Anybody Else Tired of the "Rat Rod" Thing?

[AngliaGT]

Anybody Else Tired of the "Rat Rod" Thing?

It's getting old to me.At first,I thought that it was
great - young people who couldn't afford the old "Street-
Rod" stuff.
Now it's gotten to be "way cool".I don't get it.When I
look on craigslist,& see something interesting,only to find
out that it's buried in Black primer,I pass on it.
A Black primered vehicle (to me) means that the seller
doesn't have the money to finish the project,or has had enough
of the project.
The last (weird) thing I saw was "How to make fake rust-
on a vehicle".
When did this all become "Cool"?

- Doug

 

[elrey]

Re: Anybody Else Tired of the "Rat Rod" Thing?

Lighten up Doug. There's an ass for every seat, this just aint your chair.

 

[Bayless]

Re: Anybody Else Tired of the "Rat Rod" Thing?

Know what you mean. I recently saw a whole series of videos on how to paint an otherwise reasonably good looking car so it looks rusty. Fake rust indeed.

 

[Banjo]

Re: Anybody Else Tired of the "Rat Rod" Thing?

My TR2 is going "rat-rod". And not being able to afford the paint/ finish is exactly why.
I draw the line at fake rust! I spent too many years trying to get rid of rust. And some of those jobs I've seen do not look good at all.
But I have always liked the black, flat or shiny, with wide whites and red wheels. It just looks cool! (that's what I'm doing)
Most of the rats I see are horribly hacked up old trucks. Not my thing, but the folks that have them have a blast. and since most of them started out as neglected old truck cabs in the back of a barn, or edge of a field,I say It's just good ol American innovation to reuse stuff like that into a new creation.
TO me as long as it's on the road instead of getting crushed, that's good.

 

[jessebogan]

Re: Anybody Else Tired of the "Rat Rod" Thing?

Like every other "style", there are well done cars, and not so well done cars....I have long thought about finding a model A tudor, hopping up the 4 banger, and making a 40s style sort of rat rod. Fake rust sounds like a business opportunity for some of us. Who needs fake rust when I can supple some of the genuine stuff, freshly cut out, and ready to apply to the car of your choice. Avail;able now at just 50 bucks a pound...

 

[Deleted member 8987]

Re: Anybody Else Tired of the "Rat Rod" Thing?

Daly's makes a fake rust process. Several of the guys who "weather" model locomotives us it.....when I get one in so done, I remove it.

My son and I are re-doing my old 1949 Willys 6-63 wagon, street rod/hot rod. It was red, yellow flames, he wants it satin black with gold ghost flames.

No problem, as long as the wheels are RED....and it retains the 3/4 race 50 Merc under the bonnet.

But, I do have issues with not just the rat-rod mindset, but the purposefully ratting out a vehicle to make it look like you just dragged a POS out of the blackberry patch and got it running.

I have a picture of an old Ford, at a car show, claimed to be a "bard find" of an old 40's or early 50's hot rod.......except the rusty bits aren't old, some of them.
Like the steering arm on top of the LH spindle.....rusty, dirty, corroded looking.....and latest production unit.....and several other "giveaways".

Fakery is what it is....the "real" rat rods, where they find some POS in a barn or the proverbial blackberry patch, drop a flatmotor in it, stick some glass in it, prime it to cover the rat dropping, okay, but don't make one out of a prefectly good vehicle and try to impress me...'cause I ain't.

 

[jessebogan]

Re: Anybody Else Tired of the "Rat Rod" Thing?

Exactly!! I am appalled at the folks that cut up nice original cars to build hot rods . A car that needs a resto is another thing altogether. Plenty of restored cars out there, so hot roddin a resto candidate doesn't bother me at all. Around here in the salt belt, most really old cars are only fit to build rat rods out of. Rust and decay O plenty, and some cars are just not worth the effort to correctly restore them. I had my eye on a 49 chevy truck for a project like that, but it got scrapped before I could move on it. Oh well, I have no time anyway....

 

[aeronca65t]

Re: Anybody Else Tired of the "Rat Rod" Thing?

I never even knew there was a need to make "fake rust". :laugh:

<span style="font-style: italic">(but I've seen plenty of fake, distressed wood furniture so I guess it's the same thing)</span>

I have a somewhat grungy MG Midget parts car at our Summer house that would make an excellent rat rod. I like the idea of just slapping all my existing spare parts on it. I wouldn't have to make it pretty, just as long as it's safe (ie-brakes, etc). The idea of building such a car is very "freeing" to me.

Honestly, I'm far more tired of the shiny, plastic "checkbook hot rods" that I see at my local cruise nights.

 

[Brooklands]

Re: Anybody Else Tired of the "Rat Rod" Thing?

The only vehicle I ever saw that I liked with fake rust was the Tow Mater life-size radio-controlled vehicle that came to America On Wheels in May...

 

[Guest]

Re: Anybody Else Tired of the "Rat Rod" Thing?

I love it.

 

[apbos]

Re: Anybody Else Tired of the "Rat Rod" Thing?

While not a rat rod. The look of this car is not bad

If you want to make fake rust, take a look at this web page.... Fake Patina

Paul
Wonder how my mga might look???????

 

[TR6BILL]

Re: Anybody Else Tired of the "Rat Rod" Thing?

Fake Patina. I think I dated her in college.....

 

[Nunyas]

Re: Anybody Else Tired of the "Rat Rod" Thing?

well, one step worse would be the "fake flat black" cars on the road. Though, it could be seen as a sign of the times, "flat black" fans with newer cars are having their cars wrapped in flat black vinyl (rather than paint) these days. Obviously, the vinyl allows them to peal off the flat black when they're ready to move to a different car...

 

[Deleted member 8987]

Re: Anybody Else Tired of the "Rat Rod" Thing?

While not a rat rod. The look of this car is not bad

If you want to make fake rust, take a look at this web page.... Fake Patina

Paul
Wonder how my mga might look???????

302 Ford, 4 SU's, I do believe that paint was worked to look that way, but it's a guess.

 

[Silverghost]

Re: Anybody Else Tired of the "Rat Rod" Thing?

Fake Patina. I think I dated her in college.....

Wasn't this song about her cousin?? :laugh:

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[Andrew Mace]

Re: Anybody Else Tired of the "Rat Rod" Thing?

We had a "rat rod" 1974 Spitfire 1500 show up at the Adirondack Triumph Association summer picnic earlier this evening. Definitely a car saved and enjoyed by the current owner -- better than the alternative (there are still enough parts cars out there)!

 

[AngliaGT]

Re: Anybody Else Tired of the "Rat Rod" Thing?

I would prefer the car in the background.

- Doug

While not a rat rod. The look of this car is not bad

If you want to make fake rust, take a look at this web page.... Fake Patina

Paul
Wonder how my mga might look???????

302 Ford, 4 SU's, I do believe that paint was worked to look that way, but it's a guess.

 

[aeronca65t]

Re: Anybody Else Tired of the "Rat Rod" Thing?

I really like that #21 Healey. Seriously.


We had two racing Darts at the Jefferson 500. Pretty cool ones too.
Other than using them for vintage road racing, I'm happy to see them all crushed.