The Resurrection of General Lee # 1

[SS427]

Sometimes lurker here and Team Chevelle member Tom Hendricks used to own this car. He sent a ton of pictures to me when it was found in a field, pulled, cleaned up and put back together. Very cool story and history on the car. The tag on the dash said something like "General #1".
Rick

[PeteLeathersac]

In the midst of all the usual General Lee car foolishness, this car is THE one that matters...very cool!!!.
Why does the main body appear to be an unpainted B5 Blue car...Im sure if clipping it, a better donor would've been used?.

~ Pete

[nuch_ss396]

With the popularity of the series and the continued following,
it's difficult to believe that the original General Lee
ended up in such bad shape.

[YenkoYS-199Stinger]

Now if we could just make Catherine Bach look that good again. In all seriousness, I agree with Pete, This IS the car that matters. I am glad to see THE GENERAL rising up again. Being born in 68', I never missed that show, and it is still great to catch rerunns.

-------------------
Chris
1967 Yenko Stinger YS-199

[nuch_ss396]

[ QUOTE ]
Now if we could just make Catherine Bach look that good again.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hey Chris, that would take some serious frame-off type
restoration work to bring her back.

[x Baldwin Motion]

[ QUOTE ]
In the midst of all the usual General Lee car foolishness, this car is THE one that matters...very cool!!!.
Why does the main body appear to be an unpainted B5 Blue car...Im sure if clipping it, a better donor would've been used?.

~ Pete

[/ QUOTE ]

On Saturday, November 11, 1978, the production set itself up on the campus of nearby Oxford College, built a dirt ramp along one of the roads, and had a stuntman jump the very first General Lee over a 1974 Monaco cop car — 16 feet up and 82 feet out. It landed on asphalt, nose first, folding each front fender and putting a crease across the floor pan and sills just behind the firewall. The General Lee may have been indestructible, but the cars that portrayed it were not.

A few weeks later, the same car was repainted blue-green with the number 71 on each door and featured in "Repo Men," the fourth episode of the series. To give the car the appearance of a wrecked Richard Petty stock car, gold racing wheels were bolted on and the Charger's sides were pounded with cinder blocks. And that was that for the television career of the original General Lee.

[PeteLeathersac]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
In the midst of all the usual General Lee car foolishness, this car is THE one that matters...very cool!!!.
Why does the main body appear to be an unpainted B5 Blue car...Im sure if clipping it, a better donor would've been used?.

~ Pete

[/ QUOTE ]

On Saturday, November 11, 1978, the production set itself up on the campus of nearby Oxford College, built a dirt ramp along one of the roads, and had a stuntman jump the very first General Lee over a 1974 Monaco cop car — 16 feet up and 82 feet out. It landed on asphalt, nose first, folding each front fender and putting a crease across the floor pan and sills just behind the firewall. The General Lee may have been indestructible, but the cars that portrayed it were not.

A few weeks later, the same car was repainted blue-green with the number 71 on each door and featured in "Repo Men," the fourth episode of the series. To give the car the appearance of a wrecked Richard Petty stock car, gold racing wheels were bolted on and the Charger's sides were pounded with cinder blocks. And that was that for the television career of the original General Lee.

[/ QUOTE ]

Great homework job Chris!!!.

Kinda' makes a fella wonder how the car should appear finished doesn't it...being THE car in a sea of orange clones and all?.

~ Pete

[x Baldwin Motion]

PETE, I went to link at start of thread, great story and great pictures. I was at work, so I had the time!

enjoy!!

[x Baldwin Motion]

The engine bay is as close as Bell could make it to how it appeared back in 1978, the two most obvious exceptions being the modern battery and the horns along the right inner fender that play "Dixie." During 1978 this General didn't have those horns, but fans expect any General Lee to play the tune today.



I love how they restored this car. First repainted the original gold, then shot sloppily with the orange. Underhood returned to how it appeared during filming.

[Rixls6]

Here's a link to another version.

http://junkyardjewels.com/1969_dodge..._426_hemi.html