Folks Of Interest Barris Vs. Jeffries

Wasn't Barris guilty of putting his badge on some of the Ayale Bros. creations? Seems there is a trail of this type of screwing around! But hey,it makes good reading for all of us.

 

Dean Jeffries and his Mantaray have always impressed me, started with buying that issue of Hot Rod back in 1964. Finally got to stand next to it in the Petersen back in 2002, still looked fresh 38 years later. I have to find the photo of the Maserati team at Indy that supplied the chassis for that car.

 

I think the true measure is that Dean Jefferies works mainly alone in his shop building his own stuff with no motives.
George Barris always has a motive.
All that being said, Barris' shop was the center of everything"cool" in the day. Jefferies, Watson, Dean, Hines, Conway, Von Dutch, and many others hung out at Barris cause that is where the action was.

 

Didn't Dick Dean work for Jefferies once upon a time?

 

Dean also did a lot of stunt work for movies. This stolen from a Motor Trend interview:

MTC: Okay, change of subject. You also did stunt work?
Jeffries: They'd hire me to build cars, then sometimes they'd have me drive, too. I worked on "The Blues Brothers"--we must've smashed a couple hundred cars on that one. I also once jumped a five-ton truck down in Florida for "Honky Tonk Freeway." I ended up breaking my back when I landed, and I couldn't move my legs to stop the truck--I was going over 100 mph. So I just reached up with my arm and pushed my leg onto the brake and skidded to a stop. Afterward, I didn't tell nobody. And I was real scared of doctors after this big-time movie star had died during a back operation. So I just told my wife to drive me home to the shop. I took a piece of aluminum, wrapped it around some sheepskin around my waist, and sucked it tight to hold my back straight. I also built this thing to let me hang upside down and stretch out my back; I did that three or four times a day. It worked okay. Only problem is, today when I get up out of a chair it isn't quite right. But, hell, when you're this old you don't wanna get up anyway [laughs].

 

Bought my copy a few weeks ago, haven't got to reading it as of yet. Look forward though, after reading Ryan post. Thank You !

 

Perhaps pertinent to the "who did what" topic, is that usually when a person is employed by a company or individual to do a job, that company or individual owns all rights to that work. There should however (IMO), be no reason not to give credit where it's due.

 

I will be getting this book. Hopefully it will help me understand who did what. It seems that so many of the early legends moved around to different shops and collaborated with so many different people that who built/designed what is rather murky.. Dick Dean and Dean Jeffries,Barris brothers, Bruce Myers, Herb Grasse. and so many others are intertwined in so many different ventures it is hard to know what to believe. What I do know is that they all played a part in the history of our hobby and it is a better one because of it..

 

I think it was 9 or ten years ago at the Grand National, still in the Cow Palace, and we ran across Mr. Jeffries - he had just hopped under/over the display ropes to do something with the Mantaray late in the evening. My wife and I had a really nice, though way too short talk with him, and wanted a picture with the car. He was happy to oblige, and just as mentioned earlier, he wanted to stand behind the car. I wasn't bothered a bit, but before I could snap the pic, Barris walked by, and something was said. We were sure there was going to be a fight, but there wasn't - definitely words flew - pretty much a toe to toe deal, and I never did get that shot. Mr Jeffries was definitely riled up. Not taking sides, but Ryan got my attention and brought back some memories with his post, and now I am DEFINITELY going to have to get the book!! I will have to see if I can find the pics from that show, seems I took a pic of them 'talking'.

 

I'll never get tired of looking at the Mantaray.
It's timeless.

 

Had a talk about 15-20 years ago with Dean and his words were "Barris could fuck up a rock in a sand pit!"

 

a friend of mine worked for barris in the old tv car days, he worked on the munster mobile, dragula - which he told me he drove in the drag race scene. he told me the dragula wheelstand scared him and he backed out of the throttle , slammed the frontend down hard enough to brake it. they had to trailer back to shop to repair front end to finish the scene. he also built a car for the short lived series electra woman and he still has this car. its an awsome car, the wings retract electrically into the sides of the flying car so it can be driven on the street, its three wheel design is pretty ingenius, the wheels also retract up into the bottom so it will become a boat. the wheel mechanisms are cessna landing gear. i have pictures of the car but i couldnt get them to download.
he also does not have to much to say about barris. dale has some awsome stories of hotrods and hollywood. he also built a floating model t roadster that he claims to have driven to catalina island. and i have driven that car. and it does exist. [IMG]http://www.jalopyjournal.com/f...icture.php?albumid=5683&pictureid=61060[/IMG]

 

posted pics - kinda screwed up format -this computer stuff dont get me dirty enough to appreciate. if i threw some rust and grease at it maybe i could work it better.

 

I picked up the book from Borders yesterday, online 40% off coupon...woohoo!

 

just ordered it... too bad Barris saw fit to take credit for everything he laid eyes on. the stuff he actually did should have been enough to make anyone proud. i don't feel a bit sorry for him that this book paints him in a less than positive light. he brought it on himself. thats always been the only real notable blemish on Barris' reputation i've ever heard, his need to take credit for work he did not do.

drama aside i'm realy looking forward to reading the book.

 

BTW, i got it for $28.40 from Barnes and Noble online. i bought a couple other books getting my total over $50 and allowing me to get free shipping.

 

I can't help him from Michigan any more then I already have. I just wish a couple of the local HAMB guys would stop by his shop and spend some time showing him how to get on the internet, use his email and the HAMB. He would be such a valuable asset to the HAMB community and I believe the person who helped him out would gain valuable insight into one of the great customizers of our time.

 

That is the measure of one tough sum-bitch!

 

What is your buddys name? I probably know him.

 

News Flash!
Barris invented gravy...

 

A couple of years ago I was on an LA freeway and glanced right to see his shop. I couldn't believe it. I jumped off and walked in. I intro-d myself as a hotrodder from New Mexico and that was it took--I shook his hand and for the next hour or so we chatted about all kinds of stuff. He was putting together a GT-40 at the time. He told me of once being at the Indy 500 and realizing he painted most of the field of cars for that race. I saw pix on the wall of the jump of PePe (the "little mule" featured in Romancing the Stone film). He said that not only did he build the vehicle-he was also the stunt driver that did the jump. This guy was too much. The memory of some jamoke from NM waltzing into his space and sitting down with this legend is forever with me. What a superb guy. And, yes, he alluded to the riff with Barris. He spoke of the cars, the films, the injuries as a stunt driver, and so many other things. The dude is the real thing. For me its Jeffries over Barris anytime, anywhere.

Whatever the book sells for......buy it.

 

Their personal spat aside I believe they have both significantly contributed to our hobby. I'm really anxious to read Dean's book after having the opportunity to thumb thru Dean's advance copy while visiting his shop.

When he heard I was from Ohio he asked if I had ever seen the Merc pictured below in my travels around Ohio. I can't remember which it was--either the last he heard it was in Ohio or he sold it to Ohio. Anyways, he'd love to know where it is at today and what condition it is in.

Maybe someone out there can help?
(I realize these aren't the best pics, maybe someone with the book could scan the pages and add them to this thread)

 

Megan, I believe he said he sold it to someone in Ohio, years ago...
It sure would be cool to see it, if it's still around!

 

No it was mustard theres not enough to coat that hotdog

 

Dean's the real deal, Barris was a ringmaster. Both great in their respective rights to me. I prefer the cool hand of Jeffries though to the glitter and flash of Barris. Dean's got more soul and talent for sure. But Barris made alot of headway on the promotion side and brought alot of things to light. I guess what I'm saying is it takes a craftsman to construct and a promoter to bring it to light. Most true craftsmen enjoy the reaction while promoters crave the attention.


Tim

 

Maybe Jim "Street" Skonzakis bought that too, and it's sitting in the garage between the golden sahara and the kookie T.

 

Malcolm
Your post is priceless. He is a true AMERICAN ICON. I got such a kick about how you guys set up his HAMB account. Also how he was amazed of all the interest about him. That book will soon be on my shelf. Great pictures, thanks. Slim

 

Growing up in So. Cal. in the 50's and 60's kustom cars were very important to me. I always looked up to George and Sam but as a kid I wanted to be like Dean Jeffries or Larry Watson they being only a few years older then me (I'm 63 now) and built the latest cool cars.
I will buy that book!

 

It is a great book indeed about a very humble craftsman and a loving husband. I like many have been very fortunate to meet the man many times and to be fortunate enough to call him on the phone regularly just to say hi.

 

Barris invented the Gold Shiny Jacket...