Folks Of Interest How to talk sense into the "dark" side of this hobby?

that was supposed to be 80, not 89

 

What's that saying about teaching someone who won't listen?

"Never try to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and it annoys the pig."

 

Unfortunately this doesn't just apply to old cars, there are lots of 70's pickups running around that are just as hacked up, you just don't notice. I've seen some crazy stuff working at an auto parts store, that just shouldn't be on the road.

 

Well said, a lot of these (not all) so call R##R### are very well put together and most of the build effort was directed toward safety and driveability, in my opinion safer than some of the 15 coats of polished lacquer cars that are still running 40 year old brake lines and ball joints my 2 cents

 

Well said Don.

I have always believed the saying that "some people's only taste is in their mouth", and fortunately tastes can change.

 

I first thought I was building a rat rod, but now after reading this im wondering if I had my definitions mixed up. Am I building a more traditional hotrod or leaning more on the side of a rat rod. As the plan is im not painting it, leaving it rustic, pulled out of the field kind of look, but im also not chopping or taking anything off that wasnt originally there other than a few small things i didn't want to wreck by trying to make it work. I dunno you guys tell me
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=636275

 

It's not the rusty metal, booger welds, junk parts. It's the person. Some people even drive imports.
Rat Rodding is practiced by members of society that want to belong to a certain social group that lacks the skill to produce viable rods.
You cannot talk sense into them. Their lack of common sense is behind the lack of skill. It's their common bond...

 

I could care less if the builders of these cars kill themselves while flying down the road. However the passengers in his car, or the other civilian drivers who get killed because of their cars I do care about.

That said, there is no way to implement a standardized safety inspection without the Government going way overboard and destroying the hobby. So this must be a self governed fix. I see nothing wrong with others pointing out possibly dangerous functions in another persons car.

 

Yep, there is "extremely low buck" and then there is the Add on all the rusty junk you can find for effect. Horse shoes welded to the front axle and tie rod don't cut it nor does rebar used for radius rods and drag links. What also gets me is that some of those things have mega buck engines in them so you know from the get go that the owner wasn't working on too tight of a budget.
I have noticed just like the "Pro Fairground" cars that many of those don't have license plates and there is a pickup with a trailer hidden out back behind the event. I even saw a photo from one of "their' events at Lake Havasu with a parking lot full of tow rigs and trailers. So maybe we only have to worry about their safety at the event an not on the roads.

 

I just sold a 25 Ford truck cab to a guy. I knew what he was building with it. It was rougher than what I would start with.

Bunch of grown men afraid to spell out RAT ROD in a sentence.
Now that's funny


To each their own. Who cares...

 

Just to be fair the problem is not just with the RR like chopper cliff just pointed out. 30+ years in the buisness I've seen plenty of "finished" cars with shiny paint ect. that I wouldn't drive on the street. Most homebuilt and unfortunately some "pro" built cars that were rolling deathtraps. Has nothing to do with the style of build, just the skill of the builder.
I guy showed up at cruise night a while back with a very nice looking high dollar 32 Roadster he just bought at an auction. When I showed the owner a major safety issue and said he should tow the car till that was fixed he acted like I was an ass for criticizing his expensive car. Hopped in it and blasted off.

 

I am one who has always been drawn to "TRUE" Patina, which draws me to any car at a car show that has it.
However, I totally agree on the safety issue. No excuse for these things even getting on the road.
I have built several trikes and all had to be inspected by the state, then obtain a title for them. It is not easy to get this inspection, but is the way it should be. Too bad there isn't something similar to this for these abortions...
However, I do find their magical draw to people interesting....just look up "Hot Rods" or "R*T Rods" on flee bay and look at all the folks who have awesome safe cars advertising them as "R*T Rods.....
Ahhhhh, the power of marketing !!
Cheers..

 

Out here, from what I've seen, the term Rat Rod is used to describe any unfinished ride - in addition to the 'cobbled together thing that should not be builds. I'm not on the road yet, but I dread that term, because to me it embodies a lack of skill, technique, vision and passion. I've already had folks ask about my 'rat rod' - which by my own admission is pretty ratty right now, only because it's unfinished - not completely assembled, panels not lined up quite yet, multicoloured primer/rattlecan paint, broken/missing glass.



However, when it's done, I hope nobody 'mistakes' it for a rat rod.

 

Out here, from what I've seen, the term Rat Rod is used to describe any unfinished ride - in addition to the 'cobbled together thing that should not be builds. I'm not on the road yet, but I dread that term, because to me it embodies a lack of skill, technique, vision and passion. I've already had folks ask about my 'rat rod' - which by my own admission is pretty ratty right now, only because it's unfinished - not completely assembled, panels not lined up quite yet, multicoloured primer/rattlecan paint, broken/missing glass.



However, when it's done, I hope nobody 'mistakes' it for a rat rod.

 

I know there is probably no real way of finding out what the accident rate for "properly" built hot rods vs rat rods is. But it would be interesting to see if all those poor welds and weird suspension and odd steering systems have an accident rate higher than the conventional rods. At this point all the conventional rodders say "look at those welds, must be an accident waiting to happen". Does that accident ever happen?

John

 

Mr. Big Boy, Sir, large dollars do not equate to QUALITY. So take money off the table. You can do a hell of a lot with CREATIVITY, some SKILL and an understanding of pretty basic engineering principles.

As for all the pure SCHLOCK rods out there.....I just hope they don't kill anyone and BB starts legislating the crap out of the well built hot rods.

 

It is a gross misconception that all rat rodders are bucks down, unskilled car builders who just don't know better or can't afford more. A personal friend of mine owns a RR that would be not welcome here but he is exactly the opposite of who one might think would own this car. He raced funny cars for years, raced at the Nationals quite a few times, holds a Bonneville Speed Record, is best friends with Dick Lahaie, owns some nicely finished hot rods and a cobra, and is, let's say, financially very comfortable. Yet he LOVES his RR and drives it every where, even from Florida to Texas for the LSR.

I think the reason he loves it so much is that it is like that old pair of jeans you always reach for even though you have a few nicer pairs hanging right next to it. It is comfortable, no worries about where you park it, and you aren't spending hours underneath polishing chrome. He has done it all and has nothing to prove to anyone any longer, so this car is his old pair of jeans.

I learned a long time ago to never judge a person by what they are wearing or driving, you might get the surprise of your life when you find out who they really are.

Don

 

Again, well said Don.

 

You mean these things aren't safe?

 

things on the west coast are getting better, new car clubs are putting pride in their cars , and building some pretty nice stuff, I cant say the same thing for the mid west , I was pretty disapointed with some of the cars at lone star round-up, there was some pretty nice cars but 2 out of 3 were terrible, the worst part is they were built by older guys that should have known better. I have been talking to one magazine in an effort to get them to publish better cars, and they are listening, a low budget car is not an excuse for building some thing terible and unsafe, all we can do is keep spreading the word and keep giving advise, and eventualy things will get better.

 

That is probably one of the most ridiculous posts I've ever read on here.

It's a shame 'common sense' didn't apply to your keyboard.

There is a shop next to mine and at least once a month the owner calls me in to show me scary stuff on mosly later model pickups...crap welds aren't exclusive to old cars,it's just an easy way to 'shock' and be 'Rebels' because they get a reaction.

 

Don, I have followed some of your threads and builds on another forum. You definately have your shit together

 

Can somebody make it stop now, please?

 

You don't build a rat rod, it is something that develops out of a car that has done many, many long hard street miles and earned its look.

Fastening all kinds of crap to an unfinished car, specifically to make it look like shit, is not rat rodding: it's building shit.

I said the same thing when I saw my first garbage laden 'rat bike' in Easyriders magazine some 35 years ago: What the fuck is that pile of poo????

My car won't be a show car, won't have million dollar paint, but it will be solidly and safely engineered.