While driving home from work yesterday, I spotted the top of a windshield poking up behind an embankment along the road. After pulling a quick u-turn, I was surprised to find this little bucket of bolts sitting on a trailer with a for sale sign stuck to it. Normally, we don’t feature rat rods on Barn Finds, but I thought this was interesting enough to give it some space. The $1,595 asking price didn’t hurt either. It is located in Boise, Idaho and you can email us to get the seller’s number if you’re actually interested. It may not be your thing, but I bet there is a good conversation to be had here.

The whole concept behind the rat rodding craze is to build something unique on the cheap. Well, at least that is what it used to mean. Old parts aren’t as cheap and plentiful as they used to be and most of the complete cars I have seen for sale lately have been far from cheap. So, it was refreshing to see this one with a fairly realistic asking price. Unfortunately, this project car also looks like the owner may have given up on it and decided it might be wiser to pass the problem onto someone else. The poor soul who decides to take this project on had better have some fantastic fabrication skills because it needs a lot of help. Parts are strewn underneath and the steering is not hooked up yet. Getting the geometry right here could be a real challenge.

Heck, just sitting in this thing is going to be a challenge! To achieve that low-slung look, the creator cut the floor out and lowered the cabin over the frame and engine. A Model T truck bed was then thrown out back along with a keg fuel tank. You won’t need to go very fast to get a thrill here though. Five miles an hour can be scary in any vehicle if you are afraid something might break! If the next owner can get it relatively safe to drive, it might actually be fast though because there is a V8 out front!

This was the most exciting aspect of this whole car to me. An old flathead V8 is such a simple piece of machinery, but with the right speed parts, it can actually be made to perform quite well. Obviously, the steering and brakes won’t be up to the task, but perhaps that is part of the fun?

Even in its unfinished state, there is some value here. There’s the flathead and all the pre-war Ford bits. If anything we could see a fellow hot rodder picking this up as parts for their own creation. Although, I don’t own any hot rods right now, I can get behind the idea. It is fun to design and build something that is all your own and truth is, it’s just another interpretation of the same interest we all share. We all like to draw lines in the hobby – there are truck guys, lowriders, hot rodders, racers, tuners, etc. But, the truth is we are all just a bunch of guys socializing and enjoying the same four-wheel contraptions.

I know it’s a bad idea, but I secretly want to go get a tetanus shot and then drag this monstrosity home just to see if I can put it all back together. The neighbors would hate me and my wife might decide to leave, but boy would it feel satisfying to take this around the block for the first time without something falling off or catching fire. Anyone else here feel this same strange desire?