When it comes to building rat rods, folks in the southwest have an unfair advantage over the rest of us. You know that I’m talking about rust and how it will reduce an ignored auto to a pile of sizzling, brown flakes in less than a decade.

We’ve been through places like Arizona and Nevada and seen abandoned cars from the 30s that would take little more than a good media blasting to get the bodywork back in shape. So, when it comes to raw material, these areas, along with eastern California and Western Texas are prime sources.

Sometimes, though, it may be more challenging to secure all the parts from a given model, as repeated salvage efforts may have claimed a good portion of the usable bits. Thanks goodness for rat rodding, in which mixing components from various platforms is seen more as a sign of creativity than desperation.

So it is with this 1936 Chevrolet Pickup truck. While bidding on eBay for this rod has ended without a successful transaction, the last bid of $8,700 does no justice to this sirloin of rat rod.

It seems that having the correct paperwork for offers such as this can be a problem from time to time, but that’s not the case here. According to the seller, the rod is registered in Arizona as a ’36 Chevrolet pickup and has been previously inspected by the state DMV.

The body is an interesting work that started with the 1936 Chev cab being chopped by 6.5-inches in front and 2.5-inches in the back. The front end is fitted with a 1948 Diamond T hood, and a ’41 Dodge grille. The pickup bed is also from Dodge that was narrowed and shortened to fit. The fuel tank sits under the bed and can be filled from a removable cover.

All of this was then fitted onto a ’78 Ford truck frame that was fitted with a dual radius rod front suspension using an I-beam front axle with a 4-inch drop. Out back, a Ford 9-inch axle is hung on a four-bar ladder suspension with air bags. A conventional Ackerman steering arrangement is driven by a Vega steering box.

Under the removable hood, you’ll find a Ford 351M V8 engine, fitted with an Edelbrock intake manifold and four-barrel carburetor. Eight, single-bend zoomie pipes will get the children off the streets when you start this truck up. A Ford C6 automatic transmission completes the power path from engine to the rear axle. There are lots of other interesting touches in this offering – both classic and modern.

From an extensive amount of pin-striping to the electric fan cooled aluminum radiator, this pickup appears to be a worthy ride. You can check out the listing here and, if need be, get in touch with the seller directly.

The extensive photo collection in the listing will give you a good feel for what went into this project, but as always, if you or a knowledgeable friend cannot inspect the vehicle personally, consider having an independent inspection and report done before making any financial commitments.