There are no rules to making your car a ratlook.My car has no rust but its still a rat.It only has a 1641cc only a few little accessories but its still a rat.Why is it a rat then because I call it a rat so its a rat.
I personaly think this section rocks and its a reflection of our OZ scene on how its growing and becoming more open minded.
So if you looking for a look that is cheap and looks a little out there then its rat for you.

Is yours the squareback at day of?
I liked that one, liked it alot. Had a surfer van feel to it.

The closest things we've had to rats in this country were Aussie muscle cars running around in guide coat. I grew up around alot of chargers, XB coupes and the like done in this guise. Our old next door neighbour had one, then had an immaculate rod in his garage.
I have never seen any proof that we had old skool flat black sleds or hellbilly style rods in this country, up until recently built ones.

So yeah, there are no rules and this is a new thing to our country. So make it what ever the hell you like.

hrrm... Now, a psychobilly beetle rod. That would be interesting

Hey Damien

You should leave your car next to the Kensington station on a permanent basis, its nice to be greeted by that bug after a shit day at work

Cam what the hell have you been smoking?

A rat is a car that is put together from parts. it doesn't have to be matte black etc. A rat can still have a shit hot paint job! The whole idea of rats are that they are built from bits and pieces without going for a whole project.

Look thru the early rod shows in Australia up to present day you will see many many rat rods.

A muscle car in undercoat/primer is not a rat but an unfinished project. There is a difference.

well what the hell is matte taken from then? The primer look.
I call it rat, because it looks ratty. I thought thats what it was about a rat "look"?
Most of our 50's and 60's rods were done for hillclimbing and the like, not at all like the US rat rods that you see in nostalgia books, mags, films, etc...

Obviously haven't been going to rod shows for the past 25 years....

Most of the coolest cars there are rats... a guy buys three cars to make a grand rod and uses the other two to build a rat. They have always been as popular as the big project rods.

Some of the best rats have been past exhibition cars... the power plant explodes. The owner or next owner doesn't want to spend a fortune building it new uses the prepped and fine body with cobbled together running gear maybe throw away the guards and hey what do tyou know.... a rat!

But Volkswagens are'nt rods. And I have'nt been alive for 25 years.

The rats that the Yanks did, and really started the genre were all done in the late 40's early 50's after WW2. Read any history on rodding and you'll find the painful isolation and escape these vets found in their cars.

We never had that here. We did'nt even get production V8's until the late 60's. Our motoring history is inground in hillclimbing and circuit racing. With some biking after WW2

A rat vw will always be a little different from say a A-bone and im sure there have been vw running on guide coat before not to many slammed runnin the look that I think is the latest look in the scene.That wasnt my square that was aldos and I missed it but what I seen would have been the drooling material for me on the day.So its a new look I think and anyone can devolope a ride that they look at and say wow thats somethin .Chris notice i bumped it up a little.prob not.

Yeah, fully. I saw something on a swedish webpage about VW's being the new hot rods. With how many there are around, the aftermarket Type1 performance equipment, etc, etc, etc....

I have pic's of beetles from the 60's in primer and lowered.

But as I said, it's a new thing. So lets try not get stuck in any ruts on how they should look and lets have fun with them.
Just keep them safe tho.

just curios as to how u would value a rat look dub. to most it would look like a piece of crap, whilst others would see the beauty in it.
if i was to build a rat, and one day sell it, do u think u would make any money?

I would definately say the market is restricted. But doing up a car, you don't really plan to sell it and if you want to keep it in Aus' it's unfortunately a buyers market. As we see so often on this forum.
I'm sure there is value in them, depends on what the rest of the vehicle is like and not just the outside.

if u really want a comparison on the two opposite ends of the rat scale look at my two favourite bikes. no.1 is a myer speed extra-long-frame. original red metallic paint faded almost to white, covered in scratches, all chrome pitted and peeling, repro seat, 1980s style tyres (gumwalls), mismatched cranks, replaced rear hub internals and new cage pedals. looks like shite to anyone who doesnt know dragsters but is incredibly good to ride (short cruises and long rides, i do 3 - 4 hours a week on it). no.2 schwinn spitfire, stripped to back to bare then painted immaculate matt black with red gloss flames, period hubs (3spd rear, drum front) laced to new chrome rims, new period-look springer and handlebars, salvaged alloy gooseneck (thanks empi), old 27inch guards, white covered in rust and dints, original period lights painted matt black and new period whitewall tyres. both bikes come under the traditional definition of ratlook. if you ignore the glossy paintjob that my bus will eventually have then it is rat too. body filler, rough panels, home-made interior, all work done by hand, and parts off a dozen cars of different makes and models (datsun doorhandles, renault interior lights, holden ashtray, GM seatbelts, generic wheel trims, GM clock, subaru donk, you get the picture)