How long have people been cloning the GL?

[mustanghater]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1968-DODGE-CHARGER-GENERAL-LEE-REPLICA-NR_W0QQitemZ330029970564QQihZ014QQcategoryZ39405QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Looks to have been done back when the show was beeing filmed. Could it be one of the stunt cars?

[69chargerboy]

Oh look, another once beautiful Charger ruined! Looks like they jumped a pond!

[JimShine]

They have been cloned since the start. The earliest ones were built by the body shop that built and maintained them for the first 5 episodes. I have heard they started building the first as soon as the production packed up and left for Hollywood December 1978 (before the public saw a single episode of the show). Outside clones started in early 1979 immediately after the show began airing. No, the one in auction is not from the show, but is indeed a nicer than average clone for the era.

[warriorbass05]

this is not far from my house!!!...if anyone is going after it, tell me and I will arrange a personal viewing for you w/the seller..

[Dave22443]

My guess is they went circle track racing with it and did all the damage (probably the first time they took it out).  I remember going to a local dirt circle track many years ago and seeing a "General Lee" enter the race.  At the start of the race, it was a really nice looking car with a strong sounding engine.  Unfortunately, the driver was drunk (or just plain really bad) and by the end of the night, it was a total loss.    Who knows?  Maybe this was the very car?  The timing would be about right (as is the damage).  But that car is about 200 miles from the track I was at.

[Brock Samson]

was it a '68 though?..

[Dave22443]

Honestly Brock?  That was a long time ago and I don't remember if it was a '68 or 69/70.  I just remember that sickening feeling in my belly when I saw it enter the track, kind of like you just knew this wasn't going to end well. 

[Dave22443]

Notice how all the damage is to the left side?

[sunroofsuperbird]

They have been making them for a while as I Took a 68 R/T and painted it like the general lee as soon as the show came out within a few weeks after. I drove that car to school and would take pics with kids at fleamarkets on the weekend for extra money. Unfortunately I treated it like the general lee and we would run it up and down the dirt roads here in NC and side swipe trees and made a few jumps also. needless to say it didnt last long and I pulled the 440 out and traded the rest for a 71 cuda shell. Unsure what ever happen to that car but I am only about a hour from where that car is on ebay? Traded my car off in 80 or 81?

[Chargen69]

Yep, I was 10 years old when I saw my first, that would have been 1981

[69charger2002]

that is the latest VIN # 68 i have seen. 454012.. built july 10th, it has to be one of the last 68's built

[bull]

The word clone means an "identical duplicate," so in all reality there aren't very many people who do and have done that. I'd say the only real true GL clones out there today come from Smith Bros. Restorations or Warner Bros. All the other stuff might come close but not exact.

Interesting question though: Does Warner Bros. make clones too? Wouldn't every GL made by WB after the first one be a clone?

[JimShine]

The word clone means an "identical duplicate," so in all reality there aren't very many people who do and have done that. I'd say the only real true GL clones out there today come from Smith Bros. Restorations or Warner Bros. All the other stuff might come close but not exact.

Interesting question though: Does Warner Bros. make clones too? Wouldn't every GL made by WB after the first one be a clone?

I disagree with who makes accurate ones. There is no 'accuracy' per se with the Dukes of Hazzard. Instead you have a rather broad set of tolerances. Nothing stayed dead on the same except for the make and model of the car. Every item varied, the flag, colors, text size and placement, push bars, rollbars, etc. No 2 cars were exactly alike.

Main Entry: 1clone
Pronunciation: 'klOn
Function: noun
Etymology: Greek klOn twig, slip; akin to Greek klan to break -- more at CLAST
1 a : the aggregate of genetically identical cells or organisms asexually produced by a single progenitor cell or organism b : an individual grown from a single somatic cell or cell nucleus and genetically identical to it c : a group of replicas of all or part of a macromolecule and especially DNA <clones of identical recombinant DNA sequences>
2 : one that appears to be a copy of an original form :

I think it still fits. The one not to use is Replica

Main Entry: rep·li·ca
Pronunciation: 're-pli-k&
Function: noun
Etymology: Italian, repetition, from replicare to repeat, from Late Latin, from Latin, to fold back -- more at REPLY
1 : an exact reproduction (as of a painting) executed by the original artist <a replica of this was painted...this year -- Constance Strachey>
2 : a copy exact in all details <DNA makes a replica of itself> <sailed a replica of the Viking ship>; broadly : COPY <this faithful, pathetic replica of a Midwestern suburb -- G. F. Kennan>

But I do tend to agree with the thought the first (Lee1) was the original and the others that followed were copies of the original. But that is a hard pill for some to swallow and the fact is Lee1 was on the screen maybe a total of 2 minutes in the entire run of the show. But some of that time was the best footage ever shot, including the jump that sidelined it. That jump has to be the most recognizeable and maybe even the most famous in the eyes of the average Dukes fan as it appears in the intro of almost every episode.

[warriorbass05]

I am going out at lunchtime to look at this car/

[PocketThunder]

i like how they show 4 pictures of the custom seat covers, like anyone who buys the car will keep them and use them... 

[warriorbass05]

All I can say is WHOA!!! The driver side is decent until you get to the 1/4 panel. the trunk is rusted clean through. The windows are all broken out except the rear. It has been picked clean. The only thing that REALLY bothered me is the driver's side windshield pillar is rusted really bad. The roof is bent and banged. The seller's sister told me that the accident happened 18 yrs ago and the car was rolled on its right side(she thought)...I could not see the floors but the charger was a nice blue before it was "Generalized"...had a black interior and black vinyl roof before the change over. I was quite bummed. I thought about it for a minute but there are some around that need less work....68 is my favorite year but....

[JimShine]

It was pretty obvious to me in the pics it was at best a parts car.

[Lowprofile]

The Dog tag of another fallen soldier.

[bull]

The word clone means an "identical duplicate," so in all reality there aren't very many people who do and have done that. I'd say the only real true GL clones out there today come from Smith Bros. Restorations or Warner Bros. All the other stuff might come close but not exact.

Interesting question though: Does Warner Bros. make clones too? Wouldn't every GL made by WB after the first one be a clone?

I disagree with who makes accurate ones. There is no 'accuracy' per se with the Dukes of Hazzard. Instead you have a rather broad set of tolerances. Nothing stayed dead on the same except for the make and model of the car. Every item varied, the flag, colors, text size and placement, push bars, rollbars, etc. No 2 cars were exactly alike.

Main Entry: 1clone
Pronunciation: 'klOn
Function: noun
Etymology: Greek klOn twig, slip; akin to Greek klan to break -- more at CLAST
1 a : the aggregate of genetically identical cells or organisms asexually produced by a single progenitor cell or organism b : an individual grown from a single somatic cell or cell nucleus and genetically identical to it c : a group of replicas of all or part of a macromolecule and especially DNA <clones of identical recombinant DNA sequences>
2 : one that appears to be a copy of an original form :

I think it still fits. The one not to use is Replica

Main Entry: rep·li·ca
Pronunciation: 're-pli-k&
Function: noun
Etymology: Italian, repetition, from replicare to repeat, from Late Latin, from Latin, to fold back -- more at REPLY
1 : an exact reproduction (as of a painting) executed by the original artist <a replica of this was painted...this year -- Constance Strachey>
2 : a copy exact in all details <DNA makes a replica of itself> <sailed a replica of the Viking ship>; broadly : COPY <this faithful, pathetic replica of a Midwestern suburb -- G. F. Kennan>

But I do tend to agree with the thought the first (Lee1) was the original and the others that followed were copies of the original. But that is a hard pill for some to swallow and the fact is Lee1 was on the screen maybe a total of 2 minutes in the entire run of the show. But some of that time was the best footage ever shot, including the jump that sidelined it. That jump has to be the most recognizeable and maybe even the most famous in the eyes of the average Dukes fan as it appears in the intro of almost every episode.

What I understand of the whole process (and I'm no expert) is that WB eventually started making some attempt to keep the cars standardized once the show picked up steam and people started noticing differences and making copies of the car. The reason I mentioned the Smith Bros. is because they do a pretty dead-on replica of WB's standardization and are apparently privvy to the notes taken by Rich Sephton, Tom Sarmento and A.J. Thrasher during production and are using some of the same tools and jigs used by them and other former GL mechanics employed by WB.

But I'd have to consult Ben Jones for the real facts, as he seems to know it all concerning the trifling minutiae of DOH.

[JimShine]

Amen on Ben!

Even when they tried to make them consistant, they were still inconsistant (like the color orange used varied). The tolerances were simply made tighter than they were before, never eliminated.



The Smith Brothers are nice guys, but they specialized the later style GL (the jigs you speak of for push bars were never used before the WB era, off the shelf units were used and varied considerably). I too have much of the info Rich has so graciously provided. What may be 'in the ballpark' for the 4th season and later episodes is dead wrong for the cars made before that. Also remember that WB built less than a hunderd of the cars used on the show. This means the majority of real GL's were built when the specs varied widely. But no matter what,. one can't take any one era of car from the show and define them all by it. It makes no sense. But it is feasible one could attempt to replicate certain cars that really stand out from the others, such as Lee1, the close up cars, etc.

[warriorbass05]

I am pretty partial to the 68 that was used in season 2 on the episode of the Dukes Meet Cale Yarbrough...THe numbers are crooked and the side bullet reflectors are painted over....Thought about trying to make of these just for grins...

[JimShine]

That is one of those cars that stands out from the others. What a rare sight to see the 68 markers still in place. The Valuzet boys must have been in hurry on that one! Look closely at the episodes as it appears a few times over 3 or so episodes.

[THE CHARGER PUNK]

Q: hi i was wondering if you know the cars history before you got it 15 years ago. what is the vin number ? thanks
Sep-20-06
  A: No I do not know the history.My dad bought me this car when I was 17 years old in ALABAMA.It was in great condition when we bought the car.It had the original motor and tranny,although the motor did need a rebuild.My intentions were,after I wrecked the car,to buy another one and build it back like it was.Now with this new job there is no way I will ever have time to fullfill my dreams.I have the vin # posted on the desrcription.THANKS FOR YOUR INTEREST

Q: Are you sure this is a replica? If so, the driver/owner must have replicated a lot of the scenes from the show with this car. Does Daisy or a replica thereof come with it?
Sep-19-06
  A: Yes this is a replica.I was the driver and at the time I apparantly was trying to replicate scenes from the show.It may have had some thing to do with what you call ,liquid courage.Let me tell you from expeirience if you own one of these cars do not DRINK AND DRIVE it does not work.THANKS FOR YOUR INTEREST

Looks liek what the driver was drinking contributed 2 the present condition-MATT

[CaptMarvel]

I remember in 80 or 81 a clone car making its rounds at central Ca. fairs. It was propped up on 2 side wheels and they would let kids sit in it for a picture. I seem to remember it not being officially affiliated with WB or the show. I think it had a black interior. Its been a while, I was younger & have slept since then though.....

[JimShine]

I literally just had this show up at the front door. I believe this was a General Lee Enterprise car. These had black interiors and such. They were not WB built cars, but they were licensed to exhibit these across the country. That jump in Michigan earlier in the year that killed a cool R/T SE was one of these cars. What a shame.

[warriorbass05]

Jimshine, I am looking for a 68 to make that happen. I was given a 70 but I do not really want to do all the work it would take to make that one into a 68 lookalike...
You will notice that the 68 from Cale yarborough appears in another episode too but I cannot remember which one...The car was all clean but the numbers were still crooked....I think it was in season 3? I think you captured it in the one screen cap where the car is on the road...

There is another one that I think is cool and it appears in several episdoes of season 3 as well as in the jump sequence in Carnival of Thrills...It is a 69 RT w/ painted over Rocker trim. also has a dent in the passenger side quarter...