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

Code
Color
Cumulative
Parts
DMD649
Clear
144.6
144.6
DMD650
Crs. Alum.
232.9
377.5
DMD1693
Green
108.4
485.9
DMD1683
Black
12.9
498.8
DMX210
Yellow
54.2
553.0
VM4146
Flamoyance Green
10.0
563.0
DBX1689
Clear
424.1
987.1
DMD1678
Green
41.4
1028.5
Rat Roaster Guitar

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. 

View Guitar

Rat Roaster Partners & Products

Body

32 All-Steel Frame and Body, Grille Shell
Painting
Paint & Upholstery
Upholstery for Convertible Top
Custom Green Paint
Various Auto Parts
Rear Body Lower Corners, Rear Rolled Pan

F-Series Speed Grille Kit with Lights

F-Series Speed Grille Kit with Lights

3" Chopped Convertible Top
7" King Bee Headlights, 2" Chopped Windshield Frame

Engine

Finned Aluminum Battery Box
Cylinder Heads
Custom Exhaust
580hp 350ci Blown Small Block Chevy Engine
Pro-Flex Fuel Line, Speed Flex, Fuel Fittings
Prototype Wiring Harness
2 Four Barrels/Blower Carburetor
The Moon Tank, Tail Breather
Velocity Stacks
Crank, Rods, Blower Pistons
YellowTop Deep Cell Battery
Wiring Harness
QTEC - Quick Time Electric Cutout
Break in Oil
Finned Aluminum Valve Covers
Cool Flex Fluid Transfer Hoses
80 Amp Chrome Alternator & High Torque Starter Accessories
Z-491-2 Radiator
250 Supercharger, Air Scoop

Interior

Universal Floor
Pick Guard Material for Dash Panel
Gauges, Panel & Fender Insert
Competitor Series Throttle Pedal
Baja RS Seats
Shifter Handle, High Performance Short Throw Shifter
Bomber-Style Aluminum Seat w/ Holes
Custom Floor Mats
Universal Seat Bracket
Diamond Tuft Leather Seats

Tires, Wheels & Brakes

Firestone Frontrunner (Dirt Track 500-15) Firestone Drag Slick Tires
Fittings for Brake Lines
Brake Bleeder Kit
Rear Disc Brake Conversion Kit, Fittings for Brake Lines
ET Dragmaster
Polished Brake System

Transmission & Drivetrain

Rear end Gear
Heavy Duty Driveshaft
Tremec TKO 5spd Transmission, Bellhousing, Flywheel, Pressure Plate

Miscellaneous

"The Last Rock & Roll Show"
Diecast of Rat Roaster
Model Kit of Rat Roaster

Chassis

Vega Style Steering Box
32" Straight Chrome Steering Columns & Accessories
Steering Stabilizer
Front Suspension, Ford 9" Rear End, Triangulated 4-link & Coilover Suspension, Gasket & Sealer
Cross Steering, Rack & Pinion

From the Store

Rat Roaster Episodes

  • Watch the full build of Stacey's '32 Ford hot rod - The Rat Roaster - now on YouTube!

  • 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