John’s wife was less than thrilled when she pulled into the driveway and discovered her parking spot filled with “treasures” John had secured from the estate auction down the road. \u00a0Farmer Johnson was locally and affectionately known as a “collector”. \u00a0Now much of that collection lay a few mere inches from her front bumper. \u00a0In that pile was a top half of a wood fired cook stove, a rusted weather vane, an old horse collar and a pile of glass door knobs gleaming in the sun.<\/p>\n
Finally, after months of searching, John had all the pieces to build his creation. \u00a0Based on his first pickup, John was about to undertake building one of the newest creations of custom cars on the car show circuit.<\/p>\n
It was going to be a rat rod.<\/p>\n
The rat rod is exactly opposite of what most would consider to be a show car. \u00a0They’re an exaggerated version of the original hot rods of the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. Instead of shiny gleaming paint, a rusty patina is preferred. \u00a0Instead of chrome plated trim, rat rods have an odd assortment of re-purposed equipment fastened about. \u00a0It might be possible to see a house roof vent used as a hood scoop, a handle from a farm manure spreader used as a parking brake lever, or even a plastic flashlight in place of fog lights.<\/p>\n
It’s possible to say this craze got its start back in the 1980’s when true gear heads got frustrated with cars constantly being trailered to shows. These cars were too pristine to think about getting behind the wheel and enjoying a drive. \u00a0Rat rods became the antithesis of the typical show car. They made a strong statement for sure.<\/p>\n
Creativity is key in building a rat rod. \u00a0Each one is completely unique in style. \u00a0Finding functionality in a piece never meant to be on a car is the ultimate goal for the builder. \u00a0Not to mention shock value is a definite bonus. \u00a0Walk down a row of gleaming 1932 Fords that all look alike, and a rat rod really stands out and commands a second look. Car enthusiasts study a rat rod, even if it’s merely to have a laugh and move on. \u00a0Will the trend continue? \u00a0Most likely it is just a passing phase in the unending quest for the perfect project.<\/p>\n
Over the next three months John welded, hammered, painted and sanded, much to his wife’s dismay. \u00a0However, when they took this work of art to the local car show she was surprised to find she was, at least for the moment, in good company.<\/p>\n
Whether it is a rat rod, or a 1966 GTO, or just a performance part for a 1993 Mustang GT you are after, it most likely can be found at the Pomona Swap Meet.<\/a>\u00a0 Contact us<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":null,"protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":3661,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[321,108,200,320,11,319,311],"class_list":["post-3651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-automotive-news","tag-1932-ford","tag-car-show","tag-hot-rod","tag-pick-up","tag-pomona-swap-meet","tag-rat-rod","tag-show-car"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t