13 replies to this topic

[xbox]

Le scratch de l'été a + petit fred.
 
A summer scratcbuild by little Fred.
 

[Jeff Buyer]

Perfect!!!

[slotbaker]

[Cheater]

Love the "Gurney Eagle" valve covers!

[Tex]

Mmmmmm... crusty!

[TSR]

Love the "Gurney Eagle" valve covers!

 

Those are still available from AAR today, when you buy a set of their Ford heads so famously used on the GT40 and GT350.

[Jairus]

Needs a flathead engine... hahaha.

I love it and need to add one of those to my slot box now. 

   

[TSR]

A flathead would be more in the spirit, but a 289 with Gurney heads makes quite a statement in a rusty hulk... but a four-barrel Holley instead of downdraft Webers? I think not! 

[Jairus]

I can give someone in France a pass, Philippe, and I love that he used a vintage Dynamic frame!

But here in the US I am very critical of the use of the term "Rat Rod".

Most times the cars are just flat black painted vintage rods or dangerous or stupid conglomerations (cartoon) that should never be allowed on the road.

Back in 1998 I was asked by Ed Sexton of Revell to do some artwork for them for 1/64 diecast vintage rods that they wanted to term "Rat Rods". Ed also asked me to do some research about the term and find out if anyone knew where it came from. Revell ultimately copyrighted the name "Rat Rod" and I have been voicing my opinion about what is and what is not a "Rat Rod" ever since.

It all started back in 1973 when a writer for "Choppers" magazine coined the term Rat Bike in an article where he wrote about an old Indian flathead powered chop that had a sissy bar, rusty pipes, and a steer skull wired to the forks above the headlight... stuff like that.

The bike looked like a cast-off mess of parts but he admitted in the article that it ran so fast he was not willing to drive it. The brakes were very good, the engine quite powerful, and the ride more comfortable than it should have been. But it was such a mix of parts that LOOKED unsafe, and thats why he called it a Rat. The owner was proud of his statement against the norm of the time so everyone was happy.

Anyone into bikes during the early '70s knows what I am talking about. Because you see builders back then were creating $10,000 and $20,000 bikes with goldplating, turbos, superchargers, and huge engines that never turned a crank! They were instead pushed into shows lest they get the slightest bit dirty. In fact... they were nothing more than expensive paperweights made to garner trophies at bike shows.

It was said that the "Rat Bike" craze that began in the early '70s "was a statement against the big dollar chromed professionally built machines".

So it was my considered opinion that the Rat Rod movement that began in the early '90s is a similar statement against what had grown up in the '80s street rod hobby where everyone wanted a "belly button" bright red 1933 full fender street rod with billet wheels. (I fault Billy F. Gibbons for that trend.)

So my report back to Ed was of course much more detailed.  

The term first started by all accounts... including by the opinion of the late Grey Baskerville, was that Alex Idzardi (brother of Marky Idzardi of Purple People Eater fame) coined the term at a street rod club function by the "Shifters" on or about 1990. Most of the guys then built what they believed to be "Street Rods". And most of them didn't care for the moniker. But accepted it grudgingly. It has since then gown into a huge industry where a search on eBay using the term draws almost as many listings as the term "rare".

In my opinion a Rat Rod is a statement against the high dollar billet rods of the '80s and '90s. It is a fun vehicle, driven daily, built up on a shoestring using found parts. It is not unsafe or dangerous to drive. It is not uncomfortable to drive or stupid. Common sense always prevails on the side of safety and useful ness with a Rat Rod. But.. it does have stance and attitude. So to that end... some people tend to chop them and lower them a little too much.

Which is usually taken too far in order for the Mememe generation to get noticed.

But your basic Rat would not have a high dollar 289 HiPro motor with Weber carbs! The Gurney heads alone could buy you two real Rat Rods!

It should have what the builder could afford for power and that is generally stock heads/valve covers painted flat black/red or Cal Custom finned valve covers along with a pair of 2bbl carbs with little air cleaners or air horns.

A flathead is of course the standard... but many guys are finding that vintage Caddy motors, straight 8 Buicks, Flathead  Hudson "H" power 6s are also cool, dependable, and make plenty of power to motor the machine to and from work.

Questions?

[Don Weaver]

Way kool...
 
Don Weaver

[Samiam]

To add to that excellent story, many early drag racers didn't have the time or money to finish the cosmetics. They went racing with primer paint jobs and ratty interiors. 
 
Funny story: My friend shows up with his Harley Softtail. It's dirty as hell and looking real shabby. I told him to wash it and he says with pride, "It's a Rat Bike". I replied, "Bull$hit... It's just a Dirty Bike"...

[xbox]

"Big Dan" Gurney was at one time a scruffy boy...
 

[TSR]

Indeed... Both Dan and Skippy Hudson were rather wild as late teens, and the empty dirt roads around Riverside were their racing tracks... bordered by orange trees.

[Mark H]

cool car xbox. ive been wanting to build a hot rod slot car.

 

and Jairus has the origins of the term down. i was going to mention the Shifters CC. those guys build real hot rods that are just rough and dirty. some people take the rat rod thing to far to where they chop the roof to where all you have is a mail box slot to look through, skulls and spider webs everywhere and a bunch of cheesy stuff slapped on to look ratty. i hate those things as much a billet street rods lol. but i dig cars that look like they got use or barn finds.