Photo: carlust
To get the General from nose diving off the jump like any other car would normally do, there was anywhere from 500-1,000lbs of sand bags or concrete was placed in trunk to give the car that beautiful line in the air. Stunt drivers got to the point where they were hitting the ramps so fast that the front end would dig into the ramps, usually made of dirt, and it would slow the car up significantly at the crucial out of takeoff. That and the additional weight in the back of the car made for some sketchy landings. To help with that the jump cars were raised in the front to prevent them from hitting the ramps which also helped on the landings.
Stuntman Corey Eubanks just after a jump, you can see the front end is dented.
Photo: carlust