Are rat rod/hot rods worth anything?

[Brennan]

Long story short I received this titled 36 Chevy pickup rat/rod for a great deal a while back. My son really convinced me to pick it up for a while then sell it. Is there a market out here for these? I see a lot of groups back east and Midwest for these but those rat rods seem to
Be garbage thrown together. This is a professional shop built car with an Ls motor. I thought for sure I would get plenty of action on this thing but it’s been pretty quiet. Anyone have any insight on what I should try to get for it. I rather keep it then lose money on it. It’s very fun and reliable and doesn’t need anything.

 

[HALLETT BOY]

Sorry , not my cup of Tea

 

[wallnutz]

Keep it and enjoy it for awhile until the economy rebounds. You will get your money back eventually.

 

[SKIDMARC]

How much you looking to get?

 

[Brennan]

How much you looking to get?

Base on comps I have seen online I thought $25 was more then fair since this is way nicer then other ones that are listed, but at this point I’m open to offers

 

[Ziggy]

looks like my new bicycle

Kewl truck done up nicely.
Someone will want it but it is a fairly narrow market. Taking your time will benefit you.

 

[SKIDMARC]

Base on comps I have seen online I thought $25 was more then fair since this is way nicer then other ones that are listed, but at this point I’m open to offers

That’s a little high. My BIL got something similar paid 19k.

 

[wallnutz]

looks like my new bicycle View attachment 1147696
Kewl truck done up nicely.
Someone will want it but it is a fairly narrow market. Taking your time will benefit you.

Add a bike rack. You know you want it.

 

[Flying_Lavey]

As it sits, not my cup of tea ekther.either.. but, some work and i think it could be badass. Paint it, remove the..... odd decals and graffics, better wheels and brakes, and ditch the plastic truck intake manifold.

It does seem as though the rat rod interest had died off a bit.

What about keeping it and building it with your son?

 

[dirtslinger2]

As it sits, not my cup of tea ekther.either.. but, some work and i think it could be badass. Paint it, remove the..... odd decals and graffics, better wheels and brakes, and ditch the plastic truck intake manifold.

It does seem as though the rat rod interest had died off a bit.

What about keeping it and building it with your son?

Better wheels???? Those are one of the raddest parts of the car.

 

[bonesfab]

The Ls in it probably hurts more than helps it. The people who want those are more old school non efi, fuel smelling, points adjusting folks. More of the crap from the stone ages.

 

[Flying_Lavey]

Better wheels???? Those are one of the raddest parts of the car.

For some. I'm not a big rat rod type so I really do not like wire wheels one bit, plus... I would prefer to have some decent brakes that those wheels don't really allow.

 

[bonesfab]

For some. I'm not a big rat rod type so I really do not like wire wheels one bit, plus... I would prefer to have some decent brakes that those wheels don't really allow.

Brakes are highly over rated. That's why most of those barely have floor boards. Flintstone style if need be. I will say when the ratrod craze came about and some of the junk rolling around was down right scary. No thank you.

 

[Maw]

The Ls in it probably hurts more than helps it. The people who want those are more old school non efi, fuel smelling, points adjusting folks. More of the crap from the stone ages.

Yup, a 3x 2bbl 348 would be perfect (IMHO). This is coming from a person with a full fendered '37 Dodge P/U running a '55 331 Hemi though.

 

[C_J_J_C]

I have bought a sold to many classics to count and I am always learning but a few things seem to always hold true.

1) Originals sell
2) The Custom market is tiny and it is hard to even get your money back and almost never profit
3) & If I think it is cool the market is almost non existant.

Cool Truck

 

[Shlbyntro]

The Ls in it probably hurts more than helps it. The people who want those are more old school non efi, fuel smelling, points adjusting folks. More of the crap from the stone ages.

wait, what??!

 

[coolchange]

Look around at what 25k gets you. Those cars are about the build and the person building them.

 

[Racey]

The Ls in it probably hurts more than helps it. The people who want those are more old school non efi, fuel smelling, points adjusting folks. More of the crap from the stone ages.

Yep, would probably sell faster with a junk 350 with a carb in it.

best bet is to hit the tiki and rockabilly shows with sale signs.

Cool truck though. Looks great.

Might be able to sell it as a roller less motor/trans faster

 

[monkeyswrench]

From what I've been seeing, right now is just a crap shoot for selling old cars. Cars that did have 4-5 people looking are now down to 1-2. Old cars are a specialty deal to begin with. When you specialize even more, it gets tougher....white walls and spokes, Ls, even the door paint...it now has to be a guy that likes those things. If you don't need to sell it, have some fun with it for a bit. It seems as if right now, people are only buying the car if it checks everything off their list. A year ago, the purse strings were looser.

For a car I was going to probably sell, I do black walls and steelies, but not brightly painted. With the Ls on full display, I've put nasty ole BBC valve covers over the factory coil packs, and chopped up an old 70's air cleaner to drop on top. It looks like a cartoon old truck that way.

 

[Brennan]

As it sits, not my cup of tea ekther.either.. but, some work and i think it could be badass. Paint it, remove the..... odd decals and graffics, better wheels and brakes, and ditch the plastic truck intake manifold.

It does seem as though the rat rod interest had died off a bit.

What about keeping it and building it with your son?

We build early broncos not trying to add any more projects

 

[Your ad here]

Sell it to the first guy to give a decent offer and hasn't told his wife about it.

 

[bowtiejunkie]

Look around at what 25k gets you. Those cars are about the build and the person building them.

x2. Most rat rodders want to build to their tastes. OP’s is nice, too nice, too new for a true rat rod dude or gal. The LS motor needs to be unswapped.

In the end, you just need to locate a buyer looking for what you are selling. Looks nicely put together from the pics.

 

[Your ad here]

x2. Most rat rodders want to build to their tastes. OP’s is nice, too nice, too new for a true rat rod dude or gal. The LS motor needs to be unswapped.

In the end, you just need to locate a buyer looking for what you are selling. Looks nicely put together from the pics.

There may be more value in a trade offer.

 

[Brennan]

There may be more value in a trade offer.

Definitely exploring that option. It’s just a fun car so exploring the idea of trading it for more toys

 

[evantwheeler]

I kind of agree its almost not mad max enough to be desirable. I was watching an old Willys truck cab rat rod here in Murrieta a month or so back. Had a vacation planned and wasnt able to look at it before it sold. It was on a 70’s c-10 chassis, and a turbo two stroke detroit diesel with manual 5 speed. Had an old ford truck bed on it, with some 35” toyo mud terrains. I have no clue what it sold for, but asking price was $15k. It was a rad looking machine. I think it should move if priced between $15-20k.

 

[coolchange]

Brakes are highly over rated. That's why most of those barely have floor boards. Flintstone style if need be. I will say when the ratrod craze came about and some of the junk rolling around was down right scary. No thank you.

I describe it as the difference between
“I’ll probably die in that”
And
“ That thing WANTS to kill me”

 

[Bigbore500r]

The Ls in it probably hurts more than helps it. The people who want those are more old school non efi, fuel smelling, points adjusting folks. More of the crap from the stone ages.

Breaking down on the side of the road, and being seen waiting for a tow with your chick in a poodle skirt popping bubbles is part of the rockabilly rat rod panache

 

[MK1MOD0]

That truck is sweet. Like most everything, it in the eye of the beholder. I happen to dig the look, but I like most old cars. I agree, the LS is a bit of a negative. Old school is where it’s at with these. But not terrible by any means. Seems most rat rod style cars/ trucks top out around 20K. Most I see are in The 12-16 range. Drive it until ya get the right buyer.


ps. I’m guessing the average age of the RDP group is beyond that of the typical rat rod buyer. Just food for thought

 

[jetboatperformance]

Just to show folks will "rat rod " anything.... This was at my Ace hardware yesterday

 

[DRYHEAT]

Breaking down on the side of the road, and being seen waiting for a tow with your chick in a poodle skirt popping bubbles is part of the rockabilly rat rod panache

It’s all part of the adventure.

 

[50onRED]

With over 20 years of experience in the custom hot rod industry I can tell you that every car a value is subjective to many MANY differences. Rat Rods have both zero value and can be priceless. Often times it’s how well they are built and the quality of the work. Most rat rods are hardly worth their weight in scrap because they were built so poorly but even then there’s always that one guy who falls in love with a total pile of crap and is willing to pay a bucket load for it. On the other hand, a well built rat rod with extreme engineering and expensive parts can be worth it’s weight in gold. Again it’s always worth what that one guy will pay for it.

 

[bonesfab]

With over 20 years of experience in the custom hot rod industry I can tell you that every car a value is subjective to many MANY differences. Rat Rods have both zero value and can be priceless. Often times it’s how well they are built and the quality of the work. Most rat rods are hardly worth their weight in scrap because they were built so poorly but even then there’s always that one guy who falls in love with a total pile of crap and is willing to pay a bucket load for it. On the other hand, a well built rat rod with extreme engineering and expensive parts can be worth it’s weight in gold. Again it’s always worth what that one guy will pay for it.

Even better when two people fall in love with it.

 

[Willie B]

Yup, a two barrel 348 would be perfect (IMHO). This is coming from a person with a full fendered '37 Dodge P/U running a '55 331 Hemi though.

… I don’t recall a 348 ever coming with a two barrel… Unless maybe it was in a truck.???…Dunno???…

 

[Tank]

I drive it the way it is. Fuck it.

 

[50onRED]

Even better when two people fall in love with it.

At auction absolutely. The more the merrier!

 

[playdeep]

FWIW...
I've gotten into restoring vintage race cars(sprints,super modified's etc.).
Initially I was buying Low mile/nice Vortec 350's to sell them as race ready.
Everyone asked about purchasing as a roller less motor.
They wanted 283's&327's.
I bought a few of those motors&began installing them.Old Holley carbs& vintage Edelbrock manifolds.Even cast iron 4 barrel manifold's with the old school oil fill tube.
Original Stamped script valve covers.

Suddenly Nobody wanted a roller they wanted the old school stuff .

People eat that shit up...there's just something about Original vintage motors&parts.
It's crazy old chevy small blocks(265,283,327's)are getting really hard to find&they're bringing really good money.

 

[2FORCEFULL]

cool piece,... and theirs a ass for every seat....figure out what you need to get, and what you would let it go for and put a price tag on it...never gonna know till you try,... so that being said.... 25k buys a car.... your car is a labor of love car, you find a barn/ field body, weld a couple rec tubes together and build a frame.... walk the isles at pomona with your wagon and gatjher parts.... when it's done it will be what it is.... if it's some what tastefull done... it'll sell... GLWTS....

 

[2FORCEFULL]

Long story short I received this titled 36 Chevy pickup rat/rod for a great deal a while back. My son really convinced me to pick it up for a while then sell it. Is there a market out here for these? I see a lot of groups back east and Midwest for these but those rat rods seem to
Be garbage thrown together. This is a professional shop built car with an Ls motor. I thought for sure I would get plenty of action on this thing but it’s been pretty quiet. Anyone have any insight on what I should try to get for it. I rather keep it then lose money on it. It’s very fun and reliable and doesn’t need anything. View attachment 1147674 View attachment 1147675 View attachment 1147676

from the pics it looks like a stock frame of some sort that was back half'd... the single point radis rod front has me puzzeled ???? usually hair pin or four link.... are they using the cross leaf spring????.. drop axel??? whats holding all that together??? also,... not my car but I would lower the rad. and grile to be more in line....

 

[2FORCEFULL]

here's a few comps.....

Old Rat Rod Trucks for Sale

Find Old Rat Rod Trucks at the best price . There are 0 listings for Old Rat Rod Trucks, from $0 with average price of $0

www.autozin.com

 

[2FORCEFULL]

this ones pretty cool looking and good brakes....lol...20k seems high for todays money...

 

[Vamodsquad]

It wouldn't pass Inspection around here.

 

[propcheck]

Rat Rods are like artwork. The value of it is only determined by what the buyer actually pays.

You know what want out of it post it up and if nobody buys it just keep it. Thats the difference between car builder and car collector

 

[Maw]

… I don’t recall a 348 ever coming with a two barrel… Unless maybe it was in a truck.???…Dunno???…

You're correct, fixed now.

 

[Bigbore500r]

I’d leave the LS, toss some retro valve covers on it and a dual plane edelbrock intake. Take the stock TB and bolt it on top with an adapter. Then run the retro / classic / hotrod style air cleaner of your choice. It won’t run any better but it will at least look the part and not stand out. Probably can do all that for under $800

Or if you want to stick with a modern intake manifold with front mounted TB, check out the older edelbrock proflo XT. It is cast aluminum, has fins, looks kinda vintage.

Having the motor blend in 100% with the cars theme would do a lot for value IMHO

 

[SBMech]

IT's a nice piece. Don't let the nanny bitches on here tell you what is what...opinions are like assholes....

It's a easy keeper driver. Hit up events that cater to those types of people and you'll be sure to find the rich kid on the outside of his pack who wants something to look the part but does not have the talent to tinker...perfect match...advertise it as such.

You'll sell it quick.

Many "MEN" want to beat their chests and bathe in gasoline while punching their man-card full.....truth is the first set of dual points would defeat them and leave them on the side of the road, since very few have the ability to trouble shoot points/condenser/coil/carb......99% of all fuel problems are actually ignition....

 

[Tank]

@CanyonLakeDave is a wealth of knowledge on these builds. He has a few and is pretty entrenched in the scene. He’d be worth reaching out to for an honest opinion.

 

[ChiliPepperGarage]

Without knowing all the specs on it, it looks like an okay build. While it is not my style either, there are still a lot of guys out there that would like it. Hard to place value in today's crazy market but I don't think it would be unreasonable to start at a $20K asking and negotiate from there.

Where are you located? Exposure is the key to selling something like that. You have to get the right set of eyes on it.

 

[coolchange]

IT's a nice piece. Don't let the nanny bitches on here tell you what is what...opinions are like assholes....

It's a easy keeper driver. Hit up events that cater to those types of people and you'll be sure to find the rich kid on the outside of his pack who wants something to look the part but does not have the talent to tinker...perfect match...advertise it as such.

You'll sell it quick.

Many "MEN" want to beat their chests and bathe in gasoline while punching their man-card full.....truth is the first set of dual points would defeat them and leave them on the side of the road, since very few have the ability to trouble shoot points/condenser/coil/carb......99% of all fuel problems are actually ignition....

Would that be a single coil dual point, or a dual coil dual point?

 

[SBMech]

Would that be a single coil dual point, or a dual coil dual point?

Damn you want to make it harder on them boys! We talking about Ferrari V8 with the twin coils or the Prince of Darkness and the Lucas twin distributors and ignition systems for the Jag V12's ?

Most people got no idea how interesting this shit gets the older you go.

 

[playdeep]

IT's a nice piece. Don't let the nanny bitches on here tell you what is what...opinions are like assholes....

It's a easy keeper driver. Hit up events that cater to those types of people and you'll be sure to find the rich kid on the outside of his pack who wants something to look the part but does not have the talent to tinker...perfect match...advertise it as such.

You'll sell it quick.

Many "MEN" want to beat their chests and bathe in gasoline while punching their man-card full.....truth is the first set of dual points would defeat them and leave them on the side of the road, since very few have the ability to trouble shoot points/condenser/coil/carb......99% of all fuel problems are actually ignition....

Sooo...how about an old school Mallory dual point with tach drive?

I just picked up this complete 283(519 block).Got it home pulled the valve covers.
Phuck me running...772 original Corvette fuelie heads.62thru 65.
I'm curious...did the early Vettes have 3 speeds?