How Ratrods got a bad rap on other forums

[boosh]

I attend a lot of shows. You see a 50,000.00+ custom and a Self Built, Paid for as best they could," Rat Rod" in the same row. There is a crowd all around the rat, asking questions, laughing, wondering how he did that and this. And thinking I could do that, and be just as cool. The custom guy is mad and can't understand why the crowd can't relate to his ride. If eveyone had 50,000.00, everyone would have customs, and tons of trophys. Rats don't go for the trophys they go for the fun! And God bless them they go, sun shine and rain. Park up the road after the shows and look at all the breakdowns, What....Don't see Rats.....No mostly customs...Talk about unsafe, Unsafe is a dude driving a car he can't fix himself.
Billy said it best, "I'd rather laugh with the Sinners, Than cry with the Saints"!
Thanks for letting me put my dipstick in. This site is awsome, I check it out every day. I'm blown away by the members talent and their willingness to take their time to show and explain their work. Please don't change a thing.

 

[sgtpontiac]

Sort of like all the laws vary by state....

This is something I really dont understand about some jurisdictions (states) Where I live, any vehicle applying for plates has to pass a safety check by a licensed mechanic. Why dont they all have this?......

Michigan used to have the emission testing and such but dropped it as it caused persons not to be able to buy plates...hench the state didn't make money hence the laws changed for the state to make money....it all comes back to the cash....our secretary of state is only interested in money....doesn't give a rats behind if the car is safe...they leave that to us PO's to make that determination....they we issue fix it tickets and the state makes more money.....it's a vicious circle....sort of...

 

[Willowbilly3]

most of the other forums are about saftey and there are alot of rat/hot rods are built very unsafe. birdpoop welds, steering components cobbled together, unsafe brakes, that is the things l think that gave RR's there bad rap.

build what ya want, put on it what ya want, JUST PUT IT TOGETHER SAFELY
THE LIFE YOU SAVE MY NOT BE JUST YOUR'ES

Later

I guess that was the worst part, half (or more) of them were just cobbled together crap, like 3 pieces of frame stacked together to make a "Z", if you can call it that, poor welds, no front brakes, on and on. I'm sure some of them never even get driven. The few worthless baubles really doesn't bother me all that much but when you don't see one car built in the real spirit of what (I feel) is the true spirit of using what you have to the best of it's potential, just ill thought out assemblages of random parts.
I'll be the first to admit that I'm getting pickier and pickier as I get old. Maybe 10-15% of all the cars at any show even illicit a second look. That's why I don't go to many car shows I guess. Just an old guy rant, the whole trend sometimes seems to have just gone off to what's got shock factor anymore, not what's well thought out or any assemblage of stance, symmetry, quality of workmanship ect.

 

[sgtpontiac]

I have to agree with some of the others here....

I think anyone that builds the type of vehicle that is thrown together and has crap all over that makes no sense or theme or rhyme or reason and isn't really safe on the road is simply mocking the RR guys....JMHO

 

[Willowbilly3]

Cars like that make mine look even better. Assuming mine isn't one you consider hideous. Although it is a 4door and I know you don't think 4doors are cool, it's gotta be better than the car with unicorns stuck all over it. Right!?

A couple of the best cars I ever owned were 4 doors, like my 59 Belair. I just grew up in the 60s when they were very not cool, like the passed down 6 banger Rambler from your gramps when your buddys had 396 Chevelles, nobody aspired to that. I still try to steer relative newcomers away from them because they take the same amount of money to fix up as a 2 door and are worth a forth as much when you are done. Now if a 56 Olds 4 door hardtop came my way I wouldn't have to think twice if I wanted it. There are cool 4 doors
All that being said, my window of what's cool is probably a lot narrower than most of you and I appreciate having the freedom to voice those opinions here.

 

[GJunktionMike]

I saw some bum driving this junker around today

 

[Bonehead]

no comment.[P

 

[Tyster36]

I myself like the traditional rat rod. The ones that guys would build safely, but just couldn't afford the shiney paint, etc. I admire some creativity, but SAFETY should always be #1.

 

[Tripper]

This is something I really dont understand about some jurisdictions (states) Where I live, any vehicle applying for plates has to pass a safety check by a licensed mechanic. Why dont they all have this?......

Cars over 25 years old can apply for a couple types of plates in Tejas that require no inspections. People always used to ask me if my car the Daytripper was street legal & my standard answer was... "Depends on what street I'm on"!!! [ddd[ddd[ddd

BoB

 

[billy]

I'll side with WB. I've stated before that i believe a lot of them are thrown together to be a mockery. Unpopular taste in a build style and putting crap out there as a ridicule are two different things. The owners probably have billet rods at home. Get an owner into conversation and see what his motive was for building it.
Wouldn't hurt to start distancing ourselves from crap rods. I would be real happy if Tripper would change the name of this board to Rustic Rods Rule.

crap rod
i like it.
i been calling them clown cars and i hate those things.
i dont care what guys do but i would be ashamed to say one of those things was mine.
i hate theme cars too
and puppies
and lima beans
and and

 

[Willowbilly3]

crap rod
i like it.
i been calling them clown cars and i hate those things.
i dont care what guys do but i would be ashamed to say one of those things was mine.
i hate theme cars too
and puppies
and lima beans
and and

And time out dolls, and lawn chairs. And while I'm hacking on car shows, wth is up with the stupid stuffed animals?

 

[lowbuckrats]

My view is simple. In every segment of hot-rods/customs there is some welldone cool rides, but most of the other stuff out there is tasteless crap. You can tell a someone has taken pride in their ride and did most of the work themselves with little funds and created something different and fantastic. That to me is true rat-rodding/hot-rodding. It really is the same thing, it's just that usually ratting is done by us poor folk with way more imagination. The "bad-rap" thing is unwarrented for most guys on this site, theres always a few that ruin it for the majority that have taste and pride in almost everything you do. Our rides command attention, just don't "over-do-it".

 

[bob w]

Junk rods, clown cars, shock rods; they're all simply extreme examples of hot rods. Like them or not, it is individual expression and while we still have it in this country, freedom. As a viewer you are free to like it or hate it. Same goes for "accessories", be it saw blades, bullets, cry baby dolls or a sea shell collection.

One of the raps on these types of hot rods is build quality. I too have seen examples of bad material selection, bubblegum welds, poopy proportions etc. The flip side is I believe these types of rods get driven very little. Most of them are intended to be displayed for shock or "wow" value. Just like the extreme show cars of the past (stage coaches, bath tubs, etc). So the liklihood of one falling apart and crashing into a mini van full of nuns is very low.

We like to point to safety. I contend that most of our rods are far less safe than a new car. We should be careful regarding this issue when knocking the extreme rat rods. Many of us have obstructed vision from chopped tops or tall engines. Bias tires, drum brakes, no e-brake, no windshield wipers, no neutral safety switch, bumpers, scrub line, etc are found on our "nice" rat rods. We ride on cheater slicks, sometimes in the rain.

To be safe, should we be required to have all the devices found on a 2012 vehicle? That would kill the hobby at all levels.

Another argument I hear is junk rods will create a negative impression among the public and will be detrimental to the hobby. Fact is, most show attendees are at least somewhat interested in cars. The general "busybody" public is not present at shows. It's fellow hot rodders I hear commenting that a certain junk rod shouldn't be allowed on the street. Junk rods see very little street time. I've never seen one in a shopping center parking lot. Never seen a headline where a rat rod caused an accident. In fact it is usually a family sedan plowing into a hot rod that makes the news. A junk rod driven respectfully in public will create a better impression than a "pretty" hot rod inconsiderately blasting through traffic.



We all have our likes and dislikes. That's why there are so many iterations of the basic concept, "Hot Rod" Like what you like, Enjoy what you build, but be careful about ripping any segment of the hobby. It could come back to haunt all of us.

(I usually wait until a thread of this nature has almost run its course before I kill it with my comments).

 

[Snake Farm]

Well said Bob W

 

[Bonehead]

Well said bob, I was going to say something like that, but was to lazy to type it all. What, are you writing a book?

I am a fan of well done rides. I don't care if they have a theme, are a rat rod, a hot rod, a street rod, a muscle car, a show car, or an art car. I don't care if the builder sits in a lawn chair, or has a cry baby doll. I either like the car, or not.
I can spot a well built car, and I can spot junk. I say that anybody building a car, is better than anybody wasting thier life away. It is all art. Like it or not. Nobody likes all art. True, sometimes you hit a homerun with a build. and sometimes you don't.

 

[Blue Eyed Devil]

I too don't feel like wasting much time or effort to explain. You "get it" or you don't. I believe Willowbilly gets it, and I understand his frustration. This whole junk rod thing is a fad and it will pass, just like digital dashes and easter egg paint jobs. Us real hot rodders will be left doing our thing the way we have always done. It's just how it is. Some cars are shiny and some aren't, but they are built with skill and pride, and certainly not made to look half-assed on purpose. Some people just aren't happy doing their thing unless they are getting attention from someone else, even if it is just getting a rise out of them. That's why these types like the "oh I got all the attention at the car show" or "oh I made the gold-chainer so mad" type things. It's simple "look at me" syndrome.

One thing I do get a kick out of however is someone saying how they were parked next to xxx-highdollar-billet-fiberglass-showrod-blah-blah-blah and the crowd was all around their little turdbox. Well, is that necessarily a good thing? I mean, crowds usually gather to stare at car accidents too.

 

[rainman]

I'm not defending them, (I don't even like them), But I will defend
a persons right to do what they like!!
I won't tell you how to build your's, (unless you ask) so don't tell me
how to build mine!!

 

[timbo]

It dosent matter what kind of car/truck is built, There will always be someone take it to extreme. If you chop the top 5 inches, there will be one chopped 8 inches. If you have a little rust in the floor patched with a road sign, some will use plywood for the looks from people. I going to use cardboard next time.[ddev I have seen someone buy an old Prostock Firebird and have the slicks grooved and put muffles on it and he called it a street car. It will never end. I built mine for me to drive and enjoy safely.
Tim

 

[Willowbilly3]

Junk rods, clown cars, shock rods; they're all simply extreme examples of hot rods. Like them or not, it is individual expression and while we still have it in this country, freedom. As a viewer you are free to like it or hate it. Same goes for "accessories", be it saw blades, bullets, cry baby dolls or a sea shell collection.

One of the raps on these types of hot rods is build quality. I too have seen examples of bad material selection, bubblegum welds, poopy proportions etc. The flip side is I believe these types of rods get driven very little. Most of them are intended to be displayed for shock or "wow" value. Just like the extreme show cars of the past (stage coaches, bath tubs, etc). So the liklihood of one falling apart and crashing into a mini van full of nuns is very low.

We like to point to safety. I contend that most of our rods are far less safe than a new car. We should be careful regarding this issue when knocking the extreme rat rods. Many of us have obstructed vision from chopped tops or tall engines. Bias tires, drum brakes, no e-brake, no windshield wipers, no neutral safety switch, bumpers, scrub line, etc are found on our "nice" rat rods. We ride on cheater slicks, sometimes in the rain.

To be safe, should we be required to have all the devices found on a 2012 vehicle? That would kill the hobby at all levels.

Another argument I hear is junk rods will create a negative impression among the public and will be detrimental to the hobby. Fact is, most show attendees are at least somewhat interested in cars. The general "busybody" public is not present at shows. It's fellow hot rodders I hear commenting that a certain junk rod shouldn't be allowed on the street. Junk rods see very little street time. I've never seen one in a shopping center parking lot. Never seen a headline where a rat rod caused an accident. In fact it is usually a family sedan plowing into a hot rod that makes the news. A junk rod driven respectfully in public will create a better impression than a "pretty" hot rod inconsiderately blasting through traffic.



We all have our likes and dislikes. That's why there are so many iterations of the basic concept, "Hot Rod" Like what you like, Enjoy what you build, but be careful about ripping any segment of the hobby. It could come back to haunt all of us.

(I usually wait until a thread of this nature has almost run its course before I kill it with my comments).

I would be quick to agree with most of your well thought out response except for the safety part. It may apply in general to a segement and no my car will never be as safe as a 2012, but what's in my head is more what keeps me and the general motoring public safe, more than what my car is made of. That being said, I will not compromise safety for looks, no heavy chop with bad vision, no skinney 40s technology bias ply tires. While I won't have wipers I will have disc brakes with ALL new brake parts except rotors and drums, I will have a parking brake, I will have all new king pins and tie rod ends. But then my rpu is more of a traditional rod without paint than it is a RR.
Nw just a friendly reminder again, I didn't really start this thread so much to hack on other people's builds as it was just an "ahah" moment for me about why you can't even say RatRod on the H##B, Hotrodders.com and some other internet car forums, that's all.

 

[Sam_Fear]

Well, besides the safety aspect, it also upsets the HAMBers and such because most have spent a lot of years and effort to make a historical and/or quality hot rod just to have Mr. Clueless Passerby group it in with a car that took a year to slap together from spare parts just for fun.

I can understand that. It's kind of like grouping Rembrant and Warhol in the same class. I'm sure rembrant would have been offended! But the thing is, it's not the rat rodders fault or the cars fault. It's the ignorant publics fault and the thin skinned rodders fault for letting it bug them.

Shock rods and art cars just make me keep walkin'.