Looking for a shop to build me a General Lee...

[Danacus]

Hello,

I hope my subject does not upset any of the Charger purists. Its just that I fell in love with the 68-70 Charger in 1979 as a kid watching The Dukes. I love these Chargers in stock uniform, but think that the GL paint/graphics make these cars really shine. Anyway...

As the title says, I am looking for someone to build me a GL. Currently I am talking to "General Lee Chargers" on Facebook as well as ScottLea (Professor Patrick). ScottLea seems to have a good reputation, but I have yet to find anyone who owns a GL built by them or any other custom car.

"General Lee Chargers" built this GL:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dodge-Charger-R-T-1969-dodge-charger-general-lee-/141295944307?forcerrptr=true&hash=item20e5e50273&item=141295944307&pt=US_Cars_Trucks

Which oddly enough the buyer is now trying to flip here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dodge-Charger-General-Lee-Replica-1969-Dodge-Charger-General-Lee-Replica-Automatic-2-Door-Coupe-/331253042141?forcerrptr=true&hash=item4d20384bdd&item=331253042141&pt=US_Cars_Trucks

Does anyone have any comments about either of these business? Anyone else I should look at?

I contacted the Smith Brothers and they are not taking any orders until 2016 because they are "under contract" until then (whatever that means), but it does not matter since they sent me a price list and for thier basic GL replica they want $75k!

THANKS!
Dana

[Charger-Bodie]

Where are you at?

[1965gp]

Halfway through my GL now. I would suggest doing some research on what 'era' GL you want. As a kid I didn't know  there were variations.

What is your budget? Like anything it will probably be cheaper to buy one done but if your like me the build is part of the fun.

If you do your homework there isn't any reason a local quality shop couldn't convert a 69 into a GL- you just need to make sure you go with the right color/decal/interior/ pushbar combo. All of that info is pretty easy to find.

I would use a shop local to you so you can keep tabs on the progress. I've heard horror stories of people sending $$ off to someone they never see and the car never getting done and in some cases the car is never returned.

[Danacus]

Where are you at?

I am in Bangor Maine. Unfortunately, there are neither ay old Chargers or shops I would trust to do the work.

[NHCharger]

I'm in Barrington, NH. I know a real good body guy in Rochester, NH. He painted my 71 Charger. If you want I could ask him if he would be interested.

[MaximRecoil]

Where are you at?

I am in Bangor Maine. Unfortunately, there are neither ay old Chargers or shops I would trust to do the work.

There is a guy in Pittsfield, Maine (just get on I95 South and drive for about a half hour to what used to be exit 38) that runs a restoration shop that specializes in old Mustangs, but this is his personal car:



That was a junkyard car when he started; he completely disassembled it and put it on a rotisserie. The General Lee details on his car are generic and incomplete (graphics from Phoenix Graphix and not much else; his roll cage is real; he doesn't want a push bumper due to the weight it would add to the front), but if you did your homework on the General Lee details that you want, I don't see why he couldn't accommodate you. I don't know him very well; I've been to his shop and seen his General Lee, and traded some stuff with him once, so I can't vouch for him, but as far as I know he has a good reputation. A friend I went to school with, who lives in Corinna, Maine, who is one of the best body and paint guys in the area (his personal car routinely wins the "best paint" category at local shows), knows him better than I do, and he's never said anything bad about him.

[1965gp]

A lot of this will depend what quality car you intend to build. Mine is more on the budget end (non rotisserie) and repro parts instead of NOS to make a nice driver. Like anything you can take this as far as you want.

[MaximRecoil]

Also, keep in mind that a General Lee build is a normal Charger restoration or refurbishment, plus some things that most anyone is qualified to do (i.e., adding bolt-on or stick-on parts; minor wiring skills are required as well if you want a CB and/or Dixie horn). It is practically a given that anyone who is capable of doing a decent restoration or refurbishment of a Charger will also be qualified to then transform it into a General Lee, provided they are given good information on what bolt-on and stick-on parts to get.

[Mike DC]

It's like anything else in the old car hobby - better to buy it already restored (assuming you don't get ripped off) than do it or have it done yourself.  The cost savings will be huge in the long run.  Doing a bodywork resto is a killer and I'm not talking about the price of the orange paint.  It's a Chrysler product, and Chrysler products rust.  Severely.  

There are always some cars out there for sale at stupid-high prices.  But the majority of classic muscle cars, GL/Charger or otherwise, end up selling for much less than they cost to restore to that condition.   


I would encourage you not to go into this with the attitude that you need to start with a regular Charger and convert it to a GL just to "make it yours."  GL or not there will be plenty of things you will end up altering on any car.  These things are never done.  If you find a deal on a finished GL then take it.

 

[JR]

Not to be rude, but why on earth would anyone go thru the hell of paying a restoration shop 40k of labor plus the cost of the car and parts to spend two years building another general clone when there are ten or more of them at a time advertised on craigslist or eBay? That I'm sure could be bought for less than the cost of a restoration project.

Labor rates for a good shop run around 80-100 bucks an hour minimum. Why pay for two years worth of that when you can find plenty of orange chargers ready to drive right now?

What satisfaction would you even get from paying strangers at an unknown shop a lot of money for 2 years?

Just buy a complete car for less money and save another charger from being converted.

[sanders7981]

I second what has been said regarding "doing your research".  I have been working on mine now since spring of 2010, it's been a slow go because I deploy...a lot.  I have it all done except the drive train and gas tank/fuel lines, and am partially done with wiring.  I have done all the work myself, which has saved me thousands of dollars, and plan on driving the hell out of it instead of making it a trailer/show queen. 

There are a few good shops out there that do  this kind of work or specialize in GL builds.  Smith Bros is probably the most well know, and Scott Lea Hotrods is another that comes to mind.  However... Prepare to pay a lot of cash if you have a shop "properly" build one for you with out taking shortcuts and half-assing it.

If you don't want to or have the disposable income, look into buying one that is already completed.  You can always modify what you don't like later on... Like changing an all black interior to saddle tan or dukes tan.  Would be way cheaper that way. 

Good luck with your search.

[ws23rt]

Not to be rude, but why on earth would anyone go thru the hell of paying a restoration shop 40k of labor plus the cost of the car and parts to spend two years building another general clone when there are ten or more of them at a time advertised on craigslist or eBay? That I'm sure could be bought for less than the cost of a restoration project.

Labor rates for a good shop run around 80-100 bucks an hour minimum. Why pay for two years worth of that when you can find plenty of orange chargers ready to drive right now?

What satisfaction would you even get from paying strangers at an unknown shop a lot of money for 2 years?

Just buy a complete car for less money and save another charger from being converted.

Some may think your being rude but you make perfectly good sense.

From a practical point of view just how personal can a faithfully done GL be?

It is good advice to one that has a charger but wants it to be a GL.  Use the charger you have to maneuver your way to something that has already been done and depreciated.

[Mopar Nut]

  Welcome aboard Danacus!

[GL#10]

All comes down to want you want to spend , and how quick you want it , what's your budget?? How quick do you want it ?? etc etc

I would be looking at one already done , but have it checked out .

Here is one of the Autotrader Gl's, if you want a Gl With some History .

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281365238824?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

[XS29L9Bxxxxxx]

Not to be rude, but why on earth would anyone go thru the hell of paying a restoration shop 40k of labor plus the cost of the car and parts to spend two years building another general clone when there are ten or more of them at a time advertised on craigslist or eBay? That I'm sure could be bought for less than the cost of a restoration project.

Labor rates for a good shop run around 80-100 bucks an hour minimum. Why pay for two years worth of that when you can find plenty of orange chargers ready to drive right now?

What satisfaction would you even get from paying strangers at an unknown shop a lot of money for 2 years?

Just buy a complete car for less money and save another charger from being converted.

Perfect advice 

[myk]

Buy it built.  Anything else will be a pain in the ass and it will drain your finances...

[Danacus]

Where are you at?

I am in Bangor Maine. Unfortunately, there are neither ay old Chargers or shops I would trust to do the work.

There is a guy in Pittsfield, Maine (just get on I95 South and drive for about a half hour to what used to be exit 38) that runs a restoration shop that specializes in old Mustangs, but this is his personal car:



That was a junkyard car when he started; he completely disassembled it and put it on a rotisserie. The General Lee details on his car are generic and incomplete (graphics from Phoenix Graphix and not much else; his roll cage is real; he doesn't want a push bumper due to the weight it would add to the front), but if you did your homework on the General Lee details that you want, I don't see why he couldn't accommodate you. I don't know him very well; I've been to his shop and seen his General Lee, and traded some stuff with him once, so I can't vouch for him, but as far as I know he has a good reputation. A friend I went to school with, who lives in Corinna, Maine, who is one of the best body and paint guys in the area (his personal car routinely wins the "best paint" category at local shows), knows him better than I do, and he's never said anything bad about him.

That's very interesting. I know Pittsfield (I hit a home run in a little league all-star game there about 1000 years ago ). Whats the name of his shop?

[Danacus]

Not to be rude, but why on earth would anyone go thru the hell of paying a restoration shop 40k of labor plus the cost of the car and parts to spend two years building another general clone when there are ten or more of them at a time advertised on craigslist or eBay? That I'm sure could be bought for less than the cost of a restoration project.

Labor rates for a good shop run around 80-100 bucks an hour minimum. Why pay for two years worth of that when you can find plenty of orange chargers ready to drive right now?

What satisfaction would you even get from paying strangers at an unknown shop a lot of money for 2 years?

Just buy a complete car for less money and save another charger from being converted.

I do agree with what you are saying. I have looked at built GL's. Some of them look pretty good, but looks can be deceiving. Some of them are obviously a rust bucket with orange paint. I live in Maine and none of the built GLs are anywhere near me, so I would have to buy it without actually seeing it, therefor, it would have to be built by a reputable shop than I can verify. Also the ones that appear to have been done well are very pricey. I can have a really nice one built by the two business I mentioned for the same money I see the nice ones sell for and I get to pick what motor, paint color, interior, etc. For example, the first auction I posted, that GL sold for $42.5K. I can have that same car built by the same place for the same money (and have some say in what exactly gets done).

[Daytona R/T SE]

Danacus,

You need to do a search for DC.Com member "Cooter".

I believe he is still willing to sell his General Lee.  

Wait...

Here ya go...

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,83711.0.html

[MaximRecoil]

That's very interesting. I know Pittsfield (I hit a home run in a little league all-star game there about 1000 years ago ).

I lived and worked there for much of the '90s.

Whats the name of his shop?

Emery Pratt, Central Maine Mustang - link.

Here's a Car Craft article about a Mustang he did - link. And here is a Bangor Daily News article about him - link.

I don't know his rates, whether or not he's taking on any new jobs right now, etc., but it wouldn't hurt to give him a call.

[Mike DC]

 

he doesn't want a push bumper due to the weight it would add to the front

He could do one from aluminum. 

When using the same thickness of metal as the original (rather than making it thicker to recover some lost strength) then aluminum would come out about 1/3rd the weight of steel.  That's a pretty small weight penalty to complete the look. 

[XS29L9Bxxxxxx]

 

he doesn't want a push bumper due to the weight it would add to the front

He could do one from aluminum. 

When using the same thickness of metal as the original (rather than making it thicker to recover some lost strength) then aluminum would come out about 1/3rd the weight of steel.  That's a pretty small weight penalty to complete the look. 

Even in steel, it isn't that heavy 

[Mike DC]

 
You're right, it's not much weight even in steel.  Not in view of a 3800-lb car.    


But the weight is located at one of the worst places on the whole car to add it.  

[ws23rt]

The point about the car being front heavy reminds me of mounting the battery in the trunk.  Battery weight off the front and added to the back. This would offset the weight of the push bar.  And open up storage space under the hood.  

I also read somewhere that these chargers were about 300lbs light in the front at 70 MPH. (I still wonder if that is about right).  If that is the case leaving the weight on the front would help.

Or as some do add a nose and wing to keep things on the level.

[JR]

I guarantee you can buy plane tickets (to go inspect one personally)  and shipping costs for less than the cost of paying for restoration.  

But, if you're hellbent on spending two years or more to have a shop build you a General Lee that looks like every other General Lee, more power to you.