Among the classic car and truck community the issue of rat rods is something of sore spot. Some hold the opinion that surviving vehicles should be restored or at the very least left alone. Others hold the belief that many of these rat rod vehicles were far beyond any point of restoration necessary to bring them back to original condition. I share feelings from both camps but more than often I am impressed by the amount of fabrication and passion that go into some of these builds.
Here we see a 1946 Studebaker M16 nicknamed the Crudebaker. When I saw a 4-53 Detroit powered Studebaker Transtar at a local ATHS show this past summer I thought it was quite a unique combination. Now I find that someone has crammed a 12V71 under the hood and my whole world view has been challenged. Formerly a septic service truck, this rig now rides on International school bus axles complete with disc brakes all around. Check out the video for more on this crazy build along with a few other videos of this Crudebaker in action.
Now if you saw this truck passing you on the highway there is no way you wouldn’t do a double take. Dubbed the Big Nasty this 1941 IHC KB finds cruising power from in inline Cummins diesel. The rear suspension and axle setup is a work of fabrication art if there ever was one. Originally the owner built a replica of the suspension system out of wood just to see how everything would interact.