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

[Braunschweiger]

Yes, life can be good.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Braunschweiger

Yes, life can be good.

Some days are challenging but only to show us how sweet the good times are.











Soooooo

Why??

Not really sure if I should try understanding the universe or Karma.

Sometimes life throws you a curved ball, sometimes it tosses a turd.

And once in a while you strike gold or is that [font color="19e66a"]GREEN[/font]?

The seller was an accomplished purveyor of tat.

Knowing that “Free Candy” would attract a certain audience.

So he stepped up his game to warp speed.

Adding a Fray Bentos steak pie to the offering.

Absolutely intrigued of course but resisted.



Not having the desired effect he added in quick succession a Pink Prime energy drink to attract those too tired to realise how alive they are.
Followed shortly by the foreign sex tourists beacon, a cream Panama hat.



I nearly walked away when the next offering was added to the steadily growing sacrificial pile.
A half dozen faggots to start the party off.
I make better meatballs.

Just in time, his next offering had my interest reignited.
Home brew beer making kit. Much more grown up.



I was still not quite convinced that I needed to drive a little green French toad.

Until he played to most dirty, unfair and trumpest of trump cards.

BEHOLD !!!!

THE CUCUMBER BUCKET HAT OF GLORY.

I threw my money at him and made a buy.

My life would be complete.




So I got insurance and road tax shaken out of my piggy bank and agreed a collection date as long as not a Tuesday.

Next job……. Figure collecting this thing of beauty.

The Chevy Astro was a few trains and station collection followed by 200 miles drive home.
VW Caddy was three trains and a tube, station collection in Zel’s awesome Rover and 104 miles drive home.
I really did not feel like three trains and a tube to then do a 77 mile drive home.

So I hinted really hard at good mate Woodsie to help and he offered to drive me up early on Saturday morning as we both had appointments by midday.

6.45 we headed out, still dark.



Woodsie stuck to the left lane at 65mph maximum 70 and proved a point. We were there quicker than my usual right lane driving.



By the time we got there at exactly 08,00 and thirty minutes earlier than anticipated it was -3’C out on the sidewalk where the seller met us and handed us car, documents, keys, and all the sweetners.
Kevin pounced on the cucumber bucket hat like a cat on a tin of tuna. His new music festival hat. His wife was not impressed when I sent her the pic below.



So after half an hours chatting we headed back to the motorway via a truck stop so I could get some unleaded in the cars belly.



Parking up behind Kevins not so subtle camper bus showed how small the little toad is.



Next up….

Breakfast ordered from Jamie in the food van.

Totally open to the elements I felt sorry for him freezing his nuts off.

And he just stayed happy and chatty. Making our bacon and egg crusty rolls and coffee.



Tell you what, someone is going to marry a good cook.

Super nice and really nice quality bacon.



Pose time.

Then scoff.



After breakfast we headed back onto the M1 motorway down to the M25.
Amazingly quiet and easy driving.

I took a pic of the speedo as we started out.

Nice baseline to work from.



The two litre engine is so eager and willing on the riad.
Totally unstressed
I think it could do with a 6th gear to drip the revs down from 3k at 70mph.

Home by 10.45



All my treasures unpacked from the cavernous trunk/boot.

No spare wheel but a tin of PUCK tyre gloop in French.

Not ideal but insurance came with RAC recovery.

Hopefully better than my experience with Green Flag.



In short succession mate Fil @sparkplug and then @nickwheeler arrived.

The usual pisstake from Nick and Fil.

Not jealous at all.

Maybe surprise.

We tried to get a thumbs up from Nick.

Failed.



I did also approach the onboard super computer and set the time and date.
Oh, and the radio.
Could be a pointless exercise though based on the sellers disclosure and advertising.




And for those interested in a shorter video…….

https://youtu.be/BD0eotY2Ao4?si=sylWn5G8oazMFTIZ

Cold out today but I look forward to investigating it all.

Another day.

[Palf70Step]

Nice little green tadpole there Rian. Is that toi carry in the back of the 2 vans as a spare?

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Nice little green tadpole there Rian. Is that toi carry in the back of the 2 vans as a spare?

It’s possibly in the same size league as the earlier BMW Mini.

So not too small.





Got home from getting a spare key cut for the Caddy.

Another £20.00 added to the burn pile.

Neighbour came around just when I pulled the Astro through to the back and dropped off a parcel.

ECU.

Fast delivery.

Fitting planned for tomorrow.



I really hope it sorts out the previous issues.

Dead ECU looks dead compared to this one.

[Grizz1963]

Right

Fault finding.

Obviously being a 21 year old car it will have some.

Being French adds another dimension

So none of these affect its actual performance.

Paint…… being that it is possibly a fragile type of metallic it has faded a bit on the top surfaces.

On the bonnet/hood there are two “spots” of lacquer fail.





Next small thing.

Parking ding.

PDR job



One wheel missing a chunk.





Upholstery is leather.

Drivers seat is rough as a rough thing.

Needs repair or a replacement.









Lastly

@nickwheeler also noticed this driving behind me.

Hangers are present but rear box swings around madly.

Also not central to the exit an some clunking on potholes.

I will try sort that too.





LASTLY.



Booked the little toad in at my local garage for a genuine Peugeot cambelt and waterpump replacement on 20 December.

£360.00 plus tax.

Not cheap but I feel it a worthy investment as the service history becomes a mystery from 45k miles in 2007.
And it is on 103k miles now.

Lets hope it’s a worthy investment.

[Braunschweiger]

A little bit of work, your car is in the right hands.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Braunschweiger

A little bit of work, your car is in the right hands.

Thanks mate

Some jobs just are safer in a professionals hands.

Also, Cliff has helped me in many ways over the years, advice, chat, special tools, OBD reading and simple friendly conversations. Zero charge.

The last time I employed him was with the MX5 for my ex wife.

So he deserves to be employed for a real job, rather than a faceless dealership.

I also want to believe this car deserves to be looked after.

[Grizz1963]

Yesterday was the first rainless if cold at 4’C day.

The Caddy’s refurbished ECU was delivered the day before.

So I got going in refitting the Throttle position sensor which despite being awkward was not that bad to do.

Clever move (for me at least) to use a bit of masking tape to help seat the back, out of sight allen bolt.



Followed by cleaning out and washing the complete scuttle area as there was no ECU in the way.

A good place to start from when refitting it.

Much better.



Of course nothing is ever quite as easy as it looks.

Mounting bracket really let the rest of it all down.

Just not good enough after all the effort.



So it was time for the 115mm grinder with a 125mm flap disc, followed by some more vigorous wire brush action.

Amazing how much aluminium oxidation there was.



Much better.

Better than it looks



A quick wipe down and then some grey primer to hopefully give a basis for the satin black finish.

Primer.



Satin black



Refitted



Home made cover over it all.



Started it (on video)

Runs

Throttle working.

Silly grin.

Closed up scuttle area

Kept under dash open so that I can take it back to Cliffs to reset or delete the faults it had shown.

Also reconnected this one wire that was dangling around.

A switch associated with the clutch pedal.

No idea if it was disconnected before I removed the throttle sensor.

But I connected it anyway.

Any ideas?





Thanks as always for your replies.

[Braunschweiger]

The Switch is for the Engine management and is intended to reduce the engine torque when switching, so that it doesn't jerk so much

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Braunschweiger

The Switch is for the Engine management and is intended to reduce the engine torque when switching, so that it doesn't jerk so much

Afternoon Harald

Thank you very much.

It certainly did not jerk at all before.

There is a glowplug light that flashes continuously after one minute that is new after the new ECU.

I wonder if I disconnected that switch if it would go away.

I will go try it now and report back.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Braunschweiger

The Switch is for the Engine management and is intended to reduce the engine torque when switching, so that it doesn't jerk so much

Sorted.

https://youtu.be/9YUg_rpVnOo?si=-snIJTkkIpzelrIJ

[Grizz1963]

So today I used the Caddy to do a few chores.

Totalling about 7 miles driving.

After fitting the new ECU the glowplug warning light kept blinking last night and this morning.
Plugging a reader in showed nothing.
Then after part of my drive which included stopping and turning the car off a few times the reset automatically happened and the light has been gone since then.

I came home after fish n chips at Sallys house.

Helped the latest lodger unpack his truck and saw him off. Two minutes later he was at the door.
His 2018 Ford Ranger 3.2 was dead and would not start.

Battery suspected.

Caddy out on the street and on Mickey next doors driveway.

Brrrrrmmmmmm!!

Hero.




Short version for most.

https://youtu.be/9YUg_rpVnOo?si=__UXF4ZaTrXbZWSU


Longer all inclusive version for masochists and insomniacs.

Enjoy.

https://youtu.be/gPS5ypRaI-E?si=iFOKSQUVvUk8gEL0

I think the Caddy is now sorted.

Still a nice tool.

Thankfully

[Grizz1963]

I was discussing replacing the very tired leather seats in my 206 CC.
Pictures below.

I had neither noticed nor known or even remotely thought they had airbags in them.


I found some fabric NON-airbag seats and complete interior at Altrincham outside Manchester for a 206 CC for £60.00 collected.

I do not like leather as cold and hot extremes make them unpleasant.


Question now is…….


Will it cause chaos for the ECU and Com2000 unit, ultimately resulting in 1) MOT fail or 2) Worse?

My Chevy truck had a sports steering wheel fitted but MOT guys understood that and a bit of black tape “fixed” it.


Is there a proven way to circumvent all this and fooling the car into thinking it still had airbags fitted?


CHEAPLY.


Also, something that does not need two degrees in engineering or electronic genius to fit or make work.


I know with various things like removing airbag steering wheels etc often guys bridge something with a resistance of some sort.

Thank you.

[Grizz1963]

Random things seen while inspecting the 206 CC interior.

Weirdest of cup holders in back seat.

Almost shoulder height.

Seriously?

[Grizz1963]

Bloody freezing today. 2’C at the garage. With a stiff breeze as well.

Caddy got some attention.

Small thing that has bugged me since day one.

This tight parking scrape.





So this afternoon I dragged myself out onto the driveway and added some pinstripes and a combination sticker to misdirect the eye.

Not going to be everyone’s thing but you could buy it and remove the stripes.









And once again………

A reminder.



Going to get the 206 some fabric seats over the weekend. 230 miles from here.

Should be good.


Video for those who like moving pictures.

https://youtu.be/d-dK_xVYIRA?si=39sNWmiJMmtbM6LT


.

[Braunschweiger]

A strange place for a cup holder. The line and the sticker detract well from it.

[Palf70Step]

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Originally Posted by Braunschweiger

A strange place for a cup holder. The line and the sticker detract well from it.

Thanks guys.

Much appreciated



Fame at last 😏

At 3 minutes

https://youtu.be/KMM-oDchkJA?si=pLNhQ4clzDmjpY-c

[Palf70Step]

Congrats on the fame there Rian. Will your head still get in the Caddy now?

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Congrats on the fame there Rian. Will your head still get in the Caddy now?

LOL Bill

Absolutely.

I religiously follow his builds.

Clever guy.

Used to build boats and worked in the USA at one point.

He is a great problem solver.

[Grizz1963]

Up early and out on the road.



First stop at @westbay for coffee, biccies chat and dog.



From there it was off on the next leg to just outside Manchester to collect a complete Peugeot 206 CC interior bought for £60.00



Got there and had a good chat with the seller.

Loaded up and headed out for the last 50 miles.



On the way I stopped for a pee and a Costa Coffee at a newly built service station.



On ordering the coffee, I was chatting to Harish, the barista, he gave me a muffin at no charge.
Random kindness of strangers again showing.





Then off again, headed for Whitchurch in Shropshire to Craigs place.

He was at a work function in Bristol overnight and got in at 08.15 this morning.

I took Hershey out for a walk this morning.

Brrrrrrrrr

-5.5’C outside.





Today has been mostly putting up a Christmas tree and having a look at his office in the stables that are nearing completion And of course some YouTube videos.

Maybe tomorrow will be warmer.

[Grizz1963]

What a surprise the weekend was.

Real chilly weather, so much so that we didn’t do a thing except vegetate.

Saturday morning dawned at -5.5’C yes minus.

It was bone chilling and despite going out to Craigs stables and workshops for an hour, the cold was too much to actually do anything fun.
So we headed back indoors and got the Christmas tree and stuff down from the loft for Daughter Elli to decorate.
Craigs wife was preparing for massage therapy exams so we watched some YouTube videos on car and house building.

Sunday morning







Not a lot done either.

Felt weird but sometimes its not a bad thing.

Monday morning I headed out back to Kent as soon as Craig got back from the school run.

Satnav was out by 30 minutes as usual due to traffic and a coffee stop.




Overpriced Starbucks coffee and a pee just over halfway back.



Home by 13.00

House looked like a couple of teenagers had been let loose (not really that badly) but certainly the lodgers were making themselves at home.
I knew the two 47kg bottles of gas were near their end before I left, and they were indeed empty with the system switching over to the other two.
Ordered some gas. £187.00 for two bottles delivered.
Thats a lot of money to just burn.
But you gotta live.

Once unpacked I got a load of weekend laundry going and brought the complete 206CC interior into the house as some of it needs cleaning up a bit.

The rear seat base needs a small repair right where the seatbelt anchor exits from the floor.

At £60.00 plus maybe £15.00 for the 100 mile detour to collect them…….

I still think it’s a bargain to replace the very badly damaged drivers seat.

Fix will be simple.

Unless I find a base for silly money like £20.00 then I don’t plan to do the repair.




Mate Martin said he would come over one day to neutralise the airbag sensors with a couple of resistors soldered into the system.

The front seats are immaculate



Treasure laid out.

Vax wet n dry for a couple of spots.



I also want to start valeting the green Toad interior as it can do with a good scrub down and baseline clean up of dash, controls and interior glass.

Then, weather permitting the wash and polish of the outside.

Frosty today.

[Grizz1963]

Couple of out of sync videos.

Fetching.

https://youtu.be/20doiwWRcLw?si=dli4ydPIvcZ4c8--


Inspection

https://youtu.be/gIyJWnADDQM?si=fer-OWe1tmznaE-M


Looking forward to fitting them.

[Grizz1963]

Corrupted entry

[Grizz1963]

Astro van was bought with a short MOT in August. Expiring on the 20th December.

But despite not having a day job, I have been really busy with the two other cars on the drive the last few weeks.

All that got to a point of calm chaos with the Caddy now being good on all levels. Right down to the go faster stripes and paint damage cammo.
The 206 CC it parked up till the 20th December when the Cambelt and waterpump will be replaced.
Raining all day today and cold so no paint detailing gets done.

Back to the Astro…….

Swapping around the cars after I got a same day booking on Monday this week, I drove it down to the test station enjoying the power and eagerness of the 150 bhp the 4.3l V6 brings. Of course being empty in the rear makes it super light and perfect for drifting around corners.



The Test Centre was running a bit behind due to customers running late in arriving. Never seen that before but they told me and apologised when I got there for the 15 minute delay. No problem.

When the young tester took it in to test I could see the silly grin on his face.
The van really looks and sounds great from the outside too. .

I also heard but did not see it being revved in anger when the front wheels got stuck in the brake testing rollers. When I got around to look at what happened the air was heavy with tyre smoke.

Evidenced by the marks on the floor. 235/15 tyre treads. Black lines do matter for hooligans.

Hopefully I don’t get a bill for the damage to the floor.



Once up on the ramp the test continued till they were finished.
I had asked if I could take some pics and video of the very clean 30 year old underside once tested which they allowed while escorting me into the workshop.

Nice people as I mentioned.



Clean Underside also shown in the video.

Wanna buy a tidy van mister?

Not a bad looking 30 year old











Once I had taken my pics they dropped the van and took it off to get the emissions tested as well.
Another pass. Possibly due to my enthusiastic driving to the test centre.



Really liking this angle on the van.

In the video you can see just how low it actually is.

And it looked great parked outside in the carpark.



And finally like an expectant father at a maternity hospital, time for the yearly cigar.

Looking at the mileage at under 80k miles which includes about 7 years stored in a dry warehouse, it’s no wonder that the van is as nice as it is now.



Video for those who like sound with their pictures.

https://youtu.be/G5zGWeGuFI0?si=qRNvlXfiau_sEmEm

Thanks for checking in and any comments you care to take the time to make.

Now if it would just stop raining outside.