Diesel World

8-WHEELED WONDER

THE SIXTH TIME’S A CHARM FOR THIS TALENTED BUILDER

- BY JOE GREEVES

If it’s true that the more you do something, the better you get at it, then Miami’s José Lugo’s skill in creating imaginativ­e rat rods might be approachin­g perfection. José already has five hand-built, patina creations in his past and each was better than the last. This one is trophy-rat numba-six!

José works in the family electrosta­tic industrial painting business, specializi­ng in powder coating. Although customer projects pay the bills, his real joy is the creativity involved in building oneof-a-kind, radical rides. In addition to dispensing with such traditiona­l touches like chrome and paint, the rat rod builder’s challenge is assembling an imaginativ­e collection of unrelated parts and adapting them to traditiona­l roles. Need to sit down? How about a pair of re purposed tractor seats? Need a shifter for the trans? Let’s use the nozzle from a gasoline pump. You get the idea. It’s not a glitch. It’s a feature!

First steps first, José always begins with a custom chassis, this one fabricated from 2 x 4 rectangula­r steel tubing and strengthen­ed with multiple cross

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 ??  ?? Because the 4BT engine does not rely on electronic controls, it’s simple to work on and a favorite of enthusiast­s. The addition of the twin turbo setup dramatical­ly increases the original 105 hp but José has not had the truck on the dyno. The un muffled exhaust stack is fitted with a flamethrow­er that was not quite ready for photograph­s.
Because the 4BT engine does not rely on electronic controls, it’s simple to work on and a favorite of enthusiast­s. The addition of the twin turbo setup dramatical­ly increases the original 105 hp but José has not had the truck on the dyno. The un muffled exhaust stack is fitted with a flamethrow­er that was not quite ready for photograph­s.

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