Care to share your worst rat rod mistakes?

[NoShopSkills]

If you've ever raised boys, you know that giving them a pocket knife or a hammer will result in them carving or hammering something… Well Since I've found this site I'm that boy with the hammer. I can't wait to start on my first true rat. I'm moving slowly on acquiring a project, mostly because I want to avoid as many pitfalls as I possibly can.

Since many of you have already been there, could I possibly ask you to share your biggest mistakes when it came to buying, fabricating, engineering, trying to get different parts to coexist, licensing, driving, owning, maintaining and selling your car(s)?

It could be as simple as getting a ticket for too dark window tint, to as complex as the difficulty or even inability to properly mate an odd ball engine to a newer transmission.

I think this discussion could be quite fun:

 

[DougnDog]

Sure I'll start......When I built my Rat Rod I put the fan too close to the radiator about 1/2" to 3/4". it worked fine till I went over a RR track at about 40mph then the car flexed just enough the lower tank just touched the fan, and sucked the fan blade in........ ate a new 4 core radiator in a second. now its sits back 2" no problem for 6 years.

 

[NoShopSkills]

That's the kinda stuff I'm asking for!!! Thanks Doug!

 

[billy]

i wish i hadnt of channeled mine the full 4 inches.
i need that space in my tiny cab.

 

[animal]

i wish i hadnt of channeled mine the full 4 inches.
i need that space in my tiny cab.

That's a pretty common regret......whoever cut mine chopped it 5" and channeled it another 5"....it's darn tight in there!

 

[MercuryMac]

I didn't check the speed ratio on my rear-end at first and put in an inappropriate transmission when I was building the truck. Later, after a few test drives I decided I needed an overdrive to get up to high-way speed. Well sir, it's a way harder to put a different transmission in a vehicle, from underneath, while lying on your back in a four inch space, trying to get the transmission off your chest, in through the throw out bearing and lined up in the clutch, while holding a trouble light in one hand, sometimes cursing. A way harder.
Find out your rear-end speed ratio, early in the build.

 

[NoShopSkills]

Hmm… right after finding and purchasing the "right" body, I was thinking the entire car needs to be designed from the rear end, then suspension and finally frame forward. Good to know!

 

[sneakysnake]

Don't sandblast your cab after you do the chop,it messes up the joints and causes them to dip.

 

[Yankee Transplant]

Don't sandblast your cab after you do the chop,it messes up the joints and causes them to dip.

I didnt know this I was planing on doing this to the inside of my cab .

 

[I-R-POPS]

I put air bags on mine and it rides like a hard tail Harley. It hurts my old bones. My current build is gonna ride like a Camaro with soft springs.

I still miss my Harley tho.

 

[jamesgs4]

so far during my build, the worst part is me changing my mind on things. it gets more expensive every time.

 

[Willowbilly3]

Easy one. When I was 15 and had my first "hotrod" that I built. I loosened the lower radiator hose clamp. sprayed hot water on my crotch. I had a very interesting little mummy in my pants for a few days.

 

[YBeNormal]

I'm sure everyone can relate to this.

Don't pay anyone to do anything until the job is done and you are happy with it!

 

[soltz]

One word, plan plan plan and after you have your plan do it again. the less redo's or as jam said it can get costly.

 

[smallfoot]

Soltz is dead on there. Planning ahead and planning right will keep you out of most of the pitfalls! Take your time and before you cut anything, measure it twice, cut it once, just like in carpentry.

 

[NoShopSkills]

Wait a min…. I'm not looking for theory or good advice here…. I'm looking for real life stories of how YOU screwed up in the construction or operation of a car you built.

I don't care about "saving money" or advice to "measure twice and cut once" or any of that feel good stuff…

I want to hear about how you accidentally put ATF fluid in your brake master and it ate all of the seals & if it wasn't for that cow you hit, you'd have never stopped, or how you couldn't make the shift linkage work without cutting a huge hole in the nice, newly powder coated frame or floor or how you built something that has a 35' turning radius to the left and an 85' turning radius to the right.

Willowbilly has the right idea!

 

[smallfoot]

sorry, planned ahead...

 

[echnidna]

I stupidly put bar oil in the fuel tank of my chainsaw.

it doesn't go now

 

[zzrodder]

Did the axle flip on my 55 Chev pickup to drop the frontend. Took my buddy with me for a test drive (fairly soft springs, no shocks and a torquey 454 with 4.88 gears) - hammered it and it shot left into oncoming traffic
Whoa, stomp on the brakes - it shot right, heading for the ditch
Classic lesson on the effects of bump steer.....

Long time before my buddy would get back in that truck...

 

[soltz]

Wait a min…. I'm not looking for theory or good advice here…. I'm looking for real life stories of how YOU screwed up in the construction or operation of a car you built.

I don't care about "saving money" or advice to "measure twice and cut once" or any of that feel good stuff…

I want to hear about how you accidentally put ATF fluid in your brake master and it ate all of the seals & if it wasn't for that cow you hit, you'd have never stopped, or how you couldn't make the shift linkage work without cutting a huge hole in the nice, newly powder coated frame or floor or how you built something that has a 35' turning radius to the left and an 85' turning radius to the right.

Willowbilly has the right idea!

Well lets see here, your avatar says junior member, and "noshopskills" I thing I would lesson to what a lot of us old farts learned the hard way, even if money is not a problem it's just a PITA, it's only fun to build it one time.
My grandpa told me once, a long long time age, "don't ask the question if you don't want the answer"

echnidna: I teach chainsaw maintance to firefighter and they have been known to put bar oil in the gas tank and gas in the oil tan then ask why is won't run, go figure[S