For those who don't consider car customizing an art form, Steve Darnell and the Welder Up team carve up a different narrative. Just one look at a job done by this shop based in Las Vegas will raise eyebrows and turn heads. Although a majority of their jobs are hot rods, they’ve shown they aren’t limited to these alone. No one else has a style and fashion quite like Steve and his team. It's a style that's not only garnered praise and awards in the auto industry but launched a reality show.
Updated April 2022: If you're a fan of Welder Up and Vegas Rat Rods, you'l be happy to know that we've updated this article with more facts about some of their most incredible builds.
Airing on the Discovery Channel, Vegas Rat Rods features Steve and the rest of the Welder Up crew taking on the tough tasks of transforming clients' cars who come from all over. Along with Steve, the creative wizard behind the shop's creations, there's Justin Kramer, who's been welding since he was 13. Next, there's Merlon Johnson, whose 40+ years of dealing with diesel engines is a huge asset to the team. Also, Travis Deeter, who helps Steve in the creativity department. Fan favorite Barber Dave, who cuts hair for a living, is always on hand hanging out at the shop. Finally, last but not least, there are Chase and Kash, Steve's sons and heirs to the shop. Together, the team has churned out some of the most wicked and unforgettable creations. Compiled below are only the craziest builds the shop has produced (so far).
20 1968 Charger “Overcharged”
Leave it to Steve and the team at Welder Up to customize a charger like no one's ever seen before. In the YouTube clip on Discovery's channel, Steve explains the significance of making a charger that really stood out.
"Infusing this car into a music video, I mean that's a big deal," says Steve. "So I want to make sure that it represents who I am. It's about the blue-collar guy that had to get up and go to work in the morning." To no one's surprise, the band that had the charger in their video was ecstatic once they saw it pull up.
19 1928 Dodge Sedan “Diesel Rod”
It's not unusual for Steve and the Welder Up crew to come up with something that's totally bonkers. The '28 Dodge Rat Rod is certainly that. According to Dragzine, it's diesel-powered and can generate a mind-blowing 700 hp.
The engine originally belonged to a '98 Dodge Ram 2500 before it got the Welder Up treatment. The team did major work to the frame in order to make it durable enough to hold such a heavy engine. Overall, the car weighs nearly a whopping two tons. It's mean, it's nasty, and it can do some damage on the track.
18 D-Rod Destroyer
Welder Up customizes cars for different reasons. At times they do it for charity, other times as jobs. Other occasions, they do it just for fun. For this next one though, they made a rod as a tribute for someone.
According to Welder Up's official website, this "D-Rod Destroyer" build honors Keith Crabb, Steve's grandfather, who was in World War II. Since he resided on a Destroyer ship, that concept made its way into the rod. In truth, all American veterans deserve a commemorative rod in honor of their service. It's a mark of character that the Welder Up team put the effort into making this rod to honor Steve's grandfather.
17 1971 Ford Truck “Power Packing Ford”
A Ford truck is already mean on its own. In the hands of Welder Up though, it becomes something else entirely. According to YouTube channel Toxic Diesel Performance, the shop outfitted the Ford truck with a Cummins 12-Valve engine. That's an engine with a reputation for power and going the distance.
The team used a second-generation Dodge Ram for the frame. It also sports one of the more unique paint jobs with muddy vertical streaks down the sides. There's even an ironclad piece of lumber that serves as the front bumper. It's a really inventive take on an old classic.
16 1955 Chevy Sedan 150 “Gasser”
This creation coming out of the Welder Up workshop on is ridiculous and loud, both in an audible and an artistic sense. It's as if a little kid dreamed it up, from the engine popping out of the hood to the colorful paint job. That's what makes it so fun.
As Speed Hunters point out, the tires come with pie crust slicks, which calls to mind drag cars of old. It's appropriate considering the V8 engine that powers into the rear wheels to give the front ones a little air time. Leave it to the crew at Welder Up to turn a 1955 Chevy into a monster.
15 “Train Car”
Only Welder Up would come up with something as nuts as this diesel rat rod. Simply dubbed "Train Car," it's got unique features like twin oil filters and big rugged wheels. They even designed the steering wheel to pivot around so that there's room to get inside the driver's seat.
It's these kinds of mechanical innovations that make Steve Darnell and his team masters at their craft. According to No Car No Fun, there are even images of oxidized gears on the inside of the car along the doors. It just goes to show there's, even more, going on on the inside that isn't visible on the outside.
14 “Mack Rod”
Gator Dodson of Dodson House Movers based in San Antonio wanted the Welder Up crew to do something for his special truck. According to the official Welder Up website, the Dodson family owned the 1938 Mack truck for generations. Like all Welder Up creations, the team works with a theme in mind. For this one, it was "Gators and Guns."
Throughout the whole truck, there are small accents that support this theme. In the front of the car is a console fashioned out of an alligator head. It even has a large knife stuck in the middle of it.
13 “Ditch Digger”
This build may bear the modest name of "Ditch Digger," though it's an endearing truck. It might be another truck potentially as old as the '40s, but the Welder Up team went to great efforts to modernize it.
According to Bangshift, Steve and the team outfitted the Ditch Digger with a diesel Cummins 6BT. A pipe from the engine even sticks out a little at the lower end of the front-facing grill. It's another build the Welder Up crew has to be proud of. It's no surprise then that they roll this build around at SEMA car shows.
12 “Steel To Heal”
As if turning rods into art wasn't enough, Steve also has a philanthropist spirit. When Joe Giamanco, a worker at the shop, experienced a family tragedy, Steve and the team did something special. According to website Monsters & Critics, Joe's son Preston was battling cancer. As a surprise, the Welder Up crew put together a special rat rod called "Steel to Heal."
As usual, the rod was true to its subject. The entire hood and grill are full of roses that are redder the closer they are to the motor, where the car's life is. Even more, the team put the car up for auction to donate any proceeds to cancer research, as per Welder Up's website.
11 1979 Peterbilt “Son Of A”
This mean truck is like Optimus Prime's evil twin. Steve held on to this '79 Peterbilt truck for 25 years according to Discovery's YouTube channel. Like the saying goes through, "All things must pass."
The lucky recipient was Richard "Chuck" Cappello who started the company Cappello Heavy Transport. It doesn't look like this truck—that the team has dubbed "Son Of A"—will have any trouble hauling. Most surprising of all is what piece of machinery found its way on this truck. The exhaust stacks were underground gas pipes, according to Steve, which is the craziest part about it.
10 1934 International Truck “Freak Show On Wheels”
Clowns may scare a lot of people these days. When it comes to this car though, which is clown-themed, it's about cheering others up. According to YouTube channel SST Car Show, Michael Sharpe had this custom truck made into a clown car to show off at shows.
Sharpe, who also goes by "The Cowboy," had the truck tricked out by Welder Up on the popular TV show Vegas Rat Rods. Sharpe also made history by showing up on Vegas Rat Rods. Sharpe told the interviewer, "I'm the first Canadian to ever go on the show and be on there and to have them commissioned to do me a build."
9 1932 Ford Truck “Little Joe”
The name "Little Joe" may be modest for this 1932 Ford rat truck, but it certainly has character. As if anyone needed any evidence that the crew was a hardworking, well-oiled machine, Welder Up's official website details how long it took them.
They managed to pull off this build in a mere five weeks for their fellow Vegas neighbor Red Rock Harley-Davidson. The inside even has a notable trait: it's covered in 120 pairs of cowboy boots. Flattened boots in different colors line the doors, the walls and the console. Though unlike the famous song, these boots were made for driving.
8 1954 Tin Woody
When Welder Up unveiled this mean machine, the owner was speechless. As per the Discovery's YouTube channel, this family wagon got a Cummins engine installed by the team. The hood even has a cool torn-up effect where the engine looks to be literally bursting out of it.
Steve summed it up perfectly when he said, "This would be probably the ultimate grocery getter, wouldn't it?" After all the sweat and hard work the team goes through to put this together, they still manage to have a sense of humor. It's understandable that Steve would use some colorful language to describe how awesome this ride turned out.
7 1930 Ford Oil And Gas Truck
Just when viewers thought they saw it all on Vegas Rat Rods, a friend of Steve's brought in an old Ford oil and gas truck. Although the options were limitless for the team from an artistic standpoint, there'd be a lot of work in the store.
According to the clip on Discovery's YouTube channel, Steve makes a point about how the gas truck is purely American. The friend with the gas truck that Steve and the teamwork for is named Damon. Damon says about Steve, "He's the first guy I ever met that was as passionate about old vehicles as I was."
6 1940 Diamond T “Timber Rat”
Not only does Welder Up customize rods, but they also do haulers too. This "Timber Rat"—as the Welder Up crew calls it—was given a full treatment. They gave it a lift and outfitted the truck with big wheels.
One of its distinguishing traits, as the blog Just A Car Guy notes, are the exhaust pipes near the steps to jump in the vehicle. Even when the ramp goes up and down, it doesn't impede the pipe. That's evidence of the team using their engineering skills. It's the perfect kind of truck to haul their rods around shows.
5 1957 Chevy Bel Air “Wagon Rod”
The team had a lot of fun putting this build together. Even though the team still had a lot of work to do on it, that didn't stop them from fooling around. At one point in the episode, the crew all stuffed inside it like a clown car.
It's got an LS3 crate engine that, according to Steve on YouTube Discovery Canada’s channel, "Makes about four hundred foot-pounds of torque." Although it's an old-fashioned looking car on the outside, as Steve points out, it can really go on a tear. With about 400 hp behind it, the car has heft.
4 1930 Ford Model A
This is another rod that exhibits how much fun Welder Up has on these builds. If this rod were a human, they wouldn't be wearing many clothes. On full display is the motor, which sticks up and out of the front. According to Welder Up's website, it was originally a Ford Model A. Now, it's something much nastier.
There are even fun little details all over, like the Woody Woodpecker lookalike on top of the grill. The inside even sports like elaborate paneling that looks like something out of a gothic horror. It's hands down one of the rawest creations to come out of the Welder Up shop.
3 1954 GMC COE “Fruit Rod”
Not all of the Welder Up creations are merely for show. Many of them have a purpose as well. Take the 1954 GMC COE Fruit Rod, for example. Although it's a tricked-out GMC the shop has taken to calling "Fermented Fruit," it can also serve as a vehicle for fruit farmers.
Taking inspiration from the truck's background, the crew used wood panels that closely resemble food crates, according to Welder Up's site. They even used traditional home good items like mason jars—often associated with canning preserves and jelly—for the headlights. It takes true creativity to use real-world items that reference the concept behind a piece of art.
2 1928 Buick Electric Rod
This 1928 Buick got a whacky makeover by the team at Welder Up. According to Welder Up's official website, Jonathan Mill commissioned it ahead of the SEMA 2013 car show. There was a catch though. He wanted it to be electric-powered. With the Buick arriving in poor condition, it meant the team had a lot on their plate.
The end result is a totally redone ride that boasts plush interior seats and wooden seats. There's even the added touch of green and chained zombie-like hands sticking out of the walls inside. It's sure to freak out anyone who dares to take it for a ride.
1 1949 Ford F-150
This next one may offend fans of old classic trucks. According to Welder Up's website, it's a 1949 Ford F-1 truck, which the team calls its "Pick Up Rod." Though for the less offended, it's the small details and accents that make this truck eye-popping. For one, there's heavy use of bicycle chains.
There are handle-like parts made of bicycle chains bolted into walls, and it also lines part of the wooden flooring. One of the more notable touches though is the thorny rose that doubles as a stick shift. There's a western feel to the truck that's undeniable.
Sources: Speed Hunters, No Car No Fun, Welder Up, Dragzine, YouTube, Bangshift