[madhatterpdc]

I had thought that a Rat Rod referred to a '32 Ford or similar in any of its incarnations. Basically a '30's era car that has been customized. Including, but not limited to being chopped, channeled, sectioned, smoothed, de-fendered, de-hooded, or any combination of the above. Almost always powered by a large american V8 Engine.

The big block Chevy engine (most often in the 454 cid flavor) is referred to as a "Rat Motor" and the small blocks are sometimes called "Mouse Motors".

I have noticed that a lot of eBayer's are using the term "rat rod" in a lot of auctions on items that are cheap, can be easily customized to fit, or could be used a high performance upgrade. A good example was a listing I saw for a set of 12" finned aluminum brake drums from a '63 through '65 full-sized Buick. Bidding went to $200 even though they would have to be re-lined before being used... but they are pretty much a bolt-on for '32 hi-boys and the like.

 

[madhatterpdc]

Re: Re: "Rat Rod"

The Ed "Big Daddy" Roth Rat Fink!!!

Somewhere, I have a hat, from waaay back, with a Rat Fink that he airbrushed on it.

I have a fair amount of Big Daddy's work including a collector's card that has The Ogre Opel on it. Pretty cool, shows a GT with a large V8 and Hilborn type injection sticking out of the hood, and wild huge tires spinning and smoking. One of these days I will need to hook up my scanner again. I have a few items that I think are pretty cool that I would like to upload... If only I weren't so dern lazy...

 

[madhatterpdc]

GT-Freak

I have a pair of toys that are setup exactly like the car in your avatar (chrome wheels sticking way out etc.). One is a late 70's Red Vette (with the Hilborn injection like on your car) and the other is a Black '57 Chevy with a blower. They both had a "four-on-the floor" shifter sticking out of the trunk area, first gear was idle, second was fast idle (a quick flick between first and second would blip the throttle as though you were staging), third gear was "cruising" and fourth was a full-throttle launch that pulled the front tires of the ground. My dad and I used to drag race each other with those in the living room. It didn't take us very long to figure that a little water on the kitchen floor made for great burn-outs.

Would those be the toys that happened to inspire your avatar? Did that company make a GT version?!?!?!?

P.S. The '57 Chevy version of that toy also makes an appearance in the opening credits of the recent "Gone in 60 Seconds"

 

[madhatterpdc]

I have the re-released AMT/Ertl Opel GT Kit (from my local hobby store, inventory is now exhausted) and I have to say that it is one of the strangest kits that I have found. None of the pieces are numbered which makes sense because the instructions are vague. The optional wheels don't match up, the fit of some of the pieces is a little off (requiring filler and sanding), and the body is going to take some serious sanding to smooth out the mold lines. On the plus side, the model is pretty accurate

I was going to whip this together (now that my dad's Wildcat is done), but I have a good amount of prep work ahead of me before I can stick everything together.

Come to think of it... sounds like a real GT... Hard to find, parts are not numbered, extra pieces, missing pieces, vague manuals and a lot of prep work before it can be put back together.

And that's why we love 'em
(I'll be sure and post pics when I am done)

 

[madhatterpdc]

Try again... Here is the Opel Ogre card that I mentioned earlier in this thread. (Could that be a split-bumpered '68???)

 

[madhatterpdc]

Where did you get/who makes the die-cast model?

My girlfriend sees me in a similar light. She is not my wife because of my obsession with cars. Thankfully, she is still with me, and that's only because her dad is a car guy too. He has a 1960 T-Bird and some others. She has a 5-speed Mustang convertible that I have dreams about hacking apart and turning it into a replica of a Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe...

 

[madhatterpdc]

I didn't see any GT's available on their website and a 2 second search on eBay was unsuccessful too....

But I did find one that Gary might be interested in...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3577103468&category=223

 

[madhatterpdc]

Daytona Coupe on a Mustang donor. That sounds like a lot of work. Starting with clay and working toward a fiberglass body?

There are Cobra roadster and coupe kits that use a Fox-body Mustang as a donor. Some are not as bad as it sounds, most kits includes a new tube frame, body and suspension among other things. Basically the only thing Mustang is the steering rack, and some nerds (brakes and drivetrain CAN be used but have millions of upgrade options)... but I digress.