was a train wreck & I can't really tell which survived... the truck or the train!?! People were just shaking their heads!!!

BoB

those clown cars are so stupid.