Iron Rattler was designed by Alan Schilke and built by Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC). The wooden Rattler had been constructed by Roller Coaster Corporation of America. At the time of its opening, the Rattler was the tallest and fastest wooden coaster in the world, with a height of , a first drop of and a top speed of . RMC modified the wooden Rattler by placing new steel track on top of the existing wooden support structure. The distance between the lowest and highest points of the first drop was increased from and the drop was made steeper by changing the angle to 81 degrees. The resulting modifications increased the speed of the trains from .