So, James Hair (BrerHair) contacted me a few weeks ago concerning Ray Erickson. Ray is a member of the H.A.M.B. and a long time hot rodder from Kansas City, but has been ha... <BR><BR>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
Good read. Its to bad that so many guys like Ray go unheard of for so long, and don't get the credit when there work hits the pages of magazines. I'm glad to now know of another great hero of our world, great work. Thanks for sharing.
It would be great to see more photos and history about the car builders "out there" who don't get the notoriety, yet build great cars. This may sound corny, but I urge all car builders to take plenty of photos of themselves working on their cars, their shop and their life so as to build an archive of their accomplishments. Time does fly.
That La Hoya is some car. Reminds me of a Cunningham C-3, but smoother and maybe a bit more attitude.
Ryan- Thank you for posting this.... Ray Erickson was and -IS- one of the greats.... We here in the midwest are sometimes not aware that a lot of great builders were not from the east or west coasts. I think Ray was very innovative and ahead of his time,and should be aligned in the ranks with the other legends of this hobby...... I consider him a friend and the HAMB is very lucky to have him around to share Custom history as it really was in the day.... /Kenny
Cool story. It's neat finding out that he built the La Hoya. I've got that issue and would have never know who'd really built it if not for your post. Can't wait to hear and see more!
Here is Sodbusters great thread with more ray Erickson pictures for those that missed it. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=253787&highlight=ray+erickson
Nice stuff for sure, love it. Thanks James for the write up and for getting the info. out here for us to enjoy. I wonder what Ray is up to now. Maybe he will get his computer back up and post some more cool stuff for us. Painting cars out on the busy street, not that's crazy. I thought my driveway was going to be a less than perfect challenge. Guess it is all just a matter of perspective.
James my good friend thanks so much for righting that man!!! Awesome story and great pics. That '52 Ford's chop reminds me of my '52 Merc's chop with the exception of the rear window....damn I miss that car. Loved the article and yes early flames rule!!!
And Ray's mind is sharp as a tack.........It is always good to chat with him at local car events. The link above was just copy/paste stuff that Ray would send me via email. Ray is a ruler and he has a few years under his belt........sorta' a "Gene Winfield" of the midwest. Chris
Radical Ray is a living legend here in KC. He is always supportive of what the younger generation is doing in the Hot Rod world. He is very approachable and always willing to share some fabulous stories of the past. So nice to see someone pay credit where credit is due to this great builder. Yeah they don't all come from the West or East coast. Too bad many of the publications out there don't recognize this in the history of Hot Rodding.
Thanks James, excellent post of a great story. Seems to be that the old guys did a fantastic job with very little in the way of tools or money. Just good sense and a good eye for what looks right. I like to think of it as "Less is More." Cat
That 48 merc is UNREAL!!! Incredible GT body shape. I think I have a new favorite custom of all time!
Ray talking about chopping "Whistle Bait": 1952 Ford chop: A buddy and I rented a 4-car garage, for a few dollars a month, next door to my apartment. We could lock the garage, but it damned near rained as hard inside the garage as it did outside. That was OK! That was on Oak St. behind "Sydneys" burger joint. It later became a hot weekend cruising hangout. The neighbors allowed us to work in their backyard during the day if we wanted to. The buddy, Dick Boucher, was building a 32 5-window coupe with a 3-1/2" chop, channeled, full-fendered, with a fullhouse flathead. We bought Sears torches and bottles the year before in 1955. Chop was done on my 52 Ford coupe in 56 while my wife and baby were gone to California with her family for a couple weeks. I did not cut the windshield, I just laid it back under the roof, it looked pretty cool. That made a visored roof over the glass. I had to fit the windshield, doors, wing windows, and all of that stuff to make it work. I had it all done when my "sweety pie came back. Didn't have the headliner or color paint done yet, just primer. The house was on the 3100 block of Oak St., near "Eltorreon" skating rink, a few blocks from Hallmark Cards where I worked.
You know, youd be a famous guy . . . LaHoya would have really put you on the map. That car . . . <O</O Ray: Nobody has done that! <O</O No, that is the most beautiful car and what a great story! And, of course, I understand where you were in your life. You were spending so much time on your cars that you were afraid that your wife might leave you. <O</O Ray: Yea, well, the cars werent as important as the family. <O</O Yea, so I can understand why you had to get rid of it. And no one knows whatever happened to it, beyond its El Torro days? <O</O Ray: Yea, I do, I do. Gilbert Strange, the guy that got it that told the story incorrectly, said that Doug Thompson built it. Doug repeatedly apologized to me in public. He said I did not do that. I said, Doug, dont feel bad on your part because I know youve got enough kudos on your own. He won the Harry Bradley Award over a period of years four times as the best custom built in the United States that year! And I said I understand you did not turn that story in that way. He said Well, Im sorry it happened. Well, later on there was some racing newspaper that had a feature article on him and it showed the stuff that he built and there was a picture of the LaHoya in there, but it didnt say that I had built it in that, either. But anyway, what happened to it. He sold it. My nephew was down at a car show here at the Municipal Auditorium in town, big show, it was featured out in the center of the floor and my nephew walked up and said Boy, nice car, did you build it? And Gilbert says, Yea, I did. He was an upholsterer, thats what he did, upholstery. He said, Yea, I built that. My nephew just let him hang himself and says Man youre a lying son-of-a-bitch. Thats Uncle Rays car. I was over there helping him stand on it. Gilbert just turned red-faced and walked off. And I guess he was telling stories like this. And he finally got so embarrassed, he sold it to this doctor and the doctor wasnt really a hot rodder, but he liked the car and he wanted to make the car, at the back, where I had it rounded down low, to like at your ankles, he wanted to chop that off and make a Vette look. So, Doug and Les Hall, those two were together, the Thompson-Hall shop, they started cutting that off. And he didnt like the fat roof. So, they cut away from the top of the windows and they were making the windows big and the roof skinny. Never saw how far they got with it. The doctor had a heart attack. And another heart attack. Then another one, he couldnt work anymore. He had been rich, and they said You owe us a lot of money for what weve done. Its not done, but weve been doing what you asked. He said, Well, I dont have any money. Gilbert had put a 350 Chevy in it. And he said All I can do is give you the car, I havent got any money. So, they yanked the engine and trans out of it and had it hauled off to the crusher. So, it got crunched up about a foot thick. It had four places, too, it dont say that in the article. It had seats in the back and your feet went on the lower floor, under the front seats. <O</O