Rat rod trucks at Columbus OH

[phat46]

I found a truck cab today. It's a 35 Dodge. It was a big truck but the cabs were all the same back then. One headlight was intact. The other was missing the trim ring. The front fenders and hood were there, but these were big truck parts. The outer grill shell was still there, but quite ugly. The grill was a big truck part also. It would have to be shrunk.


I think it is even to rough for a rat rod.  The doors were swiss cheese on the bottom. One front door corner was missing about a 6"x6" piece. The inner structure was seperated from the outer skin most of the way around the cab. There were very deep pits on the whole thing. The only place there was any paint left was on the cowl where the hood had once covered it. It had one good roof marker light the other was broken. I noticed those and thought they would be something different on a rat truck.

If the truck cabs are being sectioned by removing the bottom of the cabs how do you attach the sheet metal back the inner structure? I assume just bend up some sheet and make a panel. Nothing to it right?

Hey that sounds just like what i started with!!!   I replaced about 6" all the way around the cab, and the best door i had, out of six, I had to replace 10" at the bottom, including the inside at the bottom. Also the lower half of the the door hinge posts were gone and the top of the cowl was Swiss cheesed. It was also a big truck probably a  duece and a half, but I'm using the hood anyway. If you can get it free I'd do it, heck I had to pay a few (hundred) bucks for mine.  The nice thing is that you don't have to make them contenders for the Riddler award, spend the time, and money to build a frame and make as many parts as you can, that seems like more fun to me than color sanding anyway. I painted mine with matt black paint i got from a farm store going out of business for $6 a quart. The paint for my '46 Chevy car was $51 for a pint (!) the last time I bought it several years ago. This truck build i have been doing was way more interesting and fun than my '46 was. Go for it!

[Beck]

Or you could trade it to me. My "Rat Rod" '51 Chevy truck needs a grill shell that's about 23" wide. That's the width I have at the front of how much of the hood I'm using. I'll trade you the top 20" of a "Duece" grill shell. GPster

If I go pick it up and I don't use that shell it is all yours. It will be a few weeks before I would pick it up. The bad part about that is hauling the big frame away too. I don't think my winch will pull it on the trailer. The cab is already off and sitting sideways on the frame. The doors are in a leaking shed. I guess I don't have to wory about a little more rain on it in the next week, it's already been in it for 80 yr.
Beck

[grumpy]

I really love those trucks. And most of the other similarly styled cars at Columbus GG's.

My buddy has a very nice, finished,  chopped and channeled Model A sedan called "Lucifer". Maybe you've seen it in R&C, American Rodder, or elsewhere.
He is bored stiff with it.
He wants to park it and build a "bare bones" hotrod.

Now this is a guy who has built many excellent cars. Can afford whatever he wants, but does all his own work.

He just sees these as more fun right now. More enjoyment, less work.

Just like my truck. I have a "weathered" 54 chevy p/u. Done as a 50's styled shoptruck.
I've had shiney, nicely done cars in the past, but got tired of the constant cleaning, dusting, watching for chain wallets, etc.etc.

My current truck is one I drive every single day to work, we cruise it, drove it 200 miles to GG's at 75mph, but haul engines, and parts, and my kids climb around in the bed, slide off the sides, and we use it at shows to haul people around.
It's way more fun than the shiney expensively flamed 53 GMC I sold last year.

That's why I think alot of these guys are going this route. I enjoy it, and it's more fun to me.

Just my .02

[grumpy]

Oh yeah, here's my buddy's A sedan. He feels the need to park it, and go bare bones.
And his son's freshly built A coupe. Don't let the suede paint fool you on the coupe.

[GPster]

If I go pick it up and I don't use that shell it is all yours. It will be a few weeks before I would pick it up.

Take a cutting torch with you. Did a little searching on "The Best of The Web" to see how ugly that grill was. From the length of the hood and no wider than the cab was, I would suspect that the grill shell is no wider than a "Duece".  Also happened on a site for someone that makes grills for them and looking at his site I think That the grill was used on Dodge cars in '33 and '34 and the trucks '33 to '35 so there may be some hope in resurrecting it for your use with "Swap Meet" pieces. It might look nice going down to 2" from the ground behind the front axel with a "Moon" tank in front of it. If the truck had a long wheelbase with straight frame rails it might be nice to keep it whole. Gives you enough metal for the front end stretch and the "Z"ing and the leaf springs can be somewhat tuned by throwing away extra leaves. I spend too much time building things in my mind. GPster

[MO_JUNK]

The truck from Springfield (beginning of this post) really has the hot look. It's low and well built. I bet it handles pretty good. Alot of these trucks are being built. A friend of mine is getting ready to put a model A cab on an early 30's chev. chassis. He's going to retain the parallel leaf spring up front with a dropped axle. The radiator will be set back behind the axle. Should give a good look. On grille shells, I think a 33-34 Ford truck grille would look good with about any of the cabs-especially the 35-37 Fords and the 37-39 chevs. Sam

[GPster]

The truck]On grille shells, I think a 33-34 Ford truck grille would look good with about any of the cabs-especially the 35-37 Fords and the 37-39 chevs. Sam

I hope that idea catches on. I could use a '35 to '37 Ford truck grill shell for my Chevy. I had originally thought a '38 or '39 but following their prices on Ebay you can see what happens one evevrbody thinks that's the "THING"

[Beck]

If I go pick it up and I don't use that shell it is all yours. It will be a few weeks before I would pick it up.

Take a cutting torch with you. Did a little searching on "The Best of The Web" to see how ugly that grill was. From the length of the hood and no wider than the cab was, I would suspect that the grill shell is no wider than a "Duece".  Also happened on a site for someone that makes grills for them and looking at his site I think That the grill was used on Dodge cars in '33 and '34 and the trucks '33 to '35 so there may be some hope in resurrecting it for your use with "Swap Meet" pieces. It might look nice going down to 2" from the ground behind the front axel with a "Moon" tank in front of it. If the truck had a long wheelbase with straight frame rails it might be nice to keep it whole. Gives you enough metal for the front end stretch and the "Z"ing and the leaf springs can be somewhat tuned by throwing away extra leaves. I spend too much time building things in my mind. GPster

This grill is bigger than the PU grill i think. This is a 1 1/2 or 2 ton truck. Everything forward of the firewall is much bigger.
Beck