this was sam gregories 40 chevy back in the mid 70's. this was painted by a close friend of mine named tommy taylor out of waukegan illinois. this is the same guy who painted the tank on my 66 triumph. sam gregory was a close friend of mine too. sam and tommy grew up with my dad, and that's how i came to know them. both sam and tommy are gone now, but the 40 chevy lives on. this is what the car looks like today. it was redone in 1993 or so, called "the eternal flame" after sam died. painted again by tommy, and then auctioned off. the last time i saw the car was probably 1995 maybe, and the illinois license plates said "sams car". does anyone recognize this car, or know where it might be ?? it was on the cover of rod & custom a few years ago, and the title was "how to paint flames" or something like that. thanks.
my father has slides of that chevy from the 70's in ST PAUL? i think.. dad has always been INterested in 40 chevys.. and that one rocks.. I dont care for the latest incarnation though..
I took a pic of my Dad beside that Chevy at the SR Nats in Columbus in '78. He'd learned to drive in "one just like it, only stock..."
i don't remember...but it was painted several different times. i know that it was white once, and then a rootbeer brown (before the multi candy flame paint job). i don't ever remember seeing it paneled and flamed. this is the car that i grew up around, and i don't remember it being panel painted with flames...but that could have been before my time.
only in pictures...never in person. yes i miss them too. actually, my dad is the one who taught tom how to paint when they were kids. you may know who he is...you may know who i am. sam was a regular at my house just like tom. i grew up at gordons auto parts...remember that place ??
After it was auctioned, it was here in the Minneapolis area. It was owned by a guy named Tom Vollbrecht. I remember him saying he and Sam had been friends for a long time. I'm not sure if Tom bought it from the auction, or someone after. I don't think he still has it though.
if i remember correctly, the guy that won the auction, sold the car shortly after. that's probably who tom vollbrecht bought it from. his plan was to try and win the auction, to sell the car and make a buck. that's what i heard anyway...that may not be true.
I can remember Sam coming to Indy and showing that car at the Autorama held in November at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. That car was the shits back then. The year must have been around 1978. On Saturday night of the show that year, Sam discovered his truck and trailer had been stolen from the Fairgrounds parking area
more than likely....lol over on belvedere street i think it was. i was there alot, but at that time, i was probably only 5-6 years old...but i remember it well. lots of great stories about that place.
yes, that was in 1978...i was there with my dad & sam. i was only 9 years old, but i remember it well. another time at world of wheels in chicago, someone stole the tires & wheels from the 40. sam had the car up on stands, with all 4 wheels & tires off it, laying by the car. we all went to the hotel that night, came back the next morning, and the tires & wheels were gone. of corse, non of the security guards knew or saw anything. they were the same wheels that's on it in the pic. they were american 200S 5 spokes.
I saw it in Memphis at the Nationals . About 1975. I like the American 200S wheels.Really nice car .Was in several magazines at the time.
One of my very first, attempts, at hot rods, was a 40 chevy sedan, 283/powerslide, I got it running, drove it about 5 miles, wasnt smart enough, to follow through with it and finish it. To make this story shorter, Sams car was like an idol, to me, its why I liked 40 chevys so much.I attended most of all the early street rod nationals, in St.Paul, Tulsa, ect., it was one car you could always count on to be there, and to be top notch quality. I liked every stage of it, and just when you thought it could get, no better, he would always, improve it. It was a real trendsetter. Its a piece of history, hope it has a good home, and also, hope who ever owns it, knows its history and what they have.
Back in the '70's, there were no professional blowhards like today. There were no Boyd's, Troy's, Chip's (Sam, Chip's dad was around though) Sam G's 40 was always a breath of fresh air. A car like his was obtainable by most car enthisists back then. Unlike the high dollar cars of today. I too would look for it every year at every NSRA Nat's.
so true...sam was a "regular" guy, and his 40 was the top of the heap back then. i don't know how many times i rode in that car when i was a kid, but every time i did, i was on top of the world. sams 40 spent alot of time in our garage too when i was a kid. it was at my house for about a week one time. (i think i was about 10 years old maybe). tom had to fix a chip in the paint, and the drivers side rear fender (no easy task due to the multi colored candy stripes around the wheel wells). toms shop had burned down, and he had no where to work...so my dad lent him our garage. anyway, every day after school for that whole week, i would bring different kids home with me and show them the car that was in my garage. i would not allow any of them to get close to it, or touch it...they had to look at it from the doorway of the garage. they coldn't go past the threshold because i wouldn't let them. everyone loved that car, even kids who had no idea what a hot rod was back then. sams 40 was an icon to me as a kid, and still is to me today. by the way, in case anyone is wondering, my dads name is Reggie Riley...ring any bells ??
I never met Sam, but I have seen many pictures of his car. I have an article that reviews the 1971 street rod nationals. Sam won best non-ford. His car was pearl white with can red & pink flames by Taylor. The North Shore Rods award the Sam Gregory Memorial each year to a rodder who REALLY enjoys driving his rod. I was lucky enough to receive the award in 2002. I did meet Thomas Taylor a couple times after he moved to California. My rod was painted by Tom around 1976 when it was owned by Bob Janda. When Tom would come back to Illinois in the 90's and saw my car, he would gather his old buddies to show them how great one of his first paint jobs looked after all these years. I've had the old Vicky for over 20 years now. Still love it, still drive it 8 - 10,000 miles per year. This year it will turn over 100,000 since that 1970's build. Thanks for remebering these rodders who kept the flame alive in Illinois in the 60's and 70's. See you down the road, PHIL
phil, have you ever been to "scoop the loop" in waukegan illinois? north shore rods inc. was doing it for the past 9 years. anyway, my dad is one of the guys who got it started. i'm not a fan of bob janda, but i know who he is...and i know your vicky.
Bringing this one back. Just found these while looking through old photo albums. These were taken in St. Paul at the Street Rod Nats in '74.
The Jalopy Journal
