possible, of course, but not likely. We rarely “reject” anything based on our personal tastes. We do look at the build and the vehicle itself. Is it a rat rod? If not technically a rat rod, is it at least something that fits into rat rod culture? Is it built well? Is it safe?
Our obligation not only to the rat rod community but also to the public as a whole is to stay true to what and who we are: and that is a RAT rod publication, first and foremost. We’ll always capture some fringe elements, stories, and perhaps even vehicles that can’t quite be labeled. But, we won’t deviate from the foundation of this magazine, and that is featuring rat rods and the builders behind them.
The best way to show off a rat rod is to hit the road and drive it.
The build itself is important. There are so many different building styles and methods out there, from a simple chassis swap to a full-blown ground-up creation and everything in between. We’ll feature any build style as long as it’s safe and represents the rat rod mentality in some capacity. Pulling panels off a car, manipulating them, and putting them back on does not constitute a build. That is a modification or customization—not a build. Same with throwing a rusty hood on a modern car—not a build, not a rat rod. There’s nothing wrong with doing these things, but clearly that is not what Rat Rod Magazine is about. Does it have to be rusty? No. Can it be painted? Sure. Can it be a 1995 Toyota? No.
There’s always a gray area surrounding rat rods, and we get it—we’re right in the middle of that and are always talking about it. Because a rat rod is essentially a blue-collar hot rod, and that’s what the heart of the rat rod community is building, that’s what you’re going to see in Rat Rod Magazine. I’ve said it myself many times over: the rat rod community defines what a rat rod is by what is being built and driven.
For instance, we’ve seen some killer ‘60s builds, even some utilizing substantial components from the ‘70s or newer, but if the bulk of the vehicle is too new, it’s obviously straying from the heart of rat rodding, hot rodding, and all of the vintage charm that makes up these scenes. Too new, and it becomes a custom, kustom, derelict, modified, street rod, street machine—whatever you want to call it. But there is definitely a point where year matters and the vehicle can no longer legitimately be considered either a hot rod or rat rod. If you have a bad-ass 1970 Chevy truck that you’ve chopped, channeled, bagged, banged, whooped, welded, and twisted, more power to you. Our motto here has always been to build what you want and drive the hell out of it.
But just because it’s cool, and maybe was built in the style of a rat rod, doesn’t mean it’s a rat rod. You wouldn’t consider a 2000 Mustang with a Corvette engine, no front fenders, and a rusty paint job a rat rod, would you? No. Sure, it’s using different makes and models and has some rust and, hell, could be chopped or whatever … but come on, let’s get real here. The time of calling anything under the sun a rat rod is long gone, and the rat rod community has established what a true-blue rat rod is. It will always evolve, it will always change, but there will always be things at the root of rat rod culture that are definitive and absolute.
We love new parts. There is nothing wrong with using nice, new modern components—especially where safety is concerned, because, above all else, you want your ride to be drivable. Hell, many rat rodders are fabricating their own parts or finding ways to repurpose old parts and make them safer, stronger, better. That’s the ingenuity that this scene is built on. But if your 1930 Model A becomes a 1995 Ford with a Model A title, you’re in a whole different scene. The body and what a vehicle is titled as are very important. Aesthetics are important. If it smells, looks, and drives like a 1995 Ford, it probably is. If it’s a Model A with a modern driveline, it’s still a Model A (makes sense, right?).
A true Model A rat rod.
It comes down to this: Rat Rod Magazine will be featuring rat rod culture in whatever form it becomes. If it changes, we’ll change with it—but because this scene is so rooted in nostalgia and vintage appeal, don’t expect the scene to shift too far one way or the other. At the heart of rat rodding is a whole lot of history, tradition, and multigenerational involvement. As in the hot rod scene, the passion for these machines is usually passed down from father to son and so on, which means that the ideas behind it are always rooted in the generation before and the history that formed it.
This magazine exists to feature the blue-collar builder, the Average Joe, the common person, and so on. Your submissions, stories, creations, and passion are our foundation. Don’t be afraid to show us what you’ve got! We’re here to support and showcase this scene before anything else.
As I have stated in these articles—I am only one voice. The goal of the magazine is to represent rat rod culture in its entirety, as a community voice, and to showcase the men and women driving the scene with their builds. I can only hope that these articles and the other facts and opinions shared in this book can help to eliminate some of the gray areas surrounding rat rod culture and shed some light on the history of the scene.
The reality of today’s rat rod community is this: most differences between rat rods and other automotive scenes are aesthetic. Paint, chrome, and other shiny new components are still often rejected by rat rod enthusiasts. If it’s rusty, has patina, or is just an old survivor, it’s likely to be called a rat rod at some point, by someone.
Rat Rod Magazine has featured many rat rods with paint. Maybe not nice paint, but they’ve had “newer” paint jobs (as opposed to the original weather-worn paint). We have featured rat rods with chrome pieces as well. No full-blown billet-laden street rods, but there have been touches of chrome here and there, mostly as accents.
Even these aesthetic elements that people reject are at least somewhat relevant in today’s rat rod scene. It’s best to look at the whole project—the build, components, historical significance—before determining if it is a rat rod or not.
Part II - Rat Rodding Today
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
