Boyd Coddington & 64 Daytona?

[JBOYLE]

Yesterday I was helping the wife bake some Christmas cookies and I left the TV on the Velocity Channel. They were showing some old episodes of American Hot Rod featuring the late Boyyd Coddington.
In a 2006 episode they showd his office-sales area (not the shop) and there was a 64- Daytona. It was a 2 second shot from the rear. It was a two door and turquoise, seemed to be stock.

Anyone know more about it?

[Swifster]

It's a '65 Commander. It has a 350, 4-Speed and a twin-traction rear end.

[Sdude]

Our chapter president has a 63 Daytona that was owned by Boyd but he never did anything with it. Did Boyd fix up the 65? Maybe he liked the body style better than the 63 and that's why he sold it?

[Swifster]

I believe the '65 was his buddy's car. I can't remember his name, but Coddington did a lot of cars for him. That's probably his house in the background.

[Studeous]

Throw some slick wheels at it. Why mess with perfection. Back end a tad high due to to much wheel offset to the outside? A 350. Whodathunkit? Sharp car !

[thunderations]

Some cars that carried Coddingtons name were not done by Coddington. He farmed them out, but took the credit. My buddy in Phoenix did a 46 Ford convertible for him. All the bodywork and paint. At shows, the only name on the posters was "BOYD'S". He ran around with his diamond rolex and black Mercedes while the wheel business was going bankrupt, costing many investers a lot of money. He retooled and renamed the business from Boyd's Wheels to Wheels by Boyd and continued on. His major claim was hiring Swedish metal workers to make everything he took credit for. Foose and several others worked for him until they got tired of the crap. Some of his cars were cool designs, but he was not liked by many in the business. When he passed on, it was a big deal to the custom car world. Not so much for those that had to deal with him in business and try to get paid. That being said, RIP, Boyd.

[JBOYLE]

Sorry for the mis-ID....
64-65...
Daytona-Commander....

I really should know better...

[Sdude]

Some cars that carried Coddingtons name were not done by Coddington. He farmed them out, but took the credit. My buddy in Phoenix did a 46 Ford convertible for him. All the bodywork and paint. At shows, the only name on the posters was "BOYD'S". He ran around with his diamond rolex and black Mercedes while the wheel business was going bankrupt, costing many investers a lot of money. He retooled and renamed the business from Boyd's Wheels to Wheels by Boyd and continued on. His major claim was hiring Swedish metal workers to make everything he took credit for. Foose and several others worked for him until they got tired of the crap. Some of his cars were cool designs, but he was not liked by many in the business. When he passed on, it was a big deal to the custom car world. Not so much for those that had to deal with him in business and try to get paid. That being said, RIP, Boyd.

The show sure makes him out to be a not so nice guy. He might have put out some nice cars but I sure wouldn't have wanted to work for him. I also am amazed at some of the really nice cars he cut up and destroyed. But we've gone on and on about people that do that on this forum.

[JBOYLE]

I'd like to know if the TV version was the "real" him.
It's hard for me to believe that he'd willingly come across like such a jerk on TV...but it makes even less sense for him to be putting it on as an act for the sake of TV "conflict".
Perhaps he really was a jerk and he figured most of his cusomers wouldn't care as long as he delivered the goods (which might just say something about the type of guys who can afford and bought the toys he made).

Barris and Dean Jeffries (not to mention Jesse James and the OCC guys) also have "quirks" (to put it politely)...maybe being in that business makes you hard after awhile.
Friends tell me Gene Winfield is an okay guy, and Chip Foose is a very nice guy....with a super-nice wife. He proves that you don't have to be a jerk to make it big in the Custom car biz.

I would have loved to ask Chip Foose about Coddington, but not knowing him that well, I didn't think it was wise.
I made that mistake in grad school when Barry Goldwater spoke to my class.
I asked him about the infamously dirty LBJ nuclear countdown/little girl with a flower 1964 campaign ad.

"I liked you until you mentioned LBJ...." he said to me with a smile.
At least I think he was smiling....

[thunderations]

When I met Boyd, he was very cool towards anyone that had a talent working on cars. He wanted to be boss, even if it wasn't his shop. He wanted perfect work and when his own work was in question, he became very vocal. When confronted with poor bodywork or preperation from his shop, he played the blame game. If you had a boatload of money and let him spend it for you, you were his best friend. He was a poor businessman, at least. More cars got pulled from his shop by the owners then ever got finished. Most of his customers can tell you some stories that will stand your hair on end. A bill for a weeks work would be $2500 labor and $3000 "Think Time". That was the time he had his feet on the desk dreaming about something. Meanwhile the next guy got the same "Think Time" charge on his bill. Pretty nice when you can charge more hours then there is possible in the billing period. He was what you saw, and mostly worse.

I'd like to know if the TV version was the "real" him.
.