We found the 1st General Lee in a scrap yard & restored it
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- Опубликовано: 28 янв 2020
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Travis Bell is the owner of Celebrity Machines (celebritymachines.com/) and a lover of star cars. At one time he was undoubtedly the world's biggest Dukes of Hazzard fan and curator of the ongoing history of the cars. Here's the story of the time he found the very first General Lee - Lee 1.
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#DukesofHazzard #GeneralLee #Lee1 
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Thank you for this video.. Cliff Shaw is my grandfather.. June is my mom's mother.. Zack is my cousin.. Alicia's son.. Who is my mother's sister. This has me in tears. I played in that 82 acres of cars until he sold everything.. Up until 2008 when he passed away. It is soo great hearing this story and all the history about this car. Pawpaw had a Polaroid photo of one of the orange General Lee's with grandma in a glass cabinet I'd always look at when I was a child.. I actually remember when zack was getting the gifts in the mail years ago!! Again thank you for this history.. You definitely know how to make a grown man cry with tears of happiness!!
That sounds like a really cool childhood it sounds like you enjoyed yourself I love the Dukes of Hazzard
That's awesome bud
I live in Dawsonville I'm just curious what that plot of land turned into or where all the cars went
I just shared this video with my brother... we loved the show in the 80s when we'd watch it together as a family after supper before bedtime... we lived in Ontario.
I found a General Lee cast model with "dinky" car included at a collector's shop about 6 years ago and good luck finding them anymore since the Confederate symbol is frown upon... not letting that go out of my sight :-)
I'm in UK and a big fan can't afford even a toy model at these daft prices and to watch this it was great
There's a point where you rebuild it, and there's a point where you clean it up but leave it as-is. The car was far beyond the as-is option. It's only hope on earth was to rebuild it using as much from the original as possible. It's perfect. Your restoration is a part of its history now. Congratulations. Outstanding job.
It is already admitted that car was grafted onto another estranged car....
@@verynefarious I'd say it's the same car, because the design and formal cause stays the same. Same with a steam locomotive when it has it's old boiler replaced with a new one.
Especially considering it’s life of repainting and repair, I’d say it’s quite fitting
The very act of walking through a junkyard, private, public, and seeing history is unbelievable. This guy found an iconic vehicle and restored it to it's former glory. If someone restored the Titanic no one would say 'Hey, you destroyed an icon'. Instead they would marvel at the ability to do so. I am in awe.
I spent EVERY Friday night watching this show as a kid. When the banjo started I was stuck in front of the TV until Boss Hogg lost again. When I heard 'Them Dukes, Them Dukes' at the end I couldn't wait until next week. Sure beat texting and Instagram!
Don't forget the music guests, and , oh yes, Daisy Duke!
"Just a' good old boys. Never Meanin no harm...Beats all you never saw/been in trouble with the law/since the day they was born. MAKIN THEIR WAAAAY/THE ONLY WAY THEY KNOW HOW...." I had that ear-worm stuck in my head for a month. NOW IT'S BACK
@robertmaybeth3434 better than Manalow cocacabanna! Her name was Lola ….
Yes, we came so far. Seems like we, the sheep, are in a black hole!
I don't think the Titanic is in any way comparable. This is a car from an average TV show, the Titanic is one of the most famous and significant events of modern history. It's also a grave.
3 years later we still watch this video, thank you.
This is one of the greatest movie car finds of all time. So glad Travis could come and share the story.
Movie?
They made a movie from it if that counts. Bloke from jackass was in it
So when he'd finished with this car did it still have the original shell but with new quarters/wings from the "Spares" 69 car or did he use the whole shell from the second 69 car? because if it is the latter then it's no longer the original car....
I'd be more impressed if he dug up that nuclear train and restored it.
Hope someone restores those police cars
Damn I went to Convington , Ga. and all I got was a Rolls Royce and a pack of smokes at the PILOT gas station......... lol Great story! HUGE Dukes fan!
Rob we need more badass stories from you!
Lol Rob maybe you can recreate Rosco's Rolls Royce from $10 million Sheriff.
I was thinking he should recreate the rolls Royce from the same episode this car was in, repo men.
@@LCaddyStudios that was an older 1959 rolls. The one Rob bought is similar to the mid 70s yellow one Rosco had in 10 million dollar sheriff
BLK Bandit I never knew that, not that much of a rolls fan, mostly only Aussie muscle cars
I've watched this a few times now over the past 3 years. I don't understand why anyone would get mad at restoring as close as possible as it was from before it was painted green. I mean you saved it from rusting out and did it justice. I think most DOH fans will agree you did a good thing. So glad you found it and saved it from rusting away.
The story doesn't make sense
If you found the 1st one
took all that time to get it, then sell it.
Then get it back, why wouldn't you want to restore it?
It's the same with fine art conservation. People are always going to be rightly obsessed with keeping as much "original" about something as possible. But it's easy to make those demands when they don't have to do the work or pay the money to fix it. Maybe, if money was no object, you could carefully cut out rust and work to restore with the original decals and paint job. But again, that's a lot of money for a luthier and a DJ to put up for their $400 investment. It also coulda just been left to rot for another 10 years or until somebody else decided to go get it.
Maybe times have changed a bit and you could easily find a bunch of experts who'd put in the hours on old rusted bodywork panels for the rights to put it on their YT channels, but that sure wasn't the way it was when it got restored. I think it's all good here.
I understand if the argument was he could have spent more money restoring more of the original vehicle. Like he could have probably found someone who for a million dollars could have straightened and welded the original frame and everything back to new. But he didn't have that kind of money. At least he used the original engine, transmission, and body. Many people would have stuck a replacement engine in it too.
Basically he found the original car and threw 90% of it away. He threw the body away which is essentially the car.
@@jeffrutledge1789 How else would you suggest he restore the car? The crumpled metal isn't repairable. Graveyard Carz can't even do that. Go talk with any auto sheet metal repair person.
As a fan of The Dukes of Hazzard, I am blown out of the water by the restoration of the General Lee. The Dukes of Hazzard is still legendary forevermore. We need to bring back The Dukes of Hazzard & really get the merchandise rolling!!!!!!!!!
What an amazing find!
Tavarish ikr
Tavarish you jelly u didn’t get it? Lol I could totally see u restoring a car like this on ur channel lol
Your gonna look for the cheapest General Lee Charger in the U.S. now aren't you.
@@taconator7492 maybe that one orange GEO.
You going to pick up that diablo Lot # 57477349
“This is where I say something clever and you roll the music” yeah that is clever.
It's not just ironic, it's meta
found you
Seemore Game yeah you did... stalker
JkTheBoss i see you play hashiriya too. Valium... is my user.
made me laugh
Very cool story. I also used to watch the Dukes of Hazard growing up. I'm so glad that the car was saved from sitting rotting in the Georgia woods. As long as it has all the right parts, and the original engine, and some of the original chassis, then it still can be called the first General Lee. Thank you.
It was a mangled mess sitting and deteriorating in the woods. Few would even consider doing anything with it aside from pulling the drive train and then scrapping the rest. You did the best thing possible, made it a driving car with tons of appeal to fans all over the world! GREAT Job, no reason for anyone to hate on you, thats insane!
I like the way this guy tells stories.
Really good editing helps a lot, but I do agree 👍
Yep. very engaging.
Yup, he does tell a good story
His voice is a bit mumbly, definitely far better presenters on here
@@X11CHASE Maybe but far a few between
Travis is truly an encyclopedia of movie car knowledge. I know the feeling of searching for a car like this and finally seeing it in person, there is nothing like it.
Every Friday night it was the Hulk then the Dukes of Hazard. I never missed an episode. Watching the General Lee jumping around and out maneuvering Rosco's Squad car with his dog Flash is what every Red Blooded American kid wanted to see.
.
The General Lee is the most iconic movie car ever made. Nothing beats it. Great Story!!
Fuck off ed bolian
@@idontlikecops1 it's literally his RUclips channel lmao
@@fakename287 well fuck him
I know where one is that's identical to the orange General Lee. It's just north of Flint, Michigan in a rural town, the man takes it out only in the summer months. I don't know that it's for sale though.
No matter what anyone says, you gave life to history again. And sharing the story keeps it alive for those who still remember those halcyon days. You did indeed restore one of the Mona Lisas of automobile, television, and Southern history. Thank you so very much.
I was hooked on the Dukes of Hazzard when I was young, so this is an interesting story, especially the scrap yard with a buried Nuclear locomotive, all this stuff just fascinates me
Back when life was easy!
Turns out not to be a buried locomotive at all, nor any type of vehicle. It was a testing lab to see if Lockheed could build a safe nuclear powered airplane funded by the US Government. What is buried is the nuclear containment building used for the testing.
This is where they found out it would not be possible to build a nuclear powered airplane that would be safe to use.
Can't find a trace of the property with all these fantastic cars on it though. I'd love to go see what is left of some history. Wish I could afford to save any vehicles that are left.
Feels!
@donaldgarretson5007 everything was sold before my grandfather passed away.. But.. The property on Sweetwater church road dawsonville Georgia
If someone painted all over the Mona Lisa, someone would have to fix it. And that someone is you. I love this quote!
they had like 1000 of them just from orignal tv show..... would they got out to fix them all? come on now.....
Great to have the whole story to go with it though.
To know exactly what happened to it.
What episodes it appeared in.
And where it sat for decades.
Why it looked like that when they found it.
And the back story with all involved.
Brilliant story all on its own that.
Proper history.
Great just to see the original car.
And it being pulled from the woods.
Great provenance too.
But he sure did restore a Mona Lisa.
i read that comment as soon as he said it
I guess I’m the only one disturbed by the idea that he only paid a few hundred dollars for the car???
Keeping the history alive and restoring the vehicle deserve a great deal of respect, but so does the man and the family that held onto the car for all those years. All that sticks in my mind is how is this different than the jerks that ran around and bought up all the hand sanitizer and Lysol wipes to jack up the prices and sell them after the Coronavirus panic struck the country? Can anyone deny there is an element of greed in this? If he was so passionate about the car, why did he sell it immediately??? Then he said he didn’t want it back. He keeps saying he is a huge fan, but never considered keeping the car for himself as a collector. He brags repeatedly at the end about making so much money. I can only throw him respect as having been a successful investor. If he had any morals, he would kick back a great deal more money to the Shaw family. I can go along with the idea that he jumped on buying it that day for such a pathetic low amount because he didn’t want to derail the sale by making Mr Shaw rethink it with raising the price even higher, but it’s a done deal now. If he had a conscience, he would give back to them because they are the only ones that were generous in this endeavor. Sorry guy, I can’t respect the intrinsic greed here no matter how you try to spin it.
piece of history or not it's a forgotten scrap metal nuisance until it's restored.
You pulled history from the grave and brought it to life. No objection here 👍
👍
The Dukes of Hazzard hit UK TV when I was 11 adn I was hooked. I love this side of American cars and this was so good to watch, so well put together, Amazing!
You absolutely did the right thing, what your heart decided 👍🏽 beautiful job. As a huge fan myself, I thank you for doing what you did. It's drivable and restored!! Not rusting away everyday
If he didn’t persevere to buy this car it would have never been found or seen again! 👍
Well, the crusher would have seen it for $200.00 and the metal sent to China to build crap.
@@garybiggs9010 or it would've sunk thru the Georgia clay to the middle of the earth.
But he scrapped the original shell anyway!?
@@D4VE26 The original outer shell was so rusted and smashed to bits the only logical way to restore this car was what was done. At some point over 8k days in the forest metal loses integrity and thins out/ literally rusts to bits nothing to restore. The paint used was not even automotive and likely caused severe rot. You can use bed liner to line the underside of a frame and it will look ok, but peel the liner and start poking holes into the metal with your finger after 2 years or so in a bad climate. The time and money into restoring this car was insane, mostly the time.
@@livingroom.computer your telling me no one in this world would have just had it as a monument in a museum then as the actual real 1st general lee? If it was strong enough to be pulled out... then it shoulda been saved
Restoring an old car is always an adventure in itself. Restoring a general lee? You've now taken part in a small piece of history.
MaxSpeed, if you go watch John Schneider’s channel on here, he knows EVERYTHING about the General Lee cars, down to the tiniest details and how his is and isn’t like the original cars. He can even tell you all the little anomalies that the producers messed up. He’s a car guy that knows the history probably as well or better than anyone.
VERY true #Spotted
Man aint that the truth..takes a long time and people dont realize it. Much easier if you have good oem body panels aftermarket stuff is a pain. Working on a 68 mustang coupe i got for free, new england was not kind to this car however i have a vision and i will complete it..
@@opie7afe good luck! Hope it's not too rusty
MaxSpeed its rusty. Already did pass. Side floor pan, torque box, half of the front frame rail,floor support, a small patch on the inner rocker and side of the cowl area. Drivers side floor is worse but frame is better..along with both quarter panels,fenders, battery box area and thats it for rot.
I met Travis on a cruise October 2022. He was wearing a VinWiki Tshirt and told me about the car in an elevator. I was amazed I was in the presence of this man. Great DJ too.
I flew a car once myself. There was a hill in Kansas where if you drive it from east to west and at the right speed it drops off fast and your stomach came up as you felt weightless for a few moments. It was neat. My dad did this once in a while to surprise or reward us. I got the bright idea to do the same with my cousins. The problem being I had never done it before and I did not know how fast to drive to get that effect. So of course faster is better. We roared up the hill and over the top. This was a 63 Pontiac Tempest with the 4 wheel independent suspension(No rear axle as the transmission was there instead). I have never forgotten the sensation, of feeling the body of the car lifting off the wheels and the thuds of all four wheels as they hit the downward limit and were lifted off the ground as well. For one endless second that seem to last forever we hung there, All I can remember thinking through my shock and surprise was don't turn the steering wheel or we would end up wrecked in the ditch. Then we crashed to earth and I was busy trying to maintain control and slow down. One cousin was rubbing his head from flying up and hitting the roof( no one wore seat belts back then).
Quite a few parts to restore Lee-1, came from 2 donor Chargers, came from my local salvage yard here in Oxford Maine. Nice to see Lee-1 saved & restored!
Did he really restore it or just stick its numbers and parts on another car?
@@Cutlass_Rudd Neither imo. The dash/firewall and the front fender aprons are Lee 1. Everything between the dash and the rear bumper (including the rear bumper) have been replaced
@@johnkramer7161 This is known as the Theseus Paradox. If you replace all the parts on a ship, is it still the same ship.
@@Darkeklaw imo no it's a new ship
@@johnkramer7161 The sad thing is, is to keep the Lee-1 the original Lee-1 it would have had to remain a rotting husk, rusting into oblivion. Now it's rebuilt and people can actually see it. I think that's the most important thing. We repair and rebuild our cars all the time. The car you drive around now isn't the same car it was when you bought it, if we follow your opinion. You've replaced tires and struts and tie rods and starters and spark plugs and wires... All of those things had an original counterpart that in time failed and had to be replaced.
Just something to think about.
This car was sitting in a forest rotting away, he spent a lot of time, money, and a lot of effort saving it and people are mad?? Thats pathetic.
@@ElliHarper as far as i know its still in good condition besides the fact that bubba painted over the flag on the roof
@@bigdaddylade3744 Why would he do that though- it's such a part of the car's history and identity. Anyone who's offended by it needs to take a step back and realize the vehicle isn't about making a political statement- it never WAS about that. It was a fictional good 'ld boy's way of showing a bit of southern pride... That's all. The show itself wasn't racist, not even in a comical way like the old Warner Bro's cartoons from 20yrs before The Dukes was filmed
Agreed, What would they prefer that is was a rusty trash trailer queen with lead paint that was barely holding together? People are dumb,
Because of this guy, The real original General Lee is out there as a running driving vehicle.
RW Jack indeed
@@ElliHarper No kidding. It would be great if it still existed and someone could save it, especially if they bought the clone from Bubba that's wearing it's parts and reclaim them. Probably too far past the botch now.
You did American culture and car culture a huge favor , thank you sir ❤🙂
LOOOOL! American culture = RACIST SCUM!
In 2006 I met Travis while on a six week across America road trip from Australia. It was while visiting Covington Georgia (We’re Hazzard fans) We were all staying at the same motel the cast and crew stayed in ‘78. He had just found the original General Lee. He just happened to have the Lee’s bumper (green and orange) to show us.
Thanks Travis for such a great memory mate! Such an awesome guy!
I even still have those wanted poster/cards Travis handed out. 😬
Thank you for taking a crumbling piece of tv history and returning it to as close to what it once was as humanly possible. You showed the car and the crew that built it so much respect and honored there time and effort by bringing it back to what they made it to be in the first place. Its honestly sad to know that a lot of the cars we loved from tv shows have rotted away in the exact same way lee 1 did after the shows were done with them. We need more people like you that honestly love the shows to try and preserve more of the TV cars we love so much...
Most of the vintage television series machines should’ve been kept, just in case.
Same as other hero vehicles though. Even Airwolf was stripped down and sold off when the show was cancelled. It was sold to a German company but was written off in a fatal mountain crash in ‘92.
I used to work for an A-list actor, and I was on movie sets all during the late 1990's to 2008. I became friendly with a man who owned one of the General Lee money cars. In TV and Movie production the money cars are pristine restorations, used for close-ups and gentle driving. There are also stunt cars and jumpers. When Dukes of H was being made they used hundreds, maybe as many as 300 '69 Dodge Chargers for jumpers, but only had a few '69 Charger money cars. The jumpers had crummy paint jobs and dyed interiors, but looked flying through the air from 30 feet away. The Producers had calls out to salvage yards and car lots all over the U.S. looking for '69 Chargers. Most were junked and crushed after being practially destroyed by the jumps--they didn't want to sell them because of liability issues. Interestingly enough my friend was divorced while he owned his Gen Lee money car, which he left at his ex's house until he recovered financially enough to get another house. His wife SOLD his Gen Lee car for cash and told him she had no idea what happened to it. He filed a police report but the trail went dead. He checked for-sale ads, and prowled swap meets for years, always towing his empty trailer in the hopes he'd find his Gen Lee again. Twelve years after the wife sold it, in 1997, he found it at Pomona. The guy who had it had repainted it correctly, and put a correct new interior in it, and was showing it as a genuine Gen Lee car, which it certainly was. He'd never registered it. So my friend asked if he could look the car over, without telling the guy anything. VIN was the same as on his documants. He called the cops. Cops came. Checked the old police report. Checked the documents, Checked the Gen Lee VIN and told my friend, "Load her up". That's how he got his Gen Lee back. The wife was not charged with a crime. True story.
They say 300 but a guy really went through and studied and he thinks it's much fewer, because of the mistakes and different cars used he could track them through the episodes. As a hero car got worn it might get jumped. Then parts of it might go on other cars. It was interesting to follow.
Was that the General Lee Wheely Car? I know I read about that about 15-20 years ago, I think it was in Mopar Collectors Guide.......
Ruth C - So are you saying the wife sold the car without his permission and without transferring the legal title? So the buyer knew he was breaking the law as well. It’s been enough years, tell us who the A-list friend is.
@@AirViewVideos If she's talking about the same Lee I asked about, yup. If that was a different Lee, tje story was very similar.
I found my bicycle ( Cannondale ) that was stolen, dude bought it at a pawn shop. They failed to do the theft search or whatever they call it. Anyways, I had the original receipt, police report and the cops told me to pound sand. It's not my bike anymore.
I've had two cars GTO, Belair and a Harley 56 Panhead stolen never recovered. I remember the last 8 of all their vins just incase and I always check. Maybe one day..
Life is funny. So much randomness, timing, and the not so well thought out- brings us some of our best moments. I have found if we are just out there trying to make something happen, being tenacious, it often does. Great story, and well told.
Got to be 1 of the greatest car story's ever.
I’m so glad somebody gave Lee One new life! I’m so glad you rescued this car! Great work guys!
"Turns out she was my step sister."
*VINWIKI INTRO PLAYS*
Awesome stuff. Just watched that episode where the duke boys repo the rolls. Had no idea that car, the Richard Petty wreck was the actual general lee. Let alone the very first one. Good story and glad the car is still around. Big Part of American tv and iconic. That show was huge part of my childhood as it was for many children. I was born in 72, we grew up with these characters and our bicycles, then go carts were the general lee. .
That must have been awesome. I saw the ones they aired here translated in french.
How a true gentleman does business! He was able to respectfully gain the trust of a man who has no interest in selling that piece of history! Bravo Good Sir!
Cliff passed away several years ago. I recently visited w 1 of his sons Cliff III. they still sell motor/Transmission cores. Im from Sautee Ga.
I'm from gainesville georgia not very far from Dawsonville and I never knew all this stuff about the general lee. It is really interesting stuff.
Travis did u sell that car to Raymond kohn let me know
Harry Hagan same hall county all my life
That shop is on limpkin campground and 53.. BTW.. I'm living in Cleveland.. Down the road from you
Tell me how can someone “destroy” a car by restoring it to its former glory, after it spent decades outside rotting away? Would it have been better to let it deteriorate into nothing?
@@lastotallyawesomebleach204 Y you hate cousin fuckers?
It's no longer original.
The car found rotting away was original as it was when DOH was being filmed.
The body parts from the "donor" car dilutes the originality ot No1 Lee by merging two cars into one.
In a normal restoration this doesn't matter.
But when it's a TV celebrity car patina + originality is what counts....
@@stuartd9741 If the car was in okay shape then I would agree with you...but good lord look at it. It was completely destroyed.
@@lastotallyawesomebleach204 Hey!! Dey has teef. Mebbe not aluvem; but sumuvem.
theyre still mad they lost the war, and their slaves...
I use to get babysat at my aunt's and uncles house and we would watch this show all the time ! About 4 years ago before my uncles passing, we had a family supper. I had not seen them for years cause they had moved to another city... When I saw him he said Danny, look what I found in our moving boxes... It was a little toy car General Lee he had bought me years ago... I still have it to this day ! And RIP to my uncle. I really miss those days. 😞
Great job on the restoration. This thing would've rotted away to nothing had he not found it. Now it is pretty much a museum piece for generations to enjoy.
Great story. One of my earliest car memories was when I was in 1st or 2nd grade my mom let me pick a Dukes model General Lee from K-Mart. The next day I pretended to be sick because I was so excited to put it together. Mom saw right through it and told me I could stay home, but I couldn't touch the model kit if I didn't go to school. That was the longest day off school ever.
Essentially me Everytime I got a LEGO set
I'm laughing my ass off. Awesome.!!!
i got my old model in 80.kmart or harts.i was 4.i remember the glue smelled like oranges.lol
Hopefully the orange car I'm buying in Georgia wasn't jumped by Ed.
Hoovies Garage oh get outta here you jumped wizards Audi RS 6 v10
LOL WOOOO! Congrats Hoovie!
Enjoy the Lambo 😃
When he said it was the cheapest one in the country I knew you were the buyer. Congrats!
Hoovies Garage how don’t you have a ✔️ next your name ?
Fascinating story, I was absolutely enthralled the entire time
You did this car and history justice! You made sure it didn't rust away into never never land. I love your ending, that look, says it all. Awesome.
my dad worked on that show when I was a kid, I was lucky to get a ride in one with a stunt man as little kid.
What did your dad do on set there, as he would be in cast and crew credits, as all of us are in a production?
@@digitalbroadcaster not every last person ever involved in a production gets mentioned in the credits
@@robshearing2131 a lot do but labors, carpenters usually just the foreman at the time would.
@@sageearp5954 so your dad was in the credits? thats cool what was the credited for 👍
Wow thats so cool
Brings the original Rusty LEE one on pawn stars
Rick Harrison: *LET ME CALL IN A BUDDY TO VERIFY IF ITS REAL*
The best I can do is 5$
@@smg4fan643 lol
Let me call the beard of knowledge
Ok ..
You paid 400.....I will give you 600...that's a Rick deal
Rick. Ok. I will 200 for it or I cant make any money on it.....then he sells it for 10 grand a week later......LOL
A very close friend of in Hartwell GA has 2 of these General Lee Chargers that he got from the Dukes of Hazzard producers when they moved filming from GA to CA. One is 100% original while the other has been restored. He said that only one was "documented" but both were used in filming of the show. No telling what they're worth, but he knows. He is a hard core Mopar collector.
Grandson: "Wow, I had lost total interest in the Dukes of Hazzard and that old rusty green car. But thanks to that nice man sending me all these toys and model cars of the General Lee, my passion has been rekindled, I am definitely gonna keep it now and fix it." Hell of a gamble paid off.
On the edge of my chair. This is THE greatest car story ever. Being a DoH huge fan as a kid, this is just awesome.
Same here ! 👍
MEDMEN stock to buy
Ye
I’m pretty sure I lived by that guy at the time. Somebody on the southside of Indianapolis had a General Lee at their house. I drive nearby one day - and a stoplight is green but there is a late 1970’s Hazzard County police car in the middle of the intersection with its lights on. A few seconds later… The General Lee goes flying by and the police car follows it in chase. It was awesome!
I can’t believe that dude that bought got rid of the battle flag on the roof.
So it's not the General Lee anymore, just another dodge charger.
Great job restoring the car..Thanks for saving it.
Saved 2 cars
I remember when these guys found this and posted pics of it in the woods. For a moment I was 8 years old again. Even with the car in bad shape my excitement level was off the charts.
You didn't kill history, you save history from dieing.!
yea considering it looked like it was going to become one with the earth when it was green whoever complained is an idiot.
@@jorgey4 DAMN RIGHT!!!!
dying
No, he killed it. That "restored" car is only about 5% Lee1. Should have just let it be.
@@ryanolson1506 "he should have left Lee #1 to rust and be consumed by the earth and be forgotten to time"
This is what's wrong with fucking liberals
Man the story worth more than the car and the car is priceless to me. Love the Duke's of hazzard.. it definitely is still the Lee 1.. they would of done the same back in the day on the film if they rebuilt rather than buy another one.. so truly appreciate you sharing.
You did the right thing getting the 001 General Lee back on the road!
One of the all time best stories on here. Amazing how many times this deal could have fallen apart and what it took to make it happen. Like all tough sales persistence is key
Also, florida guy sounds like he has more money than sense.
Huge Bubba Watson fan here and I remember when the story came out that he had purchased "a" General Lee, knowing that there were so many used on the show over the years--but had no idea it was "the" real first car. Easily one of your best episodes, Ed & VinWiki!
Jeff Zabriskie and then he caved to the Confederate Flag backlash in 2015 and last I heard the roof was being repainted
Allen Weber
Another chunk of history destroyed
Bubba' s my girlfriend's brother. We talked about it at Thanksgiving. He put power windows in it but the original handles control up and down as far as rumors don't believe everything you hear. Bubbas taking good care of this car trust me.
@@freddyloper7839 Always fun to interact with people connected to someone you wouldn't otherwise get a chance to interact with... As amazing as it is that Bubba won the Master's twice, I enjoy his collaboration with the 11Six guys even more--particularly his verse on 'Ima Just Do It' with KB. The cars are bonus!
@@jeffzabriskie5209 Absolutely. He's a regular dude with a kind heart and just wants to make everyone happy. His sister on the other hand is bossy as hell lol
You know something? There are not many guys like you any more. I so enjoyed listening to you, thanks.
Nice to see Lee 1 rolling again! I loved The Dukes of Hazzard when I was a kid, tuned in every week! Kudos on finding and restoring Lee 1!
This was the best that could be done. The original was beyond salvage, it would only be a display piece. Once it was repainted for the show, it was no longer the original anyway. Glad to finally here the true story of how it was found and returned to driving condition.
But he didn’t he basically took some pieces off of it and threw it away.
"3 of ems prolly dead" that's pure gold lol
I realized while watching this that these stories are over, finding the #1 movie car from an epic series or movie is something we may never see again. The epic cars have been found and restored, the Dolorean form BTTF, Lee1, etc I can't think of a new movie car that would have that impact... I gained an appreciation of this video as I was watching it as I realized this I don't think we will have these types of videos many more times.
What a story!!! I grew up on the Dukes, it's part of my DNA. Happy to know the first General Lee was saved!
Thank you for saving this car that would have eventually rotted to the ground. This car is everyone's childhood. I applaud you and everyone who had thier hands on saving this car. Again thank you.
I'm beyond tickled pink that the old General Lee was restored.
I love this! Thank you so much for sharing!
I’m a car guy. I also grew up watching Dukes of Hazard. Thanks for the magnificent story. You made me smile. Kudos to you.
Incredible peice of history !!! Even better story!!! God Bless ❤❤❤
Growing up there were really only two shows that mattered most to me as a kid... The Incredible Hulk, and The Dukes of Hazzard. What a great story.
My childhood exactly! If I'm not mistaken, they aired back to back on Friday night.
No hard feelings to Hollywood history. The spirit of the Lee lives on.
Where?
@@JohnDoe-fr1id The South and right here 🙋♂️
I'm a mid 30's white male that lives in the Midwest and I have only watched the Johnny Knoxville one and I don't remember the movie, so I wish you the best of luck with the 'spirit' still living on.
What a great story, great find, and great "ending" to a new beginning.
I grew up watching the Dukes of Hazzard, and have been in love with Chargers ever since (owned a few before they were "cool"). This project is amazing, and thanks for sharing the story!!
Excellent! So many iconic tv vehicles that shaped my childhood, General Lee, Bandit, Munster's Dragsters, Batmobiles, Adam's Family Hearse, Uncle It's little car......
*Brings the first General Lee back to life"
"You destroyed the car"
Sound logic....
Justin Lynch exactly!😂 it was in some forest in Georgia...no one ever wanted to restore it...not even himself but he did and a heck of a job!
How long would it have been before it rotted away in that forest if he hadn't gotten it when he did.....
Movie car people are mostly massive dipshits with no life. I came from the Herbie community.
Fans logic.
The show destroyed the car. Not in the sense of when they jumped, but when they repainted it to repurpose it to be another car that wasn't 'The General Lee'. Apparently some movie/TV car people/fans don't realize how often the original car just becomes a cube of crushed metal, or cut up into something else, or just rusts and rots away somewhere. Despite a couple of decades of people buying them and preserving or restoring them, the movie and TV industries still behave the same more than not. Even the 'hero cars' are treated like a used diaper and tossed. So, if you 'restore' such a car to showroom, or as created for the appearance on screen, or whatever, it is a better fate than how the studios would dispose of them.
This guy is a "good ol boy" in my opinion.... He deserved the first General Lee .....glad he got it too
Thanks for putting your hands on the General Lee, she lives on, and she looks beautiful .
Having worked in a shop that restored old Hemi cars, I can tell you the value of a collector car drops dramatically once you swap metal, motor or drivetrain. The second a car would pull in our shop we would search behind the seats for the build sheets and go over each number to make sure everything matched. So I get why they were pissed and also why you didn't understand why they were pissed. Any body shop worth their salt should have at least warned you against doing that.
I was part of a restoration of the #1 1970 Cuda. It had been burned in a fire and had extensive damage to the entire car from the intense heat. I laid in the trunk of that car for a good part of a week holding a dolly so we could shrink and stretch the rear quarter panels back into shape. A firefighter had actually stood on top of the car and collapsed the top in too far to be able to bring it back, so we did replace it, but everything else stayed original. It was a nightmare, but well worth it.
If you'd like to take a look at the car the way it sits now (or at least in 2011) go here... www.motorauthority.com/news/1062590_1970-plymouth-hemi-cuda-for-sale-3200000
“Yelled at me like I was a child...”
I love THE DUKES OF HAZARD...always have and always will.
I went to school with this mans daughter! He brought this car to show and tell while we were in elementary school! Good old southwest elementary!
Travis, i think you did a great thing bringing Lee1 back to life.
Im glad you kept it as original as possible and was able to make it a driver.
Its sad that a perfectly good 69 Charger had to be sacrificed but you did what needed to be done to bring the old boy back from the dead.
Awesome story!! I was only three years old but I loved the Dukes!!! My favorite show. I'm so glad this car is alive again!!! Someday I will find one.
The General Lee is a beautiful car, also AWESOME BILL FROM DAWSONVILLE
I'm not even a big Nascar guy and I knew that phrase 😂
@Edgar Daniels early kyler and brown party liquor don't mix.
How amazing, that this significant show from my childhood, still has so much interest. What a find.
The punch line at the end of the 2-time Master's Golf Champion Bubba Watson (a real-life guy named Bubba, from Florida) buying the car is perfect. A guy who has excess cash buying something so cool to share with people.
You have GOT to be kidding!!!! Outstanding find, and even better story!!! You are a very luck guy!!! Good for you!
That was an awesome story. Thanks for putting it out there, for the RUclips watchers to appreciate. I definitely did, because I was born in '78 & grew up watching the show & that car fly.🇺🇸👍
Lovely story from a fan here in Australia who watched the series at the time, very popular it was. And especially your two quotes re the 'Mona Lisa' and the 'Statue of Liberty', Brilliant!! Well inspired quotes and as you say your the one who found it and put all the hard work in. Well done, she lives again as she should, a piece of US TV entertainment history which I'm sure is being watched again by many viewers in the US as some relief/distraction to what is happening in your fine country.
That has to be the best fcuken yarn I've heard in 2020. Took my mind of Covid-19 and back to a much happier place. Thank you Travis.
Screw that! I’m a HUGE Dukes fan, and you did a great thing!! So it would’ve been better just to let it rot? No way!! Great story and Great job!!!
That was an amazing story. I thank you for sharing your amazing find and experience with us. I especially loved the ending. Great words of wisdom.
Awesome story my friend..I was 9 years old when the Dukes first came on and I'm still a huge fan at 51 years old..I think you did an absolute fantastic job bringing the 1st General Lee back from the dead...Bravo sir Bravo!
Of all the vinwiki videos I have seen this one by far has been the most awesome got me right in the feelings I’m a huge Dodge Charger fan and this is an amazing accomplishment thank you Travis for not taking no for an answer
Thanks for restoring the car. The haters are just jealous.
They had quite a few General Lee's on that awesome show, finding Number 1 is amazing, glad you bought the General back!!!
the first general lee was in a junkyard 30 miles from where i grew up & lived since 82 & sold for $400? omfg 😵😫😵😫😵😫
they had to buy a couple more, and alot of parts and labor to get a hybrid using as much of the original as safely possible, into a safe-to-drive state.. i mean i agree but also.. know that most of us couldnt have afforded to make anything of it...
im glad they did this, hope the rosco cars find some fans interest or that he didnt just scrap them..
the one several people i know always wanted was boss hogs car... with the stupid horns!!!
@@AshenTechDotCom i dont care if most of you couldnt have afforded it, i can.
@@wilsoncrocker
i agree with you and if i lived as close as you did , and as a dukes fan from way back, i'd also be kicking myself
I've lived in Dawsonville my entire life and still do. I'm proud to know everyone that was mentioned. It's my hometown and I wouldn't trade it for any other place in the world; however, Yankees, outsiders, and move-ins do need to learn how to talk to people here or else have a guide/translator to work with. Travis was lucky he happened up on the car in Cliff's junkyard. Cliff is a little more worldly and accepting of strangers than some. At other places, the headline might have read, "No Sign of Group from Indiana Last Seen in Dawsonville." Let's just put it this way, 'Most see "Deliverance" as an action-packed 1972 movie with Burt Reynolds. Around here, a lot of us consider "Deliverance" to be a documentary.'
Billy Robert lol
So you're saying that a group of guys visiting the area are most likely going to get raped by some of you locals?😳 Do you at least buy them dinner first or at the very least, a drink to loosen them up (no pun intended). And all this time I thought someone had to go to prison, or catholic school, to get violated rectally. Learning is fun!!😆
@@davidd4677 No, we're not going to make it easy on nobody from outside trying to come in. Dinner and drinks 'round here would be way too cordial! Besides, our drinks are too strong for move-ins. Maybe some rear-end grease.... We even got us a moonshine still running every day in the D'ville City Hall! Weeeeee! Weeeeee! Weeeeee'll see you soon!
@@mike30534 Rear end grease? I knew it, you guys are a bunch of gentle teddy bears down there. To keep the whole internet from finding out, blink twice if you guys cuddle when you're done violating the outsiders.😆
@@davidd4677 No blinking here David d, what we do is strictly for security purposes and to preserve our way of life. It's to reinforce the next to last scene in "Deliverance" when the Sheriff of Aintry says, "You boys don't come back here, you hear?"
That was an awesome story .. so happy you found the General Lee .. I grew up watching that show ❣️
Man, the guy he bought the car from sounds like such a sweetheart. I feel like he should have stayed the night and tried to buy the car on monday to respect him and his beliefs, and probably just given him the $500 he asked.
It's sad to see people with classic cars just sitting and rotting and their yard and then when someone comes around actually wanting the rebuild it they don't sell it just so it can rot a few more years
Well to be fair, this was a few decades ago. And when the show was filmed they were just rusty banged up used cars.
That has happened to me more than I would like to admit. The most aggravating one would be in 1995 I found an old man with a 1959 Chevrolet Apache in great shape, not running. He bought it new and was the only owner. He wanted $6500 for it in 95, I was only 21 and had no money. So I saved up the money and went back to see if he still had it. Well he had died within the 2 years it took me to get the money together and his dopehead son owned it now. He wanted $10,000 for it and it didn't even have the original motor anymore. So I basically gave up on it. The dopehead had also took the truck out from under the lean to garage and parked it in the back under some oak trees. Flash forward to 2015, I have money now so I go back to check on the truck. The dopehead son of the original owner has overdosed a few years before and I still wanted to buy this truck. I asked how much and the meth head woman thinks it's worth at least $1000. So I walk in the back to look at it and I just wanted to cry. The bed had filled up with leaves and rotted out. The cab was smashed in from a limb falling from the tree and there was a tree growing out of the engine compartment. I just had to walk away. This truck back in 95 was straight and only needed to have the paint buffed and the engine worked on.
@@jordanwiley4582 TO BE FAIR
@@LRSS2455 that's tragic but you can't save them all
Sadly I've learned that
At least the dope-head OD'd and didn't soil the Earth with more offspring.
That last little twinkle in your eye was gold.
"They could have bought it for the same amount of money... if they'd have found it" *eat shit grin*
Very awesome story. My favorite show growing up and this brought a smile to my face. Thank you for sharing the story and bringing an iconic classic back too life.
I got to meet one of the stuntmen from the show before he passed, what a cool guy, I always loved to hear his stories from his time as a stuntman. He did a stunt for the show where he ran across the hood of a vehicle running without a driver, jump in and stop it. The secret to running on a moving car is to stay on your toes. :)