Airplane enthusiast reveals first steps of turning Elvis Presley’s abandoned private jet into an RV after buying it for $260,000 at auction
- YouTuber James Webb plans to turn Elvis Presley’s beloved 1962 Lockheed 1329 Jetstar into an RV
- Webb purchased the aircraft in January for $260,000 after it sat in a New Mexico desert for nearly 40 years
- If successful, Webb will take the ‘Elvis-mobile’ in a cross-country road trip to raise money for charities
It’s all rockin’ and rollin’ at one garage in Florida.
YouTuber James Webb of Jimmy’s World has revealed how he has started converting Elvis Presley’s beloved private plane into an RV after purchasing it at auction for $260,000 in January.
The plane had been left abandoned in a New Mexico desert for nearly 40 years until it went on sale, and now Webb has grand plans to transform it into an automotive and take it on tour across the US.
In a new video, the Florida-based influencer shows how he went about mounting the body of the 1962 Lockheed 1329 Jetstar onto the strengthened frame of a donated motorhome.
YouTuber James Webb of Jimmy’s World has revealed how he has started converting Elvis Presley’s beloved private plane into an RV after purchasing it at auction for $260,000 in January
The plane had been left abandoned in a New Mexico desert for nearly 40 years until it went on sale, and now Webb has grand plans to transform it into an automotive and take it on tour across the US
In a new video, the Florida-based influencer shows how he went about mounting the body of the 1962 Lockheed 1329 Jetstar onto the strengthened frame of a donated motorhome
He explains to viewers that the whole project is a bit of experiment for him as he has never taken on such a challenge
Webb pictured driving his donated RV back to his workshop for his ambitious new project
Presley’s fancy private plane was left to rust for decades before it went up for sale. The opening bid was $100,000
https://youtube.com/watch?v=_OSeq-Y6_mA%3Frel%3D0
He explains to viewers that the whole project is a bit of experiment for him as he has never taken on such a challenge.
‘To say the least, I’ve never done this before, I don’t see what could possibly go wrong,’ he says.
Webb, who is known to flip abandoned aircrafts, purchased the 1962 Lockheed 1329 Jetstar on what would’ve been the King of Rock and Roll’s 88th birthday on January 8.
He then went about transporting the plane to his Florida workstation in an attempt to turn it into an RV for a cross-country road trip to raise money for charities.
‘I knew that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity,’ Webb previously told Fox News.
‘It was the biggest financial purchase I have ever made, outside of a house, and this was ironically more expensive than my house. How crazy is that?’
The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll had purchased the jet in December 1976 for $840,000, less than a year before his death in August 1977.
It then changed hands several times before being taken out of service in 1983 by the FAA. ‘Because of FAA regulations was the reason it was grounded in the first place. They haven’t changed those regulations and the parts for this plane no longer exist. We don’t have them to make this plan fly again,’ Webb told Spectrum News after he purchased the aircraft.
Webb is documenting the progress on the beat-up jet and has already successfully fixed the lights
Webb’s vision for the aircraft is to turn it into the Elvis-mobile – a project he said can either succeed or fail
For the scraps of the plane not used for the RV, such as the wings and the gas tanks, Webb will turn the pieces into Elvis mementos for profit
The cockpit, along with the rest of the jet, has never been restored. The inside of the jet is filled with red velvet seats and carpet
Webb doesn’t plan of flying the jet ever again. If he did, a new engine would be needed
A cassette tape is seen hidden behind a cabinet. Webb plans on keeping the wood paneling in the beloved jet
Presley’s two other jets are currently at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. He can be pictured above outside one of them with Priscilla Presley
The once 60-foot-long jet was originally lipstick red but after being subjected to extreme weather, Webb says it has more of a ‘salmon type color.’
‘We’re gonna paint it, fix it and get it all nice and neat on the outside,’ he revealed.
While the nine-seater aircraft might be costly to fix up, the jet’s original cassette player, wood cabin paneling and 1970s charm have been preserved.
Webb is documenting the progress on the beat-up jet and has already successfully fixed the lights.
The outside of the rusted aircraft will also get a makeover but Webb plans on preserving the interior velvet seats, shag carpet and wood cabin paneling.
Webb’s vision for the aircraft is to turn it into the Elvis-mobile – a project he said can either succeed or fail.
‘We’re going to take it to Las Vegas to Graceland maybe,’ Webb added.
For the scraps of the plane not used for the RV, such as the wings and the gas tanks, Webb will turn the pieces into Elvis mementos for profit.
This rare airplane is one of only 204 aircraft manufactured between 1957 and 1978 in a private collaboration between Jetstar and Lockheed.
The opening bid on the 1962 Lockheed 1329 Jetstar was for $100,000, but offers slowly went up.
In Webb’s latest YouTube, he shows how he successfully mounted the plane onto its new base, with the next jobs including installing a steering column, lengthening the staircase and gutting the interiors.
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