I don't think Gray was on here. I did meet him and shake his hand. I thanked him for all the years of writing that had driven me to move to So-Cal. He just smiled and went into his routine of jokes while taking pics of my buddies 3 window that was getting a Scott Knight power hammered roof insert. Gray would circle the car taking pics and telling stories using mexican slang. I don't ever rememeber laughing harder than that day. I saw him in his 32 southbound on the 60 fwy with the biggest shit eatin' grin ever. I gave him the thumbs up, he did the same, after that I felt sooo unworthy driving a late model cage. RIP, Gray
Thanks for sharing that Billybobdad. Here's a shot of Grey's roadster in the motel parking lot in B'ville for those that have never seen his daily driver.
I love Grays car , primer paint and all just as it sits , I can see why he enjoyed driving the wheels off it. Thanks Denise for adding the pictures, Those must be out of your private collection!
Gray hung out at Boyds's when I worked there (& before, & after). He did build series on a '57 Chevy 150 that we did for the Power Tour in '93 or '94. It was a "budget build" done in response to all the haters bitching about Boyd only being able to build mega-dollar cars. He was there the day the original engine came out of that car. The car was up on jackstands. The rears were in front of the rear axle though. When the engine came out, the whole front end lifted. It didn't stop until the back bumper hit the floor. There it sat with it's nose pointing at the ceiling. I heard about it every time I saw him after that. I regretted that stupid mistake for a long time. Wouldn't change it now though. What a cool guy. JH
Gray was the man who I hold responsible for hooking me on hot rods. That was a good thing. I would look forward to his articles every month. His way with words just made everything sound so cool. His stories of what was happening at Pete & Jakes, Little John's, Gratiot Auto Supply, Jack Roush's, etc, as well as all of his coverage of home built cars, brought everything to life. He would set a tone and tell a story, rather than just presenting the facts. Everything was interesting and spectacular through his eyes. When I read of Grays passing it was like a part of me died too. Even though I had never met him, I felt like I had lost a very close family member. I guess I had.
Yep, I'm good pals with Jim Shelton, the caretaker of Grey's roadster and we stay at the same motel in B'ville during Speed Week so I get a chance to see the roadster quite often. Kinda felt neat sitting in the same seat, behind the same steering wheel that Mr Baskerville had for so many years. He's a true hot rodding icon.
is the story true that the primer on his roadster came from c. foose and j. james screwing around after hours ??? where did i see that in print .... ???
Denise, Where does that car live? I remember seeing it in The So Cal Speed Shop show room in Vegas for a long time.
HMMM. well that makes perfect sense then! Should make stalking that car easier...LOL Now that you mention it his name sounds very familiar.
Hey Denise, you look all reet in Grey's roadster. After B'ville died I let my subscription to Hot Tub lapse, it just wasn't the same. Tom
His son is Chris Shelton, an automotive writer and photographer. This is Jim's other roadster. Perhaps you've seen it around town, or him?
Denise, When I started my life on the HAMB. You are one of the folks that I watched for guidances on this board, unbeknowest to you ! I love the stories that you tell and I watch your travels,(not in a bad way) With your pictures and input to this thread ,you have proving to me that I wasn't wrong in my choosing of a tour guild... Thanks girl, one of theses days I might get off my lazy butt and run across you at a event somewhere, I'm just hoping that you have a big batch of your famous cookies! Thanks a millions Chuck............
Gray was already a legendary automotive journalist when I met him somewhere 20 some years ago. He was the most intriging writer I have ever known. He was more like an old surfer with his sandals with no socks, (or dress shoes with loud sox), Hawaiian shirts, wind blown hair and Buddy Holly glasses. I don't remember ever seeing him wear tennis shoes or boots. He was always dressed for the Country Club, quite unlike most automotive journalists. He was always having a good time and LOVED car people. I was working on a '392' Hemi '53 Studebaker to take to B'ville. My goal was to be the first to drive a steet legal car there, go 200 and drive it back. I mentioned it to him and he was in. He wanted to ride with me there and back and cover it for Hot Rod. It never happened and never will for me. But I am almost finished with the car with a slightly modified '354'. When I take it out for the first time I Know "Old Dad" will be with me. I wasn't around him nearly as much as some of you but he was a fellow "gearhead" I truly loved being around. He is also the guy who coined the phrase "Nostalgia Nationals". It was called the "Antique Drags" when he started covering it for Peterson and he started refering to it as the Nostalgia Nationals in his coverage. It was the perfect name. Soon the event title was changed to that.
I don't recall that, but it could have happened. It would have been from the days of CJTV. If this is the post you mean, it has your name on it: http://www.bangshift.com/forum/index.php?topic=111.0 Also, just FYI, photos, text, and logos are not free to use just because they are posted on the Internet. Ain't no deal to me, but our lawyers tend to care.
We had the pleasure of hanging out with Gray on a Saturday afternoon for a feature he did on our club for Hot Rod Magazine. He jumped from car to car as we cruised around Burbank. Super cool guy and a day to remember. Don't know what year/month the mag is, but the article is titled " The Great Rat Rod Revival". D.
I got Gray to come out and be the celebrity judge for a car show in Pasadena's Central Park, held in conjunction with the Great Race finish there. I got to spend two days strolling around and chatting with him. Although it was maybe a whole 4 hours total, he made me feel like a long-time buddy and filled the day with stories and talking about cars and photography. We even chatted about why i won't put a v-8 in my 53 Stude, he said he had one at one time. And after all of the judging, he picked a 62 Comet 4 door that was a very clean, simple hot rod. He liked it because the kid who owned it said it was his daily driver and he bought a 4-door 'cuz he had kids.
Hey Freiburger, you were right, the Internet IS ruining hot rodding! (See his worth-reading editorial in Hot Rod a few years ago: "How The Internet is Ruining Hot Rodding.")
[ from frank spittle He is also the guy who coined the phrase "Nostalgia Nationals". It was called the "Antique Drags" when he started covering it for Peterson and he started refering to it as the Nostalgia Nationals in his coverage.] according to my reasearch, in one of the mags he worked for gray also coined the term rat rod,, several old timers l'v talked told me this.. is that true?? Modern rat rods, especially the rusted out piles of junk cars really have little basis in history, tradition or reality. Back in the day we built the BEST cars we could with the money we had. The cars the rat rodders are building now are nothing like what was actually built by the people these guys are trying to emulate. To the uneducated the term "Rat Rod" has come to mean pretty much any hot rod that doesn't have shiny paint. Most self respecting hot rodders take offense when their car is called a rat rod, shiny paint or bare metal. I know I would.
Yes, that is the thread I am referring to and by you "taking" the thread that I started and moving it in it's entirety from one website to another (without asking me), you make it look like I am a member of Bang Shift when I am not.
Before everyone beats on Frieburger, he is right. Actually, almost everything on the internet is covered under copyright laws (one does not have to obtain a copyright, it is inferred from its initial creation, only need one to sue). I may suggest one just put in the link to an article, maybe an overview of the article. As far as photos, limited use for non-profit may be under the Fair-use section of the code, but tread lightly and always give photo credit if a name is attached in its original publication. Now, back to nice words about Gray Baskerville
Never got the chance to meet Gray but do know Jim. Here's some photos of the car in my shop in Vegas.
Side note to all of us over 50, Get your PSA checked yearly. Gray died from prostate cancer, nowadays it is not a death senternce when caught and treated early. He was a pleasure to read and follow.
In '78 I had a '71 Mach 1 351C 4 speed car -- also had a friend who had a machine shop that knew how to make a 351C RRUUUUNNNN. And I drove it on the street all the time. There was a bunch of us street racers out in San Bernardino and I took a few pictures and sent them in to Gray, saying if your not doing anything on a Friday or saturday nite come out and I'll take you around and show you the sights. Well, the mustang had the 2 black with Blue pearl strips on it when I had taken the pictures of it and sent them in, when one afternoon I was setting in the driveway of some friends (Heckle and Jeckle) who were painters and we were looking at the car, smoking some funny smelling cigarettes, and after a few cigs, it was decided that the car need something more and the white stripe was added. The very next day Gray shows up at my door and seeing the Mustang setting in the driveway immediately goes into a rant about what the hell did I think I was doing "putting a freaking Circus paint job" on my car. He didn't care how fast my car was -- he wasn't going anywhere in public in a car painted like that. Then he started laughing and we went out and had a great time street racing that evening, but because it was all illegal he couldn't take any pictures and didn't write a story of all us, but we did have a good time.
The Jalopy Journal
