Willys Gassers

News Flash! The King Of Stripers Dean Jeffries Passed Away Part 1

              News Flash! The King Of Stripers Dean Jeffries Passed Away Part 1
        Dean Jeffries interests in custom cars,had startered with a man while
    stationed in Germany named Von Dutch,while Jeffries was in was
    stationed here.It was Von Dutch who taught the fine detail of pin striping
    to Dean Jeffries how to pin stripe.I have pictures of the young man Jeffries
    striping a '56 Chevy with pretty girl.
        The idea of Dean Jeffries,wanted to work as a mechanic,like his
   dad,getting himself dirty,wasn't his cop of tea.Instead he wanted to work
   free lance for George Barris,doing body work,welding,pin striping,and 
   painting custom cars.He chose The King Of Stripers as his nickname.The
   name stuck,he even striped thefamous  Ala Kart a two time Grand National 
   Winner in 1958,and 1959.He help build the car originally called the Silver 
   Sapphire,which name was changed to the Little Deuce Coupe,around 1962
   when The Beach Boys came out with their popular song The Little Deuce 
   Coupe.The Little Deuce Coupe was restored by the Alexander Brothers in 
   2001.
        Back in the late fifties the famous movie star in Rebel With Out A Cause
   James Dean was a great drinking buddy of Dean Jeffries.It was night after
   drinking with James Dean,that he wanted Dean Jeffries customize his own
   Porshe Spyder with paintng the Lil B...on the back of the car.(Sorry people
   I can't used this word,as  it is considered profanity,but everyone who knows
   the story.)
         It was The King Of Stripers Dean Jeffries who painted this on the car,as 
   well as the number,that James Dean chose.After James Dean had died in this
   car,for speeding,that caused the tragity,the own California Highway Patrol,
   used the crash car,as a driving lesson not to follow.They said with a caption:
   This Accident Could Have Been Prevented,along with the crushed Porshe 
   Spyder,that Jeffries had painted.
        George Barris had Dean Jeffries build a identical car to have for the car
   shows,but George Barris felt uneasy about being around the car.In fact later
   George Barris lied and said he built,the car and painted it.Then he lied again
   saying he had one of the builders,build,the car.He then lied a third time say-
   ing he didn't know who built,The Lil B... car.George Barris brain isn't forget-
   ful,after all,he fooled you all,into believing he built The Batmobile,when it was
   Bill Cushenbery.He knows who built what,he just wanted himself get the
   credit for over many years.    
        Dean  Jeffries  had raced sprint cars,as well as painted as many famous
   Indy racing cars for free,that were in the starting lines,including A.J.Foyt's
   Indy car Novi.
        About 1962 Carrol Shelby was looking for someone to buy his car design,the
   Shelby Cobra.Chrysler,and General Motors turn him down,but  young Jeffries
   helped Shelby sell the idea to Ford Motor Company.Dean Jeffries said the car,
   was rough,and Carol Shelby had him paint this one car five times.This to give
   buyers the idea,there were more cars,of Carol Shelby's Cobra,so sales would be 
   increased,to all who wanted one.This Shelby Cobra was shown at many car 
   shows,everyone love that sporty nose,those cool side pipes,first done,with wire
   wheels,and in yellow,then went to cool special Shelby Cobra wheels.The first
   Shelby Cobra's were only in the new engine a Shelby Cobra Ford 289 C.I.D.
   Later he also had Shelby Cobra's Ford 427 C.I.D with duel four barrels carbs,
   or other manifold set ups.He even built two Shelby Cobra Black Snake's.They
   had Ford Shelby Cobra 427 C.I.D.with duel four barrels carbs,and two Lantham
   Super Chargers.The first was sold to Bill Cosby,but he couldn't handle the car,
   and he crashed it.Bill Cosby must have been scared about this Black Snake,as
   he had this very car scrapped.He could have sold his wrecked,to any drag racer,
   and make some money,but he just let the car be scrapped.It is a true fact,that
   Bill Cosby on his album referred to racing, is thinking about this crash.It is the 
   album,with the home made coaster on the record cover.
        Carol Shelby had the other one,that he auctioned in Barret Jackson with a
   price tag in 2007 for $7,000,000.00,along with his first new Shelby Cobra
   Mustang 550 for $500,000,along with 10% auction price and 8% taxes since
   the winning bidder lived in Arizonia.
         Dean Jeffries father had racing Indy cars.His father had two old 1953
   Maserati Formula One cars.Dean ask his dad if he could have one,his father
   replied,they are not worth anything.So Dean started coming up with idea,of 
   styling this into a custom car.He called the car Mantaray.For helping Shelby,
   he gave Dean Jeffries a new Ford Shelby Cobra 289 C.I.D. He threw  away
   the original Maserati engine,something he regretted,being very valuable.He
   installed a Shelby Cobra 289 CI.D engine,because all the customizers were
   installing them in their cars.The Munster Koach had this engine,also Gene 
   Winfield's Strip Star,as well as many customizers,loved this engine.Besides,
    he helped Carol Shelby sell the Shelby Cobra and this engine to Ford.
         Ford loved this engine so much,that the X-II Mustang had this new Ford
    Shelby Cobra Engine.Ford loved it so much they built a none Shelby Cobra 
    Ford 289 C.I.D engine,that was used in V-8 Ford cars,like some Mustangs,
    Falcons,Galaxie 500,and more Ford Cars.
         Dean Jeffries paid about $400.00 to have a company added 99 tresses
    under his all aluminium body with a real blown glass method bubble top,let
    it cool,and cut it to shape.Later on he said he would have gone with a wrap
    around windshield,but at that time bubble tops were the in thing,in custom
    cars.In fact his car won the engineer award,and a trip to Germany.
         The Mantaray made Dean Jeffries a stunt man,and had doubled for star
    Frankie Avalon,who said he could hardly drive a automatic.He was to be the
    double in the hit movie Bikini Beach,with Potato Bug,going with the British 
    Beetle scene that was popular.The story goes Potato Bug had challenged him
    to a drag race.Even Tommy Ivo's Show Boat four engine Nail Head dragster,
    as well as Barris Kustom cars were there.This lead to a long career,both in
    designing cars for film,and being a stunt driver.
          The Mantaray was Dean Jeffries favorite custom styled car.Even the
    car world,called a  Automotive Masterpiece,and who could doubt it.Did you
    know between the custom nose there were headlights for driving?I love it
    better then the famous TV Batman  Batmobile.The whole design came from
    Dean Jeffries King of Stripers brain.It show real imagination,and design. 
          Dean Jeffries did build a custom for Ford.They wanted to restyle a new
    Ford Falcon.Dean Jeffries,restyled so the car,looked like fast back, he had
    redesigned the body,and it was wild.He called the Python.It looks like a new
    black experimental car,set up for the Ford's Caravan.
         The model car market models designed by Jeffries,like amt,mpc and 
    others,which brought in extra money,that Dean Jeffries could use. 
         The King of Stripers was ask to build a Batmobile for Batman a new 
    television show.Dean Jeffries had a 1959 Cadilac which he had reworked the
    tail fins,and had a nose,to represent the classic Batmobile look.However both
    Greenway Productions and 20th Century Fox wanted the car built quicker.
    Even with a full crew,he couldn't get the car finished in their time schedule,he
    said no but asked,for him to build the car for Green Hornet,The Black Beauty.
         However George Barris first made his cool version custom of Black Beauty,
    it had four pipes coming out of the body on both sides,and a angled Contiental
    Kit spared tire in the rear,but it wasn't practical for the show  Green Hornet,
    but it was turned down,so next Greenway Productions and 20th Century Fox,
    went with the car that represented The Black Beauty,for the super hero,of the
    new television show The Green Hornet.
        The King of Stripers Dean Jeffries designed for The Black Beauty was
    amazing.The producers love Dean Jeffries designed Black Beauty,that they
    gave also the rights to The Black Beauty for Green Hornet to Dean Jeffries.
        They had also promoted as many Chysler models in The Green Hornet,not
    only Chyslers,but even Plymouth's too.
        Many people said,that The Black Beauty was a 1966 Imperial,but Jeffries
    had said he used a 1966 Plymouth Fury III.After all,couldn't this wizard,have
    built custom fenders,like a Imperial if he wanted to?We know he could.
        The top was altered,and quadralateral pieces on both side of fiberglass,were
    epoxied in place the full upolstery was used over the top to give it's real wild 
    professional look.The engine was a 440 C.I.D. The mags were very rare,with a
    rib design through the five spokes.Both Black Beauty's #1, and 2 have these
    rare mags.The fender skirts were made from 1966 Chysler fender skirts.
        Many people have got the headlights wrong.Dean Jeffries designed,both
   cars like pivoting triangles to carry both two stock lights,and also famous
   French green honeycomb headlights.Both cars also had chrome grill covers,
   that matched the real famous custom nose.Since this tubular bar grill,would 
   come down half way,the green honeycomb head lights,would on shine half the
   green lights,since the bar grill,was blocking the other half of the light.Go on
   youtube,or DVD,and you see it for yourselves.Over the years,the tubular bar
   grill covers were lost,covering the lights.Even when both cars were restored,
   the tubular bar covers,over the lights were never refabricated. So people got
   the idea they were never there.Go check out formerly Aurora Model
   Company's model now produced by Round 2 under Polorlights.and you will
   see those tubular bar covers,for the lights.Also this model has one light,which
   in the first build Dean Jeffries had single,lights,but,had then changed to two
   lights,in the car for the show The Green Hornet. 
       The custom nose would go with the center of the car,but he had to cut off 
   alot of  metal,before he could install the custom styled nose,with quadralateral
   custom white grill,inserted in the nose,that look like it was made for  custom
   The Black Beauty. 
       That thing looks like a horn on the grill,sprays a sleeping gas to enemies.    
       Below the headlights were ten rockets,inside the rocket doors.The rockets
   were water rockets,used with special effects for Green Hornet  television 
   show. 
       On the truck a door was cut open for the little scanner,that really works.
       The  rear tail lights in a vertical thin oval angled lights,Dean Jeffries said,
    it was just what I was thinking of at the time.  
       Bruce Lee as Kato would push all the buttons,to the scanner,the oil slick 
   goes in the back.He also open the rockets,rear rockets,and even flame
   throwers out back,that ignited by karosene.
      The rear seat has a secret compartment,behind the seat for Green Hornet
   to change,to ready for action and adventure.                     
       Below you see also The Monkees The Monkeemobile and also Manaray II
  Kyote for the movie HEAD The Monkees movie.Part 2 will share more of King
  of the  Stripers Dean Jeffries custom cars.(Give me time to find the photos of
  Dean Jeffries striped '56 Chevy with the pretty girl,as well as other photos and
  I will add them for you.Including The Little B... Porshe Spyder of James Dean)
      This what a modeler, Dean Jeffries Batmobile would have looked like.   













   

Dean Jeffries Manta Ray