RAT MADNESS

Some people may worry about the digital age killing the Kiwi can-do attitude, but we reckon that it’s alive and well in the car scene, and guys like Raymond Schroder are why. Say hello to his 1930 Model A four-door that’s been bastardized into a two-door sedan. “That little model is what started it all — I knocked that up, and I’ve pretty much been copying that. I’ve been working on it for about three years now. It was meant to be a two-year project, but it spiralled a bit out of control,” Raymond explains. While there isn’t much original Model A left, Raymond actually started by buying an entire, almost-driving, Model A, before deciding to run wild with it. “I completely built the chassis by myself, to my own design. The raked-up front is probably unique — I’d looked at a lot of those Z’d chassis, and I didn’t see the point of doing it there, because it leaves you no room for your engine and all that, so you might as well just slope it up,” he mentions. “I like the way it looks broken — like it’s snapped in half.” The long wheelbase and chopped roof definitely exaggerate the car’s cartoonish profile, and, by doing pretty much everything himself, Raymond can ensure that it looks exactly as he wants it to. The finish is pretty much the way it will be, other than a bit of a clean-up, and the 1926 Chrysler grille has been pinched off one of Raymond’s other projects. The long wheelbase sees the front suspension mounted far ahead of the radiator, utilizing a transverse leaf spring and traditional friction shocks. “I really like vintage race cars — like from the 1920s — and I’d always look at their suspension set-ups. They are only single-action shocks, which is why I can get away with just a strap on them,” he tells us. Behind all that is a stock 454ci big block, Powerglide auto, and Currie nine-inch with long axle tubes for those skinny whitewalls to clear the body. “Everyone says, ‘Mate, you won’t be able to touch the throttle; it’s going to be out of control!’ but that’s the point!” Raymond laughs. Raymond’s well into the build, which has already dragged on longer than he’d have liked, and reckons that he should have it complete and on the road by Christmas. He’d like to thank Graham Steel — whose own rat rod was featured in NZV8 Issue No. 135 — and Supersaws for letting him build the thing in the workshop.