Author Topic: Betty Paige and rat rods.. (Read 599 times)

lazs2 · « **Reply #15 on:** June 08, 2005, 08:43:47 AM »

well... I aint no kid but..

I kinda get tired of seeng miles of billet and candy colored cars that cost from 50-500k that are "driven" by old greybeards who don't even know how to change the oil and complain that the reason they don't have a stick shift is because... their leg get's too tired?

The energy of the rat rod guys is so anti billet and "reality" car and "chopper" shows it is lke a breath of fresh air after being stuck in an elevator with a chilli eating fat lady.

I am not interested in what the current "rod shop" or "chopper shop" tee shirt sellers and tv stars are building for pasty faced greybeards.. (well.... rarely).

lazs

Jackal1 · « **Reply #16 on:** June 08, 2005, 03:29:35 PM »

I watch the American Hot Rod series every once in a while.
Not saying that Coddington doesn`t put out some good looking stuff because he does, but what he does is "concept" work. It certainly isn`t anywhere near the traditional American hot rod.
The last episode I watched was where they started on supposedly "restoring" Vern Hildebrandt`s `34 roadster. The son wanted it restored just like his father had it. Didn`t take long for Boyd to decide it needed this done or that done the way he would do it if he was building one of his concept copy cars. Sort of a shame to see the old gal get hacked all to hell because some rich builder doesn`t understand the simple idea.

lazs2 · « **Reply #17 on:** June 09, 2005, 09:04:10 AM »

jakal... I look at the big builders on tv as artists. What they do is very much like the russian guy who made all those jeweled eggs... facinating but you can't eat em and they don't have much to do with and egg and.... not many can own em.

I get bored watching em and I find that I have little in common with the people involved.

I can admire the artistry and the skills without really caring much about the product. I like some paintings but can only look at em once in a while and have no interest in buying one and hanging out with painting buyers. if any of that makes sense.

Rat rod guys can tell you what car the radiator came out of and how they made the brackets. that kinda thing.

in the early days.. used to be around ness's shop for one reason or another... Couldn't see the point in waiting 3 weeks for the gold plated bolts to come back... couldn't see the point if a bike that cost more than a vette yet was allmost unrideable.

lazs

SFRT - Frenchy · « **Reply #18 on:** June 09, 2005, 10:05:13 AM »

Don't be fooled Laz, like everything fashionable, RatRoads are already starting to be driven by greybearded men, and some shops are building them, putting extra attention on the rusty look for $$$. They are usually easy to spot : sparkling engine, with rusted exterior and even faded nose arts.

Even the youngsters that I met driving them, have not much of a clue of how to build them. They are pretty much like me, book worms that cruise the internet for the config they want, then ask a mechanic friend to hook it up. It's far from the original sunday wrench monkey in rollover tee shirt that wanted to look bad ass.

lazs2 · « **Reply #19 on:** June 09, 2005, 03:15:51 PM »

Oh... I understand but, like you say, I can spot a real rat rod a mile away. If they can't work on em... they aint running.

worse... the rat rod will make the man... when they have to shift and not have the AC on or power steering or even disc brakes... solid axels and such... the pretenders won't last long in one of those cars.. It will toughen the sissies up.. so..

even a fake rat rod is better than a full billet candy car on a trailer.

Nothing wrong with nice cars... I just like the people who own em to undersand em... If that makes any sense.

My elky is fairly nice muscle car but.... I know every nut and bolt and have worked on it in the driveway and even in someone elses driveway when a braket or something let go... I am able to cobble it back together to make it home. I has paint and nice interior and AC and power brakes and steering but... It is a six speed and I drive it hard. see the diff?

lazs

SFRT - Frenchy · « **Reply #20 on:** June 09, 2005, 03:49:50 PM »

Oh yeah, I do. I can't work on them much because no one ever taught me, plus I don't even have a garage/driveway yet. I do know most of the nut and bolts, by looking over the shoulder of the mechanic, body guy, interior guy. (We know how they love that!)

Lizking · « **Reply #21 on:** June 09, 2005, 03:50:04 PM »

I always defined a rat rod as a car that would be painted up like a candy-car someday, but then a new cam was bought instead, or you got a deal on a set of heads, etc, forever, and just never got around to the foo-foo ****.