How to Build a Low-Dollar Rat Rod
One growing community in hot rodding is the burgeoning rat rod phenomenon that taps into a unique, grungy DIY philosophy of car craft. While many hot-rodders pay tens of thousands of dollars to professional builders to create custom rides, rat-rodders do most of the work themselves. To qualify as a rat rod, a custom car must meet a few basic aesthetic criteria -- rust, crude modifications and a minimalist sensibility. If you have the mechanical skills, you too can build a rat rod on a budget.
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Things You'll Need
- Base car or truck (the more rust, the better)
- Metal fabrication tools
- Standard sockets and wrenches
- Space to work
- Spare parts
Instructions
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1
Rebuild the engine. Most rat rods, like other custom hot rods, use V-8 motors for their inherent power, and for their widely-available parts. An engine rebuild for a rat rod is not usually focused on speed, or high levels of performance. A rat rod is mostly a show car that cruises at normal road speeds. Do not spend a lot of money on expensive high-performance parts.
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2
Examine the base vehicle for places where rust and decay have destroyed essential parts, such as the suspension, the frame, and the floor pan. You will have to repair these areas with new parts.
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3
Apply a coat of black or dark gray primer to the base vehicle. Do not repair or sand down rust spots, because surface rust is part of the rat rod look.
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4
Repair the steering assembly and the brakes, as those are two essential components that must be addressed for any rat rod. A number of factory reproduction manufacturers sell new, vintage-looking parts at reasonable prices.
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Replace the interior with a basic bench seat. With the exception of modern, high-quality seat belts for passenger safety, the interior of any rat rod should be completely minimalist. Pay special attention to any metal -- iron especially -- in the passenger compartment. Do not repaint anything. The worn look of a rat rod requires that metal components keep their patina of age and exposure.
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Tips & Warnings
The best way to ensure that your rat rod project stays low-dollar is to only replace what is absolutely necessary. Do not spend too much for your base vehicle, although this is not usually a problem for most rat rods. All that you really need is a rolling chassis and the original body panels. Everything else can be easily found for most common makes and models.
