The Reich Rodz 914

[Reich Rodz]

I know a lot of you aren't going to like this, that's fine. Feel free to still express your opinions. I am not looking for anyone's approval here, just want to share. Some, but the minority, will get this and think it's cool.

So... what to do if you love rat rods and the originality and creativeness that goes into building one, but you aren't into 1930 - 1950's old American iron with poor brakes and poor handling? You can take the rat rod look and apply it to a more modern car. This is commonly called "Hood Ride" or "Rat-Look". Many examples are at this website: rat-look.com Personally I think it is refreshing just to see something different in the Porsche world. I stopped reading Porsche magazines because it's always the same old stuff. Everyone is restoring their cars back to factory original or a copy of an ST, RS, or RSR. It gets old. It gets stale. What about something new? Something a bit more wild? But it won't be the way the factory made it! So what, it's my car, I'll do with it as I please.

Before I found the rat-look.com website this weekend I didn't know there was a term for this. I was just doing what I wanted to do with the build of a 1986 911 Carrera as a more modern rat rod. Details of that car will be posted in the 911 forum sometime in the future, when it's done. In the meantime though I took some time out this weekend and had a little fun with my '72 914. Total time invested - maybe a day. Total out of pocket cost - $19.69 for the rope and some brackets.

So here is the car that I've used as my dry weather daily driver for the last four years. 1972 914/4 with a Chalon body kit, custom interior, rebuilt 2.0L, dual Weber carbs, Bursch exhaust, Champion wheels, etc. I keep this car running in top condition and would have no issue with driving it across the country.



Now, about a month ago I picked up this 1973 914/4 with a 1.8L engine and dual Weber carbs. I got it FREE from a friend as a part of deal. Turns out the car is too rusty to save though, so it has been relegated to parts duty. Up until this weekend I had only taken a sun visor bracket off of the car.



So the '72 Chalon car is decent. I would never dream of screwing it up... but I could take the trunk lids and roof off and replace them easily with those parts from the parts car, setting aside the original panels in my shop for safe keeping. So again, just to stress this, this is all in good fun (and it was a LOT of fun) and no car was actually harmed in the creation of this Rat-Look car.

So, with the parts car, a roof rack, and a bunch of junk I had laying around along with a lot of inspiration gained from the rat-look.com website, here is what I came up with:

[Reich Rodz]

By the way, check out the front license plate bracket. I am one of you...

[Joe Ricard]

Looks like you got a spare wheel for the white car.

[Tobra]

I never saw a rat rod with two ratty panels and the rest pristine, just does not fit. How about a vinyl wrap for the other stuff, ought to be reversible.

[Reich Rodz]

Originally Posted by Tobra

I never saw a rat rod with two ratty panels and the rest pristine, just does not fit.

Not a rat rod. Rat rods are like 1930's to 1950's old American iron sleds with poor brakes and no handling. What you see here is what they call Hood Ride or Rat Look - check out rat-look.com. It's an interpretation of the rat rod look, but applied to a more modern car that might also have decent performance and be safe to drive.

[porsche930dude]

as dated as that body kit is you certainly didnt make it any worse I like it. Just make sure the junk on the roof doesnt come loose and break something

[David McLaughlin]

I like it. My car is sporting a bit of the rat-rod look and will continue to until I finish the rust repairs.

[Reich Rodz]

Originally Posted by porsche930dude

as dated as that body kit is you certainly didnt make it any worse I like it. Just make sure the junk on the roof doesnt come loose and break something

Hahaha, good point about the body kit. I personally like it, but only because I don't care for the stock look as much. But I hear what you are saying. I am also working on a 1986 911 rat look car, but it's a bit more over the top than this one. But that car started out as an aftermarket widebody slant nose with big ol' 1980's flag mirrors, a big ol' 1980's tea tray rear spoiler, slats in the rear fender intakes, etc. It really did not get any more Miami Vice 80's than that car. So I had no issue removing the wing, removing the slats and filling the holes, removing the flag mirrors, etc. because I figured like you said, as dated as that body kit was I really wasn't going to make it any worse!

Everything on the roof is screwed down except for the wheel. The rope is mostly for show. I'm either going to hide a ratchet strap under the rope on the wheel or just replace it with an old jerry can/gas can that I will screw down. I want the junk on top to be able to handle some cornering... this is still a Porsche!

[URY914]

Sorry but it looks like azz.

[Matt Monson]

I feel like the idea of a rat rod was lost in translation. Rat rods are all go, no show. A Chalon 914 is all show, no go. You can't change that by replacing a couple deck lids with rusty ones and bolting a pallet of crap to the roof. Maybe this qualifies as an art car, but there isn't really anything rat about it.

[Reich Rodz]

I guess no one is looking at my link to rat-look.com Let me see if these pictures will help clarify things.

This is a rat rod:


Old American iron sled, exposed engine in the front, chopped top, poor handling, poor brakes, but good power. There is a lot of originality in rat rods, but they do tend to follow the theme of this car.

This is a hood ride, rat-look, or nu rat:


More popular in Europe than the US, so you may not have seen it before. It's a newer car with a rusted hood (you're not going to be able to rust that front plastic bumper!), other panels as new, taped over headlights, lowered to the extreme, rack with junk on the top, maybe mismatched panel colors, maybe the rear window sticker bombed, modern brakes and handling. This is the hood ride look. As with rat rods, there is a lot of originality in these cars, but they do tend to follow this general theme.

The 914 Chalon car shown here is not a rat rod. It's a hood ride, and it does follow that theme. Now whether you care for the hood ride look or not is another matter....

Reich Rodz

[Matt Monson]

We've had a term for it in Japanese car circles for 20 years, rice.

Rice: modifications that are for appearance purposes only and provide no improvement in performance.

Call it what you want. A waste of energy IMO.

[Joe Ricard]

Originally Posted by Reich Rodz

I guess no one is looking at my link to rat-look.com Let me see if these pictures will help clarify things.

This is a rat rod:


[
Reich Rodz

Dang it Now I want a rat rod. that one is COOL!!!

[blowsupgoats]

I like rat rods just fine, even ratty Porsches, but... put your 914 back right, if you can, or sell it to someone else. They're great cars that deserve better than being turned into jokes. I'm new here, but I feel pretty confident that all you'll get here is contempt. Sorry.

[Joe Ricard]

Unless you wanna do sumpin like this. I picked up a rusted POS with a blown motor. Took a sawz-all to everything that did not make it go stop or turn. Bogart 15 x 10 wheels Raby 2316cc motor, Tangerine header and straight pipe, Pro DA shocks, Nascar front sway wing and splitter. It would scoot for sure.

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Don't forget the 13" gold Dayton wheels with 15 degrees of negative camber for that "stanced" look...

And hey, why not let the whole thing rust?






Actually, the one pic of your front trunk lid is interesting. The patterns of the layers of filler and paint are kind of cool to see, but to me it's mostly in a forensic sort of way.

Oh, and please stop using that color-saturation filter. That is very, very, very over-done these days.





Anyway, it's your car so I really shouldn't tell you what you can and cannot do.

--DD

[Reich Rodz]

Originally Posted by blowsupgoats

I like rat rods just fine, even ratty Porsches, but... put your 914 back right, if you can, or sell it to someone else. They're great cars that deserve better than being turned into jokes. I'm new here, but I feel pretty confident that all you'll get here is contempt. Sorry.

I can put it back right, and probably will some day, but for now I am enjoying it as-is. I kind of like being obnoxious with my cars - loud thumping stereo system, loud exhaust, etc. So this change kind of fits my personality.

As for what the car "deserves". 914's in general (along with 924, 944, and 928) are treated like crap, most sitting in some field just rusting away. There are a LOT of 914's that deserve better than the fate they have been dealt. The yellow '73 914 that donated its hoods to this car came from sitting outside, buried in weeds for years. "It ran when I parked it", the owner said. Now it's a parts car because it's all rusted out underneath. So, I don't feel bad one bit about ratting out this car, at least I'm taking care of it and driving it!

"I feel pretty confident that all you'll get here is contempt." Oh, I know this board and how the people on here are. A lot of folks here are what I call "Porsche Purists". It's simply sacrilege to modify an air cooled Porsche beyond what the factory did (either factory stock or a factory racer ST, RS, RSR, etc.). It's kind of funny to me then when I'm on 6speed showing off my TechArt 996 C4S or 986forum with my Gemballa 986S and get all sorts of praise for my non-factory modified cars... I guess it's okay to modify the newer water cooled cars.

[Ronnie's.930]

I must be too old as I don't understand the "hey, I just made my car look like an ugly ass beater, wadya think?" mentality at all -utterly ridiculous.

[Matt Monson]

Originally Posted by Reich Rodz

I know a lot of you aren't going to like this, that's fine. Feel free to still express your opinions. I am not looking for anyone's approval here, just want to share. Some, but the minority, will get this and think it's cool.

Originally Posted by Reich Rodz

Oh, I know this board and how the people on here are. A lot of folks here are what I call "Porsche Purists". It's simply sacrilege to modify an air cooled Porsche beyond what the factory did (either factory stock or a factory racer ST, RS, RSR, etc.). It's kind of funny to me then when I'm on 6speed showing off my TechArt 996 C4S or 986forum with my Gemballa 986S and get all sorts of praise for my non-factory modified cars... I guess it's okay to modify the newer water cooled cars.

Sorry, but I find these two posts inconsistent. If you like what you did to the car and aren't seeking approval, why get snarky about people who are different than you?

You encouraged open and honest commentary and criticism. But you seem a little butthurt that we aren't all "sick ride bro" about your car.

There are plenty of us around Pelican who are NOT purists, in fact I suspect that most of the people even bothering to comment or go past your first picture would be mostly in the not purist camp.

It's your car. Do what you like with it. But don't be a jerk about it.

[Reich Rodz]

Originally Posted by Matt Monson

It's your car. Do what you like with it. But don't be a jerk about it.

Thanks Matt. IMO the commentary goes both ways. I didn't come here looking for "way to go bro" replies because I know Pelican. Great bunch of guys here, but they're definitely stuck in their ways (I'm generalizing). That's why I said that this might appeal to the minority (the very, very small minority). The majority I expected to be PP's (Porsche Purists) and to pee pee on my ride. No surprises, and I'll call it as it is, don't feel assburnt by my comments.

Here's a good blog about how there is nothing new in the Porsche world, part of my inspiration to do something different with my cars:

Shifting the Envelope with Hot Rod 911s

Reich Rodz