The problem with building a Rat Rod, is finding craftsmen to work on this junkl
This entry was posted on 5/28/2007 7:42 AM and is filed under Street Rod Build Project,Posies Driven Dirty Tour.
Once the frame returned from its bath in Cincinnati, it was time to correct all the work of past modifiers and see what was left.
For this task, we enlisted Edward “Fast Eddie” Gibson of Fast Eddie’s Hot Rods in Dayton, Ohio. The problem with building a Rat Rod, is finding craftsmen to work on this junk. Eddie is used to building top dollar rides and he was not very impressed with what we called a frame, and was even less motivated once he saw the body for our street rod project. But in the end, Eddie decided that he would take the money from the crazy people at Dayton Wire Wheels, and he began to plan his work.
The cross member was shot and had to be removed. Once Eddie braced the rails to prevent unwanted movement, it was quickly dispensed with. The cross member gone and the original pedal assembly out of the way, Eddie moved to the rear of the frame. The rear cross member was still in tact, but the fence rail holding the back of the frame together was not going to keep this ride together on a 3000 mile trip. By the time it was removed, Eddie had masterfully created a smooth C notch in the rails and had patched in some pitted metal to match the rest of the rails. If we did not have photos to prove it, you would never have known that the frame was previously butchered.
After installing wiring conduit inside the rails front to back, the rails were completely boxed. Careful measurements were taken of engine and transmission locations and the tubular cross member was installed. The team at Dayton Wheel stole a great idea from the boys at Honest Charley Speed Shop and cut up some fashionable and functional plywood rolling stock to provide temporary mobility.
