Thank you for the kind words, furyus. Just like long-fork choppers, my FREAK builds are intended to be better at looking good than riding good. My goal this time is to make some kind of larger version with fatter tires.
I have always said if it doesn't have rust, it's not a rat rod. But I have just decided on the frame I am going to use, and this one might not have much (if any) rust. And I'm not going to dirty-up those NOS Thick Bricks. So, I might be building a custom. I even have a name figured out (and it's hilarious!). Only a few more things yet to decide. I love it when the ideas start to come together and gel.
I have actually used those Hot Wheels stamps before. I still have all of my 68-71 Hot Wheel cars. I am probably going to be asking for a lot of advice (from you and others) on how to make my original paint DX Schwinn frame look better without losing its patina. I've seen how people on here can amazingly "bring back" original finishes. Because of my autism (and other issues), I don't have the patience to weld, grind, sand, prep, paint, etc. I have about a 5 second attention span and I get bored very easily (the reason for my 3-day builds). But for the same reasons, I feel that I am blessed with an incredible artistic eye (common to autistics). So, I build what I can, with what I have, as quickly as possible (otherwise I abandon the project). I want to try to expand my abilities by actually restoring the original finish on my DX frame this time and making it match the rest of the components while maintaining originality. Customs are much more popular than rusty rats, but I also like that an old item show all of its history. So, with attempting to build a (somewhat) shiny bike this time, I am just trying to expand my horizons and become more functional. I might fail miserably, but I am going to try my best. I hope I can count on you for advice.As a connoisseur of crustiness, a raving rust-ationalist, and a purveyor of patina; I love me some rusty rat rod bikes. However, and there's always a 'however', there have been many cool rat rods built on this site that didn't have a spec of rust on them. And many of them got my vote over the years. I like that we have never had defined boundaries on 'what is a rat rod' and that customization is our main goal; building a bike with it's own cool factor, rusty or not.
Building a 'shiny ' rat last year with RaTs GaSs was extremely rewarding and challenging. It stretched my skills and creativity to new levels. And it had tons of weird, unique parts all gathered together to form one unique custom bike. A rat rod bike. That said, build what inspires you @Reallybigtim and @furyus , rusty or shiny!
Anyway, I found this sheet of 20 cool stamps at my local Post Office yesterday. Who knew that the ol' USPS was this hip? They reminded me of my build last year, which was patterned somewhat after the Spectra-flame Hot Wheels cars. There might be hope for us after all!
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