The Rat- Frothing at the Mouth - Clear Title is registered as a 1931 Ford!
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Traditional in the sense that it comes with an original rusted patina, chopped roof and a unique personality, The Heckler, as it’s been dubbed, is well beyond just another mashing of parts. As it sits today, The Heckler has 950 hours of work and over $40k into it, as well as an endless amount of details that’d take you hours to pour over.
Making up the suspension system in the front is a straight axle with split wishbones, a custom panhard bar and ShockWave Air Ride 7000 shocks built into ShockWave sleeve air bags. In the rear, the rat features handmade boxed frame rails, Yukon chromoly axles, custom 4-link with Watts Link panhard bar and Airlift Dominator bags with Speedway Motors shocks. The rear also features a Chevy 10-bolt rearend from a ‘72 El Camino, Eaton limited-slip 3-spring differential, and 3.42 gears.
The 3-gallon air tank for the air ride suspension seconds as the rear crossmember of the truck, which is attached to an Air Zenith OB2 compressor through hand-bent ½-inch copper air lines that took Partyka five days to design. The suspension is then controlled by Partyka via manual trucker valves located on the rat’s dash.
Attached to the suspension are massive 20×9.5-inch and 22×11.5-inch Bonspeed Clutch wheels wrapped in Nito NT 555 245/35ZR/20 rubber in the front and 285/35ZR/22 rubber in the rear. The grippy rubber and massive wheel combination is backed by none-other than So-Cal Speed Shop disc brakes in the front and standard 1972 El Camino drum brakes in the rear for plenty of stopping power, tied to the car with custom brake lines made by Davis.
Just as impressive as the body/frame modifications and custom suspension setup is the massive engine assembled by Davis that finds itself suspended just inches from the ground. This burbling beast is a 454ci 1974 big block Chevy bored with a torqueplate out to 463ci that pushes right at 600hp. Deburred, parallel decked, and line-honed by Top End Performance, this engine is a force to be reckoned with.
Intertwined in the black powder coated masterpiece, you’ll find an Eagle crankshaft and rods, Harland Sharp rockers, COMP Cams Hydraulic roller camshaft with a .576/.570 lift and .287/.291 duration and COMP springs and hydraulic lifters. You’ll also find a Melling High Volume oil pump with a Milodon oil pan, Flex-a-Lite electric roller cooling fan, Speedway Motors aluminum radiator with custom skid plate, ‘74 Chevy oval port heads, MSD digital E-Curve distributor, MSD “Blaster” coil ignition and four two-barrel Weber 44 IDF carburetors. Of course there is no missing the Inglese 8 stack perched on top of the engine, which Partyka tells us is one of his favorite parts of the rat rod.
Fueling the monstrous engine is an 8-gallon steel tank made by Jeff Bates that’s tucked up under the dash. Finishing touches to the engine setup include custom made brackets and gold anodized components rather than the traditional chrome, as well as custom headers built by Davis that dump into 1-7/8th-inch raw steel tubing.
The engine is tied to a 1960s Powerglide transmission complete with a shift kit and Street Fighter converter with 2,500 stall. The transmission attaches to a custom driveline made by Driveline Services and is controlled by a custom tractor shifter mounted outside the driver’s door.
These custom interior pieces are actually old bass boat seats that were padded and covered in brown alligator skin by Duncun & Sons.
The interior also features many other unique details including a safari front window, chain-driven steering with a classic quick release steering wheel, custom skull with head dress created by Bates, medicine wheel detail, custom pedal assembly and a custom polyurethane floor done by Partyka, complete with bullet casings and Cadillac emblems. Heeven saved all of the welding tips used on the beast and included them in the floor creation.
If you think that Partyka’s rat couldn’t get any more unique, you’d be wrong. Tucked in every crevice of the truck, you’ll find surprising additions to the overall build, including a vintage Coco-Cola bottle opener attached to the firewall, Big Willie’s Garage sticker tucked under the engine and even hands flipping the bird laser cut into brackets on either side of the frame. You might also be surprised to find 1928 Diamond T headlights and 1959 Cadillac taillights on the rat, as well as water squirters aimed at the rear wheels, which add even more to the unique personality of the build.