Post by "The Freq" on Mar 10, 2007 7:54:16 GMT -5
'50's nostalgia has returned in a HUGE way with the Rat Rod craze
that's been gaining huge popularity in the U.S. and Canda and parts of the U.K.
What are Rat Rods? They are old cars you throw together by using anything it takes to get it operational.. Rarely are new parts used. Most Rat Rods are cars that are pre 1960's and the best Rat Rods are
of 20's and 30's cars. You don't paint them. You don't have to put a beautiful interior in them... but they have to run and stop. If you see an old car body in a field, grab it, and merge it with something else. Put an old motor in it and make it fit and run. The key to this is to build the car your way for minimal bucks. Why is this so popular? It's because modern car customizing has lost track of it's roots. Now a days, buying an old car and customizing it costs up to a 100 grand or more. That has basically lost what 1950's hot rodding was all about. Hot rodding was born from teenagers buying an old heap and fixing it up with pocket change, a little elbow grease while listening to rock and roll music. The new craze has all of that INCLUDING pin up girls that are wearing the 50's style clothing which just finishes off this great flashback.
Being that I'm a car restorer, I have 2 1957 Ford Fairlanes and you guessed it.. one is going to be a Rat Rod. Why? because I don't have a 100 grand to drop into a restoration and 2.... I want to drive one of these cars before I die without going broke..haha
Brian Setzer and the Stray Cats are the image that a lot of Rat Rodders emulate.. It's just something cool to do lately.
that's been gaining huge popularity in the U.S. and Canda and parts of the U.K.
What are Rat Rods? They are old cars you throw together by using anything it takes to get it operational.. Rarely are new parts used. Most Rat Rods are cars that are pre 1960's and the best Rat Rods are
of 20's and 30's cars. You don't paint them. You don't have to put a beautiful interior in them... but they have to run and stop. If you see an old car body in a field, grab it, and merge it with something else. Put an old motor in it and make it fit and run. The key to this is to build the car your way for minimal bucks. Why is this so popular? It's because modern car customizing has lost track of it's roots. Now a days, buying an old car and customizing it costs up to a 100 grand or more. That has basically lost what 1950's hot rodding was all about. Hot rodding was born from teenagers buying an old heap and fixing it up with pocket change, a little elbow grease while listening to rock and roll music. The new craze has all of that INCLUDING pin up girls that are wearing the 50's style clothing which just finishes off this great flashback.
Being that I'm a car restorer, I have 2 1957 Ford Fairlanes and you guessed it.. one is going to be a Rat Rod. Why? because I don't have a 100 grand to drop into a restoration and 2.... I want to drive one of these cars before I die without going broke..haha
Brian Setzer and the Stray Cats are the image that a lot of Rat Rodders emulate.. It's just something cool to do lately.
