"Xtreme" General Lee

[CDoherty95]

Hey y'all.

Before you click off this thread, assuming I'm building another unique bike, hear me out on this one...

This is a General Lee, with a twist!

Let me start off with this link.

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3158386/1969-dodge-charger

This is blues musician Kenny Wayne Shephard's General Lee, or "Xtreme Lee".

I saw a show which documented the build process of this car, and it includes an interview with Renaud Veluzat, one of the original General Lee builders from season 2 to season 4.

Kenny's Lee was modified and altered from the standard General Lee. The graphics were done in such a way that it looked like they were peeling off, the whole car was lowered, the push bar was chrome, and the wheels were chrome ten spoked.

I finished the tandem bikes paint and assembly today (I'll update that thread next), so was wondering what I'd do next. I came across a video of "Xtreme Lee" at the SEMA Show, so began toying with the idea of building an Xtreme Lee of my own.

I hit the internet for cheap bikes that were as close in size, and style to my current Lee. Within half an hour I had found one ten minutes from my house, and within an hour I had it sitting in my garden.

Both bikes are made by the same company, however the new frame is blue (the original Lee's frame was green/brown) and the tubing on the new frame is slightly skinnier than the original Lee.

Unfortunately it was too dark by the time I got home to take any pictures, but I did manage to take one just after I bought it.

Eagle eyed readers will note that the new bike has no wheels, pedals, or handlebars. I'm not worried about that, because I've accumulated a large collection of pedals, wheels, tires, brakes, gears and most things that I bike needs.

Here's a picture of Kenny Wayne's Xtreme Lee, just to give you an idea of what I've got in mind.

[CDoherty95]

I didn't manage to get too much work done today.

I had planned to strip all the paint off and give it a coat of primer, but unfortunately we had a powercut that lasted all morning, and my dad wanted to take me out driving in the afternoon.

That being said, I did manage to grind down two holes, and fill them with metal filler. I also managed to strip most of the paint using the sanding disk on my trusty angle grinder.

I've also come up with some good sketches for the 01, flag and text, but I'll keep that a secret for now.

These are the most up to date pictures of the bike. It's hard to believe my other Lee was like this just over a year ago...

The two unnecessary holes ground down and filled.

Isn't this a familiar sight?

The pink shavings on the ground are from my sisters Halloween costume. She wants to be a cupcake so I've been enlisted to build it for her...

The two Lee's together.

[CDoherty95]

I've been really busy for the past few days, so progress has been slow.

I almost lost the tandem bike, Fall Guy bike and the Xtreme Lee frame on Halloween night, when the decorations we had draped on them began to burn from the heat of candles nearby.

Luckily however, I noticed this before it got out of control and burnt the bikes, my moms car, and the wooden garage doors.

The weather hasn't been great, and I only managed to get the primer and silver base coat done on Thursday evening. Unfortunately it was too dark to take pictures while the paint was drying.

I spent most of today working on the graphics ( I have a newfound respect for Hoss now).

I started by drawing them by hand onto a sheet of paper and putting it in the photocopier scanning tray.

I then got a standard size blank sticker sheet and put it in my printer paper tray. My mom uses these for printing things and giving them out to the kids in her class. I think she's the Irish equivalent of a kindergarten teacher? (4-5 year olds)

Then I photocopied the graphics three times, as there is a maximum of three different colours on each graphic.

I then roughly cut out one of each graphic with a scissors, applied it to the necessary area of the bike, then cut it out with a sharpened razor blade.

This process allows me to retain consistency, and will also give me a template if I ever need to repaint the graphics. It also seems more practical, as before I just used masking tape, and couldn't ensure each "01" and "General Lee" were the same.

Hopefully I can paint the orange coat tomorrow, and maybe even the blue of the flag and name!

[RogerDuke]

Sounds like you're having fun!!!!!

[CDoherty95]

Sorry for the lack of photos in this thread. I've been working on this mostly during the evenings.

I did however, manage to take a few earlier on today.

Unfortunately, the light disappeared before I could take any pictures of the finished name and numbers. The only things left to do are paint the red and white of the flag, paint the handlebars silver ( there's orange overspray on the handlebars at the moment ) and clear coat the whole thing. Hopefully I can atleast get the red and white done this weekend!

[CDoherty95]

Slow and steady race!

I really hope that's the case because this bike is certainly going slowly. I need to paint the stars, then buy clear coat. At this rate I'll be finished in college and will be married with two kids before this gets finished!!

Anyway for now here are a few pictures of the bike.