George Barris Beginnings Part 2 George Barris Died November 5,2015

                                                 
            George Barris Beginnings Part 2o
     The boys interests grew in their  teenage years
hanging out at body shops after school.
     The brothers met a metal craftsman body and
fenderman that loved building custom cars named
Harry Westergard who took much time to teach
them much of the body work.
      George appreciated the special talent of
Harry Westergard to teach him how to
hand-panel body work,fabricate sheet metal,
create shapes out of existing ones,and to gas weld.
      Both boys took mechanical drawing,wood,and
metal shop.They did anything to help them work on
cars.     George also was good in track.
      George created his first full custom from a
1936 Ford Convertible .This custom had a
reworked grill with Pontiac hood side panels,
Desoto bumpers,and custom taillights.He
drove the car to Oakland and had the body
shop Halls Upholstery install a Carson-style
top.   Both  door and trunk handles were shaved
and replaced with buttons,the license plate was
frenched and skirts were added.This was the car
George made before graduation of high school.
      George brother Sam was in the Service.
George was lonely after graduation so he moved to
Los Angeles,but not to tap dance.He was going to do
more with body work.The year was 1941.
      Since  George Barris Beginnings Part 1 and 2 had
been written King Of Kustomizers George Barris has
died on November 5,2015.He loved his brother Sam,
and his wife Shirley Barris,who he called "blue eyes".
      George Barris mourned deeply the death of his
brother Sam Barris,who was one the best lead slead
body choppers.As for his beloved wife Shirley who
he met in gambling casino,he fell head over heals in
love and married her.Shirley Barris saved his business,
after a 1957 lightning fire caused,his shop to catch on
fire.Dean Jeffies saved a mans 1956 Chevy,and the cool
Ala Kart that George Barris Designed with a cool type
of design mixing a 1929 Model A Pick up cab with a
1923 Model T back of the body.The truck had fire
damage,and needed repairs,to restore the custom cool
truck.They sent to Alexander Brothers,to restore it.
The result it won The Grand Nation two years in a row.
That award was The Americans Most Beautiful Roadster.
      George Barris was going to call it quits after the 1957
George Barris fire,but Shirley Barris would not let him.
She assured him,she would stick by him,and the result is,
Barris Kustoms sky rocketed having many contract that
included at least four Barris Kustoms To Elvis Presley.
There was the RCA Victor  Gold Cadillac,his mid 1960's
Gold Cadillac,which they cut up,after Elvis Presley had
died,to make pendants from the car.George Barris was
furious about them doing this.There was also Elvis cool
pale blue bus,Elvis favorite color.George had to use the
material for X-rays to make a sound proof room for this
bus,so Elvis could record music,and have no noise.Then
George Barris was responsible for making Elvis Presleys
custom Studz.
     There so many more custom that his company made,
The Famous 1955 Lincoln Futura, The Batmobile,and
yes George did even make his version of the Black Beauty,
but it wasn't practical for the Green Hornet.It had cool type
Duesenberg type ribbed pipes coming out of the body,Then
the cool angled Lincoln Contiental kit,was too much,so it
became Dean Jeffies,The King Of The Stripers,job to design
the car for the television show.More will be said about each
custom,as times goes on.