RAT GASSER: Steve Darnell's Freaked-Out '55 Vintage Chevy Drag Car | EP3
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2025
- Who dares cut up a classic 1955 Chevy 210 hood, rudely exposing giant dual carburetors atop a 498 cubic inch blown big block engine? Rat rod master fabricator Steve Darnell of WelderUp, that's who. Nicole Johnson explores the theory behind vintage gasser class drag racing cars and drives Steve's horrific creation.
MORE ON STEVE DARNELL: Located in Las Vegas, Nevada, Steve is the WelderUp creative genius with a passion for rat rods. Fueled by the desire to prove the naysayers wrong, Steve has always been determined to exceed everyone's expectations.
TH-cam: @WelderUpVegas
•••••
Created and Produced by Michael Badami and Nicole Johnson
Directed by Michael Badami
© Lawndart Limited
lawndartlimite...
JOIN OUR CHANNEL TO GET ACCESS TO PERKS:
/ @nicolejohnsonsdetour
WEBSITE & MERCH: www.nicolejohns...
SUBSCRIBE: / nicolejohnsonsdetour
BECOME A PATRON: / nicolejohnsonsdetour
GET TO KNOW NICOLE IN 2 MINUTES: • Nicole Johnson - Off-R...
INSTAGRAM: / nicolejohnsonoffroad
FACEBOOK: / nicolejohnsonoffroad
INQUIRIES & IDEA SUBMISSIONS: www.nicolejohns...
#gasser #chevygasser #bigblockchevy #willitrun #welderup #nicolejohnsonsdetour
We use Rugged Radios hand held radios for communication with our crew during filming. We were not paid to use or promote these, but they're rad little radios that you can check out here: www.ruggedradi...
I seriously had an ear to ear smile watching y'all rip around in that thing. Steve looked nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof while riding shotgun, lol.
Right?! Haha!! He was such a good sport letting me drive it!
@@NicoleJohnsonsDetour Saw Steve grabbing the cage up against the roof. Dad does that to the handle in my truck and he drives way more aggressive than I do, lol. I'm a HEMI guy and he's an LS guy.
Steve reminds me of my wife.. had to add a oh💩 bar on my pickup because I drive WAY more aggressive than I should!!
@@hughstephenson2957 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
* As an "Official Fink" a member of the Rat Fink Car Club I love the gasser. And you look determined driving it Nichole . Your shifts are suspect . BUT ! It's missing all over the place ! Such a let down. Love to see a vid with it in proper tune . 👊😎👍
We appreciate you watching!
It was an interesting contrast to see Nicole wrestle with that horrific monster vehicle, while only scaring the horses a little bit. Surely scared Steve more than the horses. What a show! Nice job.
Thank you! Please consider subscribing!!
@@NicoleJohnsonsDetour I haven't many subscriptions as a new TH-cam user, but I think your channel is good. Not sure of the benefits, but I'll give it a go.
Don't know if you noticed but rack and pinion steering helped😊
I am 47 years old and been raising my daughter alone for 11 years now. She is 18 and I get her to watch you with me. I want her to have the confidence to be able to handle life. To be honest I think you are my very first internet crush. Just for outwards looks, you are gorgeous but what adds to it your ability to hold equal ground with anyone or anything your standing with. Those are the values I want to see in my daughter. Thank you for what you do.
Thank you so much for sharing this with me. I can't tell you how much it means to me when I hear things like this. I truly love empowering girls to be themselves and to feel confident doing the things they want to do. Good on you for being a great dad!
Gross dude
@@NicoleJohnsonsDetourthe look on your face driving with no power steering was awesome.
I love this guy he understands cars are not just about 1/4 mile and top end, its about character and having fun. And I think Nicole scares him a little 😂
Steve is smiling on the outside but crying on the inside while being the passenger. :)
Those shifts! I'd go eat dinner between...ugh!
@@robertcharlton3679to buy
How
True
Steves too nice i wouldnt let her drive my car
She's so awesome and pretty, I don't think he minded much......
Now that’s great entertainment. I was grinning every time she shifted gears. Awesome sound with headphones on!
Girl do not know how to drive
The hockey pucks made me laugh out loud 😂
We call that the “NHL Lift kit” up here in 🇨🇦
Haha that's great! 👍
Welcome to my new channel! If you're having fun, please subscribe...new episodes coming soon! Need more backstory? Get to know me in 2 minutes >>> th-cam.com/video/F3ZWGt0QYGk/w-d-xo.html
I really enjoy your driving adventures, the cars and their owners have such unique stories! Plus you are having so much fun driving the cars as you interview the owners. Great channel and thank you for taking the time to create this series. My daily driver is Old Blue, an '84 Chevy K10 I bought while stationed in Alaska. I bought it in 2004 and just this month have put over 100,000 miles driven myself. I wouldn't drive anything else. Thank you. Fergy.
I love your car I'm building a 55 Pontiac Chieftain straight axle hot rod now
you are doing a fair job at the shifting dont let the clutch intimidate you,always think when driving a standard shift you are the transmission and you will get the feel that you are the most important link of the drive train.
Thank you Nicole, appreciate the video and your channel. YeS,, another subscriber and a 'thumbs up' click! :)
You couldn't just have a normal 55 Chevy, restored to Original? It just kills me.
He's my favorite car owner so far. Normal, kick back, but head full of ideas. He's got nothing to prove to anybody. Just good times. Age brings such great things to us. The 50 mark really opens new doors. Love that.
well stated
What a scary beast of a car! The owners of these very special cars.. their babies.... know that Nicole is a professional, but it seems like they can't really start to relax until Nicole has driven a little, and they can SEE that she is a professional with the skill and knowledge to back it up. WOW, I LOVE this series!!!
Thank you so much..glad you are enjoying!
I dont know about that her gear changes are a bit rough🤔
those that grew up in the "cool times" would know what the RAT FINK is all about.
Don't forget "Mother's Worry."
I grew up in the nineties. Idk what cool times is, but I had a Rat Fink T-shirt growing up. 🤗
Indeed we do, Big Daddy Ed Roth created him and he was mentioned in many of the BEACH movies, Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon helped us dream of fun time and the motorcycle gang mentioned RAT FINK numerous times. Th RAT FINK was painted on hundreds of hotrods and t-shirts for decades.
@@quickdeuce +1. I used to sit in class in grade school drawing the Rat Fink cars on notebook paper and being scolded for it by my teacher back in the mid to late 60s. RIP Ed Big Daddy Roth.
Yep..miss those days..
I can imagine her shouting at her husband to get back in the garage to help her change a transmission. Joking aside these videos are a perfect balance of respect, admiration and inquisitiveness whilst also trying to calm the nerves or the owners (not because she's a woman but because the owners have put so much work into their creations they don't trust anyone to drive it other than themselves. Nicole is rare and I love her videos.
YES! this is the quality programming that this demo has needed all these years!!
Thank you, Hobie! So appreciated!
Funny thing I bet that little blue beetle would give that gasser fits.
She's Damn not playing with it that's for sure just saying man
My 57 Chevy Gasser had the coolest weight transfer bars that a local muffler shop made to order and welded in place, they didn’t just lift the front up they lifted the back end equally as the front. Driving through A&W people would shout out make it leap, with a little blip of the gas it looked like it was pouncing. Fun days cool hot rods.
great to see a host that knows what they're talking about, cool stuff
Thank you!
Uh yeah one could say that.
I’ve watched all the videos an absurd amount of times, but I keep coming back to the gasser , it’s my favorite
Good thing he took out the fender liners. That's the best camera angle I've seen on one of your videos! Totally Rad! Looks like you got a good workout with that steering setup, too. Steve seems like a hell of a character.
Glad you enjoyed it..appreciate you watching!
Wow! This film has a bit of everything. I love the camera placements during the drive. Great production quality! Good choice of subjects. Great location. This is the way hot rod shows should be done.
Awesome, thank you!
The one vehicle that still stands out for me is when he rebuilt that Diesel pick-up truck for that guy with family roots connected to the Miners had the dynamite emblem on the door and the blasting rig setup for the shifter, What a truck, loved it.
I love when they talk about hot rodding,the old days,and racing nowadays,and then the guy gets on live😆😁 I love it!!
An that gasser was strong,it's a driver
I can NOT believe this is only your 3rd video on your channel! If your content is this good this early on, I can’t wait to see what the future of your channel looks like!
Quality production, great cars, uplifting personality! Keep up the great work! I’m proud to be a subscriber!
Wow! Thank you for the vote of confidence and welcome!
No kidding! We want more! We want more!
@@NicoleJohnsonsDetour Please stop translating the title! Translation is so bad it's totally impossible to understand. Same thing about a description. You will lose a lots of views! Basically the translated title says that car is horrible and is pulling a car. Translated description has some talk about 210 hoodie?
Nicole, I love what you brought to this. I appreciated Steve's positive reinforcement while you drove this thing. A bit of humor and seriousness ...just like the drag car. Glad to stumble across your channel. Cheers.
Thank you, so glad you enjoyed it!
❤❤❤ You're definitely crushing it with this show! 10s, all the way around!!
There's something to, nerd out about, a little reminiscing and a whole lot of fun! ...and an amazing host, intelligent, funny, beautiful and skilled. I love that he let you jump right into it with very little convincing from you. 👍Steve!
Thank you so much!
Thank you for the great series! Excellent content, looking forward to seeing more!
Great, mad, crazy content to be watching on Christmas morning down this end of the world! 😀
Happy holidays! Thank you for watching!!
He definitely makes some crazy cars! 🤪 It's cool that he let you drive it 😎
Yes, totally agree!
I really dig it. Everything. For some reason the ladder bars are one of my favorites
Glad you enjoyed it..thank you for watching!
I met Steve on the strip when he was driving the 55 Chevy, nice guy easy to talk to. 👍👍👍
I was not so sure of this but you made it GREAT !!!!!!!!!
Oh thank you!! Glad you enjoyed watching!!
That’s right back in the days we didn’t have Amazon to order parts.. we Frankensteined! Thank you for the entertaining videos.
Our pleasure! Glad you enjoy them!
I love them stickers with him crazy cars when I was in school back in the Stone Age
The growl of a gasser makes my heart go pitter patter.
BEST series of insane cars !! We NEED more Nicole Johnson !! Keep up the GREAT work Nicole. Ohh, the reference to "FunSize" in the bloopers had me grinning from ear to ear !!
HAHA... I knew you'd finally catch that! :-)
Steve’s face while she’s running it lol he’s the best 😂
What a great video in so many ways... This is what is good about TH-cam, thank you!
Wow, thank you!
@@NicoleJohnsonsDetour Please keep these up 🙏🏽 you are so welcome!
Raw. Loud. Unfiltered. Best episode yet!
Thanks! Glad you liked it!
The ugliest gasser I've ever seen, is this the 4x4 channel?
Very cool to see this on the road. I was in Vegas a few years ago and saw this car at the welder up shop.
6:17 what a great cinematic angle. Loving these edits and videos. And , of course, Nicole is a bad-ass!
I'm luck to have a talented team! Thank you for noticing and commenting 😊
One of the best interviews I’ve seen lately. Great story from the guy,and the lady knows what he’s talking about.
Hey Nicole, 😍
You and your channel is the best thing that have happened during this crappy year.
This car is so cool, not exactly a sleeper.
You should have take a ride into a city to see peoples reactions.
Thank you so much!!
Holy smokes.... I watched his show on Polish tv channel TVN Turbo. His show in Polish was called "Składaki z Las Vegas"
Awesome! Thanks for watching!
I love how cognizant he is of his neighbors. Old ladies in a Prius. Don't freak out the horses. Good dude.
I think he hit it out of the park with that thing. Just the right amounts of drag car, rat rod, gasser, patina, cartoon character, with a sound that can wake the dead, scare thoroughbred horses and women and children.
Nothing sounds better to me than a free breathing, well tuned, big block Chevy stroker.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🔥
Agreed on all points! Great car! If only you could have smelled it, too!
Hi Nicole. That's what I call real Fun. I wish I could go for a ride on an old school car like that one. Thank you really for sharing us
You are so welcome!
I need some more of this lady! Not only is she insanely attractive she is entertaining and knows her stuff. I am a fan of her energy!
And Nicole, if your kids don't think you're cool then they must not know what cool is!
Oh, Thank you so much!
Her kids do know how cool she is. The truth is, the entire family is incredibly cool, but humble in the biggest of ways.
@@NicoleJohnsonsDetour you are welcome! keep up the great work.
and PS I could tell you were a little more horrified driving this car than any other the others (it was written on your face). I don't blame you though, I would be too.
What a monster, really well put together, I love it. "That's a really expensive smell" says it all. Your heart was pounding so hard, your whole body was shaking but it wasn't fear, it was thrill.
Thank you for watching..glad you enjoyed it!!
You have to live a miserable life to have down voted this video. I feel sorry for the folks that down voted this Awesome video.
LOL 😎
I think some people just watch videos only to hit the thumbs down. Must be a sad life.
They're just jealous Rice grinder twits. Probably driving a Prius.
Or just be able to see through the charade.
Pretentious
watching Nicole drive is the best thing for me on this channel, you mean business!
Thank you!
I love Steve's facial expression at 9:56. Assume interaction between him and Nicole, could not have been planned. And he let her drive it!
I love those 55 Chevy Bel Air I wish had one.
Damn girl! You can sure drive the snot out of that thing! I know that's a monster to muscle that wheel around and bang those gears. What a great ride.
Love this larger than life Gasser. I have always thought that they look soooo cool I can just imagine how wild they are to drive lol thank you Nicole for sharing this video and that Rat Gasser with us. Have fun take care
Thank you..glad you enjoyed watching!!
Love they way you drove it! Steve did look terrified! Cool car! Thanks for the content!
You bet! Thanks for watching!
Great video, the look on Steve's face is priceless when Nicole started shifting gears. Nicole keep the videos coming. Thank you.
Thank you! Will do!
Have to admit, the “rat rod” scene is not my cup of tea. I see rust spots and my first thought is: “needs a paint job”, not, “it just needs clear coat to preserve the ‘patina’.” That said, I watched the whole video. Mad props to the guy for building a wicked engine and for putting so much obviously hard work and effort into something he clearly loves. Well done.
I used to be that way myself but over the years of perfect builds I got tired of it. Now these kinda cars with character I flock to
As long as it pisses off Prius owners I’m happy.
What i like the very most besides the look is the fact that it has a manual transmission. Most blower motors have auto's in them. 6 of my cars are manuals and 2 are autos. 4x4 winter bomb is a auto but it does not count in my opinion. P.S. I have a rat fink model and a monster in a T Bucket. They are a must.
Nicole: I've only crashed everything I've ever driven - Steve: Long pause.......
LOLLLLL!
Welderup has a reputation of being so direct and real. The two of you getting together for this video was the perfect combo as you are two-of-a-kind. Steve and Nicole, thanks for the fun ride! You two really should do another video together in the future! Oh, and Mr. Badami...keep working that magic!
It was so much fun working with Steve! And yes, we have a talented team over here that I'm so happy to be working with!
@@NicoleJohnsonsDetour If you could call that work 🤪
Three episodes in, yet to be disappointed. Keep up the variety, love it all.
Glad you enjoy it! Thank you!
Nicole is so cool! I love your channel!
Thank you so much!
I just watch this videos because i can feel the passion and the excitement she shows
Thank you!
Such a great channel always feel good and inspired after each one. Jealous too, would love to get to see this stuff in person. Great work, love it.
Thanks so much!
That is one cool guy ! Got a new you tube channel to watch. Thanks Nicole 😎
Yes he is! Thank you for watching..glad you enjoyed!
He’s probably like: 😳 what was I thinking letting a monster truck driver drive me around in a the beast I built 🤣🤣
Haha!!
The gasser was quite prevalent when I was a kid. Cobbled together out of parts never designed to work together, the cars were ridiculously quick. Would not turn, and only stopped with a chute. Sure brings back memories. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed watching!!!
Great video. I remember Ratfink well and those Moon eyes
I havent thought of Ratfink in years! Had several stickers from bubblegum way back in the day.
Your program is fantastic, I’ve been watching tv for a long time and your show is first class!
Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoy it!
Another great video!!
Thanks for the content, can't wait to see what's next!
Keep it up.
P.S. for sure Steve is going to add some grab handles!
Thanks for watching!
Great car. Nicole, you are awesome. Thank you very very much.
Thank you too! I'm so glad you enjoyed!
I'm glad to have found this channel.
I'm also glad you found this channel! Have you subscribed? More good stuff coming soon!
OUTSTANDING!!
Glad you enjoyed..thank you for watching!
One of those cars that makes me appreciate power steering.
Still catching up to all your videos, please keep them coming!
Will do! Thanks!
I love the bloopers at the end!
I obviously have no control over those... I tried to stop them!!!
Bellissimo Video . Steve Darnell è un vero mito !
Thank you..glad you enjoyed it!
@@NicoleJohnsonsDetour Grazie a voi per farci sognare di poter guidare , attraverso la bellezza e simpatia della conduttrice , tutte queste meraviglie su ruote .
In Europa siamo molto legati dalla legge al rispetto delle originalità . Difficilmente si può personalizzare un veicolo come nei vostri , ben curati, video .
Probably the most you DIDN'T miss power steering just because of the excitement!!!
Finally, I see my old metal flake Gold steering wheel off my 57- great choice all around bro, thank you Nicole!!
You're welcome! Thank you for watching!
That is the coolest car I’ve ever seen.
Way to go!! I LOVE when my friends meet up and tear it up!!! Well done!! I wish I was there to witness everything else!! Ha ha ha ha! You could film forever at his place!! Let’s make that plural!!!! Places! Cheers and keep it up!
Yes he's got the craziest, most ecclectic collection of weird ratted rods I've ever seen!!! Too much stuff to cram into 18 minutes!
Great show, great guy! We all need to support these dying breads!!!
Funny I was just talking about that. I make custom Hot wheels and that’s one of my favorite cars I’m gonna build that car. Awesome
That would be awesome!! Thanks for watching..glad you enjoyed it!
I wonder how many people were surprised to see you drive that thing pretty easy and not like a scared girl
Only you ;-)
@@NicoleJohnsonsDetour uh huh right 😂
@@brianhoward482 prably nobody ;)
That was awesome. Thanks for the great videos. Looked like a blast! Love the fun videos Nicole!
Thanks so much!!
what a crazy car love his story about his dad and the hood
The hood story was one of my favorite parts, too!
Man that guy is my freaking hero. Cool cars but also has pumps and old signs. total car guy through and through. Awesome vid yet again. Thanks for sharing!
Right on!
I love this! Just enough history and story and then the rest just cruising around more shows need to take notes!
Thank you for the great compliment!
Goose bumps
When I see that car going that fast, I keep thinking about how easy it would be to flip it
It is definitely a straight-line car.
That car is more "Street Beast" aka 1970's street freak build. 1960's gassers lacked that sky high 4WD profile. I can see the affection for such a high ride, but I'd have to bring it more in line with what a period gasser would be. More traditional.
Anyways .. ... thanks for the content. Great video. I do like what Steve builds generally. He's a cool guy, having fun with cars. Such a life !!!
"I only ever crashed everything I've driven." Yeah Nicole knows how to instill confidence; really....I'd let her drive.
Hahaha!
She’s so real! What a rare person. Glad you exist Nicole. Restores my faith in humanity. I could watch these all day.
That is such a nice thing to say. Thank you so much!
@@NicoleJohnsonsDetour I think it’s the easiest Subscribe I have ever clicked on. Thank you for your work. Now… If you ever want to burn that same 110 octane gas in Utah sometime, we have some toys you might find interesting. Desert.dog.aviation (on Instagram) LLC Animal rescue (from the craziest places we can find.😊) .... and Yes! You are welcome to do the driving!
OMGGGGG !
You have the extra most bestest job in the world !
🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎🤎
You are AMAZING! I want my friends I hang out with to understand what you already know about cars! I subscribed DURING the Beetle video I enjoyed listening to you that much. Come down under when all this craziness will let you.
And for those that don't know the Welderup story, here's a bit about Steve that gives some backstory: th-cam.com/video/DbIl471tgYU/w-d-xo.html
My room mate in 1970 had a '55 with a front end like that. There was so much space under the raised fenders that somebody was able to steal his headers one night even though the hood had locks. Of course he didn't know anything was wrong until he started it.
She handled that old beast quite well. Made her smile!
Thank you!
I agree, and she drove the car pretty good as well.
I remember these when I was a kid. 55 Chevys and Henry Js were my favorite. Many looked much like this. Local boys at local tracks. No show, just go. Run what you brung kind of thing. They were fun to watch. Thanks for bringing back memories I thought were gone. FYI, Big Block Chevy engines were called "Rat Motors" back then.
We're glad you enjoyed watching..thank you!!
I bet the Oh No ! Song was looping through his brain when you hammered it a lil bit.. Nice video !
Great to see you doing more vids, one of my favorite car channels, you have such an appreciation for the art side of rollin art work...these guys you visit are so cool...I saw a bonding moment between you and that gasser, I think you will be owning one soon😉
I appreciate that! Thank you!
horrific! and that hood !
Right?! BTW you have a great channel... Thank you for subscribing to my little channel!
I think Nicole earned 4 Ichiban stickers!
I know! The nerve of some people 😠.
🤣🤣🤣
@@NicoleJohnsonsDetour subscribed 🤘🏻😈
I am a bonafide superfan! And I though I could easily lavish you with praise (especially for kickin the knowledge on Rat Fink among other things) given my research I couldn't help but wonder what how this type of experience compared and contrasted with some of your other "mega drives" for example your monster truck experience. LOVE!
Well, thank you, Superfan! My mosnter truck had a LOT more power, and was an entirely different beast. But the sound of this motor was coming in close, and I love that!
@@NicoleJohnsonsDetour That's kind of what I thought and was thinking as when it comes to the automotive world power and the actual experience are two different things. I'd love to see you drive something like a OG Mini Cooper. You could drive a school bus and it would be cool!!!
She really drove that car good besides shifting a little bit too slow, he should be happy with that joyride
Wow! That's really you that responded??!🤭😹😹🥳🎉🎉👍, I'll let you try my car when I get done with it 👍👍, just keep it under 8000 RPMs, 😂
That shifter was about 15" of distance between gears! Seriously! If you were to drag race that car, it would perform better with a shorter throw. Another thing we didn't catch on camera was the very stiff clutch. At one point I say my leg is shaking, and that was because you literally have to push away slightly just to let the clutch out smoothly, which was my goal. So yes, those two things made the shifting a little slower than what would be ideal. I'm sure with some more seat time, one would get used to it and get after it a little quicker. What you are seeing in my videos is my first time in that car, which felt super weird to drive, tbh! Thanks for watching!
@@NicoleJohnsonsDetour I can totally understand that, 🤔😉, that car needs to be a little bit less nostalgic and quite a bit more for competition which is actually what those gassers were used for. That gear shifting mechanism was similar to a rat rod with those tall shift handles with brass knuckles on them, 😂😹, I'll tell you what I'm working on and you can drive it when it's done, a junkyard "special", extremely fast and lightweight, something as fast or faster as that baby blue Volkswagen beetle that you drove 😂😹👍👍😅, a real sleeper. I've had a lot of muscle cars and being an X-certified ASE mechanic, I have a knowledge of certain things, back in the day of the mid-80s I'll spit out a little story, my 1968 Chevy Nova with a 427 (stock), 4:56 rear with single leaf springs in the rear, it was squat and launch🚀, the car was stripped and gutted, very light, nobody in town could beat me except the guy with a supercharger. Lol!
@@NicoleJohnsonsDetour check out on TH-cam 1973 Buick century 455GS vintage road test, WOW . They hammer the shit out of that car. VERY impressive 😹
@@crank-it-up6919 Awesome! Thanks for sharing! Best of luck on that build!!