The Rat Rod
Rat Rod /ˈrat ˌräd/ (Noun)
A custom car or truck with a deliberately worn-down, unfinished appearance, typically lacking paint, showing rust, and made from old, worn-out or cast-off parts. A new creation built out of junk. Much like we are ‘cast-offs.’ The Bible tells us “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). But we can be made new—“by grace you have been saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8). “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Grumpy's Rat Rod is
a home-shop built machine. The project started when I found a 1988 Volvo/White COE firetruck on Craigslist. The firetruck had a Detroit Diesel 6V 92TA engine (350 hp with 1020 ft/lbs torque, BEFORE bigger injectors were installed and NOS added). I have always loved these old two stroke diesel engines and had to build something with it. The transmission is a 4 speed Allison HT 740. When I started, I really had no plan, only that I wanted the engine to be the centerpiece and be able to “slam” the frame to the ground. The cab is a 1941 Dodge WF-31, 1 1/2 ton. The “welder” is a sheet of 16 gauge steel bent and fabricated to cover and hide the engine radiator and air tanks. One tank is a dedicated 32 gal for the air starter. The “welding bottles” are air tanks for the brake system (air brakes). The frame is on 4 heavy-duty industrial air bags and the ride height can be adjusted from 2 to 9 inchs ground clearance by moving two control levers in the cab. The cab and the seats are also on air bags. The suspension system is all hand fabricated from ideas I have seen on Youtube or other hot rods. The front suspension is a 4-link with a Watts Link made from a trailer axle hub as the pivot. The rear is a modified 4-link with a swing arm to eliminate need for a stabilizer bar. As of October 2024, it has been driven to car shows and events in 28 states and has over 77,050 miles on the build.
