This 1935 Chevrolet Rat Rod has generated some interest since it was listed for sale here on eBay. Located in Kuna, Idaho, it comes with a clear title. Initially listed with an opening bid of $0.99, bidding has now reached $4,594.44, but the reserve hasn’t been met and there’not much time left.
It becomes difficult to chose what photos to include and what features to talk about when a vehicle is this unique. There are so many little details on this car it’s just incredible. The frame for it is a custom made tubular chassis. The body only features one door which is a suicide door on the driver’s side. It also features custom pin-striping and the tail-light housings are custom made out of pistons. The piston theme carries over to custom made piston radiator mascot.
The interior is also bespoke, right down to the hand-made windshield frame. The seats may not be to everyone’s taste, but they are custom-made for the owner, so may need to be changed for the new owner. Once again there is just a multitude of detail items to note on this car. Things like the shifter knob which is made from a real hand grenade and the rat’s skeleton sitting atop the dash.
The engine is a small journal 327ci small block which has been treated to new rings and bearings. This is backed by a Turbo 350 transmission. The headers are custom made from square tube and feed the exhaust gases away via glasspack mufflers. The front axle is an early Ford unit fitted with Mustang disc brakes. Once again it’s the details that catch the eye. Items like the flame-effect metal shroud behind the radiator and the rusty checker firewall.
This is a further illustration of what I mean by details. An overflow tank that has been fashioned from a genuine early drink canteen. The mind boggles at the number of hours that must have gone into the design and building of this Rat Rod. The seller must have a fertile mind because he undertook all of this type of design and construction work himself. Since he completed the build the car has traveled mere 581 miles. Personally, after so much work I don’t think that I could bear the thought of parting with it.
Rat Rods are vehicles that polarize people. They either tend to love them or hate them. I look at a vehicle like this and I have complete admiration for the creative process that has gone into this car. It is one of those cars that is impossible to place a value on simply because it is unique. This 1935 Chevrolet Rat Rod will be worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it. I do suspect that the bidding will go quite a bit higher on it.
I’m usually not a fan of “rat rods”, but I like this – a lot of imagination shown here and skillful execution. Check out the ‘48 International truck he also has for sale on EBay.
I like it. Very creative. I especially like the hand grenade shifter and demonic looking piston with bullet in mouth.
“Rat Rods are vehicles that galvanize people”?
I think you may have meant “polarise”!
Thanks for catching that!
Vulcanize. Live long, and prosper.
My (our) rattley rod is actually a working truck. It’s ugly, and gets to do all of the ugly chores. It also serves up a relaxed drive with the 350/350 out of a Suburban. A great backroads explorer. There are a lot of small wineries out in the sticks. I always park next to the grocery getter 4-door 911s during wine tasting (guzzleing) festivals. After all, to do otherwise just wouldn’t be civilized.
Cool car, I suppose, if you’re into that sort of thing. Now, can we get back to real barn finds?
I’m hoping we get back to why we’re here. Barn Finds, yes, real barn finds.
Some of their touches are really cool, like the canteen overflow and the face cut into the piston, others such as the exhaust head pipe coming down below the fake open header are so cringeworthy that leaves me with a general negative impression. Does it even have seat belts?
They are selling another rat rod with a $15,000 BIN, I have a hunch this is nowhere close to meeting reserve.
Steve R
Maybe it’s my age, but for some reason, these things always bring to mind: ‘Customised by Hanna-Barbera’… ;-)
Looks Like every other Rat Rod .
I’m always a bit torn on these. On one hand, it was probably a rusty shell that would either continue to rot or be sent for scrap. At least it found new life. On the other, the cartoonish Mad Max thing seems stale and played-out. To me they all look like a TGI Friday’s on wheels. Or, perhaps, an Army Surplus store. Tchotchke-mobiles.
Of course, I used to drive a Hyundai, so what do I know about anything…
Kind of cool, needs paint though. I love the fuel gauge.
5 grand tops for that junk
I have over the years developed a liking for rat rods but the car needs a roof I like the no fenders and it needs wide tires on the rear axle. I need enough HP to stick my head out the window and watch as I smoke the the rears, a blown SBC would be my first choice. !
somebody had some fun…Y not start again ur self? Leave it w/him!
Definitely has the ” Mad Max” look – I like the creativity – looks like a shortened
sedan body with the roof cut off, leaving that tall trunk intact. Might be a fun spring/fall backroad ride – drive it for a while and sell it on.
Fred H, OIL SLICK, & others:
Are you kidding me? This was built with imagination (thank you, Ikey Heyman), skill, whimsy, creativeness (thank you, Michael) and, I think, the builder intended it to look just like it does. It is unique, I’ve not ever seen a so-called “rat rod” that wasn’t just a hackneyed copy of the the original. Kudos to the builder!
Quality build & have seen much much worse, not wild about the idea not have a passager door, but hey…
Hmmmmmm, the advertiser of this and the world at large don’t seem to share much of the same belief in value. But then many of the RR crowd see themselves as iconoclasts, perhaps in an inflated way. Which might explain why when this listing ran it’s course with a high bid of $6300, the advertiser relisted with a $20k bin…………….really, I’m not kidding…………..
Effective front shock mounting, ya think?
Talkin’ about Mad Max. It’s up for it’s 40th Birthday about now!
One of the creators of the vehicles used in M.M. lives not far from me in South East Queensland in Australia. Bertrand Cadat (a Frenchie) who was also the Australian importer, stockist and Guru for the French made motorcycle suspension “Fournales”.