1949 Chevy Rat Rod Truck Packs Twin-Turbo 8.8-Liter V8, Sounds Frightening

But some petrolheads take things up a notch by rat-rodding their beefed-up rides. The term's origin is still a subject of dispute, but worn-down, rusty dragsters go back to pre-World War 2 times. Now you've probably seen way too many 1920s and 1930s Ford coupes built into rat rods, but I bet you haven't seen a Chevy truck like this.

This monster is based on a 1949 light-duty Chevrolet truck. Judging by the shape of its hood and grille, it's part of the Advance-Design series that GM produced from 1947 to 1955. Some of you may know it better as the 3100 or Thriftmaster, depending on its engine and capability. But names don't matter here because this truck is far from a regular one under the hood.

Chevy used to sell this model with a selection of inline-six engines, and they weren't exactly powerful. But the owner of this rat rod solved that problem by dropping a massive, 8.8-liter big-block V8 under that rusty hood. It's also strapped to a pair of turbocharged, far from a standard feature in an old American truck. How powerful is it? Well, we don't know that, but it's safe to assume that the twin-turbo V8 generates close to 1,000 horsepower. What we do know for a fact is that it sounds frightening under full throttle.

As far as looks go, this 1949 Chevy is a full-fledged rat rod. The bulge on the hood is basically the only body component that's not rusty or worn-out, while the massive rear wheel arches look like they're about to fall off as soon as you touch them. The wheels and the bed-mounted bars are the only features that look new, but they do not ruin the appearance of the truck.

And somehow, this thing is road legal. Or at least that what the license place on the rear suggests. Well, it's definitely cool that the owner is able to drive it to and from drag strip events, but I'm guessing his neighbors aren't happy.