Not every "rat" has a chassis from a race car. To me, rat rod is a derogatory term describing a car that looks cobbled together and is unsafe. I've seen suspensions that look dangerous, I've seen a Tudor sedan that had its fuel tank moved to directly behind the driver's head, and another Tudor that was radically lowered, but didn't have a transmission tunnel. Four guys rode to the show in that one. Yikes. Watch that driveshaft. Essentially, it describes a turd on wheels.