If you like rat rods, the Redneck Rumble is the place for you. Held twice-a-year at the Wilson County Fairgrounds, this is the premier event for creative automotive rust manipulation. Yes, you may rub up against a car and get tetanus. Yes, you may get mowed down by an obnoxious kid screaming down the walkway on a mufflerless ’58 Cushman scooter. No, you are not going to like every car in the show—and you’re not supposed to. There’s no question that most every car here is interesting, and some of them are just plain cool. Everyone is proud of their creations, and they love sharing them with like-minded people. If you’re among them, let’s take a look at some of the standouts from last weekend.
This little Model A coupe may not have been a rat rod, but it was definitely a cool hot rod. They nailed the mid-‘50s custom vibe here. It’s lowered down to where the fenders just clear the tires. The vintage black rubber surrounds spoke wheels with Cragar accessory knock-off centers. The finned, aluminum valve covers and three carburetors look exactly right. And the black-and-white pleated interior is the perfect environment in which to cruise the streets with your best gal. You can tell that whoever built this studied their vintage Hot Rod magazines. This is genuinely a well-done hot rod.
This ’48 Nash Ambassador seemed a little out of place at this show. As you can see, it’s not a hot rod, it’s not a rat rod, and it doesn’t even have any “patina.” It’s a rare car with a flawless restoration that could probably hold its own at the local concours d'elegance. This style was pretty innovative when introduced in 1941. They’re considered the first mass-produced unibody vehicles, and were regarded as both stylish and thrifty. The ’48 looked virtually identical to the pre-war versions, but they went out of their way to make the interior among the most lavish and stylish in the industry. This was the last year for this traditional-looking styling. The aerodynamic and bulbous Airflyte debuted in 1949.
There was a pair of ’62 Thunderbirds sitting together that really drew your attention. They weren’t as radical as you might first think. All that was really going on here was that they were lowered, the wheels were changed, and most of the chrome trim was removed. Even the interiors were pretty much stock. The thing that made them stand out was the paint. There was lots of Kandy Kolor, pinstripes, and scallops. The interior appeared to be more flushed out in the blue one, but the copper one here was coming along nicely. Interestingly, this car wore painted wheels, cones, and trim rings on the right, while it rocked chrome wheels and spider caps on the left. This is what you do when you just can decide what you like best.
I also dug this ’57 Ford Ranchero. The modifications here are simple but effective. Basically it’s lowered, and the bucket seats and tonneau cover were upholstered with bright red, pleated Naugahyde. The chrome shifter sticking out of the floor with simple white shift knob was also a nice touch. It’s like they used the best parts of an AMT 3-in-1 customizing kit without overdoing it on the chrome scoops, louvers, and bubble skirts. It has the stock wheel covers, which look pretty good, but I’d have to try out a set of ’57 Dodge Lancer wheel covers to complete the custom look. Of course, that’s why they call it “custom.” We all have our own ideas on what makes something perfect.
By now, you’re probably saying to yourself, “enough of this yammering—I want to see rat rod pictures!” Well, you’re in luck. I took 489 of them, and you can check them all out by clicking this link.
Great show, something for everybody. I looked at photos twice!
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