BMW Rat Rod...love it or hate it

[TonyHuntimer]

A friend sent me this link. Great pics. Crazy BMW saved from the crusher after an accident.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1536530

Tony Huntimer
RaceHome.com

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

well i guess SOMEONE had to do it, least the kids got balls.

[novaderrik]

how is that a rat rod?
it doesn't have a flat head under the hood- it has a hood, which is also breaks a few rat rod rules, i think- or a really long shifter with a skull on the end..
it also looks safe to drive down the road..

[Memphis]

Don't like it or the way it was previously.

[shortrack]

crazy!....the comments on the car were better than I expected, maybe only 40% haters.....MAN Id love to see the look on the faces of those arrogant "Im in a BMW Im all that" crowd as he drives around.....LUV IT!

[wmhjr]

MAN Id love to see the look on the faces of those arrogant "Im in a BMW Im all that" crowd as he drives around.....LUV IT!

Depends. If he pulled into a car meet with all the vette "I'm in a vette I'm all that" people they would probably sneer at him. Or if he showed up at Mopar nationals with all the "I'm in a Hemi and I'm all that" people they'd probably throw used oil cans at him.....

Just saying.

[70camaro406]

:barf:

That's A LOT of work for a worthless car.

[andrewb70]

Excellent exercise in automotive visual art, fabrication, and photography. Thumbs up!

Andrew

[DarkBuddha]

I'm a fan of E28 and E30 BMWs generally, so I generally like it. But I've gotta admit that he took it way too far for my tastes.


least the kids got balls.
Exactly... ya gotta admire his commitment and vision, even if you don't like his aesthetics or tastes.

[John Wright]

I still would like to see him replace that A pillar and windshield.....just because. Other than that...it's his car, and he had some great photography and back drops. (as Andrew pointed out)

[class67]

Actually, I kinda like it...

[Mr. Anderson]

He started with a pretty cool car and it has a lot of nice performance upgrades....

and I was hoping he was just going to paint it flat black.

and I was tolerant of the hood....

then he lost me on the entire car covered in rust...

but when he chopped it, I began to hate.

[DynoDon]

The "Rat Rod" term is so over played that it just now means any crappy car with rust. Except for the general public who likes to call any Hot Rod a Rat Rod .
As for this thing, maybe he should have just sent it to the crusher after wreck. At least with all the rust maybe it will just return to earth. It just seems a shame to me to put that much work in effort to make something crappier than it was, especially after he chopped up the top. JMHO

[Derek69SS]

I love this part...




I stayed up all night to make a new harness from scratch.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/10/5047005448_674775637b_b-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/10/5046384467_270bbf640f_b-1.jpg



Q: "Which wire goes to this switch?"
A: "Uhhh... the RED one"

[formula]

he took what was essentially trash and made it into something special. That's awesome.

I'm freakin' nuts about it--makes me want to start a new project....

[6'9"Witha69]

I love this part...



Q: "Which wire goes to this switch?"
A: "Uhhh... the RED one"
My buddy bought a '76 TA and I swear it was this guys uncle who sold it to him. There was red 8 ga. wire all over that car. This is like a repeat.

[LateNight72]

I liked it until the roof hack.

Kudos for being different. Well, not actually different, just for V-Dubing a BMW.

[Tony_SS]

Like all good projects or works of art, you have to know when to stop. :)

[Clutch93]

A little too trashed at the end for my taste, I did dig the cockpit controlls and airplane seats though. Overall very cool vision and EXCELLENT photos! Gotta love it for being different. I actually really like that it had a supra engine, had to be one scary ride with it basically bouncing off the asphalt all the time and having that much horse power.

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

heres the part yall dont understand.. and its the truth.

the SPECIAL MIXTURE he used to get the rust to be that brownish hue is in FACT.


Water...

and..

Piss..

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

drip drip!


im not bullshi tting you..

[DartorDemon]

I love E28s and E30s, but that thing looks like ass.

And even more so with the damn stretched tires.

[Ash]

Great Post Tony. What an awesome build. I can see how it's style is laughable to some, but there's no denying the commitment to vision this guy had. I could definitely see that as a "BMW Art Car". It has'nt won any world renowned races, or been painted by a famous artists, but was built by a true enthusiast, and shows that you don't have to run with the herd.

[monza]

Some great photography, hated the car from the start, horrified at the end.

[Mr. Anderson]

What vision? He changed his mind a hundred times through the build.

[ill steez]

I'm not in love with the most recent iteration, but I liked it a lot with the P51 graphics.

I bet the next stage in that thing's life will be a convertible.

[mc84_zz4]

Before they hacked the roof it was cool, then the lowering and wheels got out of hand, it probably rode like crap too.
I agree on the P-51 grahics, those were cool! :twothumbs:

[SicMonte]

I kinda like it....

[DreamSpeedPerf.]

I loved it..that's just me, I like things that are different...well this is coming from the kid that wants to make a drift monster out of a jeep....

[ace_xp2]

I wish doing front glass like that was legal, I'd have a Lexan window in a heartbeat.
If this car was that low with better rear camber and no "poke", I'd love it.

[PhillipM]

I was with it all the way till the roof hack. They should have just cutt the roof off.

[Steve68]

I liked it! I'm a E28/30 fan, I own a 61K all orig. 88 M3,

I liked everything, till the roof chop and the import motor, but, I'd take it with the import motor, bet ya it scoots!

[twosaturns]

he's just a hack stealing other ideas. the roof chop looks SO out of proportion, I absolutely HATE that fcukin 'hellaflush' look w/ all that camber, WTF the point???
the hot rod vette hack article makes more sense than this...

[zuess4u]

Great Post Tony. What an awesome build. I can see how it's style is laughable to some, but there's no denying the commitment to vision this guy had. I could definitely see that as a "BMW Art Car". It has'nt won any world renowned races, or been painted by a famous artists, but was built by a true enthusiast, and shows that you don't have to run with the herd.

Ditto, enjoyed the pics, the off the wall vision and SOME ideas..hard to imagine you can get someone to help you do such things...lol

[Ash]

Would I have done all that to a car, hell no....I would have probably stopped when it still had a black hood, but you don't have to adopt something to appreciate it. I may be wrong, but the Hellaflush style (stateside) started with the VW crowd (the reason BBS RS's are so sky high), then the VIP, and now embraced by the import scene as a whole...main focus being stance, height, and width. Just because he took a single car through several complete incarnations in a relatively short amount of time, and built upon each one, doesn't make it incoherent. It takes most of us years to get one vision of our car done...he finished his three or four times. This dude took a BMW and built a hellaflush-gasser, except stance and appearance took the place of all out quarter-mile performance. Aren't we all just hacks stealing ideas from each-other, look at where PT cars are today and look back 6 or so years at other car cultures. People bashed on Carbon Fiber when they were on Imports, but now incessantly request a certain sponsor make a mold for theirs, bashed on bagged trucks but now save for the same suspension, and wheels...... ehh,the examples could go on forever. Progression is cannibalistic.

[claytonisbob]

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/10/4110053295_10353cdc7e_o-1.jpg

I hated the early stages of this car (the yellow rust), and I thought the chopped top was kinda lame, but I will say the car looked pretty cool as above. IDK about the KC lights, but the rusty bomber look is cool.

I would NOT however call this car at any point a Rat Rod. It's just a rusty bimmer.

[fantasygoat]

I loved it. It was essentially worthless, so it's not like they were cutting up some treasured classic. Can't say I care for the extreme camber issues on the wheels but the look was great. I enjoyed the creativity involved.

I mean, you can only look at so many red classics with TTIIs on them before you need a break.

[Mathius]

how is that a rat rod?
it doesn't have a flat head under the hood- it has a hood, which is also breaks a few rat rod rules, i think- or a really long shifter with a skull on the end..
it also looks safe to drive down the road..

There are no rules to rat rodding, except this.... Rat rodding doesn't happen deliberately. This isn't a rat rod. This is a poser. You can't make a new car into a rat rod. That's what these idiots don't get, especially people like that moron Joe Elmore on power block. Rat rodding isn't about planning something or going out and getting a street sign and cutting out part of your hood and welding it in. You don't MAKE a rat rod. It's about buying an old heap and getting it on the road as cheaply as possible and working on the car as you go, without being afraid of achieving some type of acceptance or norm. Its a constant transition. Taking a car and using a rusting solution on it is fine if that's your thing, but don't call it a rat rod because it's not.

Mathius

[Bryce]

Did anyone see the BWM that Byrd is building on Two Guys Garage on speed? M3 with a ls and a t56

[LV42DAY]

this is what happens when you have parents that give you a rediculous allowance from an early age. you get older and have no respect for cash, then waste it on stupid sh*t like this. what i find even more interesting is that it was in several magazines, lol. i guess it is a conversation starter to say the least. conversation that usually would start off with "look at that hunk of crap"

[LV42DAY]

Did anyone see the BWM that Byrd is building on Two Guys Garage on speed? M3 with a ls and a t56

its been done. nothing new there.

[Kybosh]

It was definitely very entertaining to read. Although the choices this fellow made I would likely never make.
It's interesting to watch the development of his skills and influences. The photography is really quite excellent. It definitely makes the build thread what it is. If it was at a show I would definitely check it out.

[Mr. Anderson]

this is what happens when you have parents that give you a rediculous allowance from an early age. you get older and have no respect for cash, then waste it on stupid sh*t like this. what i find even more interesting is that it was in several magazines, lol. i guess it is a conversation starter to say the least. conversation that usually would start off with "look at that hunk of crap"

That's because there are now at least 10 different magazines covering any one scene, and the only people reading them are the kids who's parents gave ridiculous allowances to from an early age.

It's happening eeeeeeverywhere.

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

who gives a fuchk how the kid spends his cash.. we need some of that circulating around.

so if he wants to spend his dough so someone else can make dough im with that.

now.. i got to give the kid one thing.. it looks like he did a large part of the build himself.

so.. again.. lets talk about Megan Fox`s man thumbs and sharp knees.


ahhahaha

[Firckn]

I liked it right before he chopped the top. But its his car. To each his own! That's what he wanted. He didn't ask anybody he just did what the heck HE wanted. People voice their "opinion" its just that an "opinion". If he had thin skin he would have left it stock.

Because anything you do to "YOUR" car there is always some expert that says "Are you going to leave your car that way?"

Just yesterday I was at a show and some random guy comes up to the owner of a rust covered, lowered, mooned hubcaped, 41 Chevy truck and say's " I just have one question are you going to finish your truck?"
The owner Stu says, "Nope hadn't planned on it ".
Mr. Random was so disgusted that while walking off, shaking his head he says "That's just a shame!"

[LV42DAY]

Because anything you do to "YOUR" car there is always some expert that says "Are you going to leave your car that way?"

Just yesterday I was at a show and some random guy comes up to the owner of a rust covered, lowered, mooned hubcaped, 41 Chevy truck and say's " I just have one question are you going to finish your truck?"
The owner Stu says, "Nope hadn't planned on it ".
Mr. Random was so disgusted that while walking off, shaking his head he says "That's just a shame!"

Stu should have thrown a moon hub cap at the back of his head and said "now its finished"

[79-TA]

I would like this car a lot better if it lost the ridiculous rear camber and other "hellaflush" influences.

[68Formula]

So what I've learned is, if you're muffler is so low that it scrapes the ground, the solution is to weld a thick plate to the bottom, thus bringing it even closer to the ground. Brilliant!

[rrunner68]

All in all I give the guy massive kudos. I think the only thing out of place in the whole build was the gold wheels. I also think that the car was at its pinnacle right before the roof chop.

[mrn2obelvedere]

I'll preface this by admitting I'm a big time beemer lover (I own an E36 and I love it).

This guy is an idiot. He started off with a very nice car and destroyed it. What a buffoon. I never even knew that anyone was purposefully rusting their cars. That is so stupid.

[Damn True]

It was destroyed in a fire last week.

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

[NJSPEEDER]

So he had a nice, running and driving car, then put a complete hack job of an exhaust on it, then decided it was too nice and made it look like a pile of ****. Never gonna be a fan of rat rods or the concept of owning a complete pile on purpose.

-Tim

[thirdstreettito]

I like it. I personally prefer an "actual" rat rod, not this imitation. But the effort, creativity, and skills are appreciated.

[Six_Shooter]

Well, it's sad that his garage burnt down, but that car was a rolling heap.

I can't believe people are "proud" to purposely build crap like that.

I hate this whole "Rat Rod" idea/scene. People keep saying how my car is a "Rat Rod", it's not, it's just a rusty Datsun, that is getting closer to deserving a splash of paint. The sad part is, that if I actually paint it, but it's not a perfect paint job, which it won't be at this stage, it won't have the appeal, that it does now. :facepalm:

I actually cringed and said "WTF?" when I say that picture of the distro blocks and fuses. I work on the electronics of vehicles for a living and would NEVER consider doing that as a way to wire a car. If I was on the side of the road, and needed to make something work, well, that's different.

[Daren]

Maybe I'm imagining things as I'm a newbie to pro-touring, but I see the PT car culture as a car culture that has recently emerged, has yet to define itself, and is borrowing many themes form other car cultures. I don't think PT as a car culture is old enough to look back at itself and say "Hey remember when we used to..."

I thinks it's great to examine aesthetics from other car cultures. Hellafulsh and the drifting scene have gotten the ratXXX look from the patina caked rods that have been around for some time now. If someone wishes to build a rusty pro-touring car and it becomes incredibly popular and sets a trend then so be it. I don't think pro-touring as a car culture can point finders and speak about what can or cannot be on a pro-touring car as it hasn't been around long enough to define itself.

[Chad-1stGen]

Thanks for sharing. That thing was awesome!!!! As so many others have said I wouldn't want it for myself but am glad the world doesn't all want the same exact car. I for sure can appreciate all of the effort that guy put in. For all the hack comments on here I think he did a pretty good job of hacking the thing into a pretty cool looking product each time.

I laughed at the red wiring harness the first time too. Then I reread his thread on my pc today (as opposed to phone) and the fact he had an event that very morning. Dude stayed up all night to get his car on the road and used what he had at hand. That's pretty cool in my book. If it was a super nice car, then ok maybe sit out the event but its all about context...

[andrewb70]

Maybe I'm imagining things as I'm a newbie to pro-touring, but I see the PT car culture as a car culture that has recently emerged, has yet to define itself, and is borrowing many themes form other car cultures.......

"Recently emerged?" I am not sure that you can call almost 30 years as "recent."

Andrew

[Runamok]

The fire was the best mod he made to the car.

[Evil Stu]

First time I`ve ever seen somebody try to get the polish OFF a turd.

[parsonsj]

I thought his approach was cool, but after a while I realized he was just solving half the problem as he modified the car. Rubbing tires, dragging exhaust, stripped interior, kinda wiring, etc.

Just another hack-job on what was a nice car.

Any thoughts on how the car smelled covered with diesel oil? lol

Compare that BMW with this guy: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=549162&highlight=lit+up

jp

[andrewb70]

I thought his approach was cool, but after a while I realized he was just solving half the problem as he modified the car. Rubbing tires, dragging exhaust, stripped interior, kinda wiring, etc.

Just another hack-job on what was a nice car.

Any thoughts on how the car smelled covered with diesel oil? lol

Compare that BMW with this guy: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=549162&highlight=lit+up

jp

The BMW guy and the truck guy aren't in the same league. They aren't even playing the same sport! The truck guy has a huge shop filled with tools that I couldn't even begin to tell you what they do. The BMW guy was working in a two car garage with a welder, saw, hammers and not enough fire extinguishers.

The truck is a work of art, the BMW is cool in its own right. The intentional rust effect is kind of goofy. I would have preferred a flat solid color. Maybe even the famous Rus-O-leum roller paint job.

Andrew

[rfalker1]

I love that car, lol awesomee

[shmoov69]

I couldn't open your link JP, but from Andrews response, I'm assuming it is JIMMYS Weesner's drawing come to life, either Emerald Tide or Lit Up. And if that is the case, JIMMYS work reminds me of yours....NOTHING like the BMW guys!!

I do kind of dig the BMW, just because it is an in your face to all the "Bimmer" bone heads that think they are a cut above the rest! Lol. He did go a bit over the top and all, but definately out of the box!

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

doesnt it make you feel a little weird that the car was covered in his own piss?

[6'9"Witha69]

Compare that BMW with this guy: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=549162&highlight=lit+up

jp

That guy has incredible skill. But the PT'er in me had to wonder, when he redesigned the frame, did he alter the suspension geometry at all? ;)


The BMW guy was working in a two car garage with a welder, saw, hammers and not enough fire extinguishers.
Now THAT is HILARIOUS to me.

[Happyfunballs]

LOVE it.

[monteboy84]

I admire his drive for building everything in his own garage, but the fact that he intentionally rusted the car tells me the Rat Rod trend has gone too far. He actually had a pretty sweet little driver with OK paint in the beginning, and then he ground it all off. All I can say is Really? WTF? I'm not a fan of having a rock-chip free showcar myself, but intentionally damaging your car for the sake of some theme is ridiculous. The real "rat rod" guys hate the term, because they will tell you in no uncertain terms that their car isn't a rat rod, it's a hot rod. They drive it in the process while making updates and changes as they can afford them, unlike the guys on Powerblock who throw a bunch of paint on a nice truck, then sand through it to 'simulate' years of oxidation and rust.

Driving a car that you're in the process of hot-rodding = cool
Destroying a decent car to emulate the aforementioned group of hot-rodders = poser

-matt

[Tony_SS]

I admire his drive for building everything in his own garage, but the fact that he intentionally rusted the car tells me the Rat Rod trend has gone too far. He actually had a pretty sweet little driver with OK paint in the beginning, and then he ground it all off. All I can say is Really? WTF? I'm not a fan of having a rock-chip free showcar myself, but intentionally damaging your car for the sake of some theme is ridiculous. The real "rat rod" guys hate the term, because they will tell you in no uncertain terms that their car isn't a rat rod, it's a hot rod. They drive it in the process while making updates and changes as they can afford them, unlike the guys on Powerblock who throw a bunch of paint on a nice truck, then sand through it to 'simulate' years of oxidation and rust.

Driving a car that you're in the process of hot-rodding = cool
Destroying a decent car to emulate the aforementioned group of hot-rodders = poser

-matt

Couldn't agree more.

Funny... there were kids in school who would destroy a perfectly good set of Converse shoes with sandpaper to simulate an ollie hole.

[monteboy84]

Haha I can't say too much to that one, I bought plenty of brand new jeans with holes in them :smoke:

-matt

[6'9"Witha69]

Couldn't agree more.

Funny... there were kids in school who would destroy a perfectly good set of Converse shoes with sandpaper to simulate an ollie hole.

And they too were posers. As a skater/surfer, I always laughed at the guys with the perfect toe/side sole scuff. And the deck with the sandpaper scuffs on the deck. You could tell a mile away it was fake and they had never rail slid before.

[Tony_SS]

And to think we got made fun off because our jeans had holes and shoes were duct taped for reinforcement. It's not like our parents didn't want to buy us new threads - we just cared more about skating than how we looked doing it. lol

It's obvious the BMW owner had a love for the machine, but more for the art.

[Six_Shooter]

Couldn't agree more.

Funny... there were kids in school who would destroy a perfectly good set of Converse shoes with sandpaper to simulate an ollie hole.

I always earned my "ollie hole" the hard way. ;)

Real skaters didn't wear Converse though, they would wear Airwalks, before they became a trendy shoe and were a skater shoe.

[Tony_SS]

I always earned my "ollie hole" the hard way. ;)

Real skaters didn't wear Converse though, they would wear Airwalks, before they became a trendy shoe and were a skater shoe.

Not that I care about brands but Hosoi was pretty real.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/04/101christianhosoicombiuplandca1-1.jpg

[srh3trinity]

I like the documentation of the Bimmer thread. He takes great photos and for me, that makes it a fun thread. The number of different iterations the car has gone through is impressive and it looked cool at several different stages. The truck build that John posted is amazing. That will be fun to watch.

[joe440]

i like it something different, thats what i think its all about. who wants to see the same thing over and over boring, and its his money, his time to each his own. Im building a "rat rod" now and absolutely love it. After building the dart and having to be meticulous on everything and never let it out of my eye its nice to relax a little on this. With this project its so much fun and enjoyable looking for random parts and trying to get good deals. Creativity is endless with these projects. The entire thing cost less than 4k. And just cause it looks ratty doesnt mean it isnt safe. A lot of guys are building some really nice chassis for their projects. But on the other hand there are some dummies out there not building them safe. Theres good and bad in everything.
heres my rat rod diesel dually in the making
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/04/100_1347-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/04/100_1337-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/04/100_1366-1.jpg

[Richard454]

As a LTL (Long time Lurker)- I'm sort of blown away by all the haters...."worthless" ..."poser"..."waste"...."idiot"...

I loved it!!!! Here's a car guy- that's not afraid to be different-works on his car and drives it....And a pretty talented photographer!

WTH?

Would more of you guys liked if he put a LS motor in it???

I'm a car guy...I APPRECIATE the work he put in to it- Whether or not it be how I would do it!

Geez- I was thinking of posting my build.... but it might be too different-

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/04/P10102561-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/04/P10105941-1.jpg

[Six_Shooter]

I don't hate on it being different, believe me, I like projects that are not "the norm", and I get my share of the "WTF, why would you build it like THAT?" questions, but it's one thing to build something that's "different" and build something that is not safe. There was a lot about that car, especially electrically that was not safe, and I would imagine if he put that lack of care into the electrical, there was a lot of mechanical that done just as poorly, that was shown and not shown.

I've also never understood this "patina on purpose" idea. It's one thing to build something that already has rust on it. Look at the roots, the beginnings of building a Rat Rod and that was to take a body that was already naturally covered in rust a frame to match and then add enough parts to make it drivable (and safe), without adding the finishing touches. To sand down a car and make it "rust" just doesn't do a thing for me, it just shows that people want to be a part of something without understanding it. That being said, I still can't get behind the idea that a "Rat Rod" is the finished stage. I have always looked at that stage in a car build as a "WIP," a Work In Progress, and it just happens to be a stage to drive without all of the finishing touches.

I would dislike a shiny car just as much, if there were cobbled aspects of it as well. It doesn't take any longer to do something right and some cases less time, than it does to do things correctly and safely. ;)

I forgot about Hosoi wearing Converse back in the day, he was the exception though. :P

[Daren]

Hahaha, if you don't have a 69 camaro with an LS in you are not welcome here. Far from it. Heck I received a bunch of advise on how to improve my 78 Lincoln suspension on this site. The people frequenting this site are great.

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

im glad i can still Ollie Impossible.. Foot wrap.. Casper.. and 360 Kickflip.

but nothing better at this age just cruising.. and the occasional power slide.

[parsonsj]

Would more of you guys liked if he put a LS motor in it???I don't think a single person mentioned that the car would have been better with an LS motor.

[Derek69SS]

Would it have been "better" with an LS engine? Yeah, probably. But then it would have just been an ugly pile of crap with a good engine. ;)

[twosaturns]

I always earned my "ollie hole" the hard way. ;)

Real skaters didn't wear Converse though, they would wear Airwalks, before they became a trendy shoe and were a skater shoe.

I couldn't ollie, but lots of freestylers in the late '80's wore converse, vans and airwalks. I wore converse because they were American made and cheap and easy to find. vans and airwalks weren't in major stores yet. we wore our pants that had holes in them because you didn't feel bad about messing them up when you bailed.

[Zachalanche]

I like it even with the chop. that guy found true freedom with his project. And I say that because I would never have the guts to do that to any of my cars, although I could probably find it in me to do it to a bmw. I would say that this "rat rod" has gone the wrong direction. it should start ****ty if it is destined to look like that. And it's all up to interpretaion, but if I was to define rat rod, it would be a car with the most preformance for the least possible cost. the way the car looks should be a direct result of that.