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Very Nice Gift for the car buff.Ceramic Rat Rod" is a style of Hot Rod or Custom car that, in most cases, poorly imitates (or exaggerates) the early hot rods of the 40s, 50s, and 60s. It is not to be confused with the somewhat closely related "Traditional" Hot Rod, which is an accurate re-creation or period-correct restoration of a Hot Rod from the same era. Most Rat Rods appear "unfinished" (whether they actually are or are not), with just the bare essentials to be driven. More recently however, a trend has arisen of making the Rat Rod vehicle appear and/or perform "unsafe" or "scary." Contents 1 Definition of Rat Rod 1.1 Suspension 2 Criticism 3 Origins 4 References 5 See also Definition of Rat Rod Originally a counter-reaction to the 50s "Hot Rod", a label recently applied to undriven cars and super high priced "customs". The "Rat Rod"'s beginning was a throwback to the Hot Rods of the earlier days of Hot Rodding, built to the best of the owner's abilities and meant to be driven. Rat Rods are meant to loosely imitate in form and function, the "Traditional" Hot Rods of the era. The typical rat rod (an early 1920s through 1950s coupe or roadster): Early (pre-World War II) vehicles often have their fenders, hoods, running boards, and bumpers removed. The bodies are frequently channeled over the frame, and sectioned, or the roofs chopped for a lower profile. Later post-war vehicles are rarely constructed without fenders and are often customized in the fashion of Kustoms, leadsleds, and low-riders. Chopped tops, shaved trim, grills, tail lights, and other miscellaneous body parts are swapped between makes and models. Most, if not all of the work and engineering is done by the owner of the vehicle. Recently, the term "Rat Rod" has been used to describe almost any vehicle that appears unfinished or is built simply to be driven, whether or not the vehicle would have been customized or even existed during the 50s. y from fully finished to a spartan, bare bones form. Mexican blankets and bomber seats form the basis of many rat rod interiors. Most are designed to be functional without Though a variety of engines may be used, the most common are to be found in a Rat Rod are Flathead V8's, early Chrysler Hemi engines, or more modern Small Block V8's from any manufacturer, especially Chevrolet. It is not uncommon to see straight-8s straight-6s, straight-4s, V6s or even diesel engines. These engines may exhibit varying displacements and modifications. Most Rat Rods are rear wheel drive, with an open driveline. The rear-ends are typically passenger vehicle pieces, as are the transmissions. The Ford Banjo rear-end is popular, as is the "Quickchange" type as used in many early hot rods. A beam axle is commonly accepted as the only type of front suspension that will look right when exposed without fenders on a vehicle with open front suspension. Independent front suspension is discouraged, simply because it can appear too bulky when exposed. Most Rat Rods use a 1928-1948 Ford I beam axle with a transverse leaf spring. Although any solid axle is acceptable, the Ford axle is preferred due to the availability of spare parts. Springs vary from transverse, parallel and coil setups in the front and rear. Parallel is not seen as frequently as the more common single-spring transverse setup, though both are used commonly. Coil springs are often deemed unsightly without fenders, but are still occasionally seen. Preservationists believe that modification of any rare surviving historical vehicle should be discouraged. In addition, "1950s traditional" Hot Rodders criticize the some Rat Rod imitations as anachronistic. Maltese crosses, skulls, and other accessories are often tacked on to express these style of hot rods. Biker, greaser, rockabilly, and punk culture is often credited as influence that shapes of Rat Rodding. The December 1972 issue of Rod & Custom Magazine was dedicated to the beater, a low-budget alternative to the over-polished, slickly-painted, customized early car. The beater could easily be considered a progenitor of the rat rod. However, owners of these beaters often had a high-dollar machine sitting in their garage: no expensive upholstery, primered if painted at all, no chromed and polished Corvette/Jaguar rear ends. As with many cultural terms, there are disputes over the origin of the term "rat rod". Some say it first appeared in an article written in Hot Rod Magazine by Gray Baskerville about cars that still sported a coat of primer. Some claim that the first rat rod was owned by artist Robert Williams who had a '32 Ford Roadster that was painted in primer. It is well documented on the http://ruffrodders.com [1]that the first rat rods were built by the Low Flyers Hot Rod club in the UK in the 1980s. This predates Robert Williams' oft-stated (but unproven) claim that he built the first.
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