We recently sat down with Rick Drewry, our Collector Car & Motorcycle Senior Specialist, to chat a bit more about rods. We are fascinated with this topic right now, as many people in the collection and restoration business are, and we want to shed a little more light on this booming industry.
Rick shared with us the major differences between the types of rods, as well as different ways to care for them, restoration tips, and even how the insurance policies work for these bad-boys.
-
Street Rods: The category of street rods is a little more narrowly defined than other types. Street rods are often come in fully-manufactured kits to be put together by the owner, or by someone the owner hires to assemble the car. Some choose to purchase and assemble them piece by piece.. These cars typically come with a fully formed fiberglass body, a handmade frame, and custom suspension.
-
Hot Rods: Traditional hot rods are original steel-bodied, titled cars that were built in the 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s. For example, old Ford Model A’s are frequently snatched up by hot rod enthusiasts and given a vintage flat head V8, or even a new model V8, a new suspension, custom interiors, and more. Body modifications for hot rods often come in the form of chopping, channeling and sectioning. Hot rods come in all shapes and sizes, and are much more customizable than the traditional street rod, which is part of the appeal of these cars. Many of them share some of the original body lines as the stock cars, but reflect the tastes and style of each individual owner. True hot rodding started in the 40’s and 50’s, and there is still a large following for traditional hot rods from this era.
-
Rat Rods: Rat rods are increasing in popularity because of their inexpensive start-up costs, and their ability to be customized completely to the owner’s liking. There is no “standard” for a rat rod, but rather, they are assembled from a variety of parts to make a car out of nothing, and are often an exaggerated version of more traditional hot rods.. Many times, pieces from a scrap yard may even find their way onto a rat rod. Rat rods are often not worth a lot of money when they’re completed, but if the owner knows what he is doing, they can sometimes turn into very valuable creations.
Rick shared with us the importance of tailoring insurance plans to every type of rod car. He said that Classic Auto can provide customized insurance plans for each type, as well as help owners evaluate their cars and get the right amount of coverage for any type of repairs or replacements that need to be done.
Stay tuned for more advice from Rick Drewry on how Classic Auto’s rod insurance policies work, as well as tips for making your first rod purchase!
