First Rat Rod
 

This is my first attempt at building a ratrod. I want to build a nice custom truck in the future. While doing this ratrod I will hopefully learn some do's and dont's and the right and wrong ways to do metal working. I started this build using a rusted out cab from our cow pasture. I wanted to chop the top, change out the dash, shorten a box, and use a different front clip possibly. I am in the process of chopping the top right now. I was going to use the s-10 frame and a 350 but now I am using a 90's Chevy front end and the the stock rear section that the box is attached to. I will weld them together so I have disk brakes in the front. The 90's Chevy had a v6. This is my first project and can't wait to get further involved in it.
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Re: First Rat Rod
 

I'm a fan of ratrods. I dunno, they just seem like any minute they're going to disintegrate into the dirt and never be seen again haha.

With that said. Cab looks pretty good, why the decision to chop? I would imagine this type of truck would cause some issues with sourcing glass, cutting the doors, and lowering the seat. Looks like you had bigger fish to fry, but hey I bet there is some chopped 3100 out there that inspired you to start.

What are your ideas on engine and transmission?

Re: First Rat Rod
 

I have the outside of the cab welded up now. I'm trying to upload all the pics. I took 2" out of the top. I've seen other custom builds and a few trucks have really inspired me but I don't have pictures of them. I still need to chop the doors and weld the inside of the cab. I need to repair the floor also. The back of the cab and the floors are really dented and rusty. Next time I chop a top I will weld the door shut before I start. I braced this one but idk if it was enough. I will see when I put the doors in. The glass is flat glass so it won't be hard to cut the glass to go in it. I just have to make some cardboard templates. The engine and trans are the stock engine and trans from the 90's Chevy idk the size or model because I haven't looked at them yet. It's a V6 with a 5 speed manual trans. We cut the truck apart to make a trailer and just have the rest sitting arround. It ran good when we refurbished it. I rough fabbed some braces for the pillars I cut and used a cab mounting plate to secure the roof pieces together. Then I used the section from the pillar to fill the gap in the door frame. It kept everything tight and strong.

Re: First Rat Rod
 

I didn't do the best job of putting the two rear halves back together evenly, so when I welded the seams back together and ground it all down it didn't turn out flat. It's a ratrod tho so that doesn't matter.

Re: First Rat Rod
 

The last picture shows the seams.

Re: First Rat Rod
 

good progress thus far, good luck with your build.

just have fun with it and do what you want to do with it. remember it is your truck.

i will be keeping an eye on this one!

Re: First Rat Rod
 

Great job so far.

I'm not a body man, so take this with a grain of salt...

I was at a car show last summer, I say a really nice chopped top AD truck.

One thing that stood out, was the upper part of the door was way inside. I don't know if that's just something you have to live with on a chopped top or if it's something that can be remedied.

Anyhow, keep up the good work.

Chris

Re: First Rat Rod
 

Thanks! I haven't chopped my doors yet so idk if that is a common problem or not. I will hopefully get around to doing that in two weeks. I'm a college student and have my stuff at my dads place so its hard to consistently work on the truck.

Re: First Rat Rod
 

I was going through all my old pictures and found pics of when I started this build. Originally I started with a rusty cab and front clip. It didn't come with a frame. I got a sonoma frame for it. I needed a way to position the cab on the frame so I built a 14' A-frame in the shop. It was a real pain to move those heavy pieces around on the floor of the shop to weld them. Lifting it up after it was completely assembled was even funner. The A-frame really helped position the cab. It has also come in handy pulling engines and hanging/processing deer. Right now the cab is sitting on the sonoma frame. I had originally planned to use the frame but now I want it for a different project. Once I finish welding the roof, doors, and floor I will take the cab off the frame. Here are a few pictures of the A-frame that I built.

Re: First Rat Rod
 

Here's a few shots setting everything up.

Re: First Rat Rod
 

I wanted the nice truck that I eventually build to have a short short box, so I practiced first on an old box trailer. This trailer will be what I use for a box. I started with an old farm trailer and shortened it several inches. I measured and taped off both sections before I made my cuts. I must have been in a hurry and didn't quite do it right. the box didn't come out square when I finished so I will cut a little more off one side and reweld it. I only tacked the tops of each side so I'm not out that much work. I want to take an inch out of the back of the box also.

Re: First Rat Rod
 

looks like you have some parts to play with!

Re: First Rat Rod
 

hahaha ya, I have been collecting for awhile

Re: First Rat Rod
 

I haven't been able to work on the truck for a while, but my birthday was last week so that means I got to do whatever I wanted for the weekend. I picked working on the truck. My brother also crashed his truck so he was using the shop most of the weekend to replace broken parts. One good thing came about from me helping him, I might use the seat from his donor parts ranger in my truck.

I didn't get to much work done this weekend and only had a few hours on sunday to do anything, so i decided to pull the box into the shop. I finished cutting up the box sides and welded them both up. I ground one side down. I ran out of time to do much of anything else. I still have to grind the one side down and weld the stake pockets back together. I haven't decided what I am going to do for the bed floor yet. I might get another piece of steel to put in the front like the back. It is welded to the sides of the box so I wont be taking it out. That way i wont have to replace the wood either. I am getting married in April so I don't think I will get much work done between now and then. Hopefully I can sneak some work in between then and now tho.

Re: First Rat Rod
 

Congrats on the wedding. Hope the weather holds out for you! As for the truck, another subscriber suggested finding 5 minutes a day to do a little something and keep the project moving forward. I borrowed the same philosophy and it helped immensely. Take little bights :)

Re: First Rat Rod
 

Nice project !

While your at it you could also make a rat trailer out of one of those beds Kind of like what GMC did back in the day.

Re: First Rat Rod
 

You sound like me. Gf says you can do anything for your birthday what do you want to do? Work on my truck!

Re: First Rat Rod
 

I have all of my vehicles at my dads acreage about 2 hours away from where I live. I go to college in a city and can't keep projects in my driveway. So whenever I get a reason to go to his house I try to work on the truck.

Re: First Rat Rod
 

I don't get to work on my truck during the weekdays, but I do get to work on antique tractors any day I want. I belong to a tractor restoration club at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Right now we are working on a prototype john deere M, called a type 69. I do a lot of the hammer and dolly work. We are in the process of putting bondo on all the body panels and sanding it down right now. We are hoping to have it done by May. The pictures that I have show it in its current state. I will try to find some pictures of when we got it.

Re: First Rat Rod
 

I got an hour or so of work done with the help of my fiance. I welded one of the sides along the curve above the door. I tought her how to use the grinder to make the area flat and workable for a hammer. Then she helped me beat the panel into shape. I was dumb and didn't take a picture of the end product. It turned out nice, so I built a buck to line up the roof and try to do the same thing. I tacked everything into place and moved the buck then the roof collapsed. I was getting in a hurry so I just welded everything solid without the buck. It turned out bad. I need to grind down the welds and then I will decide if i can beat the roof into shape or if i will cut the welds and redo it. I didn't take any pictures of what I am talking about. I am going on a school trip this weekend and to Africa the next. When I get back we are planning on finishing all of our wedding details before the big day, so I probably won't be working on it again until May. Hopefully I am wrong tho! I need to finish patching the roof then I will fix the floors. After that I think I am going to graft a different dash in. I really like 60' Chevy dashes but will probably go a different route. If you guys have any ideas feel free to share them with me.