HOT ROD/RAT ROD RADIO FLYER

I'll start out by saying I'm in my early 40s, have loved cars all my life but have never learned how to weld. I got tired of asking others for help so I picked up a small Titanium flux core from Harbor Freight. Before you immediately start laughing, I didn't want to buy an expensive unit just to try my hand at welding. A friend had gotten a Chicago Electric welder as a gift and let me try it out last year. It didn't go well. The Titanium had some good reviews so I thought it would be an OK welder to try and practice with. I have no intensions of trying to weld sheet metal or critical components with it. I just needed something for really small jobs that might pop up from time to time. So far it's been a night and day difference between the Titanium and the Chicago Electric. Now with that out of the way, I thought I'd share my first welding project.

I don't want to get into an argument about what you want to call it...Hot Rod or Rat Rod...whatever. I saw a picture of a really cool looking old Radio Flyer that someone had modified. I googled "rat rod radio flyer" and saw a lot of really cool wagons and got some good ideas. Back when I turned 1, my grandparents bought me a brand new Radio Flyer wagon. My sister, brother and I used it a lot throughout our childhood. My parents still had it up in their attic. It was just sitting there so I thought, "why not". Might as well make something cool with it.


There were a couple long pieces of 1.5"x1.5" square tubing in my shed that had been left by a previous owner. This was the perfect time to put those to use. I came up with a simple frame design from pictures I saw online. After cutting out all the pieces and beveling the edges, I welded them together. Overall it went pretty good for my first time I think. I did learn a lot about how much metal can move around while welding.












Here is the completed frame. I had some old pitted E-body front spring hangers laying around. They looked like the perfect thing to use as a steering knuckle/spindle.


Here is the frame with the wheels mocked up. I also made some "headers" that bolt to the frame and just barely stick out past the wagon tub.


I made the steering linkage with some heim joints and 1/2" aluminum round stock. I really wasn't liking the overall look at this point. It needed something extra to really set it off. The original 318 from my 68 Dart was sitting in the corner and I got an idea. I made up a small mounting plate and mounted the 2-barrel carb to the frame. That's exactly what it needed. It really changed the look of it IMO.

This is the basic design all mocked up. I still needed to disassemble everything to paint the frame and wheels. There was a large gap between the frame and the steering knuckles. I ended up using some junk valve springs as spacers in that location. They kind of look like little coil springs in there now.


So, I let it sit for a few months but just got back around to finishing it. I painted the wheels and the "white walls" on the tires. I extended the handle arm 14" so I didn't have to bend down so low to pull it. I also added a Hurst shifter handle to the handle arm to finish it off. We took it out for a test run last night. My 3 year old loved it. She had a big smile on her face. That's what it's all about after all right? So here it is, my first welding project is done. What do you think? In typical Mopar fashion, no part of the original wagon was modified. Someone can return it to stock one day if they really want to.

Now that's pretty cool Darren! Nice job!

Cool, and a real cutie there as well !

Cooler than the other side of the pillow - well done

nice work

I like it, nice work!

You did real well with that,came out great.Your metal skills are outstanding.

Yep. Really nice.

You did a really good job with the flex core wire. If you invest in the gas kit and it as a Mig, you will do a lot less grinding.The gas makes it a bit easier to use as well. Gene

Sooooooo cool!

That is awesome.
Only thing I'd say is you probably ought to remove the carb stud or get some cool small air cleaner to cover it up, before someone gets hurt on that open stud sticking up.

Yeah that thing is just begging for a cool little mini-chrome air cleaner to top it off...

We must be near the same age because my brother and I had a wagon exactly of that era--graphics and everything. Ours is long gone, though. Rusted out and beat to hell and back from racing it down the hill across the street from our house.

That's the plan. With everything going on this year though, there were no swap meets to look for a small air cleaner. If I can't find something I like, I'll try and make something that looks cool. I'm thinking about putting a small license plate on the back. I think I have a couple of those small trailer plates somewhere.

came out great

Very creative....
Thanks for sharing ...

very well done !
this now becomes a true family heirloom.