It doesn’t get much cooler than a custom rat rod built by father and son.
But even among the trucks built by its predecessors and successors, this special truck stands out from the crowd.
Cory Wiebe and his son started the Rosenhoff Rod Shop Truck 13 years ago. It started out looking different, but last year they teamed up to give this awesome truck a new look.
“When I originally built it, my son actually turned every screw on it at age eight, and we drove it like that for about 13 years,” Wiebe said.
This build is based on a shortened 1983 Ford Ranger chassis with a lowered and channeled cab from a 1949 Mercury truck. Wiebe discovered the truck’s cab on a friend’s property 15 years ago when he offered to buy the truck.
The two classic gas cans on the back are the actual fuel cells of the vehicle. The Jack Daniels barrel is just for show purposes.“I asked him if I could buy the truck and he said sure. So I just went there with the cutting torch, cut off just the cab and left the rest there,” Wiebe said. “It’s probably not what he had in mind, but I just wanted the cab.”
The car originally had a 351 Windsor big block V8 under the hood (or not). To keep it simple, he swapped the powerful V8 for a much simpler 200 cubic inch inline-six that he removed from a ’66 Mustang.
The baby blue is a real eye-catcher, while the many individual tins and labels ensure that the eye remains focused on the set. When installed, this engine produced nearly 300 horsepower. Today, after being driven to shows near and far, its output has settled at around 100 horsepower.
The big attraction of this vehicle is the custom-built bodywork. From the cabin, which has been redesigned and now features a rebar rear window, iron stitching on the roof and a variety of classic containers and labels in the firewall, practically everything is unique. Even the steering wheel is a work of art made from an old roller chain.
Although the interior is sparse, Wiebe assures that everything you need to get from A to B is there.“A lot of people think the grille on this car is a regular grille,” Wiebe said. “In reality, it’s a wheelbarrow with the bottom cut out.”
The hood ornament is a figure made of vice grips that currently does not have an official name. Instead, Wiebe lets the children discover it and choose a name for themselves.
“Lizard,” “Crazy,” and “Wrench” are some of the names thrown around by the kids at last Taillight Tuesday.Wiebe isn’t afraid of people touching or poking around the car, and he’s confident his craftsmanship will stand up to curious onlookers who want to get up close and personal with this crazy car.
“I just like it and let people enjoy it, sit on it and touch it,” Wiebe said. “I don’t have to worry about anything.”
With slogans like “100% built, not bought” and “No airbags – we die like people!” printed on it, it’s no surprise that this vehicle has gained a certain notoriety. However, everything is compliant and it is legal to drive on public roads.
When it comes to a production car like the Rat Rod from Rosenhoff Rod Shop, this designation could be controversial. Given the recent redesign has garnered so much attention, it may be surprising that Wiebe plans to hand over the keys. He says given the amount of time his son has invested in the project, it’s only right that he ultimately gets to keep it for himself.
“He’s always there with us on everything we build. Even when he was eight years old, I couldn’t work a night without him,” Wiebe said. “If he heard me working on it, he’d come running into the garage and say, ‘Dad, you can’t work on it if I’m not here.'”
If you see the Rosenhoff Rod Shop Rat Rod around town, don’t hesitate to wave or take a closer look. To this day, Wiebe is delighted with how much fun children have with this full-size toy. He encourages parents to pay attention to whether their children enjoy vehicles and encourage that curiosity.
“As long as you’re in the car lifestyle, you stay away from the bad stuff and you can just hang out with friends,” Wiebe said. “And the car community is great.”
