SEMA News—August 2013

Hey Hey

HERITAGE
By Drew Hardin
Photo Courtesy Petersen Archives

Dean Jeffries, custom car painter, striper and builder, died in his sleep in early May. He was 80 years old. Jeffries was among the most talented of the men who shaped car culture in the ’50s and ’60s, though his profile was somewhat lower than that of George Barris, Ed Roth or Ken “Von Dutch” Howard. He may not have been as well known, but he was versatile and skilled enough that his handiwork could be found everywhere, from Gasoline Alley at Indianapolis to Hollywood movie and TV sets.

Arguably his best-known TV cars are the two GTO convertibles he modified for “The Monkees” TV show in 1966. We dug through the Petersen vault and came up with these shots, taken in June 1966 after a grueling 10-day build of the first GTO.

That’s right, one of the most iconic TV cars of all time came together in a little more than a week. In fact, Pontiac gave Jeffries two GTOs to build two Monkeemobiles, and both were finished in two weeks.

It helped that Pontiac provided Jeffries with convertible GTOs to work on, as their chassis were already reinforced and there were no metal tops to cut away.

Jeffries’ radical re-imagining of the GTO extended the car’s nose by nearly 2 ft. and the rear fenders by 18 in. The GTO’s stock oblong grille openings were retained, but they jutted out in a V angle much steeper than stock.

Jeffries kept the GTO’s 389-in. V8 but topped the engine with a massive GMC supercharger. The blown 389 reportedly made way too much power to be usable on the show, so he took the blower’s innards out and stuck a carburetor inside the case. (He kept the blower intact on the second car, though, and it was used for car shows, exhibitions and whenever the TV show’s directors had the need for Monkeemobile speed.)

The car’s front and middle seats were stock Pontiac buckets; a third seat was fashioned out of the trunk area and upholstered to match the buckets.

Though the top looks like it folds, it doesn’t and instead is framed by square steel tube. Jeffries positioned a drag chute out back, and it was deployed for the shot taken in front of his Cahuenga Boulevard shop.

Once “The Monkees” wrapped after two seasons on the air, Jeffries was offered the chance to buy back the Monkeemobiles for $1,000 each. He refused, believing at the time that he could build another one for less. Both cars are now in the hands of private collectors.

Dean Jeffries will be remembered for much more than just these two GTOs, of course. But none of his other cars—not even the Green Hornet’s Black Beauty—got the kind of exposure that these cars did at the height of Monkee-mania.

(For those interested in learning more about Dean Jeffries’ life and custom creations, Tom Cotter has written an excellent biography, Dean Jeffries: 50 Fabulous Years in Hot Rods, Racing & Film, published by Motorbooks.)

SEMA News—August 2013

Hey Hey

HERITAGE
By Drew Hardin
Photo Courtesy Petersen Archives

Dean Jeffries, custom car painter, striper and builder, died in his sleep in early May. He was 80 years old. Jeffries was among the most talented of the men who shaped car culture in the ’50s and ’60s, though his profile was somewhat lower than that of George Barris, Ed Roth or Ken “Von Dutch” Howard. He may not have been as well known, but he was versatile and skilled enough that his handiwork could be found everywhere, from Gasoline Alley at Indianapolis to Hollywood movie and TV sets.

Arguably his best-known TV cars are the two GTO convertibles he modified for “The Monkees” TV show in 1966. We dug through the Petersen vault and came up with these shots, taken in June 1966 after a grueling 10-day build of the first GTO.

That’s right, one of the most iconic TV cars of all time came together in a little more than a week. In fact, Pontiac gave Jeffries two GTOs to build two Monkeemobiles, and both were finished in two weeks.

It helped that Pontiac provided Jeffries with convertible GTOs to work on, as their chassis were already reinforced and there were no metal tops to cut away.

Jeffries’ radical re-imagining of the GTO extended the car’s nose by nearly 2 ft. and the rear fenders by 18 in. The GTO’s stock oblong grille openings were retained, but they jutted out in a V angle much steeper than stock.

Jeffries kept the GTO’s 389-in. V8 but topped the engine with a massive GMC supercharger. The blown 389 reportedly made way too much power to be usable on the show, so he took the blower’s innards out and stuck a carburetor inside the case. (He kept the blower intact on the second car, though, and it was used for car shows, exhibitions and whenever the TV show’s directors had the need for Monkeemobile speed.)

The car’s front and middle seats were stock Pontiac buckets; a third seat was fashioned out of the trunk area and upholstered to match the buckets.

Though the top looks like it folds, it doesn’t and instead is framed by square steel tube. Jeffries positioned a drag chute out back, and it was deployed for the shot taken in front of his Cahuenga Boulevard shop.

Once “The Monkees” wrapped after two seasons on the air, Jeffries was offered the chance to buy back the Monkeemobiles for $1,000 each. He refused, believing at the time that he could build another one for less. Both cars are now in the hands of private collectors.

Dean Jeffries will be remembered for much more than just these two GTOs, of course. But none of his other cars—not even the Green Hornet’s Black Beauty—got the kind of exposure that these cars did at the height of Monkee-mania.

(For those interested in learning more about Dean Jeffries’ life and custom creations, Tom Cotter has written an excellent biography, Dean Jeffries: 50 Fabulous Years in Hot Rods, Racing & Film, published by Motorbooks.)

SEMA News—August 2013

Hey Hey

HERITAGE
By Drew Hardin
Photo Courtesy Petersen Archives

Dean Jeffries, custom car painter, striper and builder, died in his sleep in early May. He was 80 years old. Jeffries was among the most talented of the men who shaped car culture in the ’50s and ’60s, though his profile was somewhat lower than that of George Barris, Ed Roth or Ken “Von Dutch” Howard. He may not have been as well known, but he was versatile and skilled enough that his handiwork could be found everywhere, from Gasoline Alley at Indianapolis to Hollywood movie and TV sets.

Arguably his best-known TV cars are the two GTO convertibles he modified for “The Monkees” TV show in 1966. We dug through the Petersen vault and came up with these shots, taken in June 1966 after a grueling 10-day build of the first GTO.

That’s right, one of the most iconic TV cars of all time came together in a little more than a week. In fact, Pontiac gave Jeffries two GTOs to build two Monkeemobiles, and both were finished in two weeks.

It helped that Pontiac provided Jeffries with convertible GTOs to work on, as their chassis were already reinforced and there were no metal tops to cut away.

Jeffries’ radical re-imagining of the GTO extended the car’s nose by nearly 2 ft. and the rear fenders by 18 in. The GTO’s stock oblong grille openings were retained, but they jutted out in a V angle much steeper than stock.

Jeffries kept the GTO’s 389-in. V8 but topped the engine with a massive GMC supercharger. The blown 389 reportedly made way too much power to be usable on the show, so he took the blower’s innards out and stuck a carburetor inside the case. (He kept the blower intact on the second car, though, and it was used for car shows, exhibitions and whenever the TV show’s directors had the need for Monkeemobile speed.)

The car’s front and middle seats were stock Pontiac buckets; a third seat was fashioned out of the trunk area and upholstered to match the buckets.

Though the top looks like it folds, it doesn’t and instead is framed by square steel tube. Jeffries positioned a drag chute out back, and it was deployed for the shot taken in front of his Cahuenga Boulevard shop.

Once “The Monkees” wrapped after two seasons on the air, Jeffries was offered the chance to buy back the Monkeemobiles for $1,000 each. He refused, believing at the time that he could build another one for less. Both cars are now in the hands of private collectors.

Dean Jeffries will be remembered for much more than just these two GTOs, of course. But none of his other cars—not even the Green Hornet’s Black Beauty—got the kind of exposure that these cars did at the height of Monkee-mania.

(For those interested in learning more about Dean Jeffries’ life and custom creations, Tom Cotter has written an excellent biography, Dean Jeffries: 50 Fabulous Years in Hot Rods, Racing & Film, published by Motorbooks.)

By SEMA Editors

	Chip Foose creates a rendering of the WD-40/SEMA Cares Foose Ford F-150 at the SEMA Garage.

Chip Foose and WD-40 Co. are teaming up again, this time to design a custom off-road truck that will be the first vehicle built inside the new, state-of-the-art SEMA Garage.  

Foose Design and WD-40 Co.—through a partnership with the Alex Xydias Center for Automotive Arts—will have leading SEMA manufacturers working alongside underprivileged teens and young adults to install parts and equipment on the Foose-inspired vehicle, dubbed the WD-40/SEMA Cares Foose Ford F-150. All work for the build program will be done at the recently built SEMA Garage in Diamond Bar, California—a facility that allows SEMA-member companies to test and prototype parts, try its 3D modeling and printing and use its full-scale photo studio, among other things. The completed truck will eventually be put up for raffle, with all of the proceeds going to three SEMA Cares charities.

“I'm so grateful for the opportunity to work with organizations like WD-40 Co. and SEMA Cares, who continue to support the automotive trade,” said Foose, president and CEO of Foose Design. “This year, we’ll have even more hands on deck to help out with the build, and there’ll be plenty of WD-40 brand products used throughout that process.”

Instead of being auctioned like previous WD-40/SEMA Cares vehicles, the enhanced ’13 Ford F-150 Lariat will be raffled off to one lucky winner in the spring of 2014. With raffle tickets only costing $50 starting November 1, 2013, owning a Foose-inspired truck is now more accessible than ever to all automotive enthusiasts. Proceeds from the raffled vehicle will benefit three SEMA Cares charities: the SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund, Childhelp and Victory Junction.

“Off-roaders, truck enthusiasts and aftermarket companies have used our products for decades, for preventing mud from sticking to displacing moisture from engines,” said Tim Lesmeister, vice president of marketing for WD-40 Co. “Now, we have the next generation of automotive professionals and enthusiasts getting excited about working on a vehicle that will support a great cause, and that’s something we’re proud to be a part of.”

This is the sixth vehicle WD-40 Co. and SEMA Cares have teamed up to build and the fourth vehicle Chip Foose has designed with them. To date, WD-40/SEMA Cares vehicles have raised more than $575,000 for SEMA Cares charities. 

By SEMA Editors

	Chip Foose creates a rendering of the WD-40/SEMA Cares Foose Ford F-150 at the SEMA Garage.

Chip Foose and WD-40 Co. are teaming up again, this time to design a custom off-road truck that will be the first vehicle built inside the new, state-of-the-art SEMA Garage.  

Foose Design and WD-40 Co.—through a partnership with the Alex Xydias Center for Automotive Arts—will have leading SEMA manufacturers working alongside underprivileged teens and young adults to install parts and equipment on the Foose-inspired vehicle, dubbed the WD-40/SEMA Cares Foose Ford F-150. All work for the build program will be done at the recently built SEMA Garage in Diamond Bar, California—a facility that allows SEMA-member companies to test and prototype parts, try its 3D modeling and printing and use its full-scale photo studio, among other things. The completed truck will eventually be put up for raffle, with all of the proceeds going to three SEMA Cares charities.

“I'm so grateful for the opportunity to work with organizations like WD-40 Co. and SEMA Cares, who continue to support the automotive trade,” said Foose, president and CEO of Foose Design. “This year, we’ll have even more hands on deck to help out with the build, and there’ll be plenty of WD-40 brand products used throughout that process.”

Instead of being auctioned like previous WD-40/SEMA Cares vehicles, the enhanced ’13 Ford F-150 Lariat will be raffled off to one lucky winner in the spring of 2014. With raffle tickets only costing $50 starting November 1, 2013, owning a Foose-inspired truck is now more accessible than ever to all automotive enthusiasts. Proceeds from the raffled vehicle will benefit three SEMA Cares charities: the SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund, Childhelp and Victory Junction.

“Off-roaders, truck enthusiasts and aftermarket companies have used our products for decades, for preventing mud from sticking to displacing moisture from engines,” said Tim Lesmeister, vice president of marketing for WD-40 Co. “Now, we have the next generation of automotive professionals and enthusiasts getting excited about working on a vehicle that will support a great cause, and that’s something we’re proud to be a part of.”

This is the sixth vehicle WD-40 Co. and SEMA Cares have teamed up to build and the fourth vehicle Chip Foose has designed with them. To date, WD-40/SEMA Cares vehicles have raised more than $575,000 for SEMA Cares charities. 

By SEMA Editors

	Chip Foose creates a rendering of the WD-40/SEMA Cares Foose Ford F-150 at the SEMA Garage.

Chip Foose and WD-40 Co. are teaming up again, this time to design a custom off-road truck that will be the first vehicle built inside the new, state-of-the-art SEMA Garage.  

Foose Design and WD-40 Co.—through a partnership with the Alex Xydias Center for Automotive Arts—will have leading SEMA manufacturers working alongside underprivileged teens and young adults to install parts and equipment on the Foose-inspired vehicle, dubbed the WD-40/SEMA Cares Foose Ford F-150. All work for the build program will be done at the recently built SEMA Garage in Diamond Bar, California—a facility that allows SEMA-member companies to test and prototype parts, try its 3D modeling and printing and use its full-scale photo studio, among other things. The completed truck will eventually be put up for raffle, with all of the proceeds going to three SEMA Cares charities.

“I'm so grateful for the opportunity to work with organizations like WD-40 Co. and SEMA Cares, who continue to support the automotive trade,” said Foose, president and CEO of Foose Design. “This year, we’ll have even more hands on deck to help out with the build, and there’ll be plenty of WD-40 brand products used throughout that process.”

Instead of being auctioned like previous WD-40/SEMA Cares vehicles, the enhanced ’13 Ford F-150 Lariat will be raffled off to one lucky winner in the spring of 2014. With raffle tickets only costing $50 starting November 1, 2013, owning a Foose-inspired truck is now more accessible than ever to all automotive enthusiasts. Proceeds from the raffled vehicle will benefit three SEMA Cares charities: the SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund, Childhelp and Victory Junction.

“Off-roaders, truck enthusiasts and aftermarket companies have used our products for decades, for preventing mud from sticking to displacing moisture from engines,” said Tim Lesmeister, vice president of marketing for WD-40 Co. “Now, we have the next generation of automotive professionals and enthusiasts getting excited about working on a vehicle that will support a great cause, and that’s something we’re proud to be a part of.”

This is the sixth vehicle WD-40 Co. and SEMA Cares have teamed up to build and the fourth vehicle Chip Foose has designed with them. To date, WD-40/SEMA Cares vehicles have raised more than $575,000 for SEMA Cares charities. 

By Jon Wyly

	The SEMA Data Co-op will host several educational sessions at the upcoming SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

Join the staff of the SEMA Data Co-op for a day of information and education about Product Data Management on Monday, November 4. Two rooms have been reserved for the educational seminar, and each session will be repeated in the morning and afternoon to best accommodate busy schedules.

Topics will include introductory courses on ACES and PIES standards, advanced ACES and PIES sessions, SDC Supplier and Receiver user groups, a look into what's coming next at the SEMA Data Co-op, and for those who have not yet checked us out, an introductory session that includes a demonstration of our online data management solution. Bring your questions and participate in some lively discussion…we are here to help!

The sessions are available for free. Sign up online in advance to secure your seats, and be sure to bring anyone on your team who can benefit from this valuable face-to-face educational opportunity.

By Jon Wyly

	The SEMA Data Co-op will host several educational sessions at the upcoming SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

Join the staff of the SEMA Data Co-op for a day of information and education about Product Data Management on Monday, November 4. Two rooms have been reserved for the educational seminar, and each session will be repeated in the morning and afternoon to best accommodate busy schedules.

Topics will include introductory courses on ACES and PIES standards, advanced ACES and PIES sessions, SDC Supplier and Receiver user groups, a look into what's coming next at the SEMA Data Co-op, and for those who have not yet checked us out, an introductory session that includes a demonstration of our online data management solution. Bring your questions and participate in some lively discussion…we are here to help!

The sessions are available for free. Sign up online in advance to secure your seats, and be sure to bring anyone on your team who can benefit from this valuable face-to-face educational opportunity.

	The SEMA Rapid Prototyping program creates ABS plastic prototypes of  your designs without  the need of a casting mold or CNC programming.

By SEMA Editors

There’s always a lot going on for SEMA-member manufacturers at the SEMA Garage Innovations Center. The resources available can help you drastically cut your product development time and costs. In particular, the SEMA Rapid Prototyping program creates ABS plastic prototypes of your designs at a reduced members-only rate. The end result is faster product validation, thanks to the ability to produce prototypes without the need of a casting mold or CNC programming.

Models are printed on Dimension 3D printers, allowing you to test the form, fit and function of your product with a tough ABS plastic prototype. The completed models can also be sanded, painted or chrome-plated for a more finished look.

Learn more about SEMA's Rapid Prototyping program.

	The SEMA Rapid Prototyping program creates ABS plastic prototypes of  your designs without  the need of a casting mold or CNC programming.

By SEMA Editors

There’s always a lot going on for SEMA-member manufacturers at the SEMA Garage Innovations Center. The resources available can help you drastically cut your product development time and costs. In particular, the SEMA Rapid Prototyping program creates ABS plastic prototypes of your designs at a reduced members-only rate. The end result is faster product validation, thanks to the ability to produce prototypes without the need of a casting mold or CNC programming.

Models are printed on Dimension 3D printers, allowing you to test the form, fit and function of your product with a tough ABS plastic prototype. The completed models can also be sanded, painted or chrome-plated for a more finished look.

Learn more about SEMA's Rapid Prototyping program.