Herbert Gary

A photo of Herb with The Aztec from The Ray Soff Photo Collection.

Gary receives a trophy for The Aztec at the Hartford Autorama in the late 50's.

Herb Gary's 1949 Plymouth - The Aztec

A construction photo of Harry Bradley's 1951 Chevrolet Bel Air taken at Herb's shop. Gary was known for hand-making panels from sheet stock and hammer-welding them in place, and when this photo was taken, he was chopping the top of the iconic custom. Photo from The Ray Soff Photo Collection.

Herbert "Herb" Gary was a legendary East Coast customizer who owned and operated Gary's Auto Body in Sea Cliff, New York. He learned his trade entirely on his own, primarily from reading magazines. His abilities included a range of skills, such as hammer-welding and sectioning. He was known for hand-making panels from sheet stock and hammer-welding them in place. He never used any filler of any kind, whether plastic or lead and was well-known for flawless results

Career

Gary's Auto Body was a custom shop that produced a variety of iconic vehicles. Some of these vehicles included Herb Gary's 1949 Plymouth, named "The Aztec," Harry Bradley's 1951 Chevrolet Bel Air, named "La Jolla," Steve Scrivani's 1955 Oldsmobile, named "Celestial I," Russell Grady's 1957 Oldsmobile, named "The Oriental," Andy Southard's 1958 Chevrolet Impala, and Hank Bornstein's 1959 Chevrolet Corvette, named "The Pinapple Pearl."​

Herb was known for taking detailed photographs during the construction of his builds.

Herb's right-hand man was a black employee whose name has not been identified. He did the bodywork and customization on cars brought to the shop, while Herb handled the painting. "You brought your car to get customized. He would take all the moldings off. He drew everything. And he customized the car for Gary," Ray told Sondre. The man later opened his own body shop on Long Island, taking many of Gary's customers with him. According to Ray, Herb was bitter about it. "The guys knew he did the car. So why take it to Gary? Take it to the guy who really worked on the car." Herb refused to speak to his former employee after that.

Herb was known as a very private person. Ray's friend Bob, who serviced the shop in the 1960s, said Herb "didn't talk to anybody." When Ray first called the shop in the early 1980s, Herb told him "I have no time" and hung up. It took fifteen years before Herb opened up to Ray. Herb's wife Mickey said Ray was one of the few people Herb would talk to.

Ray also recorded conversations with Herb on cassette tape.

Herb maintained a close correspondence with designer Harry Bradley. While Bradley was working at General Motors in Detroit in the early 1960s, he sent letters to Herb every couple of weeks. Herb kept the entire collection of letters. The letters, along with over 200 slides and Bradley drawings, were later acquired by Ray Soff.

Inspired by Valley Custom Shop

According to an article in Street Rodder January 1976, Herb's work was inspired by the creations of Neil Emory and Clayton Jensen of Valley Custom Shop, such as The Polynesian.

Luxury Cars

During the 1970s, when customizing was not as popular, Herb began doing bodywork on automobiles such as Rolls Royce and Mercedes Benz​.

In his later years, Herb wanted to sell The Aztec. He initially asked $20,000 for the car, which was in pieces at the time. Ray Soff told him it was worth closer to $5,000. Herb later reduced his asking price to $10,000 but continued to go back and forth on the sale. Eventually, Herb gave the car away for free to Bob Falco in New York State. As of 2018, the car was stored in mud under a cover with flat tires, deteriorating.

Death

Herb Gary passed away on August 27, 2017, at the age of 91​​.

Legacy

Herb Gary's work was highly respected in the customizing community. His work has been compared to that of West Coast customizer Sam Barris, and it has been suggested that if he had been based in California, he would have been ranked among the "Legends" of car customizing​.

Herbert Gary's Cars

Herb Gary's 1949 Plymouth - The Aztec

Cars Restyled by Herbert Gary

Click here to see more cars restyled by Herb Gary at Gary's Auto Body