Barris Kustom Techniques of the '50s:
Flames, Scallops, Paneling and Striping
Barris Kustom Techniques of the '50s:
Grilles, Scoops, Fins and Frenching
Recently I reported on the old Top Chop book we revived from the “out of print” file and put back into production. That went so well that we decided to do it again. This time however, we’ve purchased the rights to four books written by master customizer George Barris.
Most motorheads know the name George Barris, but what most of them don’t know is that George did a tremendous amount of photography during the early days of customizing. From how-to segments that show his brother Sam leading a fender, to finished car features, George turned out story after story, all of which ran in the magazines of the period.
Apparently George was smart enough to keep the original prints and negatives, because about eleven or twelve years ago a small publishing company gathered up all that archival film and created four George Barris customizing books. The books eventually went out of print, but, as I said, we’ve been able to buy the rights and plan to re-issue the books. Not only are these books filled with how-to articles from the ‘50s and ‘60s, they also contain interesting side-bars and interviews with icons like Dean Jeffries and Von Dutch.
Two of the books will be available in the spring of 2008, and two more in the fall of the same year. These are classics filled with great (mostly) black and white images of techniques and people. Between the stories are a few interesting ads from the same period, including one for “the original candy paint” from Joe Bailon, and another for “custom mixed colors” from Guild Auto Body on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles.
The books provide some very useful how-to information on all kinds of customizing techniques, as well as a valuable history lesson. Occasionally my life throws up an opportunity to not only make a few bucks, but to do the right thing, to re-publish a series of books that deserve to go back on the shelf.
Watch the web site for more information on the exact release date for the first two of the four George Barris books.
Progress
Not to sound like a broken record, but we’re still bangin’ away trying to get all the "fall" books finished. Bonneville is done and the Triumph Restoration book is next. In fact, the Triumph book should ship to the printer shortly after you read this.
Between all this book publishing we’ve tried to keep up with the other aspects of our little (and I mean little) publishing empire. The web or internet or whatever you choose to call it becomes more important each day. With that fact in mind, we’ve begun to cut back on our print advertising and put more energy, time and money into the Wolfgang web site.
Working on the advice of Steve Delmont, our web guru, we have updated the web site; with more ways to navigate from one part of the site to another, more linkage with other businesses, and some click-through ads on Google for anyone looking for books on choppers, softails, custom paint ideas, Triumph information or airbrushing ideas or any other key word.
Projects
Steering Rack
As promised, I’ve started to clean the shop and rekindle my life-long obsession with the Henry J. To recap, I did get the engine and trans set into the frame last winter, complete with a new pair of chrome valve covers! Though there are about a thousand things left undone, the two biggest include unfinished sheet metal on the floor of the car, and the missing steering column, rack and connecting shaft and U-joints.
I’ve only gotten as far as setting the new steering rack on the floor and eye-balling the mounting points and wondering why the rack seems so damned close to the oil pan when I hold it into place….. stay tuned.
