In a previous post, I suggested that I would have more to say about the rat rod project car of Jason’s father. (We have already discussed father Walt’s modded Jensen-Healey, and I was to learn that his stable also includes a number of trucks, a BMW X3, a BMW 5-series, and who knows what else.) Here we go:
My understanding is that Walt , Jason and his brother gave themselves the challenge of seeing if they could assemble a functioning vehicle by recycling and modifying bits and pieces sitting around and languishing in their shop and yard. Thus was born Walt’s Rat Rod. I believe that it started with the frame and front end of a Toyota pickup, which was combined with much of the drive train from a Corvette (plus a beefed up automatic that Walt once used for competitive drag racing), all topped with the essence of 1932 Ford pickup body. Finally, the patina and raw bodywork was clear-coated for an appropriate rat finish. As the frame was Toyota pickup, state law registers the thing as a Toyota truck! Lots of pieces were fabricated or improvised, like the chain link steering wheel and a glowing turn signal lever and of course how all the alien components were merged. By the way, the thing is said to be fully street-legal, down to turn signals, seat belts, and the like.
Here are a few pics:
Turns out that, halfway through our work session on the Blue Rascal, we needed to run to the auto parts store for a side marker lamp bulb, so Jason suggested that we crank up the SB ( S**t Box, as Jason calls it) rat rod. Took a few acrobatics, but I crawled inside for what became a most entertaining ride. Mostly just cruising around town, with a few acceleration bursts and rapidfire upshifts for a little kick in the pants. I grabbed a few video clips, which I had hoped to distill down to about 15 – 20 seconds in grand total, hoping to find something that was reasonably watchable despite being handheld in an impromptu manner in a stiff-riding-in-the-extreme vehicle. But here is an unedited, barely viewable, stretch from one of ten clips that will perhaps give you a taste of the experience. Watch for the smile on Jason’s face: