Rat rod

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A 1932 Hudson rat rod.

Still from Hot Rod Girls Save The World (Go-Kustom Films, 2007)

The "Rat-Rod" is an evolution of the "'jalopy", which is a dilapidated antique car that appears uncared for or neglected. The Rat-Rod is the same idea, the bodywork is made to look dilapidated, or even completely derelict, whilst the underpinnings, i.e. engine, transmission and braking systems are sometimes upgraded.

Rat rods have become popular with many enthusiasts as a reaction to the professionally built, billet encrusted, high dollar "street rods" at car shows. Many of these "street rods" cost upwards of $50,000 or more to build. Many are powered by a Chevrolet small block engines and automatic transmissions. Some of these cars are trailered to car shows and only driven a short distance before being displayed. The Rat Rod concept reverses this trend. Rat rods are generally hand built by the people who own them using vintage parts and traditional fabrication methods. Some of these vehicles are built using the same parts and methods available to the early hot rodders of the late 1950s and 60s. Just as early hot rodders strived to build their cars to the best of their ability, todays rat rodders prefer to do so as well. The emphasis is put on functionality as opposed to flash. Use of billet parts is frowned upon with original, vintage parts being preferred. Use of original, less common engines is also common. Rat rods are often powered by flatheads, straight sixes, straight fours and other relatively uncommon engines such as those made by Cadillac and Studebaker. The Oldsmobile "Rocket 88" is a popular choice as well.

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.

One main distinguishing characteristic of rat rods is that they are built to be driven. Many of these vehicles are used as daily drivers by their owners. While they are rarely if ever trailered to an event, they are periodically trailered home from events or somewhere en route. All of them are built to have fun with and to be a vehicle that is “cool” and does not require constant care. Although rat rods are often confused with traditional hot rods, they have very little in common.

Don't throw away money on paint when it's not needed.

Rat rod is a modern name for the original hot rod style of the early 1950s. Rat rods are usually vehicles that have had many of their non-critical parts removed, are usually finished in primer-like paints and are often period correct. They are very often conglomerations of parts and pieces from several different cars of varying makes and models. Many rat rodders do not consider their cars rat rods. The term 'rat rod' is considered derogatory to many traditional hot rod builders, but new fans of hot rods who notice the difference from yesterday's shiny hot rods to today's primered, lower and more radically designed hot rods call these cars 'rat rods'.

A typical rat rod is an early 1930s through 1950s coupe or roadster with the body set low on the frame, fenders removed, whitewall tires, big-little tire combos, exposed engine bay, home-made upholstery, and lots of power. A rat rod is considered to differ from a hot rod in a number of key aspects. A rat rod is a home-built, low-budget, one-off custom vehicle that is frequently driven and has many flaws and imperfections. In popular usage a hot rod is now defined as a high-end, high-budget show car that emulates the early hot rods in style but sports flashy paint, high-quality upholstery and generally sees little in the way of road time. (See Boyd Coddington as an example of a new-age hot rod builder.) In many ways 'hot rod' is now synonymous with 'trailer queen' (a car that is never actually driven but exists purely for display and is trailered from show to show). Trailer queens are also sometimes called 'custom cars' or 'street rods. This however is one viewpoint among many, if one were to go to a car show, though, the prevailing connotations of the names are: HOT ROD - nasty loud and obnoxious STREET ROD - trailer queen RAT ROD - unfinished or in-progress hot rod or beater LEADSLED - kruiser with loads of greezy character, low and slow is the name of the game here. The shoestring budget most operate on is what leads to the public appearances of many rat rods in coats of primer rather than paint, as in the creative process one sometimes can not afford to build, paint and trim the rod in one hit.

At one time, the rat rod (or, even more so, the 'rat bike') was owned/built by an outsider for whom the machine was a statement of individuality and disregard for cultural norms. Now, the rat rod is a statement of lifestyle that includes tattoos, surf, rockabilly (and more recently psychobilly) music, garage rock, punk, hardcore and pin-ups as just a few of its cultural touchstones. As such, the vehicle, and the term, connote inclusiveness and belonging, rather than exclusiveness and outsider status. The term itself has been co-opted by business and is a marketing tool used to sell 'lifestyle items' used to signify membership in the subculture.

Iron Crosses, skulls, and the like have a historical association with hot rod culture by way of '60s teen culture (see some of the "beach" movies of the period).

[edit] 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.

Like 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 pre-dates Robert Williams' oft-stated (but unproven) claim that he built the first.