’47 Chevy Meets ‘95 Cougar In This Tahoe-Powered Rat Rod

As the hot rod hobby continues to evolve, shadetree mechanics and professional shops alike are finding new and bold ways to express themselves through the automotive medium. It’s long gone beyond merely swapping Chevy engines into Ford coupes, and this rat rod found on eBay pulls a variety of parts from across the vehicular spectrum into a single, almost award-winning ride.

To be entirely honest though, we aren’t sure what class or brand designation it should wear. We are not even sure it should be labeled at all. Although the cab and  came from a half-ton 1947 Chevy pickup, the rear frame was plucked from a 1995 Mercury Cougar. Powering it all is a 5.3 liter Vortec V8 engine from a 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe that’s been paired with a Turbo 400 three-speed automatic transmission, most likely to keep the whole setup as simple as possible.

So why the ‘95 Cougar rear end? Well those particular Mercs came with an independent rear suspension, something that wouldn’t come standard on the Ford Mustang until the 2015 model year (although there were some exceptions, such as the Cobra models). The 3.08 gears also allow let this combo-car get up to 19 MPG on the highway, according to the seller, despite the three-speed automatic and thirsty truck engine.

A Chevy S-10 front frame, also from 1995, had drop spindles from Bilstein installed to bring the ride height down, no doubt helping this rat lay claim an autocross trophy among its many awards. Though the ad says it was built to drive, the build has just 1,000 miles on the odometer. There’s also a “drift brake” e-brake handle, as well as racing seats with four-point harnesses that the ad describes as “very comfortable”. The exhaust system also comes with removable baffles, in case you’re a fan of open headers and hearing loss.

When the e-gavel fell on this unique ride, the price had edged up to $7,200. We’re no experts at pricing custom-built rat rods, but that seems like a square deal for a rat rod built out of some unlikely candidates.

About the author

Chris Demorro

Christopher DeMorro is a freelance writer and journalist from Connecticut with two passions in life; writing and anything with an engine.
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