Kansas man with a vision transforms a salvage yard 1947 Ford into a one-of-a-kind rat rod
- Content creator finds husk of 1947 Ford in a salvage yard
- He takes it back to his shop
- The unique rat rod he makes will take your breath away
Published on Jan 24, 2025 at 9:40 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Jan 27, 2025 at 12:05 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
An automotive content creator from Kansas, US, ‘had a vision’ in mind for his 1947 Ford – but a unique rat rod wasn’t what we had on our bingo card.
In case you’re not familiar, a ‘rat rod’ is essentially a ‘hot rod’ that’s designed to look rough, rusty, and ready for anything.
Nicknamed ‘Old Crow’ this is a classic example.
The results take his followers – and his wife – by surprise.
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The 1947 Ford
Anthony Brawner co-owns Kansas-based custom vehicle builder and metal fabrication shop, HardCore Fab, with his partner in both life and business, Julie.
Known for producing ‘interesting stuff for gearheads’, this transformation is no different.
Old Crow is a mere husk of a 1947 Ford rat rod when it’s recovered as a ‘salvage yard Cinderella’ and taken into the Brawners’ shop.
Its transformation into a rat rod

What follows is a sped-up montage of Brawner soldering and building up the chassis around it until the shape of the rat rod begins to emerge.
Partner, Julie, doesn’t seem entirely thrilled that he’d taken the carburetor from her car and installed it in the project.
However, she seemed as intrigued as the rest of us to see the finished product – although it’s not as weird as this ‘Shopping Chopper’ hot rod.
While things are really starting to take shape, when he starts the engine Julie notices something amiss.
Namely an oil leak from a gasket.
When that situation is seemingly painlessly remedied, the level of detail that’s gone into the project is staggering.
Now comes the real test: seeing whether the rusted 1947 classic will make it to its first show.
Thankfully the transformed Ford passes that test with flying colours before being taken back to the shop for a few tweaks on the interior.

All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”