What makes a rat rod.
I will probably get bombarded with this thread but here goes. A comment was made that the Hudson Convertible on Ebay should not be rat rodded. Rat rodding can mean a number of things.It can be an all out hack job that is made to look ratty. But my understanding of the word "rat rod" was a term that the late Gray Baskerville (who was a staff member at the popular magazine rod & custom) coined as a car that was built for rattin around in. It was not a concours restoration, a hack job or even a hot rod. That hudson convertible could be cleaned up, brakes and engine freshened up, blankets put on as seat covers, primed in flat primer or left as original and could be driven around by a fellow who does not have the money to buy all the expensive parts to restore it and he could rat around in it for years and have a lot of fun with it and join a club with other people who are like minded. He is not destroying an original car but having fun with a car that he can work on and drive at the same time. This is why the rat rod movement is so strong. These guys are trying to send the message that you do not have to restore a car to perfection, or customize it to death with billet and exotic engines to have fun. Rat rodders are often asked the question "When are you gonna finish it?" In their minds it is finished. A hudson convertible with an original twin H setup, dual exhaust, moons, red steelies and flat black paint would be cool, you could pile the kids, dog and the wife and have a blast in it and not have a bird if you got the paint scratched. It does not mean that the car is destoyed. I could be sold and restored if the new owner so chose. Rat rodding is the common guys answer to having fun on a budget, I do not think it is as bad as some of you think.
Just something to make you go HMMMMM
cheers
Just something to make you go HMMMMM
cheers
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Comments
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Good point. As with everything in life, common sense dictates. In your example, nothing has been permanently destroyed. No problem here. The issue to me is when a very rare car is butchered irreversibly when a more common car could be used for the same purpose. Many of these "customs" are so heavily modified you can hardly tell what the original car was. Whats the point? The great full customs to me are those that exemplify the original car's style- like the famous Boyd Coddington 57 Chevy. I can guarantee you that it didn't start out its life as a rare 2 door fuel-injected coupe.
The reality is that most people who know they have a rare and desirable car wouldn't want to butcher it. They also know that it economically foolish to hack them up. Niels0 -
Depends on the era mostly - I did some inet research a while ago about the terminology.
The term was originally coined (probably in the fifties) as a slam to those who had crummy looking rides - due to lack of vision and/or lack of money!
Today I think a car can be a "rat rod" without having shoddy work and being unsafe. A rusty paint job does not make the car unsafe!
I think "do what makes you happy" but do it with style and pride in your workmanship...
I now am getting off my soapbox!0 -
OK, up on my soapbox! I like the convertible and would probably resto that one. But saying that, if someone bought it and took a sawsall to it, wouldn't bother me a bit. My motto......your car, your money, your choice. I would agree that foremost a car should be safe if you're going to put it on the road (especially if I'm on the same road! lol). After that...its a free-for-all! And if that convertible was such rare car..........a collector would have paid BIG bucks for it no matter the condition. I doubt its really as rare as some would think. Or maybe (some are going to hate me for this!) Hudsons aren't the "end all" of the automotive world. If you're into Hudsons only, thats great, just understand that not everyone out there feels the same about your brand, or any brand other than their own for that matter. Personally (for me only) in my case, Hudsons are good for one thing.....lead sledding a car if you don't have the money or expertise to chop a car. Their are many cars that have as good body lines as a Hudson. But, just have fun with whatever ya got!
Jay0 -
nhp1127 wrote:Good point. As with everything in life, common sense dictates. In your example, nothing has been permanently destroyed. No problem here. The issue to me is when a very rare car is butchered irreversibly when a more common car could be used for the same purpose. Many of these "customs" are so heavily modified you can hardly tell what the original car was. Whats the point? The great full customs to me are those that exemplify the original car's style- like the famous Boyd Coddington 57 Chevy. I can guarantee you that it didn't start out its life as a rare 2 door fuel-injected coupe.
The reality is that most people who know they have a rare and desirable car wouldn't want to butcher it. They also know that it economically foolish to hack them up. Niels
Just to say that most of the rat rod talk now is on the Rod section of this Hudson message board. Now someone must be bored and needs a little fix from some real Hudson people. Hmmmmmmm ????? LOL.Just looking at it all, Ron0 -
There was a 28(?) Chrysler Imperial Town Car on ebay a few months ago. It was probably a one of a kind custom bodied car. The seller tried to point out that the sheet metal was original but that it had been rodded and he didn't have most of the original parts.
If I didn't believe in the power of profanity, I might have said "rats!"
Have a nice day
Steve0 -
I have been driving my Jet exactly as I bought it, leaky tranny and all. No restoration or expensive parts. Does that mean I have a "Ratrod" or do I have to add the blanket seat covers and black primer to qualify for "Ratrod" status?0
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I think you're okay royer......but you might need the mexican blamket treatment! :-)
Jay0 -
I totally agree with you, A guy can wear more than 1 hat, I enjoy and appreciate restored cars, I enjoy rat rods, I enjoy street rods, many cars in my part of the country are saved from the crushers by being street-rodded or rat rodded, they also are a good source of parts for the avid restorer.
Just my $.02 worth0 -
I usually think of a "Ratrod" as having some modifications (hence the "rod"). This could be drivetrain, suspension, body etc. The mods. could be as simple as cut springs and primer paint or a full custom. A stock car that is faded, rusty, and generally just worn would fall more into the "Driver" category in my book. I'm very much into the ratrods, as well as the rusto-rods. I like to see cars that are driven and enjoyed. The best way I ever heard it was described is that these cars are Work In Progress, once you finish it, some of the fun is gone and it's on to the next project.
I would love to have an old primered car for a daily driver, I just haven't figured out how to make it practical. The convenience & gas mileage of my Jetta is hard to compete with.
Matt0 -
I plan on doing my 49 coupe this way. I'm putting a v-8 in it . Lowered with a satin black finish for a while {who knows how long} , lake pipes, moon eyes, and flames. I also want to put on a flame thrower for cruise nights. I planning on painting the wheels red and putting the original baby moon style Hudson hubcaps on with beauty rings and wide white wall tires. The interior I would like to do in an old style street rod fashion with rolled and pleated vinyl probably white with a different color piping. Is this a street rod or rat rod. I purposely am keeping it a low dollar car as I personally don't believe in just throwing money at it until ita a trailer queen. I want to cruise in it take it to the mall 0r just have fun with it whenever. Too bad we dont have drive ins any more. just my 2 cents....Jim0
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Jim, we'll have to meet sometime when our projects are further along! I'm also running a V8 and plan to install lake pipes, wide whites with the stock wheels caps and rings (I'm missing one ring though) and lowered to the ground! My father said they used to thread a sprak plug in the tailpipe and run a hot wire thru a switch from the battery, load up the carb then flip the switch and out comes the flames! Do they have a different way of doing this these days?
Mine's going to replace my Range Rover as my daily driver, can't imagine have a cool car and not driving the p*ss out of it! Just looks like it won't get running 'til after tax season is over (bummer!).
Jay0 -
Sounds like we are of like minds on this one Jay. I think tho that it takes a pretty high voltage to make the spark plug spark hot enough. There is a local guy who builds kits for this so I might check him out. ...Jim0
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Jim and Jay,
My cousin belongs to a car club called the Falming Idiots in Dayton Ohio. They all have Flame Throwers on their cars. They have bungs welded into the exhaust tips, with sparkplugs threaded into the bungs. The plugs are fired by a type of distributor turned by an electric fan motor mounted in the trunk along with the coil. There is a cutout switch to the cars ignition which when pressed, cuts the ignition to the engine for a moment and lets raw gas run into the exhaust. When it gets to the ignitor in the tailpipe.....Whooooooosh......I've seen flames 15 feet from the car.
Bob0 -
In the old days I just used a T Ford coil to a spark plug in the tail pipe.0
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Howdy
Yep, y'all are right on track as to what I was gonna build mine like. The Model T coil and plug is the way we did it too. You gotta have that high volt output to the plug.
As to answering the original question, I believe that you could categorize your car in either category, depending on which you like best. I prefer "street Rod" after you get it sorta slicked up, and "rat rod" when its still ratty but runnin'. My 50 Model Chevy is a rat now, but when I get it runnin' & primed, its gonna start transforming into the "street" mode
Billy0 -
i think the key is driving and enjoying your car. you can,t make every buddy happy . i have a 1946 hudson pickup resto rod it looks stock. but i drive it .small block chevy 350 trans 9 in ford but looks stock.i get people around it all day long , telling me how tastefully done the truck was done. but there is always that one jerk that comes up that knows every thing there is to know about hudsons. he will look at my truck and tell me what a nice job i had done on my truck and how0
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Howdy
I. too, would like a link to the "LaBuds" site. I have been told they are the ones, but can't find them
Billy0 -
Howdy
Thanx for the info. I will try to contact him tomorrow
Billy0 -
Thanks for the tips on the flamethrowers guys, I'll remember this thread when I get to that point in my project.
Jay0 -
Billy Clanton wrote:Howdy
Thanx for the info. I will try to contact him tomorrow
Billy
If you are going to fit one of the La Bud disc kits to any '41-'47 Hudson just be aware of this-
The kit 18 months ago cost over $600, no problem with that but when I finally got round to fitting and testing we realised that the caliper mounting plate is too flimsy and actually bends when under load. This causes the sliding caliper used to get jammed up, holding the brakes on with varying amounts of pressure until friction finally wins the day and then you're locked up at the side of the road waiting for it all to cool down. I've lost count of the times I've crawled under my truck so that I can limp home and hope I don't have to brake too hard. Anyway this weekend I've gotta take my truck into a hotrod/fabrication shop and get them to sort it out one way or another.
potentially costing a lot more on top of my initial cost.
As to rat rods - I luv'em ,of my three Hudson pickups 2 are in this 'theme'. one big and one small block Ford, manual trans from David Kee toploaders, what great products he turns out . 9' rears and totally untouched 'straight off the farm' 65years old look,- totally worn out, untill you start to look a little closer. I even run my '34 H8 convertible as a roadster, not as a ratrod just all stock less the fenders and running boards and hood side panels.What is there is show quality and wow that's a blast and nobody knows what it is. Now for the purists don't get too upset at that because yes I realise how rare the conv. is and all i've done is left off a few panels which can easily be bolted back on.
Jerry (UK)0 -
Ron P wrote:Just to say that most of the rat rod talk now is on the Rod section of this Hudson message board. Now someone must be bored and needs a little fix from some real Hudson people. Hmmmmmmm ????? LOL.Just looking at it all, Ron
Could you tell me how to access the 'rod' section of this Hudson message board, hell if i can see it but then i ain't the sharpest on these 'ere computer gadgets. Wish I hadn't found Ebay, shit load of money that's ended up costing me!!!!
Keep the faith Ron.0 -
Ruth&Jerry wrote:Could you tell me how to access the 'rod' section of this Hudson message board, hell if i can see it but then i ain't the sharpest on these 'ere computer gadgets. Wish I hadn't found Ebay, shit load of money that's ended up costing me!!!!
Keep the faith Ron.
FOUND IT!!!!!!
What a.......0 -
Well, If you really want to do it. Its very simple. First you need to fasten something to a extension about 6" from the end to hold a spark plug, Needs to be 1/8' or thicker. Wire up a T coil to it and you are home free. Just bare in mind this is very dangerous to say the least and a lot of municpalities frown on this. Been there, done that, don't want to do it again0
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Ruth and Jerry,
I'm not sure why you're having trouble with the "LaBud's" conversion. I've slammed on my brakes going from 10mph to 60mph, driven the car thousands of miles, and never had a single problem with the LaBuds conversion. Did you install a (2lb)(blue) residual valve, and did you install a proportioning valve? If you installed a (red) valve, "it" is 10 lb, which is for drum brakes, and the proportioning valve distributes the fluid evenly between the front and rear. Attached are a few photo's of my mastercylinder, with the correct plumbing.Maybe trying this set-up will help?0
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