[61bone]

So now we know. Ratrod is a meaningless buzz word that encompasses everything from craprods to Codrods.

[luckyfasteddie]

defining a rat rod is like defining porn hard to do "but I know it when I see it"

[fitzwell]

Originally Posted by willowbilly3

It is just a buzz word like "old school" that people throw around. It used to mean a car built with resources at hand and not a catalog menu of parts. Now Boyd Coddington puts flat primer paint on one of his cars and calls it a ratrod. There are actually techniques to make a car built with all new parts look old. Then people with money can buy coolness that they would never have been able to obtain any other way.

yep...saw a clown at Greedguys a couple of years ago, selling a glass "ratrod" he had just finished. DP90, SBC,coulda been a decent car, he just didn't get it.

Have seen "ratrods" arrive at shows, on a trailer, that i wouldnt drive across the parking lot. Have seen the 100k cars show up in an enclosed trailer, behinda 250k motorhome, that i wouldn't drive across the parkinglot.
.......for different reasons....
mine may not be pretty, nor is it finished, (and pro'lly never will be)
but it puts a smile on my face.......

Ratrod = buzzword

buzzwords, invented by marketing people
marketing people = satans spawn

just my .02

[Good Frosty]

Rat Rods and Hot Rods are in the same bucket for me. "rat" usually means crappy paint and body, but just as fast. "Hot" means just as fast, but looks alot better.

Crap-Rod is my new word now, which I'm gonna be using to describe some of my projects.

One of which I bought almost a year ago, a 49' Lincholn Front, and a 52' Mercury back half, with stretched fenders, cut in half, welded together, with the roof cut off. No doors at all, and the body is really floppy. I want to find a running truck, and cram it all together. IFS is fine with me, since the cars keeping its shoddy looking Linc' fenders. No hood would ever fit this car, the cowl is a mystery deal, its one vehicles fire-wall, and a sliver of metal from the back of another car, uses a Ford rear-windsheild for the actual windsheild. The dash is from a 51' Ford. The trunk was full of random garbage from both cars, used to have Air-Bags, but they rotted off.

-GF

[Parrot]

Originally Posted by Decho

I agree with Henry about the Rat Rod def but for myself, I call an no-frills hot rod a old time hot rod. But I call those thrown together, wacky rods that sit 1 inch off the ground as just a big piece of junk!
It's funny, though, that those guys with the tattoos, greasy hair, cigarettes hanging from their lips, leaning against a Rat Rod just as big of a snob as those fat cats with the 100K + Coddington rods!!
Crazy hobbie we're in!!

Yes, it is a vry crazy Hobbie. However I don't understand why. I have a 1967 Pontiac Catalina 2+2 Convertible with a 428 and tri-power. The car has only 62, 000 original miles and the only thing changed was that I added the 66 tri-powe. Now I am looked down on because I have changed an original car, but I can put it back original in about 2 hours. So when I am original one group down't like me and when I am not original another group looks down on me. So I decided to use the car in the best way that the wife and I can enjoy it and the heck with others. Another grip I have the Street Rodders don't like us guys with so called original cars and some of the guys with original cars look down on the street rodders, rat rods, hot rods. There are several in my club like me who have both. The way I look at this hobbie is that there is room for all of us even at one show. If a street rodder likes his rod, then I am happy for him and don''t want to put him down, the same for the old car guys who want to be original. I like all cars, I enjoy looking at some of the street rods with the 2 4's and a GMC 671 Blower. I also enjoy looking at an all original car and rat rods, hot rods or whatever has 4 wheels a motor of some kind and a steering wheel especially a good set of breaks. We all have the same love and that is cars whatever you call them.
Now my opinion and a dollar will buy you a cup of coffe at the local convience store.
Parrot428

[Decho]

I fully agree with Parrot, this is a crazy hobby! And like Parrot, I just love cars!! It's unfortunate that we have so many snobs, whether a rat rodder, street rodder, custom, whatever, they just think there poop and ideas are the best ones!!
I own 4 old cars (57 chev, 55 ford, 66 mustang, 50 chev coupe) and if I could afford a 30-something coupe (thanks for driving the cost of those up so high, you fat turd wanna-be cool street rodders, you know who you are!!) I'd have one of those and a hand full of other cool cars.
So my attitude is I love cars period!! And those turds who look down at me or anybody elses car can take a flying jump in the lake with Coddington and his attitude!

That's just me...