Three or four years ago, I got a "deal" on a Lindberg 'Big Red Rod' that didn't move during the Christmas season at my local hobby shop. I immediately took it home, opened it up, and built up the frame, Z'ing it in the rear and flipping the front cross member upside-down to lower the front a bit. Then, I put it back in the box, and it sat up on the shelf in my garage... until I purchased the 2004 re-release of Revell-Monogram's 'Big Deuce.'

Looking through the 'Big Deuce,' I had visions of a channeled "low-boy" with whitewall slicks and metal flake. If I wasn't going to use those neat steelies and tall and taller Firestones that came in the Deuce, then I could build a Rat Rod from the old Lindberg T-bucket. Down came the box from the top shelf, out came the wide whitewalls and in went the steel wheels, 'Stones, spun aluminum wheel discs, rear spring, quick-change and Indian blanket from the Deuce

Realizing that it just wasn't going to sit low enough the way it was, I cut the leaf spring loose from where it sat on top of the front axle. I then fabricated a suicide-style front end where the spring shackles tie into the split 'bones, which have new pivot points made out of K&S tubing. In the rear, I sawed my "Z" job apart, and put it back together kicked up at a steep angle. I fashioned boxing plates/gussets that conform to the curvature of the bucket from Evergreen .030 sheet, which was also used to fabricate a rear spring perch. The rear spring was fastened to that perch with U-bolts made from K&S aluminum rod and small brass nuts to hold it in place. The axle tube on the Halibrand V-8 quick-change was reversed to allow the spring to mount ahead of the axle centerline, rather than behind, as intended by Monogram engineers back in the day. Some day, I'll go back in to really finish things off and fabricate friction shocks to take the "bob" out of this gow job

The body was channeled the depth of the frame at the cowl, tapering back to nearly no channel at the rear of the bucket for a little more attitude. Paint on the main body/frame assembly is Floquil "Zinc-Chromate Primer" spray paint, which looks a heck of a lot like red oxide primer to me. A gas filler was added to allow access to the gas tank I will one day build to fit under the driver's side of the blanket-covered bench seat. I added vinyl-coated fabric tape to upholster the side panels and the lower bolster of the bench. The floor mats were flocked and a nickname was striped on the dash with a white gel pen.

I needed the deuce shell for my other car, but wasn't in love with the early "T" radiator in the Lindberg kit - what to do? Sam Freeman made a quickie mold for me, and we poured a couple of copies of the shell in resin. I got the section right on the first try, and used filler to form an un-ground weld bead on either side to give it the proper thrown-together look. After spraying gunmetal and roof brown base coats, I masked with rubber cement over the welds areas, and used moistened salt to replicate rock chips, which I let dry before shooting the shell with Floquil Coach Green. A quick dab of yellow paint to replicate a price on the swap-meet radiator just added what i feel is a real "car-guy" touch. Filling the hole in the middle is a cut-down radiator from the "T" sporting a skull from an old Evil Iron Monster Trike on top of a rusty-looking T-wrench from the "T" kit.

The engine is generally straight out of the kit, with  a few extra wires, a LOT less chrome and some small touches of white on the plug wires and radiator hoses to replicate a bit of the ever-present factory printing. When time allows, there will also be a rag wrapped around the upper hose soaked in rusty-looking liquid which will pool in the depressions in the intake. For now, our rod owner will continue driving without incident. Most of the swap-meet/salvage yard-sourced suspension components received the moist-salt rock chip treatment and tiny brass screws were added to secure the wheel discs after they were carefully drilled. 

Started as a shake-down run for my more expensive Deuce kit, I'm really happy with the way my "Big Red Rat" has turned out. It's too rusty, too low, and lacks anything in the way of safety equipment, but captures the "rat rod" look seen at rod runs across the nation.