Post by ferrari512s on Apr 20, 2014 19:11:56 GMT -5
Dukes of Hazzard
The General Lee is the Dodge Charger driven by the Duke cousins Bo and Luke in the television series The Dukes of Hazzard.
It is known for its signature horn, its chases and stunts—especially its long/high jumps—and for having its doors welded shut, leaving the Dukes to climb in and out through the windows.
The car appears in every episode but one ("Mary Kaye's Baby").
The car's name is a reference to the Confederate General Robert E. Lee and it bears a Battle Flag of the Confederate States of America (The army which Robert E, Lee commanded) on its roof and has a horn which plays a melody from the first twelve notes of the song "Dixie".
The idea for the General Lee was developed from the bootlegger Jerry Rushing's car, which was named for Lee's favorite horse, Traveller. Traveller was also the name of the car in Moonrunners, the 1975 movie precursor to The Dukes of Hazzard.
Although the estimated number of General Lees used varies from different sources, according to Ben Jones ("Cooter" in the show), as well as builders involved with the show, 256 General Lees were used to film the series.
Others claim about 321 were used in the series. Approximately 17 still exist in various states of repair.
On average, more than one General Lee was used up per show.
When filming a jump, anywhere from 500 to 1,000 pounds (230 to 450 kg) of sand bags or concrete ballast was placed in the trunk to prevent the car from nosing over.
Later in the series the mechanics would raise the front end of the car to keep it from scraping against the ramp causing it to lose speed, thereby providing a cushion for the driver upon landing.
Stunt drivers report enjoying the flights but hating the landings. Despite the ballast, the landing attitude of the car was somewhat unpredictable, resulting in moderate to extremely violent forces, depending on how it landed.
On many of the jumps the cars bent upon impact. All cars used in large jumps were immediately retired due to structural damage.
From 1968, 1969 to 1970 model-year Chargers were sourced and converted to General Lee specifications.
Despite popular belief, according to all builders involved over the years, obtaining cars was not a problem until later years.
By that time, the car was the star of the show and Warner Brothers moved building of the cars in house to keep the cars consistent in appearance.
Later in the show's run, when it got too hard and/or expensive to continue procuring more Chargers, the producers started using more 'jump footage' from previous episodes.
In the final season radio-controlled miniatures were occasionally used to the chagrin of several cast members.
Episodes 1 to 5 were filmed in the Georgia towns of Covington and Conyers in November and December 1978.
Georgia episode cars consisted of six Dodge Chargers. The first General Lees were built by Warner Brothers (WB) and shipped to Georgia where John Marendi (picture car coordinator) labeled the first three cars "LEE 1", "LEE 2", and "LEE 3" in no particular order for film editing purposes.
LEE 1 was a second unit car with a full roll cage. It is a 383 V8-powered 1969 Charger equipped with air conditioning (A/C).
It was originally code T3 "Light Bronze Metallic" with tan interior, three-speaker dash, and chrome rocker trim.
After the now-famous jump over Rosco P. Coltrane's police cruiser by stuntman Craig Baxley, it was stripped of its front seats and 1969-specific grill and taillight panel.
LEE 1 was used once more as the "Richard Petty" tire test car in the fourth episode Repo Men. LEE 2 was also a second unit car with a full roll cage and tan interior.
It was used for the opening scene in "One Armed Bandits". In this scene, Bo and Luke were chasing Rosco's police cruiser with the General after Cooter stole it; during this chase, LEE 2 is shown making a jump (the first that Baxley performed).
LEE 3 was the first unit 1 close-up car and the first General Lee built by Warner Brothers; it is seen in the first publicity photos.
It was originally a F5 Medium Green Metallic R/T SE (Special Edition) model.
It was powered by a 440 Magnum V8, 375-horsepower (280 kW), 3,671-pound (1,665 kg) engine, and also had A/C with power windows and a wood grain dash.
This car had a tan interior and a removable roll bar that allowed installation of a camera for in-car shots.
This car was painted 1975 Corvette Flame Red with a special basecoat; the basecoat was used after they found LEE 1's paint appeared to be blotchy due to the direct application over factory paint.
Eventually the first three General Lees started to show visible damage, so the crew had to start making more.
The first General Lee built in Georgia was a 1968 Charger converted to look like a 1969; the tail light panel, front grill, and front seats taken from LEE 1 were used.
The paint used on these cars was Chrysler code EV2 or "Hemi Orange". Interiors not originally tan were sprayed with SEM brand "Saddle tan" vinyl dye.
The first three Georgia Lees had a set of crossed flags (a Confederate flag and checkered flag) on the panel between the rear window and trunk lid.
Although four sets were created, only three were used. They were discontinued due to the continuity of the General Lee graphics, making it one less thing to be used.
The three surviving cars went back to California and had the crossed flags removed upon reconditioning.
The wheels were generally 14-by-7-inch (36 cm × 18 cm) American Racing brand "Vectors" throughout the show and were mainly mounted on P235/70R14 B. F. Goodrich Radial T/A tires with the blackwall side facing out.
LEE1 was sold to Bubba Watson at 2012 Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction for US$110,000 (US$121,000 after buyer premium
Engines
Engines in the TV show General Lees varied; 318, 383, and 440 CID V8s big blocks were used. None of the TV series cars had the 426 Hemi. However, the "close-up" Lees (except for the first one) were 383-powered. The special purpose built "Ski Car" (the car that was used for stunts involving driving on the left side or right side wheels with the opposite side wheels in the air) had a 318, as it was lighter weight. Most of the 'workhorse' stunt cars had 318s and 440s. The stunt drivers tended to prefer 440s (a higher performance engine) for jumps, so 440-powered stunt Lees were often saved for the higher bobby and longer jumps. Also, though early sound effects led many people to believe otherwise, only a handful of Chargers had manual transmissions; most had 727 TorqueFlite automatic transmissions. Also, in The Dukes of Hazzard motion picture, Cooter replaced the General's original engine with a Hemi.
Exit and entry
The General Lee, except in the beginning of the movie, does not have opening doors. In the TV series, it is explained that racing cars have their doors welded shut, and this was often used for comedic effect when Uncle Jesse or Boss Hogg required help to squeeze through the window. (In one episode, Sheriff Rosco hires a bounty hunter [Jason Steele in the show] to create a fake General Lee and trick the Dukes into driving it, at which point he promptly orders their arrest for auto theft. The fake car was easily identified because its doors opened.) In the movie, the car has been repaired after being trashed, but the doors could not be fixed fast enough. The driver and passenger must slide in the window (as in NASCAR). For a running entry, Bo and Luke also slide over the hood rather than walk around the front of the car. However, in the prequel The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning, the left door was welded shut while the right one was not.
Exhaust systems
Exhaust systems were basic: some had glasspack mufflers, but most had standard exhausts with the pipe cut just before the rear end. The exhaust sound that can be heard on most of the California-era episode General Lees is from a Thrush brand glasspack. The sounds came from the exhaust systems fitted to the "close-up" cars; the parts used were Blackjack brand headers, dual exhausts, and the aforementioned Thrush mufflers. However, the sounds were dubbed in after the scene was filmed.
Tires
Tires used on the General Lee varied, but the best known make and model was the B.F. Goodrich Radial T/A. The most common size was P235/70R14; P235/70R15 was also used. Winston Winners were also used. Movie cars had the white lettering on the outside, while TV cars had the white lettering reversed.
Smallville homage
Early in the fifth season episode "Exposed" of the television series Smallville, former Dukes of Hazzard co-star Tom Wopat (Luke Duke), playing Kansas Senator Jack Jennings, old friend of Jonathan Kent, played by John Schneider (Bo Duke), fishtails his car, a vintage Dodge Charger, into the Kent farmyard (though this one is painted blue instead of orange and lacks the General Lee's distinctive insignia).
Later Jonathan, appropriating the car, invites Jack for a ride. Jack responds, “With you at the wheel? I guess it wouldn’t be the first time I put my life in your hands.” Jack then slides though the passenger side’s open window without opening the door first. At Jonathan’s amazed look, Jack responds, “What? Damn thing’s been stuck ever since I bought it.” Thereafter, Jonathan driving, the car is shown doing a modest version of a General Lee long jump as it exits the Kent Farm. A satisfied Jack says, “Try that with a four-cylinder.”
Source
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Lee_%28car%29
General Lee Dukes of Hazzard Diecast
