about the ’56 NHRA article from Nov. ’56 Hot Rod magazine posted above: See, the guys from California, they were the fast guys. They had the fast cars and the technology. But this guy, Melvin Heath from Rush Springs, Oklahoma mopped ass! He came out top eliminator from the whole damn country. Home built dragster! There’s another one here. Here’s a picture of Louis Cangelose, he was head of the Mafia in Kansas City. Nobody ever nailed him for that. I got an obituary from a guy that I don’t even know, sent it to me in the mail, on Louis’ death. His chute didn’t open at a drag and he went off a 30 foot precipice and got killed. Here’s Art Arfons’ dragster. I talked to him and I said “When you get halfway up the strip, is that the engine smoking or tire smoke?” He had an old aircraft engine, an Allison P-51 engine. He said “No, the tire smoke you’re seeing is because I have to feather it halfway up the quarter mile before I nail it.” 3,000 hp, 4-wheel drive and man, it just tore up the track. Speed wasn’t as big, but power was impressive. Traction was his problem. And Jimmy has already posted my comments about several other cars, including Dave Marquez’ roadster and Ed Cortapassi’s “Glass Slipper.” The turnout was terrific, unbelievable. Oh man, KC has been big on street rodding. So many areas have, they all have their own history. It’s just astonishing. And all this crap hand built! One-off!
<HR style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #e5e5e5; COLOR: #e5e5e5" SIZE=1><!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->Talking about Whistle Bait . . . about the rear window strips: When a window cracks a poor kid has to get by right? When I chopped the ‘52 I was sabersawing the Plexiglas and it chattered and made about a two inch crack, so I drilled a hole to stop the crack and fitted two pieces of chrome strips and made it look like a 3-piece window (like ‘52 Chevy hardtops.) I didn’t have the money to buy another chunk of Plexiglas. I made the large louver dies myself and had Dick Boucher, a friend in our club, The Cranktwisters, hold a big block of wood against the outside part of the louver die while I punched from the inside. Then, of course, I had to seal the inside so it wouldn’t leak. I peaked and frenched and pointed the head and taillights and also frenched the parking lights. Also, I styled the side scoops in the quarter panels as they are in these pictures. I used two ‘50 Merc grilles. I also laid the stripes that are in these pictures. Union Auto Trim on 6th St. stitched the interior and I installed it, including the headliner. I painted the inside, dash, and window frames two-tone this way. I sold the ‘52 to a kid named Paul Jeffers for a bunch of cash and a ‘50 Merc two door. He and his dad were going to install an Olds Rocket engine in it. I heard that they had, but never saw it after that. The offer to buy it came at a good time as my wife and I were saving to buy a house. So, that money helped us get the new house. I dropped the Merc 6 inches, C’d the frame front and back (it had a little less than 4 inches ground clearance.) Painted it baby blue primer, shaved the deck and louvered the hood, put on new heads, a two carb manifold and drove it for a few years, in the new house--My wife drove this Merc in all kinds of snow ,etc-It just plowed even as low as it was
<!-- / icon and title --><!-- message --> Whistle Bait again . . . Actually, I have never seen another chop with a laid back windshield, other than my 52 coupe. There may have been, but if there is, I have never seen it. I kept the roof full length, which made a visored roof which had to be filled on the bottom side of the roof lip. Then on the bottom front of the glass, it required making a piece to match the rise of the curve as the front center of the glass came up (as it laid back). It wasn't easy, but it did look real nice. No cutting of the windshield at all, I just wanted to comment on this point. I hope no one minds me bringing this up. <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
Jason, is Ray the guy with the black-with-flames Packard? (I say that as if there are several flamed Packards around KC...)
The Hot Rod mag article (above) from cactus1 was in the Nov. '56 issue. The following photo spread appeared in the Dec. '56 issue. Only a 4 page article. I took the liberty to enlarge the photos (want to jog Ray's memory).
Man this is too cool. Around Kansas City Ray Erickson is known a class act; he's done a lot, and I've never heard anything but praise about the man. I think this guy deserves credit for a lot more than a lot of people might realize. For me, what stands out the strongest is the fact that Ray laid the environmental groundwork for so many people to be influenced. There's no doubt about the coolness of what the man produced in terms of vehicles, but what he produced socially likely did more for customizing than what many builders can even take credit for. I mean tally it up, this cat created a legal entity to take responsibility for, and in many ways maintain, the heart of the custom scene in 1950s Kansas City. His ambition, and hard work, created a liaison situation between the government and what was then perceived as a sub-cultural stain on society. Can you imagine getting involved with the city to build a government sponsored drag-strip in order to keep criminal kids off the streets TODAY?! We're talking about criminal activity being given an arena, and being enabled, by the local government. Ray was a front man in producing that result he stepped up. Again, can you imagine that today? Hell no... This day an age wind breaks about some kids being creative in public and laws tighten up like we live in some kind of totalitarian state; no cruising ordinances popped up in this same metro area 40 years later when we tried to re-start just cruising around... Is that a sign of the times? I tend to think it's about us not having a strong leader like Ray at the wheel rubbing elbows downtown.. Compromise started with him, and those of like mind, and because of it everyone else had a stage in KC. There's no song to be heard without a stage. Nationals came to town in part because of his actions.. Who saw that model of Ray's structural success and realized you could do things on a national scale with a mind for organization? Ray Fharner was influenced for one, I've heard him talk about it. All of those car shows Fharner put on around the country, a series of actions that arguably pulled the weight that made customizing the national art-form it is (think about those old show pictures never having existed), stemmed from his home Kansas City. Remember, even Starbird's shows started among local cities relatively close to here; one of Starbird's first shows was at a small dealership here in KC that's considered a very small cruise night today compared to what was produced after. Ray Erickson had the mind for organization first, and in many ways, both directly and indirectly, it was contagious. He set a positive major working example of success - all while the guy held a career outside of all this. He did this shit in his spare time that's a real working man. When you're at World of Wheels (the cats Fharner sold his old show circuit to) I'd think about Ray Erickson showing young guys the possibilities of a brain. Having a mind to be creative is one thing, having a mind, and the ability, to facilitate a stage for everyone else to create along with you is a whole other deal. I just want to say I'm glad to see him being honored among peers this is someone you show respect. Most people are wishers, prayers, dreamers, compromising consumers, or worse, complainers this cat was a producer; that's my measure of a man, and for me there's no substitute and no other compliment. Since I received the call from Brerhair about this tribute being written I've been anxiously looking forward to reading about him; that's the best nod I think I could give a man. This thing we do is a Domino effect, it's exponential, and Ray was among the first. Wish I could have been there to take part, but even though I wasn't the stories still define me. To Ray Erickson a producer - setting an example (the only real charity) again.
Ray is one cool guy!!......I met him at last years KC world of wheels....I was looking at some old pics from gary potters display of the old KCTA dragstrip.....When he approached me and started telling me the story of the original KCTA dragstrip.....We visted for quite awhile.....He won my vote for top 10 coolest guys I have ever met....LOL...I need to look him up As I only live a few mins from him...
Please allow me to publicly apologize (especially to Ray and to Ryan) for dropping this potentially great thread into the mud: Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa, Mea Maxima Culpa. <O</O There, I said it. The reasons are . . . well shit, who cares what the reasons are, lets get back to the outstanding story of Radical Ray Erickson!!<O</O </O Ray has done a lot of work on friends cars over the years. <O</O Now, when you did work like that youd get paid for it, right? Ray: Yea . . . cheap, cheap, cheap.<O</O Youre doing it because you love it. Ray: Yea. <O</O You werent doing it to make money. Ray: No.<O</O Heres a sampling of some of that work:<O</O <O</O Ray did all the bodywork for his buddy Bill Morris 31 Model A hot rod, including fabricating all the fenders out of fiberglass. As the write-up in Car Speed & Style magazine says, Bills car was basically a 31, radiator shell is 32, headlights are 34, radiator is 35, transmission is 39, and steering is 40, all Ford parts. The taillights are 50 Pontiac, the mill is a 53 Olds 331. <O</O
Obviously not true because . . . Ricki furnished several more pics of the LaJoya in progress (that's Ray in the first pic and his wife Joan in the last):
Ray chopped a 53 Stude for his buddy Al Lawson. This is a photo of Al on the cover of the KCTA Guidebook (the flagman), and the only photo Ray has of the Stude (actually, that is Als Stude in the driveway in the next-to-last pic of the LaHoya photos in the previous post above). Note the wing window that Ray had not gotten to yet. Ray: As I remember I cut 4 and 3/16"inches out of the windshield posts. And here is the only in-progress build pic: fficeffice" /><O></O>
Ray rebuilt the fiberglass body of a Devin for his friend John Fields. The car was wrecked, the body split in half, when John bought it. Ray: I fixed the body, completely finished it out in Cadillac lacquer .Made the second headrest, it only had one headrest, made twin headrests on it. I had the one headrest which allowed me to make a mold for the second headrest. The body was set on a 40 Chevy frame with a 6-cylinder Stude, had carbs on it and a cam. No top on it, and had a 3-speed overdrive. Plus, the Devin had a weird thing, the door jambs were slanted at 45 degrees, it was a 45 on the inside of the doors. I couldnt figure any way to hinge it or latch it because I didnt have the Devin stuff. So, I cut those out, the inner door jambs, glassed it all in and then cut the door opening at the same place but put oak wood for the door jambs. Here is the only photo Ray has of the Devin, seen here to the left of Rays 1960 customized English Ford (to be clear: the Devin is the blue car; the red car is Ray's English Ford about which we'll get to shortly).
Ray chopped a 50 Ford several years ago for Mark, a fellow Misfit, Rays current car club in KC. There is a video of Ray working on the chop. Ray: It shows how I chose to do the panel migration of the piece that finishes out the back window, the quarter window. Now Bill Hines, Jesse James, about a half dozen guys, the cream of the crop of the customizing guys that have their own shops, they do what I see repeatedly, even in the hot rod magazines. Where the quarter window is, they cut that turnout at the bottom back and throw it away and then make one from scratch. Ive never done that. I cut the piece, save it, put it back in and its already there. And I did that same thing on Marks 50 Ford that I built. <O</O
Glad to see this thread back up. Ray is a class act and a good pal. I'm proud to say that he's had a hand in all my projects.
Ray did the chop and body mods on another Misfit buddys car, Jim Whitesides 53 Chevy. Ray has always gas welded. Ray: All the work, all these years, still the same acetylene torch and bottles I bought from Sears in 55. <O</O
Rays customized 1960 English Ford is one of the few cars for which he has some build pics. It is also a great example of why he is called Radical Ray. While his wife Joan was in the hospital for five days delivering one of their five children (that was what everyone did in those days, spend 4 or 5 days in the hospital), Ray chopped the car 5-1/2 inches and lengthened the rear by 14 inches. He was taking care of the two other children he had at the time (they were in school during the day). Ray: I completed it in primer, glass in it, and drove it back to work two weeks later. Note that it is a four door. <O</O <O(That's Al Lawson's Studebaker in the background in the photo above)</O </O <O></O> <O><O<O</O<O
Sorry for the long delay in getting this story posted. Thanks for your patience. Ray is a car (I should say "machine") customizing maniac, a real pioneer. He deserves his due, and will be proud that folks like you are appreciative. Thanks Rik.
One of Rays favorite cars that he built over the years is one for which he does not have a single photo. <ORay: I put a V-8 60 in a 1960 Crosley station wagon with a 39 Ford trans and a 40 Ford 3:78 rear end. Had to narrow the rear end to fit inside the body and shortened the torque tube and axles. Two Crosley radiators, one for each bank of cylinders. That thing would fishtail for half a block when you nailed it! Raised the rear wheel wells six inches, had 6:70 x 15 tires on the rear and 6:00 x 12 midget Ascot tires on the front. <O</O Since he has no photo of the car, Ray has taken a photo of an earlier model and doctored it up to give some idea of what it looked like, and he also drew a picture of the car.<O</O </O>
Another favorite for which he has no photo is a 52 DeSoto that he customized. He traded the Crosley wagon for this 2-door hardtop with a small hemi. The previous owner had replaced the fluid hard drive with a 3-speed. <O</O Ray: A buddy had a 53 Chrysler sedan that he had bought for the hemi and I asked him what he was going to do with the Chrysler. He said Tow it off. And I said You dont care then if I take the cutting torch and cut off the whole back quarter of the car, from side to side? So, I did that and I knew they would fit. Obviously, just looking at them I knew they would fit. I cut off the fenders, all that stuff, and made a complete rolling frame of the DeSoto. It fit perfect, it wasnt like chopping a top, everything fit, wheel wells . . . It looked like a big Corvette in the back. I never got a picture of it. Ray grafted the entire back of the Chrysler onto the DeSoto. Radical.<O</O
Then there is the modified Porsche that Ray built. Ray: The Porsche. I paid 500 bucks for that car. I was driving it going 60 miles an hour down the highway one day and spotted a 48 Chevy coupe in a back yard, off in a field. I thought Theres what I need. He wanted ten bucks for the car, but I told him I only wanted the fenders. So I went home, got my torch and came back and cut them off. And thats what I made for the front end of the Porsche. It was a 52 or 54 Porsche, Ive forgotten. It was a unique car. It had a bead windshield, the glass from the factory was heated and folded in the middle. <O</O In the photo of the pre-customized Porsche, the 52 DeSoto is sitting behind it. This is the only photographic record of the DeSoto . And, of course, that is Ray in the photo.
I just get such a kick out of this guy! Driving 60 mph down the road in your '54 356 Outlaw and you spy a '48 Chevy in a field. You say "Hey! I can graft those fenders on to the front of the Porsche!" Radical.
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