LEE1 video...where is it?

[Brock Lee]

Marvin changed his mind constantly. We would sort stuff out one day and the next he would call doing something else. Not just over the car itself. I mean on other issues too. Sometimes we would agree on something and then he would appear to not even remember talking about it. Later we found out a possible good reason for that (medical issue). So because I was there and had to deal with this stuff personally, I don't see one plan from A to B. I see all the various ideas and changed plans that we had to wade through to get from A to B. It was very complex. Very early on this presented itself and Travis was so tired of it that I became the guy that had to deal with Marvin 75% of the time.

But what about "After the car was finished, Travis eBay'd the original 71 door, smashed oil pan, and a number of other small parts." Travis didn't say that. Marvin didn't say that. That is just one example of misinformation, presented as truth, that comes from the rumor mill.  

Yes, I was emotionally involved. When I arrived, nobody was documenting anything other than roof graphics. I immediately began documenting things, collecting important bits that painted a clearer picture of how the car was made.. There was a lot of stuff going on that I saw as potentially being lost with the resto of the car. Luckily I got to it in time. It also helped paint a picture in my mind in a sort of forensic way of how the car should come together. There were things I made sure got into the car that initially were not well received as they were not part of the accepted idea of what Lee1 was. But they were embraced. The other cool thing was because parts of other General Lees ended up on it, I was able to get a peek at what was going on there as well.

But just because I was emotionally involved didn't make me delusional. Through the whole process I searched and searched for evidence this was not in fact the first Lee. I kept on finding evidence against that.

Edit- jaak, yes, I still own my General Lee. I know we all say we will keep them forever, but I do plan on keeping mine forever. Mine has a cool backstory. Just a quick rundown. I grew up in a small city in Connecticut called Waterbury. When I was a kid there was the white with black top 69 my school bus passed every day. Dukes was just ending at this time. Anyway, I would look at that car and dream about making it a GL. Fast forward over 16 years and I had been living in Maine. My brother and I decided to buy a 69 (it was not going to be a GL). We found one in New York that fit our price and condition requirements. It was black. We went and bought it. The guy mentioned upon pickup it was from Connecticut. After digging through the interior, I found receipts for work done listing the car as white and the owners address was the address of the car I used to see on the bus! It was the same damn car! I didn't even try to find it and some how ended up with it. I found the white paint underneath and under that was factory F3 green, so the white I saw in the 80's was not stock. It ended up becoming a GL because, well, the universe brought this car back to me for a reason. I love this car more than any other. I wouldn't trade it for two real General Lee's.

[djtbell1]

I deleted it, it's not worth it, you understand.

[djtbell1]

I deleted it, it's not worth it, you understand.

[GL#10]

travis and Jim

So we are now led to believe that Marvin is the bad guy in all of this now ??  he was responsible for the misinformation on how the rebuild took place ???

So Marvin is the one who led you and jim to tell the World the original roof skin was removed and then reinstalled , the original roll cage was removed then reinstalled ???

It never had a donor charger clipped to it ??  Uehhhh right .

People here can pump rainbows into your assh*le and Jims if they want , saying how great of job you did  but i was there , not all the time enough time to know what really went on .

Jim was the one who did most of the reassembly , you where just cutting the checks right ??? ha

  Oh you found another General lee , is this like the High Octane General lee with the rosco banner in the back seat  , ha  .

The friendships you lost where your own doing , people just saw you for who you really are , a Bull Shitter .

 

[Dreamcar]

I have never personally met Travis, Jim, or Marvin, so I'm not out to judge anyone, that would not be fair. I've only communicated with Jim through this forum, and he's been nothing but polite and helpfull. Furthermore, from what I understand, Jim and Travis were the builders, not the owners, which creates a certain dynamic when decisions have to be made and the owner makes the final call.

As a long time Dukes fan going back to my childhood, the only thing that really upset me is that, after seeing the Inside Line video I was asking about in my original post (which I think was narrated by Travis), I was led to believe that more of Lee 1 was saved than what really happened. However, I haven't seen that video in 3+ years, so maybe I misinterpreted something but it's impossible to know since it's no longer available. 

If, from the very beginning, someone would have said that the only way to make Lee 1 roadworthy was to get a donor car, then fine. It is what it is and the car sat for 20+ years outside. There's one video on Youtube right now posted by Gary Schneider showing the discovery of Lee 1 and to be honest, I would have believed that the donor car was the only way to go, especially when the trunk is opened. That, or keep the car as is, but as Travis stated, that could be easier said than done. 

However, if what I think I remember from the now gone Inside Line video is correct (but I could be wrong), then being given the impression that most of the structure behind the firewall was saved, but in reality that wasn't the case, is misleading and the only upsetting part for me. However, if the builders of Lee 1 would put all their information together in one place and say "here's what we did and why", it would eliminate many of the rumours and questions people have.

Discovering, owing, restoring and caring for Lee 1 would be big responsibility, one that I cannot pretend to know what it would be like.

[GL#10]

That was the biggest problem with the whole Lee-1 resto with all in the DOH community , where all the lies concerning the build .

If they had of been upfront with what was done , how it was done  , there would not have been a problem , well there still would have been countless people unhappy it was restored .

[djtbell1]

I deleted it, it's not worth it, you understand.

[JB400]

Thanks for coming out and telling us a little about what went on with Lee 1,  Travis 

I'm going to ask that all parties involved, please keep this civil.  I realize there is bad blood out there about this subject, but now is a good time to suck it up and put it to rest.  If you still have dislikes for each other, that's fine.  Leave it off the board as much as possible.  Lets put some more of the myths of Lee 1 to rest.

[Cooter]

 

[Homerr]

Thanks for replying Travis and Jim.   

I have one more request.  Could each of you tell us about the actual restoration of the car itself?  Something without the personalities and drama side of things - it's obvious that it's still a sore area and my aim is not to stir that up.  I love DoH as a kid too and I like hearing about the actual series cars, but I still feel like a noob surrounding honest-to-goodness information on LEE1.  In full disclosure, if you look hard enough you'll find that I'm not much of a fan of replica/tribute cars.  But LEE1 is different, it's a piece of Americana, history.

I'd like to hear what was done with the car by the guys that were hands-on, a primary source and not edited or hearsay.

I'd love to hear more of the sort of thing that Jim talked about in the video walk around.  I'm interested in he actual work that you two (and any employees) did on the car; what was the teardown process like - was everything obvious at first what was going to need to be replaced, or did it snowball; findings about where the car came from originally; findings about how Warner Bros. built this car; where/why/how splices were made with the donor car; what original bits were put back on and what was considered 'not original' (maybe #71 parts or other).

[Brock Lee]

There were many people working on the car. There was a body shop that did the metal/paint work. There was a shop that rebuilt the engine.

Like I said, there wasn't one plan in effect. Things changed often. When I started, my primary job was to find parts and be a consultant on how the car should look. . Parts were rather hard to find at the time and I had other problems. We wanted a "real" tan interior, not dyed (couldn't help that on the console), and Marvin had this requirement that parts had to look 10 years old. Not new, not 30 years old..10. Then I had to start helping the body shop with how things should be. Example, I go in and Kim points out the cowl is sticking up an inch high on the passenger side. He asked if that was a normal factory flaw. Um. No. It was jump damage. Anyway, as the clock ticked the body shop pushed Lee1 down on its list of priorities. It was August. The exterior was close, but it still had all of its rotted pans in it, the body wasn't fully tweaked yet, it was still in primer. This thing had to be unveiled in November. The event was planned, the city was expecting us, John planned his film release to pass through there to unveil the car.

So the body shop didn't care. In fact, not one employee there gave two shits about what the car was. It was at this point Travis and I had to assume control of the build. I cannot think of a night where only I worked on the car. It was always at the very least, Travis and I. In the mechanical phase we had the other shop work with us into the wee hours of the morning every day getting it together and working. The car finally got painted the second week of September. So Travis and I had from mid September to early November to find parts and build the car and recondition parts we had that were going to be used. Plus tweak any of the stuff that didn't get tweaked in the first phase. Don't forget, I lived 1000 miles away. I would go home for a few days to earn money (I was making NO money here and I had bills back home) and get a call I had to come back. I gave up going back home in October. After the the car went to Jim's Auto for the reinstallation of the drivetrain, we had help from those guys as well. We literally were working on that thing 11/10, the day before the unveiling.

[djtbell1]

Not worth it.

[Homerr]

It wasn't clear to me that you two are more 'just two guys' (hope that doesn't sound insulting) instead of having your own restoration shop and body & paint space.  I didn't understand that the body was farmed out and everything about the deadline you were working to.  Thanks.

From the way you describe Marvin he sounds like a tough client to work for.  I wonder if you had said no to working for him if it might have been for the better all around - for each of you?  For the car?  I sense your dedication, but not having a bodyshop that 'gave two shits' seems like an odd decision - was this purely a budget/schedule call?  Marvin's decision?

Are there pictures of it in the teardown/body/paint process other than those here?

I appreciate you guys letting Bubba know that he has a special car no matter how it got to here.

edit: fixed link

[Brock Lee]

Well, I am surprised. Travis, I spend 6+ hours a week on the road with you and we never talk about this. I may have distanced myself farther away from all this than you have. But it never was as personally directed at me, so I guess it has been easier for me to do. I don't see it quite as dramatically, but you know me..it is hard to get through my armor, and I tend to see everything from multiple perspectives (which sometimes sucks when I have to make a decision, as you know well).

The only people that hate me are people that never, ever knew me. If they didn't know me, then why should I care what they think? I didn't lose one real friend in all this. Just some acquaintances. But they come and go through life for a multitude of reasons.

In this situation neither of us had full control. We made the best of the circumstances. At the end of the day I look at the balance of the whole thing. Stuff happened I didn't like, we were rushed to meet an almost impossible deadline, but we managed to put together a great car and I had a chance to document a bunch of stuff before it was pissed away for eternity. We became best friends. I came here to Indy and we have the best times. Be it working on a car, working at a nightclub, or making license plates. The positives so far out weigh the negatives. So I am cool with how things are. I just wanted to say my peace before I walked away completely. I did that. I know you will catch up to me soon.

homer- You can rest assured that if Travis knew how Marvin was going to be, he never would have taken on the project.

PS- I would like to take this opportunity to get one more thing out in the open.

Kraig Cummins. I could fill this box up to its max with crap I know he has pulled and detail how all of this BS around Lee1 is his doing. But I wont. Instead I am going to tell you about my personal relationship with this guy.

I never liked Kraig. One night at a party he comes in and starts his bully BS with a kid and literally had this guy crying. He smiled at this. I told him I saw through his BS and didn't like him. "I am going to change your mind" is what he said to me.

After the bridges were burned here in Indy, Jim's Auto wanted SGL13 GONE. It was dumped off on Michele Lane, in the winter, and nobody wanted to help him out. The car was left on the street. The idea was Greenwood would pick it up eventually once it was in the way of the plow trucks. I couldn't let this happen to a real General Lee. So against my better judgement I took it in my garage and held it for many months until Kraig sent someone to pick it up. I waited at home, helped them load it up. No good deed goes unpunished. Kraig has gone around saying I stole parts off his car. First, I wouldn't do that, second, that car is about as much a screen used GL in its present state as Lee1. So even if I wanted to steal something, what parts could I even take? Of course it made no sense, but Kraig has a great way of spinning shit to "stir the pot". Kraig's circle of friends gets smaller over time. Eventually the people he has screwed over will come out of the woodwork and he will be exposed.

[Dreamcar]

Thanks for replying Travis and Jim.   

I have one more request.  Could each of you tell us about the actual restoration of the car itself?  Something without the personalities and drama side of things - it's obvious that it's still a sore area and my aim is not to stir that up.  I love DoH as a kid too and I like hearing about the actual series cars, but I still feel like a noob surrounding honest-to-goodness information on LEE1.  In full disclosure, if you look hard enough you'll find that I'm not much of a fan of replica/tribute cars.  But LEE1 is different, it's a piece of Americana, history.

I'd like to hear what was done with the car by the guys that were hands-on, a primary source and not edited or hearsay.

I'd love to hear more of the sort of thing that Jim talked about in the video walk around.  I'm interested in he actual work that you two (and any employees) did on the car; what was the teardown process like - was everything obvious at first what was going to need to be replaced, or did it snowball; findings about where the car came from originally; findings about how Warner Bros. built this car; where/why/how splices were made with the donor car; what original bits were put back on and what was considered 'not original' (maybe #71 parts or other).

  As a fan, I would love to see a rundown of what parts had to be replaced and why. That would so clear up the rumors. Maybe we could even have a section on this forum dedicated to it. Also, any info on the new GL would be cool too. If there is another GL out there, PLEASE tell us. I would also like to thank Travis and Jim for speaking up.

[GL#10]

As a fan, I would love to see a rundown of what parts had to be replaced and why. That would so clear up the rumors. Maybe we could even have a section on this forum dedicated to it. Also, any info on the new GL would be cool too. If there is another GL out there, PLEASE tell us. I would also like to thank Travis and Jim for speaking up.

Very good point there , but they wont , they would rather try to make themselves out to be the victim of big bad Marvin   ,personal attack's are a way of guiding you away from the truth ,turn it into a pissin match ,  here is one example ,  lets ask Henry Hollman ,where his original trunk from lee-1 is  and about the copy hanging in his old shop instead of the original one .

  Here is a good website  to read

http://www.mygenerallee.com


you be the judge 

 

[Brock Lee]

We are not victims, we just did what he wanted. But you sure did a number on Marvin. Guess he should have "just played along" and did what you wanted?

And here comes the trunklid BS. How could something be stolen that was given away? Not just given away, but a receipt on H&H letterhead stating as such, written out in front of 3 witnesses? Oh thats right..you were not there and you didn't know about that. You don't know any of the details around that.  Keep stirring the pot Kraig.

[GL#10]

STP is a travas trait not mine jim  , this is what people want to see want to know .

As a fan, I would love to see a rundown of what parts had to be replaced and why. That would so clear up the rumors. Maybe we could even have a section on this forum dedicated to it. Also, any info on the new GL would be cool too. If there is another GL out there, PLEASE tell us. I would also like to thank Travis and Jim for speaking up.

[Brock Lee]

You embody all those negative traits. And the people that know you understand that. Some are so desperate for "friends" they put up with it. Some only realized it when it was too late. Your day is coming. Karma is a bitch.

[Cooter]

What's ironic in this whole mess is, a $400.00 roach of a Charger only garnered this much attention because of the simple thought of it being worth much more due to it's pedigree. When in fact, even restored, it didn't bring the cost of restoration which is in better shape than when found.

I wish this car had just never been found. Once money/fame get into the mix, the best of friends become the worst of enemies.
sad that a car that pretty much brought most of us together, just may be the car that tears many of us apart.

And the poor patrol cars just seem to have escaped this somehow.

[69wannabe]

What's ironic in this whole mess is, a $400.00 roach of a Charger only garnered this much attention because of the simple thought of it being worth much more due to it's pedigree. When in fact, even restored, it didn't bring the cost of restoration which is in better shape than when found.

I wish this car had just never been found. Once money/fame get into the mix, the best of friends become the worst of enemies.
sad that a car that pretty much brought most of us together, just may be the car that tears many of us apart.

And the poor patrol cars just seem to have escaped this somehow.

Very true!!

[GL#10]

I wish this car had just never been found. Once money/fame get into the mix, the best of friends become the worst of enemies.
sad that a car that pretty much brought most of us together, just may be the car that tears many of us apart.

[sanders7981]

Jim and Travis, I applaud you both for detailing the processes for LEE 1 and taking the time to answer questions that are probably very emotional topics.  I am no where near the level of DOH fan that other are, but I am building a replica GL myself...slowly.  If I didn't have a full time job, Active Duty Marine Corps, I always joke that I'd be done by now.  I like many other had read the post after post of hate and discontent regarding Travis and all the stuff that went on.  However, I can't say that I recall ever reading anything posted from Travis in the hate threads.  Unfortunately if it's on the internet, then it must be true... Meaning that everyone jumps on the bash bandwagon.  Thanks for clearing up some of the smoke and mirrors!    

Also, Travis ... where can I get one of those metal CNH plates?  I'll be needing one when my GL is roadworthy! 

[jaak]

Edit- jaak, yes, I still own my General Lee. I know we all say we will keep them forever, but I do plan on keeping mine forever. Mine has a cool backstory. Just a quick rundown. I grew up in a small city in Connecticut called Waterbury. When I was a kid there was the white with black top 69 my school bus passed every day. Dukes was just ending at this time. Anyway, I would look at that car and dream about making it a GL. Fast forward over 16 years and I had been living in Maine. My brother and I decided to buy a 69 (it was not going to be a GL). We found one in New York that fit our price and condition requirements. It was black. We went and bought it. The guy mentioned upon pickup it was from Connecticut. After digging through the interior, I found receipts for work done listing the car as white and the owners address was the address of the car I used to see on the bus! It was the same damn car! I didn't even try to find it and some how ended up with it. I found the white paint underneath and under that was factory F3 green, so the white I saw in the 80's was not stock. It ended up becoming a GL because, well, the universe brought this car back to me for a reason. I love this car more than any other. I wouldn't trade it for two real General Lee's.

That is a very cool story, Jim. Sounds like it was destiny that you own that particular Charger. I wouldn't want to get rid of it either.

Jason

[Dreamcar]

To those who might be interested, the teaser video to the one I was looking for is still on YouTube under "resurrection of General Lee".  youtube.com/watch?v=1uzQvv1q9aw