Rat Bastards ‘Infestation’ Car Show

September 10, 2013
Story By
Evan Griffey

Hot rodding convulses though fits and trends like any other quadrant in the car hobby universe. One of the latest crazes is rat rods. At first glance, rat rods may remind you of the down-and-dirty choppers of outlaw one-percenter bike gangs - but this crowd couldn't be friendlier.

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While they do have club jackets and have to “earn their patches,” rat rodders like the Rat Bastards Car Club are not to be mistaken for cast members of the Sons Of Anarchy TV show or some other collection of malcontents. Like Anthony Winston and Megan Marcroft, these ‘fans of the rodent’ are among the nicest people you’ll meet - they’re passionate about the car culture and consider the hobby a life style. Many of these rat rodders have a MacGyver-sort-of-gene and are adept tinkerers.

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According to Anthony (and his 1927 Model A pictured above) the rough edges of a rat rod are its beauty. Patina is king. But the assumption that because the ride is raw there is little talent behind the oxidation is wrong. “The foundation of the rat rod is a bare bones, basement budget build,” says Anthony who as been a Rat Bastard club member for a year and a half. “Taking one thing and modifying it to be another. Or using a part for something that it was never intended to do. Paint, freshly dipped chrome parts, and how many miles you have your car trailered mean nothing to rat rodders. All of the people in the rat rod community believe that cars are meant to be driven, not left in the garage to rot away. It’s an extremely free-spirited community where anything goes as long as you are having fun.”

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Builders often mix parts from other cars, the kitchen, the barn, and as we see here the drive-in theater (window speakers as air cleaners), and use them on their rides.

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Some go for period-correct accents, for others it’s whatever is at hand. While it’s true that employing patina instead of paint is easier on the wallet and the cost to build a rat can be less than a show piece; but money is not always the deciding factor.

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To get a better take on the scene and see the tricks these enthusiasts have up their sleeves, we crashed the 6^th Annual Rat Bastards Infestation car show held at the very cool XXX Root Beer, an old-time root beer stand in Issaquah, Washington. The show, put on by the Rat Bastards Car Club, drew 100 to 150 rides; mostly rats, but there were a few nostalgia rods and customs as well.

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Along with the drive-in speaker air cleaners this 1932 Chevy Confederate has a number of rat tricks - the use of welded chain, ‘interesting’ catch cans (in this case a bottle of Rat Bastard soda pop), and an ‘impromptu’ exhaust treatment. The interior of the Chevy Confederate is trimmed in potato sacks, a popular styling accent in the scene and a fitting move for this rustic rat. You may also notice its' shot-at road signs in lieu of floorboards and a guitar neck as a shifter.

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This ‘30 Ford Coupe is more of a nostalgia rod - which is a car built in the spirit of the original rodders of the ’50 and ‘60s using themes, parts and procedures in place during that era - even with it's fresh paint, cars like this continue to be respected within the rat rodding community as well.

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The Oldsmobile Rocket V8 was a go-to player for rodders in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, which makes it a perfect fit on this scalloped Ford.

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Here we see the most aerodynamic rod at the show, a car built from the cockpit of a 1967 Piper Cherokee airplane.

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This hood ornament pretty much personifies the rat rodder’s mixture of found object art and automotive subculture.

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The rest of the ’43 Chevy pickup has the desired patina.

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A combination of 1926 and 1929 Fords, this rat sports a popular satin black finish.

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What caught our eye was the grillework. Grilles are big statement-makers in rodding and this one is unique as it appears to be two different hoods joined at just the right angle.

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The 1941 Ford pickup had all the rat moves… an oxidized patina, mish-mash of parts and a high cool factor.

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Period-correct door advertising is another cool trait of rat rods. While some donor cars may be legit former work trucks of some kind, many are made up… but still cool. This one advertising moonshine caught our attention.

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While rust is embraced like a tall beer on a hot day, the Desert Rat’s hunkered stance, aggressive upright tailpipes and fat fenders also made it a standout.

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The 1934 Dodge pickup could not haul a single grocery bag; it’s truck bed is stuffed with a fuel cell, air suspension system and a pair of smoke stacks.

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Motivation for this pickup, keeping things in the Dodge Brothers family, comes from a Cummins diesel. The turbocharged, intercooled straight-six provides plenty of low-end grunt and an intoxicating burble at idle. A rat infestation usually means a quick call to an exterminator, but the Rat Bastards’ Infestation car show was more a call to arms. These cars are cool and attainable to enthusiasts that are heavy with passion but light in the wallet. So head to Craigslist, type in ‘rat rod’...and may the force be with you. -Evan Griffey Enjoy even more of Rat Bastards’ Infestation in the following gallery:

Rat Bastards ‘Infestation’ Car Show

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