updated 06/18/08
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It may not shine but this 1933 Plymouth 4 door sedan has its own kind of sparkle. It is low and lean, maybe a little rough around the edges but that is kind of the point of the rat rod. Perfection is not always the standard. The builder of this car set out with a goal in mind and once the desired levels of appearance, ride and drive were met, the car was "done"--ready to be enjoyed. One thing about it is that it harbors no secrets; what you see is what you get. You have to admire that kind of honesty. Open-wheeled, no hood and very little interior, it bares its soul to whomever wants to take a peek. But that does not make it vulnerable or weak. The body has been channeled to allow it to sit a little lower to the ground and the lack of fenders and hood lengthens the appearance of the car. The dark gray primer along with wide Cragar wheels in the back and narrower ones in the front gives it a tough, no-nonsense look which is absolutely appropriate! The drive train is a familiar one: 350 V8 with 350 automatic transmission, a Chevy rear-end with 3.73 gears. That makes this vintage rod drivable, dependable and easy enough to make repairs (or changes!) as necessary. The 4 bbl Edelbrock carburetor is sandwiched between an extra deep air cleaner and aluminum intake and sits on high ground between the chrome valve covers and feeds off a ten gallon rear mounted fuel tank. An RV cam gives it a little thump and dual exhaust gives it that familiar hot rod sound. In addition to the channeling, the body has been further modified by shaving the door handles and suiciding all 4 doors. A remote entry system pops the doors open as needed or there is a "panic button" located on the fire wall just in case the remote is not available or not functioning. It is always good to have a "Plan B". Other modern touches are the intermittent wiper, after market power windows, after market disc brakes and an AM/FM/CD player for added comfort and enjoyment. The interior features a bench seating for two, basic black carpeting, Grant GT steering wheel, after market gauges, a super tall floor shifter topped off by a leering green Rat Fink shifter knob (kinda cool!) and little else; there is no headliner (just some sound deadener to keep the noise in check), no backseat and the door panels have been left off. The basically factory dash sports after market gauges and the back floorboard contains the access panel to the battery. It runs and handles very well; the ride may be a little rough according to some but it is a rat rod. It is not supposed to be elegant and refined; it's a bare-bones, no frills (well...maybe a few frills...!), seat-of-your-pants tribute to the awesome body styles of the 30's and to the beginnings of modified cars and the hot rod trend.
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