Digging the ratrod look

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dartfreak75

Restore it, Dont part it!
Joined
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I have been so busy with the mechanical and safety side of my car, just getting four tires on the ground and running and driving I havent really put much thought into the body work aspect. I know its gonna be a long hard road when i start that. But today I just took a min stood back and looked at it and I'm really digging the multi color primered ratrod look especially with the white line tires. Its gonna be badass I cant wait to get the suspension put back together and get four tires back on the ground! Just look at, just look at! Lol

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Looking good, and I agree with the look of it. I’m kinda doing the same thing. My car has horrible paint, but I’m spending all my money on the chassis and engine so the body will be just what it is for the foreseeable future.
 
Looking good, and I agree with the look of it. I’m kinda doing the same thing. My car has horrible paint, but I’m spending all my money on the chassis and engine so the body will be just what it is for the foreseeable future.
My plan is to get a solid foundation under it so I can drive it and enjoy it. Then I can save up some money and do the paint and body work then start upgrading the cosmetic stuff as I see fit. After all there never really finished! Lol
 
Running driving,clean engine,engine bay nice. Thats what im aiming for. And nice interior.
 
My plan is to get a solid foundation under it so I can drive it and enjoy it. Then I can save up some money and do the paint and body work then start upgrading the cosmetic stuff as I see fit. After all there never really finished! Lol
That’s a great plan. The foundation is the most important for sure
 
My '75 Dart Sport is presently wearing a coat of basic flat black, varying degrees of sun fading. Assuming I am someday able to get it back together and running, it won't get any improvement in that regard, mainly because I don't have the desire to spend the money to do it to the standard that I would be happy with. I think your Dart looks great, just make it safe and get it on the road and enjoy it.
 
Yeah, sign me up for the cosmetically challenged car club. Mine is a green car sort-of painted bruise yellow, lots of primer where it was rusted, original green showing where the yellow didn't stick, rotted holes in several places, engine bay and trunk spray bombed flat black, no carpet, headliner falling down, seats all deteriorated, dash pad flaking, dash paint stripped with a belt sander. Get it running and driving safely first, then worry about what it looks like.
 
My '75 Dart Sport is presently wearing a coat of basic flat black, varying degrees of sun fading. Assuming I am someday able to get it back together and running, it won't get any improvement in that regard, mainly because I don't have the desire to spend the money to do it to the standard that I would be happy with. I think your Dart looks great, just make it safe and get it on the road and enjoy it.
Thanks man I appreciate that. I am tirelessly working on it every chance I get. I am getting so close I can feel it. The rearend is done i just gotta get it back in the car and get tires on the rims. The front end is ready to be put back together i just gotta do it. That's the goal for this week. I got new floors new trunk all thr rust for the most part is taken care of I still gotta put the front passenger side floor down its cut out just gotta weld the new one in. I may try to do that this week too.
 
Running driving,clean engine,engine bay nice. Thats what im aiming for. And nice interior.
Yep me too. That's why I wanted to go ahead and paint the engine bay. I'm gonna have a brand new fresh engine I didn't want to be trying to spray around it later or even worse have to pull it later. I'm collecting interior parts as I go to make the interior as nice as I can I'm going this evening to pick up a dash pad I found on here. I'm gonna have to dye / paint it. Im trying to decide on what color. I'm thinking brown. The car is gonna be burnt orange eventually the interior is gonna be white. I painted the dash a dark copper color I think a brown pad will look good with the copper and white. What do you think?

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a ratrod is a car intentionally made to look like crap
what you have is a work in progress
Lol yea that is true. Was the ratrods originally (before they become popular) done intentionally I always thought they were just wip that never got finished and people started to like the look then started doing it on purpose. I need to read up on the history behind ratrods lol yes she is a work in progress. Maybe that's what I should name her.. WIP?
 
Lol yea that is true. Was the ratrods originally (before they become popular) done intentionally I always thought they were just wip that never got finished and people started to like the look then started doing it on purpose. I need to read up on the history behind ratrods lol yes she is a work in progress. Maybe that's what I should name her.. WIP?
Just have to re-watch the Waltons, first tv rat rod. John Boy built it...
 
I have been so busy with the mechanical and safety side of my car, just getting four tires on the ground and running and driving I havent really put much thought into the body work aspect. I know its gonna be a long hard road when i start that. But today I just took a min stood back and looked at it and I'm really digging the multi color primered ratrod look especially with the white line tires. Its gonna be badass I cant wait to get the suspension put back together and get four tires back on the ground! Just look at, just look at! Lol

Next time my car needs paint I'm going to get a bunch of spray bombs and paint it up like a shot up WW2 airplane with bullet holes, panel rivets and all.
Maybe even a half dressed girl and kill tally's painted on the sides of the front fenders.
I'll use silvers, whites and blue's to paint the roof so it has a cockpit look to it.
Might even paint period correct machine guns on the upper parts of the fenders.
 
I have decided after 40yars in the hobby, there are basically several groups of people. One is the guy that wants to actually drive his car/project. Many times he has ability not as many $ as some, maybe a shed towork under, give him a few days maybe a week it is going down the road! Getting it on the road is is first priority. Looks comes later, if ever!
There is the guy, that buys his project and every detail has to be perfect, he takes it all apart in a garage that is half the size needed,without any basic tools and any real abilities! 10 years later it is coming along an all work done will be perfect but it is still another 10 years away from driving down the roads!! But he is doing his thing enjoying the hobby acquiring tools and knowledge as he goes.
Other groups fall into the car show guy , the drag racer, the hoarder, and last but not least , the totally mentally deranged guy!! lol
 
Next time my car needs paint I'm going to get a bunch of spray bombs and paint it up like a shot up WW2 airplane with bullet holes, panel rivets and all.
Maybe even a half dressed girl and kill tally's painted on the sides of the front fenders.
I'll use silvers, whites and blue's to paint the roof so it has a cockpit look to it.
Might even paint period correct machine guns on the upper parts of the fenders.
I want to build a ratrod out of an old truck. Preferably a 80s dodge shortbed but a long bed would be ok too. And have one hell of a driveline with a ratty body.
 
Diggin the look but seems to be missing a little something, like fenders! lol Are you gonna lose 800 pounds of bumper supports?
 
I have decided after 40yars in the hobby, there are basically several groups of people. One is the guy that wants to actually drive his car/project. Many times he has ability not as many $ as some, maybe a shed towork under, give him a few days maybe a week it is going down the road! Getting it on the road is is first priority. Looks comes later, if ever!
There is the guy, that buys his project and every detail has to be perfect, he takes it all apart in a garage that is half the size needed,without any basic tools and any real abilities! 10 years later it is coming along an all work done will be perfect but it is still another 10 years away from driving down the roads!! But he is doing his thing enjoying the hobby acquiring tools and knowledge as he goes.
Other groups fall into the car show guy , the drag racer, the hoarder, and last but not least , the totally mentally deranged guy!! lol
Man I fall into alot of those categories. Haha I took my car apart 16 years ago to "restore" it I hoarded parts for 14 years and acquired alot of tools and knowledge in the last two that I have been working on it on the weekends when I have the time. Lol no garage no help just me my dog and some good music. Haha I'd say I fall mostly into the first one tho this car has alot of sentimental value to me and I just want to get it back on the road and drive it again
 
Diggin the look but seems to be missing a little something, like fenders! lol Are you gonna lose 800 pounds of bumper supports?
Yea I got my fenders in storage i gotta dig them out.
Yes I am gonna loose the bumper shocks and gut the bumper and take that I beam out of it lol I plan on fabing some brackets up to move the bumper back and ditch those stupid shocks
 
TMG thats me!
Haha at times I fall into that one too. Like when I spent a hour and 15 mins looking for my brake caliper the other day and I finally found it attached to the rearend. Omg I was livid haha
 
So now you gotta spill on the sentimental value part.
This car was my first car. I got it when I was 15. My mom and dad went to look at a house that was for sale and the car was setting there and I instantly fell in love with it. I was always a mopar guy thanks to my neighbor and I had to have it. So I asked the realtor If it was for sale he said he would ask for me. Well he did and he said he would sell it. This was in about August I had worked all summer mowing yards and working on a construction site for a guy i went to church with and saved my money all summer. So the realtor got back with my parents with a price it was 500 bucks. So I was pumped. I had the money I was buying the car. My dad said no I couldn't buy it. I was so pissed and let down. Finally my mom convinced him into letting me buy it we went and bought it and I drove it home on a learner's permit lol. It took me a while to get it road worthy the car had sat for a long time by the time I had it fixed up I was 16 and had my license. That was in 2001 I drove it till 2004 and I locked the slant 6 up. That's when I took it apart to "restore" it biggest mistake ever. In 2005 I got married and had a baby and life happened. It sat until 2018 when I finally decided enough is enough I am gonna fix it.
 
Ever since I locked that slant 6 up all I wanted to do was drive this car again lol. It's been 16 years since me and this thing have been down the road together. Its about time.
 
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