OldIHC

Picture someone posted of their KB rod. Seems to be a popular build these days. Hope they aren't scrapping their original parts!

Yep. This is the fad with a lot of IHC trucks. Mostly because it is so hard to find body parts and good sheet metal. I don't know if they are scraping parts or build them this way due to missing parts. Seems K and KB models are especially popular, but I've seen Dodge and Studebaker done the same way. The one pictured actually looks pretty good compared to some I've seen at Daytona Turkey Rod Run. Some one said at this past weekend 's car show that to be around one of the rat rods, you have to be sure your tetnus (sp?) shots are up-to date.

I'm not your typical rat-rodder. I usually have respect for a solid vehicle. If it has potential to be nice as-is I don't rat rod it. If I think it has historical value I leave it alone. BTW I'm 57.
Yes I know there are butchers out there. Don't lump us all together.
What I do usually is to make something out of nothing. Pickup bed comes from an old trailer, cab comes off a two-ton truck the junkers have their hooks into. Frame is whatever's handy.
I use Japanese donors (not rat rod stuff, usually) because one donor vehicle can supply 99% of what you need to build.
Keep in mind that most of what rat rod guys are building was junk to begin with. A lot of people still think it's junk when we're done. Oh well. The stuff was headed to the recycler.
In my mind putting $$$$$$ into an old car is like throwing money down a hole. Having said that, I own a nice Jag XKE. I definitely threw some money down that hole.
Yes, I admire a nicely restored car as much as the next guy. Just don't think I'm in that tax bracket.
At any rate, I'd rather have fun with xx old cars cheaply than one or two expensively.
My point here is that I think restorers tend to lump all low-buck hot rod and rat rod guys together. We're not all the same.
The tetanus shot remark applies to ANYONE working on old cars. Lots of rust to go around.

I just couldn't make a rat rod. For me, that might have been the plan, but it never finishes that way. It's not in my DNA. No excuses, no explanation, no defense and no give a schyte.
I live in a neighborhood of criticism and back stabbers and I refuse to be a part of that BS.
There used to be a columnist with STREET RODDER and his monthly contributions were always, when is it a hotrod or a street rod or something else.
Build something that makes you happy at what ever level or style. What a person says about someone else often tells more about the person than the target.

Smog_guy, Nikki, you're both right. Build what you like. Like Nikki, I couldn't build a "rat rod". Similar DNA I guess. Many people have trouble fully describing what a rat rod is. I see them and marvel at the enginuity in them. I like smog_guy's approach in that he's taking what could never be and turning it into some fun - safely. Even has some style to it. I see some that seem to have been cobbled together and have questionable safety built into them. But are the owners having fun? Sure seems like it. My only hope is there is enough safety built in so they don't come apart and hurt some one else. Let's just have safe fun and try to avoid the labels. Get that tetanus shot up-dated, too!