Darksider's Realm

(this is not a place for lazy video game freaks. We Darksiders have been around doing our thing for decades before the mindless couch blobs latched onto the term Darksider)



DARKSIDER In the world of automotive hobbyists a Darksider is one who modifies and or customizes any and all sorts of vehicles. The Darksiders are in a class of their own simply because they endeavor to be different and do things that others would not attempt for a number of reasons mostly being related to a lack of ability and fear of non conformity.

This is a forum for people who think outside the box in everything they do. It doesn’t matter if you are modifying or building from scratch. It doesn’t matter what brand or brands of vehicles or components you are using. It doesn’t matter if you are working on a mini car or a bus.

We will not be asking you for donations or any kind of monetary payments. We will be asking for help in terms moderators and encouraging you to spread the word and add to our membership.



Join the forum, it's quick and easy

Darksider's Realm

(this is not a place for lazy video game freaks. We Darksiders have been around doing our thing for decades before the mindless couch blobs latched onto the term Darksider)



DARKSIDER In the world of automotive hobbyists a Darksider is one who modifies and or customizes any and all sorts of vehicles. The Darksiders are in a class of their own simply because they endeavor to be different and do things that others would not attempt for a number of reasons mostly being related to a lack of ability and fear of non conformity.

This is a forum for people who think outside the box in everything they do. It doesn’t matter if you are modifying or building from scratch. It doesn’t matter what brand or brands of vehicles or components you are using. It doesn’t matter if you are working on a mini car or a bus.

We will not be asking you for donations or any kind of monetary payments. We will be asking for help in terms moderators and encouraging you to spread the word and add to our membership.

Darksider's Realm

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Darksider's Realm

A message board & forum for automotive builders, fabricators and customizers who think outside the box.


5 posters

    There is a good reason for this...

    Darkside Dave
    Darkside Dave
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    Post  Darkside Dave Tue Apr 28, 2009 9:44 pm

    I have taken a bit of heat because I included this topic in this forum & message board. Mostly I hear all about how RatRods are dangerous junk that should not be allowed on the road. In many cases that is true but it is seldom because that was the original intention. RatRods are a ground level low dollar entry into an automotive building hobby that is little more than a regeneration of the original concept in hot rods.

    It is my opinion that it would be much better for those of us who know better than to build things wrong, to guide the hands of the beginners that might otherwise unwittingly build a death trap.

    I find fault in the idea that we would be better of just to shun and ignore RatRods altogether. I think that it is a much better option to befriend and guide the builders than to turn our backs on them and run the greater risk of one of those dangerous machines to take out us and our machines out on the open road.

    To that end I hope to soon document the construction of one or more RatRods right here on this forum.

    Later Folks...

    Darkside Dave
    Darkside Dave
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    There is a good reason for this... Empty C''mon Folks ...

    Post  Darkside Dave Thu May 14, 2009 9:32 am

    Alright, I get it... Even if you folks won't say anything about this I know there are a few of you who have some interests along these lines. I'm beginning to think RatRods are like fat girls and mopeds. They're both fun to ride but no one wants to admit it... Right?

    Seriously, if you even know about somebody who is into building a RatRod then get them on here or write about it. Tell us about it. Even if you have a lot of criticism it will still be interesting.

    Later Man...

    Darkside Dave
    havi
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    Post  havi Thu May 14, 2009 10:30 am

    I pointed this forum out to a guy I know who's building a '37 Chevy ratrod, but being a bit computer shy, he apparently hasn't joined. A couple others I know are considering it, but haven't taken the first jump yet (ratrods, not the forum, lol). One of their friends built one using a home made air suspension and was at the Minneapolis World of Wheels. http://www.clubhotrod.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36929
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alyf-tY_oJ0
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uq0ZzzAoOnU
    Darkside Dave
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    Post  Darkside Dave Thu May 14, 2009 10:43 am

    I checked out the links you posted. That YouTube video with the thre link triangulated rear suspension was kind of interesting. His front suspension was rather unusual too. That is the kind of stuff I'd like to see posted here.

    Dave
    Anonymous
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    Post  Guest Wed Jun 17, 2009 12:40 pm

    A young fella called my 57 chevy a 'ratrod'.
    Does that count? Smile
    It has the factory paint (in sad condition) and is stock except for the 300 horse 350, power disc brakes and air conditioning. Moon disc hubcaps
    Anonymous
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    Post  Guest Wed Jun 17, 2009 12:41 pm

    how do I get rid of that goofy avatar?

    *edit* In my best Emily Litella voice, "Nevermind"
    Darkside Dave
    Darkside Dave
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    Post  Darkside Dave Wed Jun 17, 2009 1:54 pm

    Yeah... That's the ticket...

    I invented avatars...

    Remember that guy???

    Seriously,you can also design a signature but you have to remember to tell your profile to show it.

    Later Man...
    55f350
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    Post  55f350 Sat Jul 04, 2009 4:42 pm

    nothing wrong with them . i refer to the ones that are unsafe or built to shock or stun you with the goofy gee gaws added on as clown cars or shock rods . they are the ones that shouldnt be discussed . i personally just don't have the time or space , or there is the lack of anything resembling a 30's or 40's car around here that you can get without selling bodyparts . i like 'em as they build with what they have , and most drive the hell outta them , unlike show / trailer queens . maybe i can cut the 'bird up and paint it flat black .................
    charger
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    Post  charger Mon Sep 21, 2009 10:08 am

    mmmm,i love rat rods!!!
    Darkside Dave
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    Post  Darkside Dave Mon Sep 21, 2009 11:14 am

    charger wrote:mmmm,i love rat rods!!!

    They taste like chicken...
    sinndustrial
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    There is a good reason for this... Empty rat rods. for traditionalists such as myself. thats the purpose, so hush, haters.

    Post  sinndustrial Sat Oct 31, 2009 8:23 pm

    the thing behind the rat rods is not intended to be building a crappy car the wrong way and calling it a rat rod. what rat rods are intended to be is the pulling back on the traditional rod-strings. some of us who are die hard "rat-rodders" as some of you would call us, are just old skoolers. plain and simple. we dont wanna see your 67 chevelle with a TPI 350 at our shows. its not about these posers who wanna build a trash can rod and label it a "Rat rod". those are the guys i cant stand, along with the guys who build a mega-buck ride with a freakin chrome engine block. " Rat rods" as you call them are intended to be what the hot rodders in the 40's and 50's were about. building speed parts with your bare hands and some scrap metal you had laying behind the shed, not knowing if its going to work or not until you pull it out of the garage and blow it up or break something. thats the point of hot rodding , everyone. to " run what ya brung" . im sick of retirees throwing money at their cars until they are shiny and new again, without even barely turning A wrench. so fine, you wanna call my car a " rat rod" , thats fine , ill make sure i run your 50,000 dollar 34 3 window coupe off the road with it.
    Darkside Dave
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    Post  Darkside Dave Sat Oct 31, 2009 8:59 pm


    OK sinndustrial, now we're talkin'. You make a lot of good points there. It has a lot to do with definition in the eye of the beholder I think. However, I think you have come as close to the actual definition as anyone has. In a way the true spirit of rat rodding is what the essence of this board is. Any damn fool with a lot of money can buy parts from a catalog and insert tab S into slot B and insert bolt D etc, etc. About the best examples of rat rods I have seen are in the Ol’ Skool Rodz magazine. Click on http://www.olskoolrodz.com/ and take the tour. They have a kick ass site.

    But what the hell, let's stir up some shit and get the controversy smokin' Man.


    Last edited by Darkside Dave on Sun Nov 01, 2009 9:59 am; edited 1 time in total
    sinndustrial
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    Post  sinndustrial Sun Nov 01, 2009 12:21 am

    Darkside Dave wrote:
    OK sinndustrial, now we're talkin'. You make a lot of good points there. It has a lot to do with definition in the eye of the beholder I think. However, I think you have come as close to the actual definition as anyone has. In a way the true spirit of rat rodding is what the essence of this board is. Any damn fool with a lot of money can buy parts from a catalog and insert tab S into slot B and insert bolt D etc, etc. About the best examples of rat rods I have seen are in the Ol’ Skool Rodz magazine. Click on http://www.olskoolrodz.com/ and take the tour. They have a kick ass site.

    But what the hell, let's stir up some shit and get the controversy smokin' Man.

    --sinndustrial-- I also would like to point out that im only 26 years old and i can grasp the true roots of hot rodding. this weird point we have all gotten to with the " rat rods" is on the same level as racial slurs in my book. people are calling cars they either dont understand , or fear, either one, slanderous terms just for the sake of making them feel better about the fact that they didnt turn a single wrench on their car. i want a solid front axle under my 46 fleetmaster. so you know what im going to do? use my stock kingpins and FAB UP MY OWN. then im going to go find leaf springs from a trailer. because in 1955, thats how it was done. then im going to polish the hell out of it. then im going to drill it. what im not going to do is go buy a 490 dollar kit from a catalog. so as i said, call my car a rat rod if you want to. its got a straight 6 in it , a 3 on the tree,and im just getting started on it and it would probably beat up your car. when im done with it,its going to breathe fire and give little old ladies heart attacks.have a nice day.
    Darkside Dave
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    Post  Darkside Dave Sun Nov 01, 2009 11:58 am


    I'm just shy of age 65 and I have lived through the early age of hot rodding. Having lived through the 50's and the 60's, and at the same time being a motorhead, I am often amused by the concepts and perceptions people have about those times. I've had a chance to see this first hand in my son who just turned 40. Every generation forms their own perception of what was in a time they did not experience. Even though my son who is also a motorhead had the benefit of getting the the real story about those time straight from me, his perception and concept of the times and what we did back then are not as it was. That is not because he consciously tried to distort things. It's just human nature. The best that the current generations of car builders can do is look at old pictures and films. They see the images but they have no idea exactly what the intentions and motivations were. In my teen years of the 60's things were very much different than now. back then, if you had a car it was either because you had rich parents, it was a hand me down that had long since served it purpose to a previous generation, or you busted your ass working to get enough money to get some kind of car. Usually it was old and needed lots of TLC. We first fixed what needed fixed and then if we had a way and/or the money, we made modifications. We went to old mom and pop junkyards and bought enough stuff to put something together that would run. It was our way of getting in the game. A lot of us, myself included, were the product of parents that had struggled through the depression and had done things no one could conceive in this day and age to survive. That tends to rub off on you as a child. I didn't have a poor childhood but we weren't rich either. I was an only child and my father spent lots of time with me in the shop and garage. We never took a car to a mechanic for anything, we fixed it ourselves. Most of the cars we had were rebuilt wrecks. I think I can safely say that I am a true product of old car culture.

    Now I look at what the present day perception of those times were and I really have to laugh. Beyond the pictures and films, they ain't got a clue. Those times are gone and they ain't commin' back. So, I find this constant argument about what is what to be absurd and amusing. For example, a lot of guys are opting to retro fit cars with solid front axles under cars that had later suspension designs for no more reason than what they saw in pictures of the old gassers. They are not doing it because it will handle better. Most people who are doing this stuff now don't have a clue as to what it will be like until they drive it. what they get is essentially a straight line racer that really sucks on the curves. But what the hell... it looks cool. Nowadays the rat rod culture runs the gambit from unique to ridiculous with all the principals constantly arguing among themselves about what is right or wrong. The simple truth is that it is a constantly evolving microcosm of the automotive world. It is constantly mutating. I think in a country like ours where freedom of expression is prized, there is room for all types of automotive creations. I just think arguing about this shit is a pointless waste of time. A lot of what we hear comes from the mouths of people who have never really done much beyond opening their wallet and throwing catalog parts at a project. In my opinion the most unique thing about the rat rod thing is the ingenuity of people who want to build something using unique ideas of their own and doing is as cheap as possible.

    My advice would be to stop arguing about this shit and enjoy this while we can. It won't be long before the SEMA folks figure a way to capitalize on this and start making rat rod stuff. I don't have to tell you that it will be another case of a good thing gone to hell. Here again, we are back to the whole purpose of this board. I started this board to encourage and foster the culture of doing things differently. This extends well beyond rat rods. It can and should apply to areas of automotive interests in building and fabricating. That is why I have tried to encourage people to start build threads. It is one great way to pass along ideas and inspire others to do what they might not attempt otherwise. We would all be better off to direct out outrage at those who sit on their collective asses and criticize those who do something as opposed to arguing among ourselves.

    Later Folks...
    sinndustrial
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    Post  sinndustrial Sun Nov 01, 2009 9:24 pm

    i would like to take the time to say that i agree with much of the previous statement. i am 26 years of age and i never will get to experience what it was like in the late 50's and early 60's when the gasser wars started. and yes , some guys are putting solid axles under their cars because they look " cool " that way; however , being a fan of solid axle conversions myself, i think they look awkward. the sole purpose for me building a solid axle kit on my 46 chevy is to run in nostalgia drag classes. the purpose of putting the solid axle on your car is to help throw the weight to the rear of the car for traction, as well as other reasons. my plans for the car calls for it to see plenty of duty on the strip. im not very concerned with cornering in a 65 year old car. the main thing i am trying to say about this is, you should take the aforementioned advice and stop trying to live in a time you dont feel at home at. if youre into ricers, then do that. if youre into muscle cars , then do that. myself... im quite happy fabricating every last piece i possibly can on my post war sedan, because thats what the journey is about to me. i dont want to buy any thing i dont have to, not because its against my views when it comes to rodding, but because its important to me to pour my own blood sweat and tears into every last nook and cranny of this car. each car is an individual journey, its up to you whether or not you wanna hit the fast-forward button that people like myself call the " year one" catalog. the whole point to car building in my eyes is to scour the yards and swap meets. to me , thats half the fun of it all.
    Darkside Dave
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    Post  Darkside Dave Mon Nov 02, 2009 12:21 am


    Sinndustrial,
    If I somehow seemed critical of you and what you want to do, that was not my intention. In a lot of ways I was agreeing with you. I think I said that everybody ought to do their own thing. I really don't have anything against the catalog builders, but I get damn tired of those guys deciding for everybody else. Look at my signature, I think it pretty much says it all. However, there is an equally irritating inverse of this situation. I don't care for guys like me expending time and energy knocking the catalog builders. For one thing, it's all they want to do or can do. Not everyone can make parts or do extensive fabrication work. Sometimes it's a matter of skill, sometimes it's a matter of access to facilities. My point just goes back to everyone doing what they can. That's cool with me but for some unknown reason the different camps just can't leave it at that. They always end up creating some sort of adversarial situation and more than not it comes from both sides. Supposedly it's better to avoid conflict than to generate it but the logic just doesn't play here. I have spent most of my life making things out of something else or fabricating parts of my own design. While there are those who can recognize the value in this, there are even more who criticize and say that I am somehow not normal . Mostly I consider the source because the majority who criticize me can't do anything that requires any degree of skill. My point is, do your own thing and don't waste your time considering those who criticize. You first objective is to make you happy, not those guys.

    Later Man...
    sinndustrial
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    Post  sinndustrial Mon Nov 02, 2009 2:02 am

    right on , well said. i build cuz i want to. and also , i dont always know how to do it, and thats when my "redneck ingenuity" comes into play. all i know is if i cant build it right after several tries, ill ask someone else about it and try again.

    at any rate, the hell with whats right and wrong, i think my 46 is awesome , no matter how rusty she is. so, with that said... anyone maybe interested in doing some wheeling and dealing on some parts with me? im itching to get this car up and rolling. ( it sucks that my daily driver has a 350/350/4barrel combo and the hot rod dont! )

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