Car buff turns trash into street-worthy treasures

He's considered the neighborhood "Pied Piper" of old cars and trucks. Every few months, a down-on-your-luck heap of rusted metal and tires takes residence in one bay of Roger and Rachel Ramos' three-car North Las Vegas garage.

"A lot of guys take pride in finding stuff in junk yards, and I've done that, but I found this one on a local hot rod shop's bulletin board," said Ramos, describing the dumpster-diving equivalent of a vintage car pursuit. The trick, though, is finding something with a clear title and matching vehicle identification numbers.

"Without that, you don't have anything and it's a real ordeal to get a title," Ramos explained. So, what made this latest deal even sweeter was not only unambiguous ownership, but the vehicle's frame number matched everything else.

And that's pretty impressive for a 1938 International half-ton pickup truck.

Ramos, 53, attributes his lifelong car hobby to his dad, Ramon. But, the adventure always starts the same: tracking down the vehicle, then the parts, and doing most of the work himself. His last endeavor was a 1971 Ford Pinto (complete with an 8-track player) chosen mainly because that was his first car. Ramos has also restored several others to original pristine condition, hot rod format or what he affectionately refers to as "rat hot rods."

This is what the International is destined to become: a rat rod. "It's not going to be a pretty truck, but it'll be solid and have paint on it. I want to give it that old look like it just rolled off a farm," Ramos said, adding he might even research a historic farming logo to have airbrushed on the doors.

"It'll be street worthy," Ramos said. "That's a must for me. You have to be able to get in and drive it."

Ramos, who's worked for Union Pacific Railroad for 34 years, paid $1,500 for the truck and estimates that he'll put another $7,500 into the restoration. That might be optimistic because, right now, it's just four tires sitting on a 1960s era Chevy Camaro subframe. There's no engine, transmission, electrics, brakes or dash.

So, the first order of business, according to Ramos' plan, is to remove the body, check and clean the frame, apply rust-proofing sealant paint and assemble some ball joints and bushings.

Next is the spirited quest for a mateable engine and transmission.

"I'm thinking a small block Chevy, like a 283 or 350 V-8 might be nice," Ramos said. He's also leaning toward an automatic transmission and Posi-traction rear end.

After getting the mechanics of the truck in shape, Ramos plans to focus on the rat rod's aesthetics. The body and door panels are already in decent condition, so it'll be a minimalist restoration, with most work being done to the interior. The bench seat is acceptable, but Ramos may have to fabricate some pieces to redesign a working dash. Ramos loves the bullet holes in the original crank-out front windshield, but it'll never pass inspection, so the glass will have to be replaced. He's hoping, however, to preserve the cool-guy ventilation device.

Wiring the electrics will be a task, Ramos thinks, especially because everything from the headlights to the taillights needs to function.

Finally, he'll have to make a decision about tires and wheels. Right now, he's leaning toward red steel wheels or the steel spoke wheels from the 1920s or '30s.

"They would look good on this era of a rebuild," Ramos said. The flatbed portion of the truck is something Ramos will have to research. "I'm thinking of staying with the flatbed, but adding the wood rails."

Because it's a hobby, there's no set completion timeline. Ramos figures it could be next summer before the International is ready for its first car show. So, is this one a keeper?

"I might sell it. I might not," Ramos said, thinking he may save this one for his grandson.