Hot Rods Damn,I hate it when someone says nice rat rod!

You know, at least the '32 got noticed and the RR comment was made as a compliment, I've never said "ooooh nice Audi."

Bob

 

I agree with ya, it just makes me mad, but then I try to educate them. I then realize I am wasting my breath. Mine has just not made it to paint yet.

 

I was at a show one time sitting next to my buddy's flathead-powered survivor roadster and a guy came with the "cool ratrod" comment. Even after explaining that this was was a Traditional hotrod built with period parts he replied with "well yeah, thats what a ratrod is!". Thats when I realized some people will refuse to be informed even if you try to teach them.


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I think the term "Rat Rod" bothers a lot of older (and younger) hot rodders because they've spent a lot of their lives working really hard to build really beautiful cars the best they can, and the quality of fit and finish matter a lot to them.

People who feel like they are ostracized and rejected by the above group build cars in exactly the way the "real hot rodders" find offensive and call them "rat rods" for the exact purpose of saying "you think my car sucks Mr. Hot Rod? Well F*€% Y*~# !!!! It's a rat rod."

In the 1970's rock music became super corporate, with elite superstar performers and huge stadium concerts.

Then guys like these came along and said; "This corporate rock sucks. Conformity sucks. I'm going to make music and act in a way that pisses you off. "You don't like it? F*%# Y*£< ! It's punk rock"


Punk Rock was meant to offend normal people

Rat Rods are meant to offend hot rodders

That's why the mere word pisses a lot of people off. It's supposed to.


Kids walking down the street with their underwear hanging out pisses me off

Punk rock pissed my parents off

60's rock pissed your parents off

Elvis Presley and Gene Vincent pissed some off your parents off

Frank Sinatra pissed their parents off

The Charleston pissed their parents off


It's all a game. But it's kind of funny that we all play it.




When the "hey sir, nice rat rod, sir" person who isn't familiar with hot rod lexicon uses it, it doesn't mean the same thing. They are not trying to offend you. They are not stupid. They are just trying to reach out and connect they best that they can. The mere fact that you are in a 60+ year old vehicle defines you as a non-conformist, so they associate that with what they've seen on tv.


But when I say "I dig rat rods, I want to build one, drive it around and drag race your '32 Ford and park next to your shiny street rod at a show", I'm more taking part in the "I'm trying to piss you off" camp.





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Aw hell, it's time we just get over it anyway. not worth getting your pantys in a wad over. When people ask me, I just tell them it's an old hotrod. If it's an annoying geek trying to act like he knows something and starts telling me about how cool some other one is, it's almost always something goofy and I will kindly inform the village idiot the difference between a basic hotrod and something festooned with a bunch of skulls, cobwebs and saw blades.

 

I'm an old Hot Rodder, And I don't care for the r r name either. My 29 coupe in my { avatar } is called a r r by people all the time. I realize that T.V. and magazines, has coined the term to include any old car that's bare bones, a little rough, or doesn't have shiny paint. But I think of rat rods as having sculls, chains, and with some stupid late model mills. But I do take the complements, and then politely say thanks. But I was just wondering , did any of you have a Rod, that{ back in the day.} Way before the r r name was ever started.{ Would it have been a rat r today ?} Here is a old picture of my 29. I was just married with a new family and { NO money }. But it will always be a bare bones { HOT ROD } because that's the way I like it. Ron...

 

You guys are so bent on names and tags.
A well meant compliment is just that. We are not all cut from the same cloth.
TV shows and Hollywood are the ruin of individual thinking in a lot of areas. Not just old cars.

 

Yup. Most of the uninitiated here in Boca Raton think they are paying you a complement. I was at a show and one of our clients walked up and admired my "rat rod". I tried to explain the differences to her but stopped when her eyes started to glaze over. A week later, by chance, I saw her at a supermarket. She enthusiastically greeted me from half an aisle away "Hey, rat rod boy!"

My friend, Johan sez rat rods make baby Jesus cry.

 

Where's the borderline between patina and rat rod?

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Boils down to intent.


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Four pages and probably not done! Got some mileage out of that, didn't you HRP.

Ben

 

Guess you've all forgotten the Von Dutch T shirts. Bob

 

I think the whole rat rod thing has gone well past that. It seemed there was a time when rat rods were kind of cool version of an unfinished hot rod, but now it seems it's been taken to the extreme of unfinished combination of Mad Max, Burning Man, what ever parts that I had laying around that I can weld to the car.

 

Hi. As someone already mentioned on this a lot of the public's car education is coming from all the reality car shows on TV.
I heard something yesterday about these shows. "If it is a Reality show there is nothing real about it. It is all just script to sell the show." It is just entertainment.
Think about how most of the car shows test their finished builds. Usually they finally get it out of the shop after being forced to hastily correct poor engineering mistakes in their build about fifteen minutes before a buyer is supposed to show up and if it will do a screaming burn out donut in the parking lot without catching fire it passes their test & is deemed dependable & finished. Really, who in their right mind would consider buying from shops like Gas Monkey or Fired up or those Diesel idiots or welderup.
With all that said about the reality shows I do enjoy watching a few of them but just as entertainment.
If you want reality in a car related TV show watch My Classic Car or Jay Leno's Garage. They treat & talk about cars exactly like what they really are. That is reality.
There, I got it off my chest.
Jimmie

 

Take it as a compliment, it was with good Intention's even if the termanilogy was incorrect. The general public that are not car people would not know the definitions of our hobby and IMO through time the definitions/names have changed some just as the trends. I was glad to read that you were courtious, again IMO, our hobby does not need to make new "friends" with obnoxious behavior on our part, It does not cost anything to be nice.

 

Or a Deuce coupe like my '29 roadster used to be called

 

topher5150..Thanks for posting the photo of those decals. I immediately found them online and ordered one for my T roadster and one for my '31 coupe. $4.50 total with shipping, and just think of all the frustration it'll save me!

Lynn

 

So what do they call the same car with nice shiny paint?

 

Isn't that the 1933 Bonnie and Clyde shootout location on Oakwood Drive in Joplin, MO?

 

My screen name is flt-blk which was appropriate back in 2002 when I first signed up on here, I thought about changing it because of the stigma associated with Primer/flat paint, but I don't really care what people think anymore
I also had red wheels and white walls on a my car that is 50,000mi into the shakedown, so I can blow it apart for body work and paint soon. Well maybe next season, I am still driving it.

I am not as enlightned as some of you so the term RR still offends me and I should probably not care.....Now get off my lawn...

 

Some of the responses are humorous and some seem to be combative,I posted this more as a tongue and cheek discussion as to how our style cars are perceived.

Granted,I am a old fart and I am set in my ways,but have been a ardent fan of hot rods & customs since I was a kid,buying my first car at 12 years of age,I knew what I wanted!

I am not into sports cars,Mustangs, Chevelles or GTO's.

I can appreciate any well built cars,not so much shoddy built unsafe junk,sorry if that has offended anyone.

I grew up building cars to the best of my ability and honestly believe most of us here do the same,my comments were not intended to cause a war of words or to alienate anyone. HRP

 

Ratrod..
Lol


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Look at my moniker - HOTRODPRIMER -I have had that handle since the early 70's when I couldn't afford to paint any cars I built,I had a family to raise! HRP

 

Ah, there’s nothing more traditional than a HAMB horse beating. Personally, I don’t think it’s realistic to expect the general public to instinctively grasp the esoteric terminology of our hobby. Imagine if you will…

“Hey man, nice shoes.”

“Shoes?!?! These are clearly sandals, you f-ing idiot. Calling them shoes is ignorant and an insult to me and all my fellow members of the Footwear Forum.”

“Dude, I just wanted to say they looked nice…”

 

Well, it all boils down to, much better to hear "nice RR" than "ugly RR".....

 

Ya just have to take it with the spirit it was given . I had a A roadster pickup with a tractor grille shell. It was called a Rat Rod always . I put it on there and I deserved it. I am converting a 57 4 door into a two door and putting a straight axle under it . To most people it will always be a "gasser".
Don't let it get to you ,while they are talking to me about my ride I am checking out their girlfriends Tits. Win /win for the Cool guy

 

Igorant

 

I thank I have you guy's beat , went to see a couple of friends at a show in there little town took my barracuda when they started passing out awards they called my name 2nd place in UNFINISHED RAT ROD class told them thanks but no thanks to keep, it my friends bout pissed there pants. I thought it was a joke NOPE loaded up. one of the judges came over and apologized, couldn't believe it

 

Dialogue is good, you always start good threads that encourage dialogue. Otherwise it's just people agreeing with each other over and over, slapping each other on the back. That gets old. Any one that reads threads here gets where you're coming from. Rock on.


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When I was building my 33 ford pickup, I was invited to a driving event. My truck wasn't even 1/2 way finished but it was [barely] driveable. I'd mocked it up to see if I liked the way it looked before finish-welding, cleaning, installing a floor etc etc. Most of the guys who saw it turned their noses up at the rough edges and unfinished condition...hey, it was a rat-rod, right? It was a barely-started project but it deserved the rat-rod name.
I learned a lesson and my coupe will be all the same color and much further along before it hits the streets.