Grizz's Redneck Express 1966 Chevy Short Fleetside RESTO-GO!

[Palf70Step]

I know many people love them, but I am not a big fan. Rather it be minimal in the back and useful for hauling stuff if I had one.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

I know many people love them, but I am not a big fan. Rather it be minimal in the back and useful for hauling stuff if I had one.

100% agreed on functionality Bill.

Thanks for the reply.

Other than front crossmember/core support rust, they seem to be reasonably well regarded.

[Grizz1963]

So this is a winters weekend.

Rain most of the day.

But I did refit the seats, as well as sun visor, rear view mirror.









And sun visor, rear view mirror.





Video:

https://youtu.be/5akhii7KPDw

Who knows, tomorrow has more rain forecast.

Maybe I can figure out the missing ignition barrel and anything else.

[Grizz1963]

Been doing what I usually do…..

Researching, lusting after a load of stuff.

Missed out (sort of) on that red SAAB last week, or was it two weeks ago.

So tomorrow I will ask the contracts boss for a day off on Tuesday to do a short road trip.

£68.00 for a one way train ticket via London and then up country.

The road route coming back registered as 200 miles.

So hopefully a decent run to show it is good.

With this new arrival, the S10 with 40k miles will be for sale.

RULEZ IS RULEZ. One out, one in to keep balance.

Though I still have to shift another.

Destination: S****HORPE

Excited.







So this weekend very little was done other than much telephone and internet time.

Oh, and cut the grass.

Weekend gone.

[Grizz1963]

No turning back now.

[Braunschweiger]

Good luck and have a fun train ride

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Braunschweiger

Good luck and have a fun train ride

Thank you Harald.

Just need to make space for the new Chevy now.


Chevrolet S10 pickup.

Colour: Sandalwood metallic
Extra-cab
4.3 liter V6
2WD not 4x4
Decent condition
MOT 23 December 2023
Mileage today: 40319 miles. That can change as in use.

Registration Y853WJE

Personal plate getting removed.

You know that saying: “FIND ANOTHER ONE LIKE THAT” This may be one of those.

I would like to see £6800.00 for it.

Truck is in Rochester, Kent.

PM please.

[











Personal plate will be removed.





Little bit over 40k miles now.





Can work as well.





Price is firm, if you want to pay more, let me know.

Please PM if interested.

[Grizz1963]

Well, insurance to get sorted for a day.

A week is £75.00 which is steep just to drive 200 miles.

In the mean time……

The very important road trip snacks have been bought, a few bottles of beer water/soda to be added.



Oh, and we have a toll crossing over the Thames river at Dartford, collection and management recently went to a new company, so it is a total cluster$£€# as nobody seems to be able to get payments and admin done.
I have tried repeatedly to get the new car registered and failed, despite it recognising it by brand, colour and model.

Modern times, modern tech ehhh.

[Grizz1963]

Any build sheet readers….?

I was interested in knowing what this van started life as.

Not sure if the pics are clear enough.

[Grizz1963]

You can plug that vin (1Gcdm15z4mb143790) into a vin decoder, like here:

[URL unfurl="true"]https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/decoder/Decoder[/URL]

And see some info:
Engine Engine Configuration V-Shaped
General Plant Country UNITED STATES (USA)
General Vehicle Type TRUCK
Engine Fuel Delivery / Fuel Injection Type Throttle Body Fuel Injection (TBI)
General Series Small Van
General Plant Company Name NA - Truck Platform
General Plant State MARYLAND
Mechanical / Brake Brake System Type Hydraulic
General Manufacturer Name GENERAL MOTORS LLC
Engine Fuel Type - Primary Gasoline
Engine Engine Manufacturer CPC
Exterior / Dimension Gross Vehicle Weight Rating From Class 1D: 5,001 - 6,000 lb (2,268 - 2,722 kg)
General Make CHEVROLET
Exterior / Body Body Class Cargo Van
General Plant City BALTIMORE
General Model Astro Van
Engine Other Engine Info 90 Degree
Engine Engine Number of Cylinders 6
Mechanical / Drivetrain Drive Type 4x2
Engine Displacement (CC) 4300.0
Engine Displacement (L) 4.3
Engine Displacement (CI) 262.40209960734
Vehicle Descriptor 1GCDM15Z*MB
General Model Year 1991
General Trim2 1/2 ton nominal




From Garagejournal.com

[Grizz1963]

Sally will be taking me to the station in a bit for the 3.5 hr trains ordeal.

Let’s hope no cancellations.

Last night she came over for dinner and predictably in her usual dry way just said: “YOU WILL BE NEEDING THIS”


Presenting the VAX Wet/Dry vacuum cleaner.

Included a new bottle of shampoo, which it will be needing.





From the very very limited information at hand, I know one of the first stops will be a serious deep clean.

Then the usual new car investigation to make a list of broken, worn, missing bits.

And then the fun starts.

Again.

[Grizz1963]

So I saw the van advertised a while ago on the tightly run ship that is “Unusual cars for sale”

I have always been kinda into Commercial vehicles, trucks, vans, anything practical.

And this was the ad.



But of course I already had the Rumblegrizzkin Chevy S10 in ZQ8 spec with its 4.3l V6 auto and extra cab.

This is an amazing car/truck.

Small, for an American, and actually has 4 seats, the front buckets are also a bench, when you lift the armrest, and the midget seat in the rear folds down for a skinny 10 year old.

But as much as the truck is a great thing, at times my butt itches for a change, and weirdly, with work insecurities etc, the best fix is to buy more cars. IYKWIM

So I got my head around to deciding to reduce the fleet significantly, including the Rezin Rockit should I get approached randomly (which has happened)

The van is well known in certain circles and everyone wanted it, but nobody bought it.

So I did my research and found out what I could, based on a few photos, and later a short start up video.

I also approached a complete random stranger on GarageJournal.com whose avatar showed he lives in S****horpe (10 miles from the van) and after a long, enjoyable conversation with Vaughan, who turns out to be 70, just recovering from cancer surgery, and still rides a KTM 990, he agreed to go take a look at the van, and go for a short drive in it.

This all happened last Sunday, and when he called me later in the day, there were no punches pulled, and his feedback was that is was a 33 year old van, and it had the bones of a good car. It needed a few bits tidied up ( I like to polish turds) and that if faced with the dilemma of buying or not, at the stated price, he would buy it.

So I called the seller ( who was going to buy the truck off me, but ended up buying a 1972 Toyota Crown wagon on Saturday) and asked if there was any movement on price, which there was not.

So I asked if I could still have a go at squeezing his bits, and he asked what I wanted, which I said was taking delivery of the van with a full tank of fuel.

Monday was spent insuring, getting recovery sorted and generally trying to fit the day job into my schedule.

By 3.00pm I had Green Flag recovery switched from the S10 for a total increase of premium of £2.48

Here is a video of my total motivation, and information on the van before buying it.

https://youtu.be/ewf60bR00k8


I will add a few more pics and observations of the van later for those morbidly interested.

In the mean time, having been an underused, 78k mile van, the battery gave me a load of solenoid clicks after I got back home last night.

I went to Sallys place for dinner and to show her the van, which of course needed a jump start.

So a battery is first on the list of items.

I see that as a longer term wear and tear item if a car is not used much.

[Grizz1963]

So on having bought the van and setting off with it, a few random observations of the first hour, well, 5 hours really.

When Colin picked me up as S****horpe station, he just came rolling in, and there was other nois in the background that the camera on the phone picked up on.


https://youtu.be/WYSLvCNGBO4


But the van was shorter, and stockier than I had expected. ✅

The rumble from the twin side exits - OOOOOFFF ! ✅

Having been built and professionally lowered by THE DROP SHOP in Mission, Texas, the road holding, and drive is amazing for a van, being short and low, it can be thrown into roundabouts with gusto, and never wallowed like a typical American car or truck. The further I drove, the more confident I became and far from pushing it, I was assessing it all the way, and it gets a big ✅

Colin filled the tank as part of the deal, and I doubt he zeroed the trip meter, or filled it to the neck, but even in the most unscientific way possible, it used less than an indicated 1/2 tank on the 200 mile trip home, a mix of motorways and A-Roads, so another apparent ✅

Radio/CD/USB/Starship control desk has been cut in by an angry badger, so I need a new/used original dash filler panel to get back to standard as I could not figure the radio out, YET. So a certain ❌

Driving position in what is believed to be Corvette seats is good, but maybe 150mm or 6” too close for me. I will address that soon. ❌

Cubby hole fitted to the “Dog House” engine cover has someone’s old art airbrushed on it, replace or repaint ❌

Door speakers of unknown origin, vintage, ability, and missing a screen one side needs replacing ❌

Comes with a removable tow hitch, in my world that gets ✅✅✅

Load body has remnants of amplifiers etc cut into it, if they work, reinstate and use, if not, remove and cover holes ✅❌

Getting home was a pleasure, simply because it was an unknown quantity to grab and drive 200 miles ✅

Going down the side of the house down my narrow alley necessitated folding a mirror in, it is that wide @ 77” and driving out, I just folded both in, wound the window down and kept my eye on keeping the drivers side 6 inches or 150mm from the concrete posts of the fence, naturally, the other side would be good enough. So size gets one of each too as I would have it despite the size. ✅❌

Due to overall limited use, the battery made it home, then left me in the lurch a few times in quick succession at home, new battery getting collected later today £60.00 Certainly not a seller problem, but a cost ❌

Service records, despite low mileage non existent so no base to work from doing standard maintenance, so need to get a full fluid, filters and ignition service,,again, part of ownership, so neither good nor bad, but possibly bad due to previous ownership ❌✅

Overall impression, looks, first drive gets ✅✅✅✅✅ of these and ❌of these.

Time will tell what else needs doing.



THE DROP SHOP lowered it in the 90’s

They are also on FB and if you look at their builds, there’s some neat stuff.



Approximate collection miles.

I had done 10-20 miles already.



Tow hitch is a massive win in my world of practicality.



Driving position in what is believed to be Corvette seats is good, but maybe 150mm or 6” too close for me. I will address that soon.



After collecting me, the last pic of it in S****horpe with Colin driving.





When I got home I took some photos.

I will do the interior at the weekend with before and after etc.

Against the S10 it shows a bit of comparative size, keeping in mind the S10 is a mini truck.






And on its own.

Chunky tyres on 15” wheels fill the arches nicely.








Bringing it out, shows a tight fit.




@forddan68 came around and took these pics for me,




A very happy man I guess.

Already liking it.





Thanks for stopping by and all your comments, advice and input as always.


.

[Grizz1963]

My friend Bob Heine in America made a comment and observation on how,clean the rear is, along with the spoiler on top, compared to a more standard van.

And that spoiler really works in this case.

And I am not a great spoiler fan,

The smoothing, shaving handles, roll pan…… Absolutely improves the look.


Did a quick screen grab rear end pic and found another custom van with more original equipment on Google.







Lots to like about this van.

[Grizz1963]

[quote author="@metalshapes" source="/post/2792437/thread" timestamp="1691608900"]"The smoothing, shaving handles, roll pan…… Absolutely improves the look."

It really does.

Big difference.

I'd be tempted to do a little smoothing & shaving to the front to complement it... [/quote]


Your suggestion is honestly at the top of my list, since I saw the van.

I did the same to the S10.

Clear lenses £65.00



Massive improvement to this……



Either new or good used will go on there, but I think new will just look better than partially faded.

Watch those spaces.

[Braunschweiger]

Congratulations on the new van,
it looks really great,
I'm curious what you make of it.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Braunschweiger

Congratulations on the new van,
it looks really great,
I'm curious what you make of it.

Morning Harald,

Thank you.

It needs a ton of TLC, like most 33 year old commercial vehicles.



Just did my first possible “repair” on the van.

When I got back on Tuesday evening, and later tried to start it for @forddan68 and my neighbour who is a fan of American cars, there were a few clicks and then it took.

After dinner at Sallys, she had to jump start me as well, and the same thing happened, but once the jumper cables were on, it started instantly.

Last night, due to a huge truck fire on the A2/M2 the roads where I had planned to go buy a battery, we’re gridlocked as people seemed alternative routes home. So in the end I turned around, still 1.9 miles from my destination.

Came home and went to look at the battery again and take a few pics of the engine bay.

So I wriggled the terminals, and the earth which is tucked away under the fender, was loose enough that a bit of wriggling would see it come off.

So this morning I grabbed a very small 13mm socket and tightened it, and it took quite a lot of tightening.

Tried the ignition and instantly fired up.



Could the clicking start up be solved?

No idea, until it happens again and something else proves to be the issue.

Fingers crossed as always with a new toy.

[Grizz1963]

So when I collected the car, the seller said only one key.

Kinda disappointing as it means a £10.00 key purchase adding to the cost of buying and fetching the car.

Remember, all the peripheral costs are costs, not magic.

So train, a potential key cut, a day off work are real costs I add to the purchase price calculations, then of course there are these, insurance, road tax, recovery insurance adding up to about £800.00 yes, really, the cost of reversing off the driveway at home for the first time. These are yearly costs, so you could split them by 12 bringing you to about £67.00 per month, or £2.00 per day excluding fuel and repairs/service costs.

So a pleasant surprise when I was driving down the motorway was a spare set of keys falling from the sun visor, onto the floor by my feet, £10.00 reduced.

When I got home I noticed a Haynes Manual and original owners manual on the floor. So more moneys saved as I had intended to go buy these.







Last night I did a quick video and also got a couple of engine bay pics.





Quick video:

https://youtu.be/9WubHv51_gE

Tonight after work I washed the S10 as I want to park it on the sidewalk with a for sale sign on the screen, and clean sells.

The Astro was pretty dirty when I took it, well….. it was no worse than the S10 or my company car tbh, but washed and vacuumed made a difference.

I was standing looking at this in the back yard earlier…… even before I washed it, and it really made me smile.

This is a good looking car for sure.



So pleased I got lucky to find it.

[Grizz1963]

Right…..

Back to our normal transmission.

Time to clean out the inside, vacuum the interior, and wash the outside.

So reversed down my reasonably narrow alleyway.

Parked up and cleaned the interior, well, first phase.



Grubby as heck and after removing all the junk from inside, as per video, it was clear this is a mess.



At some point, the van, which started life as a white commercial vehicle, became yellow.

Look at the old colour sticking out on the rear door.

I need to make up a strip to cover and close that all.

I do wonder if the yellow phase was associated with when it was lowered and the interior all done out, including the “pink and blue” graphics.

Anyway….. another job to get to.



Little jobs.

Like finding and replacing the fuel filler door release.

Currently an old pair of pliers.

Surely, some sort of improved version of the pliers cannot be that hard to make.

Think hand grenade pin and slip over the nipple in some non return way type design.

Not that hard to make and fit.

Another job to get to.




After vacuuming the interior, I needed to,was the van, because I like them,clean, and had driven at least an hour on the motorway in the rain.

This pic was taken, still dirty.

Possibly one of my favourite photos so far.



Not sure if one can see the difference afterwards……

I had moved it back, down into the garden a bit.

But it is cleaner.



Then I brought themS10 through and washed it as well.

Mickey had told me off for parking it out front, FOR SALE but dirty, covered in spiders cobwebs.

So it was cleaned as well.



Next job on the van will be to try get the rear loadbed floor carper a bit cleaner.

Rust, grease, and whatever else after 30 years must be able to get changed.

Wet vacuum job to get to next.

Thanks for checking in and all those who take the time to post a reply or response.

It is the weekend.

Cheers.




.BONUS VIDEO.

https://youtu.be/y7V5X01h7Oc

ENJOY.


.

[Grizz1963]

[quote author="@93fxdl" source="/post/2792671/thread" timestamp="1691783556"]Currently enjoying the video on the tv, a suggestion for he front sidelights, since you intend to fit clear indicators, why not pair them with switchback leds, white for sidelight, but flashes yellow
Ttfn Glenn [/quote]


Very good thinking Glenn.

I will certainly investigate that.

One of my clever mates can possibly help, and prevent me spending days figuring it all out, like I did on the S10.

https://youtu.be/jdIu7KdpWs0

That was a great modification to remove the amber front indicator lenses.

If the clear indicators for the Astro allows it, that would be the best way to remove those horns from the front.

[clemdaddy]

Nice find on the S10, good color and overall condition seems good also. I was never a fan of the Astro van but this one looks cool with the modifications.
You have an eye for a bargain and the vision to make the right improvements in all you do. Wish I had half your energy.
The heat in the states is brutal right now so be prepared on your visit, that last pic of the liquid refreshment will be a necessity. See you soon...

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by clemdaddy

Nice find on the S10, good color and overall condition seems good also. I was never a fan of the Astro van but this one looks cool with the modifications.
You have an eye for a bargain and the vision to make the right improvements in all you do. Wish I had half your energy.
The heat in the states is brutal right now so be prepared on your visit, that last pic of the liquid refreshment will be a necessity. See you soon...

Thanks Clem.

S10 is almost 3 years in my care.

It was my not to be sold car.

However, it is perfect, too perfect and I need to send it to a new keeper to enjoy.

The van is a bit of a change in direction, but not in my personal ethos and pursuits.

Yes, a bargain, yes, subtle improvements, and most importantly, my smile back on my face.

I look forward to seeing you guys, may try drag Dennis along too.








Next job after the vacuum cleaner was to get the carpet cleaned.

Even small jobs take time.



So I started with Vanish, clothing bleach type stuff.



Wet the carpet and worked it into all the stains and marks.

Then left it to react for a while.



Followed by the wet dry VAX cleaner.



Resulting in this.



This morning I opened all the doors by 06.30 for it all to dry out some more.




Happy with the improvement.




The 6 litres of water I used probably only returned 2 litres of very dirty water.



And for those who do not read words,……..

VIDEO HERE.

https://youtu.be/80Uv9CkK5l0

This morning once I opened the van to dry out the carpets.

I had a QC inspection.

Passed the security muster as well.




George suggested another road trip.


.

[Grizz1963]

So……….

The front end, lights etc.

I had a suggestion from a friend to get an ally grille, to go with the clear side repeaters. Not sure about that.

Had it on the 79 Blazer and replaced with a new old stock original, which I preferred

Also, need to see if there are smoothed/closed in headlight bezels out there, that could work too.

Along with a clear lens side repeater and possibly deleting the current side lights, followed by installing switchback LED bulbs as suggested by a few guys and @westbay.

@zeberdeewesty did a couple of photoshop deletes…..

I like that, compared to the current look.












Yesterday, Mate John, the driving school instructor was over for a few hours to look at the van.

We checked all the lights and found one bright lamp out, and also the reverse lights had been replaced with yellow bulbs as indicators, a great idea IMHO as red indicators are often not seen clearly on American cars.

So I need to go find a correct light bulb, either in the garage or shop.

[Grizz1963]

Took a quick pic of the rear view mirror, trying to show the black with blue metal flake paint on there.

Kinda lost unless you look for it, in bright sunlight.

Still, pretty too.

[Grizz1963]

Busy weekend.

The van has a ton of things to address and keep me busy.

And as I have gotten to know it more and more while washing, cleaning and touching and feeling it, I am realising that I lucked out again.

Keep in mind, there could still be 101 surprises hiding out of sight somewhere.

Mate John, one of my old lodgers and driving instructor, who helped with the electrics of the Rezin Rockit, came around yesterday.

He is a tech fan and bit of a guru.

He really liked the van, casting a critical eye over it.



Also got straight into tuning the intergalactic radio for me



One of the jobs I had identified after washing the van at first, was the Center Line billet alloy wheels that needed to be brought back to life and shine.



Up close they looked really tired.



So I got some Autosol metal polish and some rags to just try it out……

John had the camera.

Test spot looked much better.



And 35 minutes later….



Autosol all the way round.





And then a lovely pic, possibly my favourite so far.

140 plus minutes well spent.

Another hour to be spent today.



So that was a great result.

Overnight I remembered how the Poorboys wheel sealant added to the S10 wheels I had refurbished.



So this morning I got the tub, some rags and started again.

Clearly this sealant polish was still improving the work as it took more ally from the surfaces.

Elbow grease time.



And the RESULT IS AWESOME.





It really is rewarding when you see the changes, day to day.

And the photos allow you to look back and SMILE.

Again, video for the lazy traveler .

https://youtu.be/uBvvhqyndCk

More tomorrow for those who still want to see what is changing.

Weekend over.


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