I should not have posted that link. I should not have said anything about

[Big Lebowski]

Is there a smoking gun smiley in here This will work.

[JimShine]

Richard, you only know the version Kraig and Justin are giving you. Justin never stepped foot 100 miles of that car during the resto and Kraig rarely was around. But they know it all, right? That picture you have up is the skin only. In the edmunds video (around the 3:15 mark) you will see the car back from the sandblaster, with the roof skin only removed. Take it or leave it.

I am not carrying the drama out on this board (out of respect for Troy). But I do want to make some points:

Pictures. To post pics after all this crap just rewards the lynch mob. Maybe I should just post a picture of the 71 car and say it was taken yesterday. Kraig gets away with it, maybe I can too. Oh wait, I guess then it would just be 'proof' that we faked the resto.

Kraig doesn't care about me. What he is pulling now is proof of that. I told him to his face months ago he is a spoiled brat that is used to getting what he wants. When things don't go his way, he finds ways to retailiate. I gurantee you, give him time, he will come up with a new story about Lee1 everyday until nobody cares to hear about it anymore. Thing is that forum is such a hotbed for gossip, he can keep going for the next several years. They will eat it up.

Kraig is using you like he uses most of his other Dukes buddies. You are the crusader. Good job. I bet he is pleased. Ask around about how he has 'friends' store vehicles for stupid lengths of time with no regard. Travis is not the only guy who has done it. Now he can use Justin for storage. I wonder if Justin will pay for his huge cell phone bills, title fees, registrations, insurance, maintnance, towing cars and trucks around, without refund.

Why would Travis need to back me? Anything I do, I do for me. Any decision I make, is mine. I moved to Indianapolis to be with the car. Being with Lee1 is a very selfish thing. I was paid nothing to come here and work on and stay with the car. I am still paid nothing. I have been given a couple nice gifts, but the car is a passion and a love of mine. This is why I take what Kraig is doing so personally.

In closing:

The car was appraised by an expert. He spent days combing over the car. He was satisfied with the work done and felt "all of the right choices were made". In regards to the shifter knob, I know nothing about that. I do know other owners have claimed pieces of the car as well. I doubt they would return them if deemed reuseable. Should they be brought up too? At the end of the day, I really do not care what the 'fanatics' on the other forums think. After having a thread emailed to me about how funny they thought it would be for WB to come take the car from us, I lost the last ounce of respect I had for them.

[69charger2002]

i don't know much about anything. and jim you always seemed like a cool dude to me. i never thought lee1 should be restored. it did, and it looks great. so be it. i don't really care about the drama of who did what. that's none of my business. i do have one random question though. what made you move from maine to indiana for a car that you didn't buy? unless i'm reading something wrong. what's in it for you to do something like that?
trav

[JimShine]

Lee1 was the main reason. I never could afford to own that car and having full access to it for a while seemed cool.

But that isn't the only reason. Maine was becoming harder and harder for me to live in. The economy sucks and was getting worse. Indy had more to offer and it seemed if in the worst case I didn't like living here anymore, I could move just about anywhere from here and it wouldn't be a big deal. I also really like it here. I feel more at home around here than in Maine (I am not a Maine native and I was reminded that regularly during the 16 years I lived there). So the payoff is a higher quality of life. I know it sounds cheesy, but really, that is a big chunk of the decision.

[69charger2002]

doesn't sound cheesy at all. be lucky you have the freedom to still up and go. i hate louisiana. but i'm pretty much bound here now because of a good job, wife's good job, etc. i was just curious is all. good luck with whatever you end up doing. 

[253862656971]

Ok after reading all this "stuff" I've got a question.  Am I wrong in thinking that most of the problem between the parties involved in this discussion is a FREAKING ROOF and a couple misc pieces?!  That's what makes Lee1 a real Lee is the roof?  Judging from the pics IF its a donor car from the windshield back and Lee1 from the windshield forward (I'm not making a judgement just speculating from pics) the biggest issue is the restoration team allegedly didn't put Lee1's roof on the donor car and tried passing it off as they did replace it?  Cripes!  There's a word coming to my mind that begins with an H and it applies to both sides.

On the other hand, we have a ton of members here who don't much care for the Dukes of Hazzard and this is not really the best impression of Dukes fans to leave on them.



Troy

I'm in this boat.  I think the show is fine and I credit it with my first glimpse at a Charger and my following passion for them BUT after reading this thread (and other stories out there *cough* HLPAG *cough*) I really don't care if I ever hear about or see another General again.  What I am reading and seeing is EXACTLY (IMO) the kind of thing that will kill a hobby.  It seems to me the only thing these people are capable of are bickering amongst themselves and I have absolutley no intention of ever becoming a Dukes fan because of it.  I've actually quit watching DOH on TV because it reminds me of this crap! 

Ok I think I've stepped on enough feathers for this month.

[RT DAVE]

 

All this drama over a ('the") General Lee?     I personally don't think this car is worth the effort, but I don't like General Lee's, real or otherwise.   I'm sure plenty of people like GLs better than my car, so don't start that argument.   

[HAZZARDJOHN]

Am I alone in starting to wish this Car was never found? I wouldn't say crushed, but definatly never found. It has been a Black Cloud around this Hobby and it gets worse everyyear. I have no desire latley to even be associated with this hobby anymore. I also took the money for my charger and bought a souped up impala, because owning a General Lee, has kinda left my desires, at least for the time being. And remember this has been a 20 year obsession for me. I think If I take a break from it I will remember why I enjoyed this hobby, but right now all this bikcering and back biting is annoying. And I am not even going to take sides.

~HJ

[FastbackJon]

I am amazed at how much drama, name calling and bickering there is between all these high profile dukes of hazzard fans. From a website about Kraig Cummings ripping off a museum when selling them a car, to Richard Sephton trying to steal the wheelstander after he lost it in a divorce, to now Travis Bell tearing apart the original General Lee and not restoring it correctly, selling off parts and keeping some for himself, the few bad guys are disgracing the whole DOH hobby.

Sheesh, makes me wish the Dukes of Hazzard car was a Mustang and not our beloved Charger...

[RT DAVE]

Sheesh, makes me wish the Dukes of Hazzard car was a Mustang and not our beloved Charger...

I agree.  I'm sick of people thinking I'm a redneck just because of the association of the charger and the duke boys. 

[Chris G.]

here you go
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,22756.0.html

Right back at 'cha.

Not my words...
"In discussions of the proposed series, Philip Mandelker and Paul Picard at Warner Bros. Television agreed that the Dukes should have a fast car, but not for the purpose of running moonshine. The car wouldn't be new either, but something more suited to the characters and their southern lifestyle. As you probably know, the southern states are the hotbed of stock-car racing, and one of the major NASCAR events, the Atlanta 500, is held at the Atlantic International Raceway in Georgia. And so it was decided that the General Lee - the name given the car in Waldron's proposal - was to be a race car pressed reluctantly into street service by the Dukes. But the specific make and model were arrived at only after lengthy deliberations.

As executive producer Paul Picard recalls: "We talked about six or seven different cars, but Gy kept coming back to the Charger. He was the expert on cars, and so we went along." Waldron's suggestion was a logical one, because of the Charger's history of racing successes. In 1969, for example, Dodge Chargers won 22 of the 54 major NASCAR races.

After a brilliant orange was deemed appropriate for the General, the number that graces the car's flanks became the subject of much serious debate. "Gy thought we should have a double number," Picard remembers, "something unusual. And finally he came up with 01." The confederate flag was first considered for the hood, but later moved to the roof."

[pettyfan43]

I am amazed at how much drama, name calling and bickering there is between all these high profile dukes of hazzard fans. From a website about Kraig Cummings ripping off a museum when selling them a car, to Richard Sephton trying to steal the wheelstander after he lost it in a divorce, to now Travis Bell tearing apart the original General Lee and not restoring it correctly, selling off parts and keeping some for himself, the few bad guys are disgracing the whole DOH hobby.

Sheesh, makes me wish the Dukes of Hazzard car was a Mustang and not our beloved Charger...

I have to take issue with the statements about Rich Sephton. The car was stolen in that divorce, the car was RIGHTFULLY his and he was simply trying to recover his property. That car never did and does not to this DAY belong to that guy that has it.

[sharpspike]

this has been a painful read. this is my take on any subject like this.

1) if you buy something you can pretty much do what you want to with it.

2) if you dont like what is being done, buy it yourself and do it your way. ( or be silent)

3) if your going to buy the completed project, do your research, if your happy thats all that matters.

if i bought the car kennedy was assassinated in and wanted to paint it orange and put a rebel flag on it, thats my business. i dont owe anyone the option to do it there way.


at least thats the way i thought it worked in america. we are still in america right. oh yea, that free speech thing. yea i know about that too. but i do think there is also a common sense thing, and going to far thing as well. but i still think  #1 is the most important RIGHT we have.

god bless america.

im offfffffffff the soapbox.

i still like ya jimshine, dont know ya, but i like ya. and i dont care about the roof!

[StuntMan]

this has been a painful read. this is my take on any subject like this.

1) if you buy something you can pretty much do what you want to with it.

2) if you dont like what is being done, buy it yourself and do it your way. ( or be silent)

3) if your going to buy the completed project, do your research, if your happy thats all that matters.

if i bought the car kennedy was assassinated in and wanted to paint it orange and put a rebel flag on it, thats my business. i dont owe anyone the option to do it there way.


at least thats the way i thought it worked in america. we are still in america right. oh yea, that free speech thing. yea i know about that too. but i do think there is also a common sense thing, and going to far thing as well. but i still think  #1 is the most important RIGHT we have.

god bless america.

im offfffffffff the soapbox.

i still like ya jimshine, dont know ya, but i like ya. and i dont care about the roof!

I think what you don't understand is that this is NOT about cutting up the car. This is about the fact that Travis did NOT own the car, but was 'overseeing a resto', and then - during the 'resto' - was cutting off pieces unknown to the actual owner, and selling them for huge sums of money, all the while leading the owner to believe the roof among other things were still on the car. He is a CROOK, in the order or worse than HLPAG.

And Jim, your moniker is "President of Team Lee 1", and on Travis' board you have just said the roof is on the car, now as it sits restored, and have led the owner Mr Marvin Murphy to believe that.

Then WHY is it hanging on the wall in Mr Kennedy's garage in Canada???[/size].

As far as who owes who concerning Kraig - yes, Kraig did run up Travis' phone bill - but only AFTER Travis sold Kraig's private property, namely one Mad Max car, to a collector and pocketed the $, HIMSELF. Travis drue first blood, to quote someone.

Travis has finally did it to himself. These are his final days in this particular hobby. MCG is being contacted.

Rc

[Troy]

Quoting myself for those who didn't bother to read:

I do not plan to allow this bickering and hurling of accusations or the airing of personal differences to spill over to this site.

While I believe that it would be a horrible shame *if* these allegations are true, I have no intention of allowing this pissing match to continue. I have more questions than answers so far. Hopefully the truth you all seek will soon be discovered and when it is I'd love to hear it.

Troy