Image via Restore DIY/YouTube
During filming of The Dukes of Hazzard, a sickening number of Dodge Chargers were wrecked. While all those dramatic shots of the iconic General Lee doing jumps across rivers and such were inspiring to men and boys alike, to see the resulting muscle car graveyards later is anxiety inducing. But all of that can be forgotten by watching this simple yet satisfying video of a General Lee toy car getting restored.
John Schneider discloses that someone stole his personal General Lee.
Obviously, some kid was inspired by the TV show because the Dodge Charger looks to have been crashed, breaking the front axle, busting up the front bumper, and leaving the driver’s side fender barely hanging on.
Plus, the paint and graphics are faded, the toy looking like something your mom would throw out with disgusted grumble. Fortunately, this guy probably doesn’t like with his mom and he has the skills necessary to make the General Lee shine again.
As this guy uses a tweezers and a screwdriver to take the toy apart, it quickly becomes apparent it’s quite detailed and substantial. After all, there’s not only a fully interior, radiator, and other cool features you don’t always see on toys, the guy shows on camera that spinning the driveshaft turns the rear wheels – how cool is that?
But restoring the Duke Boys’ General Lee requires stripping the body down to bare metal and repainting it since the paint is faded or even gone in multiple areas. Plus, the rear section of the body has been mangled as well as the fender, so the guy has to heat it up, bend the metal back, then repair the broken bonds.
Most satisfying is watching the new paint get sprayed on in stages, everything reassembled, and fresh decals applied. The toy comes out looking brand new, showing what craftsmanship can do with something a lot of people would call junk and toss out.
Image via Restore DIY/YouTube
