Rat Roaster
1932 Roadster
The trend in Hot Rodding lately has been to build a car with a ‘40’s or ‘50’s style to it. Now there’s nothing wrong with that but I have always liked the late ‘60’s era more. This is when some really wild cars were ripping up the streets and drag strips every night all across the country. Of course by the late ‘60’s, the home-built Hot Rod was rapidly being pushed aside by factory Muscle cars. Only the most hard-core Hot Rodder would dare to pit his home-made creation against a Hemi ‘Cuda or SS Chevelle, and if he did, that creation would have to be pretty special.
So in the true spirit of Hot Rodding, we began to wonder if a guy were to build a ’32 Roadster in 1969 with the goal of it being the “baddest thing on the street”…what would it look like? That's the idea behind the Rat Roaster project!
The criteria was simple.
- ONE: It would have to outrun the hottest muscle car on the street by at least a second or two.
- TWO: It would have to pack some serious “WOW” factor in the engine, paint and overall look.
- THREE: It has to be realistic and affordable for a young Hot Rodder to build, so no exotic, high-dollar parts or engines.
- Finally, it HAD to reflect the Rock & Roll mentality and style of the times.
Paint Code
Rat Roaster Guitar
When I showed the drawing for the concept to the guys at the Gibson Custom Shop, they said “there’s no way we can build that thing”. Fortunately Gibson Custom shop honcho Rick Gembar said that if I wanted to build it, they would do the final assembly on it.
Rat Roaster Partners & Products
Body
F-Series Speed Grille Kit with Lights
F-Series Speed Grille Kit with Lights
Engine
Interior
Tires, Wheels & Brakes
Transmission & Drivetrain
Miscellaneous
Chassis
Rat Roaster Episodes
Rat Roaster Pay-Off
In every project there is a beginning and an end. Stacey walks you through the incredible build up of the “Rat Roaster”, a wild 32 Ford roadster, and shows off the finished car in true GEARZ fashion!November 19, 2012
The Rat Roaster Details
Stacey rolls the Rat Roaster back into the shop to dig into the final assembly of this wild roadster.February 26, 2011
The Rat Roaster Final Assembly
One of the most exciting and time consuming parts of any project is the final assembly. This is where you bring it all together into a finished vehicle, and where attention to detail is so important.March 05, 2011
Building floors for the Rat Roaster - Designing and installing seats
Stacey pulls out the tools and starts working metal as he dives into the subject of what to do when your floors are gone... I mean literally gone... nothing there!
April 12, 2008
32 Ford History and Body
It's anniversary time! The '32 Ford is 75 years old and we take a look back at what made this car so popular for so long.May 13, 2007
The Rat Roaster - Building a late 60's hot rod
There is no doubt that the '32 Ford is one of the most legendary cars ever built.June 16, 2007
The budget hot rod - Building a '32 Ford on a budget
Stacey deals with one of the most talked-about issues facing the hot rod hobby-COST! Then he shows you that it is actually possible to build a steel-bodied ‘32 Roadster for around 20 grand.June 23, 2007
