If one needs any further proof that the rat rod and gasser movements are just two peas in a pod, take a look at this 1951 Chevrolet gasser listed for sale on Hemmings.com, a car that blends elements of both into a drivable conglomeration of assorted parts. Underneath, it’s standard gasser with the straight front axle, parallel leaf springs, and square-tube ladder bars in the back. Stone simple. While gassers of yore tended to run something far larger than a small-block Chevrolet, the 350 between the fenders at least has an excessive amount of carburetion atop a Weiand tunnel ram, open headers, and a laundry list of internal modifications.
With new floors, the body’s rust free, according to the seller, but that’s not to say it’s perfect, what with the pieces of other Chevrolets patched into the quarters, the dents throughout, and the heavy patina underneath the retro lettering and decals. It wouldn’t be a rat rod without a bottle opener bolted somewhere to the body, but the inside is where it goes full-on piecemeal. The seats came out of an airport shuttle bus, the door panels and carpet and headliner have been dispensed with, there’s some remnants of a sparkle vinyl custom interior, and no seats or rear bulkhead separate the driver from the fuel cell in the trunk.
All that said, the car reportedly runs and drives well and recently benefited from a new brake master cylinder. According to the seller, it’ll probably need new rear tires as well as a steering stabilizer and rear glass. In addition, while the gleeful thumbing of the nose at safety is the raison d’être of any rat rod, we’d argue that at least the front suspension should be re-engineered to remove those lift blocks.