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

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by 69Tom

Here are some other options for you:

Thank you for those Tom.

There are some lovely designs.

Probably cost more than the truck to get any of them done.

So the stripes need to stay for now.




Merry Christmas and an awesome Festive Season to all of you.



Spent this morning, day three of my leave, doing admin and online training.... yup, that’s my life.

Then wanted to paint the Stormtrooper I had bought from Darren a few weeks ago white, the new can I bought on Tuesday failed.

Had a shower, shaved and came down to find it had leaked on the counter top.



Hopped into Prozac and headed to,the village, got my money back and bought better primer and paint from another shop.





Then had a late lunch sandwich while the wind blew a gale outside.

After which I went out and flatted the sides with a 360 grit fabric disc.



Followed by a wipe down, then masked up all the bits that did not need paint on them.



A coat of primer, followed by a coat of gloss white.

This was in order to create a decent base for the vinyl to be applied to.



And eventually unmasked, the other side was finished by 4pm just when it got dark, pleased there was no rain today, just cold and wind.



I suspect that the go faster stripes will be applied with the help of a heat gun.

Hope the weathers kind tomorrow morning.

[Palf70Step]

She looks a lot better already Rian. Good luck with tomorrow.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

She looks a lot better already Rian. Good luck with tomorrow.

Thanks Bill,

Well, the weather held out, in fact it was a good day.



Fighting talk.......

I really don’t care about who does not like today’s progress.

I like it, may even love it (not really) but anyone wanting to change it, the Blazer if for sale and you can then change to your hearts content.

Another rubbish night last night, seems to be a pattern, leaving me tired.

So I did clean the house, then ironed 20 work shirts etc before getting out to start with the truck.
The temperature must have been above 10’C most of the day.

Started out with a thin red pinstripe along the sewage line.

This would allow me to use it to get the rest of the Go Faster Stripes spot on and straight.





Getting the curve into the leading edge, and also the keyhole right was important, as the whole thing needs to look just right in the end.



Bottom line completed, one side.



Rear view.





Then the yellow stripe below the orange.

I would prefer the yellow a bit darker, but this was what was available.



Chrome trims fitted for the pics, but I need to prep the rims and then add in two layers of Duck Tape for the clips to kick against of bit into.

You can see where the clips scrape and try to grip when removed, so the Duck tape gives it something to kick into and hopefully they will stay in place.



And finally, photos of the job completed.





And side view.



I am really pleased with how this all,came out, certainly pleases me.

May just go for a decent drive tomorrow too, to celebrate.

It’s been a good, if busy week.

[Palf70Step]

Good work Rian. It adds a lot to the ole girl!

[realvc]

Not A Project Blazer is coming along really nice. Your stripes add some horse power too.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Good work Rian. It adds a lot to the ole girl!

Agreed Bill, all the way from The eighties

Originally Posted by realvc

Not A Project Blazer is coming along really nice. Your stripes add some horse power too.

Vince, you had me chuckling here.

Yes,extra HP per foot means a good 30 hp added.

[ibrown50]

That turned out well

Definitely an 80's vibe going on there

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by ibrown50

That turned out well

Definitely an 80's vibe going on there

Thanks Ian.

Tongue firmly in my cheek, but I do like it.

[Grizz1963]

Sunday evening.

Been raining on and off today, chilly too.

Thought I would address a few questions from various forums and FB all in one.

Mate Mat of www.dirtroaddiary.co.uk asked about the textured paint and what it came out like after I worked on it.

Starting this way.



Same spot afterward.



Clearly a look that will not be happening, after all, it’s a sunshine truck now.



Got asked by an unobservant friend if the Blazer badges were going back on.......

Ermmmm.




Right, I have ideas on this following problem, but happy to ask for a d listen to advice.

The glassfibre canopy on the rear of thenBlazer was very much fungus or moss infested at some point.
Someone who obviously tried to fix it, took to sanding off a lot of the Gel coat on the outside.

Leaving it looking like this up close.

There is loads of this sort of damage.



And from above.



Of course I am not going to gel coat the whole thing or replace it, simply because there are not stocks of random Blazer canopies in the U.K. to choose from, or is there??
I am looking for a replacement pre-81 hood and fenders too while you are at it.

My plan is to remove the hood in summer and replace the weather seal to stop it leaking in heavy rain, and then to clean the hood, and paint it in textured Rhino Liner, which I understand is also overpaintable.

Correct me and advise please.


So back to our scheduled programme.

@CraigRK did me this photoshop.

June2016/December2018



I was chatting to Dennis a lot the last few days and this morning he asked me if I still had some of the stripes for the truck.

Yup......


Why??

He sent this pic of a Factory Spec C10 Truck and asked if I was doing the hood too.




It was raining and I was watching recoded telly, so the answer was obviously nope.

More in a while, time for coffee and cookies.

[Grizz1963]

Some time after 13.00 the rain stopped, so I went out and washed the truck and the rims, as it was grubby from driving it around on wet roads.

Took some before pics. And after pics.

Top view

Before



After



Front on



Halfway



Done



Then around to the rear.

Because there are concave and convex curves mixed on the rear corner, I decided not to be clever.

Keeping to only the lover colour band, leaving the “jet wing” only on the sides.

Before



After



Quarter view



And finally a high view.



Finished by 3.45 and came indoors for a coffee again.

Now I am almost ready for a Brandy and Pepsi Max.

Thanks for all your comments, advice and checking in.

Later.

[Palf70Step]

Definitely adds to the theme. VERY good job Rian, especially for it NOT being a project!

[Larry64]

Unknown to most, each stripe will add 10 horsepower.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Definitely adds to the theme. VERY good job Rian, especially for it NOT being a project!

Originally Posted by Larry64

Unknown to most, each stripe will add 10 horsepower.

Agreed.

Needs an exhaust cutout next, to add to the loudness.




I am off to get some normal,not Christmas food in a bit from the shops.

Then over to @CraigRK later as we are all going out for a restaurant meal (not a thing I do often)

Tomorrow will be just Harley and I here, so garage time sounds like a perfect present to myself. (Kettle will be on)

But I wanted to just leave this here.

For every one of you who helped work, gave parts, advice, moral support or popped around for a coffee, and those who take the time to post replies on this thread.

The thread is yours, and my record of how good life can be.

MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL.




And it needs some of these stickers to be made now.




Later.

[Palf70Step]

Have a good Christmas eve Rian. Looking forward to your further ramblings this holiday.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Have a good Christmas eve Rian. Looking forward to your further ramblings this holiday.

Your wish is my command boss.



Popped over to @CraigRK and his family about 80 miles or 120km from my place on Christmas Eve.

They do like getting into the swing of things , I don’t......



But Craig and his wife were going to drag me there, even if it meant kicking and screaming.

I seem to recall the last time I saw Craig in a mask, things went south fast, and we ended up getting pulled over by a State Trooper with Dennis in Arkansas.

Deja Vu ?



I had taken Craig’s wife, who can do not wrong, a bottle of Prosecco, and when I got there, Craig gave me some lovely chocolates and Lorraine handed me the winning prize, three French sausages.



After a few manly chores, done including taking the dogs to boarding kennels, we headed out along wit the kids and Lorraine’s sister who is over from South Africa

To this address........





Hint in the name.



And the facilities......



Our waiter lady (sorry, no selfie with her) informed us there were free Margaritas on offer as it was a Monday evening.

Hmmmmm.....

You know this can only turn into fun, or mischief.

Craig ordered a smallish steak that he could not finish.



I was predicable......

Wings and ribs.

Wings are miniatures compared to American wings, but hey ho, I did not go hungry at all.



Not sure if the Margaritas can be blamed or not, but between us, Craig and I realised we need to go back to the USA next year, this time to make a video travel programme.......

So any advice on GoPro and legalities etc appreciated.




Everything subject to change and natural,disasters

[Grizz1963]

Christmas Day jobs.
My time.
Solo.

Harley and I ate a whole tray of Fox’s biscuits, Dreamies, some Tuna, and some other treats.

Eventually by 10.00 am I was bored with eating and sitting still and went out to mess with the Blazer.
Checked the oil, water, belts, tyre pressure, cleaned the inside glass, grinned at it, thought of the changes so far and grinned some more etc.
Then went to fetch the vintage style horn I had bought a few weeks ago, the sound system and reverse light has to wait till I have a responsible adult on site who knows how to work a multimeter and connect wires safely, but that can happen any time soon.

So the first task was to find the existing horn.......

Not anywhere in the engine bay, not to be seen up front by the radiator.

So decided to remove the headlight surround, heavy cast aluminium piece.



Found one.



And another one, which does not work.

Thinking I may look for an original grille to replace this aluminium unit too.



Supervisor in place.

She has to be around to help, weird creature.



And said offending, anti-social item fitted.



Video of previous horn vs new one.

LINK:


https://youtu.be/8HBuLyH2cbs


Before that, I had fetched the new ductape that I had ordered last week and the wheel trims and started by putting two layers of tape on the outside edge of the wheel rims in an attempt to get the stainless steel trim rings to stay in place when I go drive the truck. @PaulY made the suggestion from his past experiences that had resolved a similar issue. Let’s hope they stay put, it hurts to see money rolling down the motorway.



I REALLY REALLY LOVE THESE TRIMS.



Done.






Potential T-Shirt design.

Like it??



Later all.

[Palf70Step]

Where is the "Like" button?

Go for it Rian!

[69Tom]

I've personally never liked billet/aluminum grilles on these trucks, so I think that'd be an excellent idea. But to each his own.

I have no idea of the quality of this unit, but you can't beat the price (by much). Not sure of the shipping to the UK, tho.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/For-Chevy-K...8y00:rk:6:pf:0

or

https://www.ebay.com/itm/For-1977-19....c100005.m1851

Originally Posted by Grizz1963

Christmas Day jobs.

Thinking I may look for an original grille to replace this aluminium unit too.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Where is the "Like" button?

Go for it Rian!

It’s getting there Bill, bit by bit.

Originally Posted by 69Tom

I've personally never liked billet/aluminum grilles on these trucks, so I think that'd be an excellent idea. But to each his own.

I have no idea of the quality of this unit, but you can't beat the price (by much). Not sure of the shipping to the UK, tho.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/For-Chevy-K...8y00:rk:6:pf:0

or

https://www.ebay.com/itm/For-1977-19....c100005.m1851

Thank you for posting up all this info Tom.

Yup, ally grille beats no grille, but it is butt ugly for sure.


It seems I have found a new in box, reproduction grille for $50.00 here in England !!!

It is in Derbyshire at a place called Mickleover about 175 miles from me, so I will need to also pay shipping on that, unless I can find someone to bring it down in a car for me.

Next thing after that of course will be a standard steering wheel as the one in there is just ugleeee, and needs to go some time soon.

[69Tom]

Originally Posted by Grizz1963

It’s getting there Bill, bit by bit.




Thank you for posting up all this info Tom.

Yup, ally grille beats no grille, but it is butt ugly for sure.


It seems I have found a new in box, reproduction grille for $50.00 here in England !!!

It is in Derbyshire somewhere, as I will pay shipping on that, unless I can find someone to bring it down in a car for me.

Next thing after that of course will be a standard steering wheel as the one in there is just ugleeee, and needs to go some time soon.

Excellent. $50 isn't too shabby either.

Yes, that's another thing - I almost invariably like the stock steering wheels better than the aftermarket wheels, although there are a few that are really nice. Hopefully you can find a decent one locally. If not, there's several on eBay here in the US.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by 69Tom

Excellent. $50 isn't too shabby either.

Yes, that's another thing - I almost invariably like the stock steering wheels better than the aftermarket wheels, although there are a few that are really nice. Hopefully you can find a decent one locally. If not, there's several on eBay here in the US.

Agreed.

Problem with us here on Mud Island is that if you see a $5000.00 truck it will cost closer to or over $8000.00 landed on our driveway.

Parts attract local taxes, massive shipping, then import duties and handling over here too..... so it becomes an expensive hobby.

Still, we would not change any of this.



The new in box grille looks like this, with no badges and you need to make adjusted mounting brackets.

These belong to the guy who sold me the replacement rear light units, and he was going to sell me one, possibly the second one, till I found the new boxed unit.






I have a few emblems to choose from.

The metal one came with the Blazer, but has no fixing clips.





This afternoon I took the Blazer for a nice drive and got some food, gas (I like taking pics at different gas stations, so only put in 16 litres at a time.) and a few photos.



Also drove to the place where I originally saw the truck in June of 2016

Sadly I could not take the pic on the driveway again, with the new look truck that is not a Project



Then drove to a place where I knew I could get a neat shot of the truc.




And eventually came home the long way around, having driven around for over two hours, just love driving this truck randomly.

[Grizz1963]

PS.

This forum will not let me edit any posts after I have hit the post button.

I was going to add that after 50 miles of random driving, the wheel trim rings are all still in position too.

Great news in my book, thanks to PaulY’s suggestion to use duck tape to fight the spring tension in the clips.

[Palf70Step]

I like the steering wheels off the 88-94 ish trucks better than the original ones. You might find one easier over there than an original style wheel. The one I put in the 81 is the higher end model with leather wrap. I even found mine with a GMC horn cap which seem really hard to find. Love the feel of these wheels.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

I like the steering wheels off the 88-94 ish trucks better than the original ones. You might find one easier over there than an original style wheel. The one I put in the 81 is the higher end model with leather wrap. I even found mine with a GMC horn cap which seem really hard to find. Love the feel of these wheels.

Yup, leather and thicker feels good for sure.


Weird how Centre caps go missing.



I recently put out feelers on forums and FB groups for a replacement grille and original steering wheel for the Blazer in my continued quest to ensure it does not become a Project.

I found two sources of grilles, and ended up buying a new in the box correct for the year, grille from Derbyshire and that probably has been collected now by my friend Kevin and his wife as they were headed right by the grille on their way to see family. I will be spending old years eve with them and some other friends, at which time I hope to collect the grille.

I had lived in hope that I would find an original steering wheel to buy to replace the nice one I have fitted, and to regain the self cancelling indicators.




You will see the replacement wheel pushes out quite far into the cab.



Then I got a text from my friend Ian Brown up in County Durham

His side of the conversation went like this.

Hi Rian, I have one of these “ in my shed” it’s missing the centre cap / horn push and it’s grubby ( would definitely need some Grizz “resto-magic “ ). I remember checking the part number and it was 73 to 80 something Blazer and Suburban. I’ll send it down to you if it’s any good?

You should be able to get someone on the forum to send you a centre cap.

Hi Rian, front & back and part number photos attached. I’ve tried cleaning a bit of it with interior shampoo ( not the best but all I have to hand ) it should come up great with a bit of elbow grease (and patience)

All the horn contacts are there too but will need a good clean
I’ve tried cleaning a small section of the wheel using Armour-all tyre foam cleaner and a very fine scotch-brite. It will clean up ok I think. I’d have done the whole thing but the tin was almost empty.

Front.



Rear.



Part number.



Hell..... Yeah !!!

Of course I would be able to use it, someone somewhere would be able to find and sell me a Centre section/horn push

I had messaged Dennis in St Louis to tell him that I had “got lucky” with Ian having one to give to the Blazer free of charge, and he said that was good, but to make sure that the three screws and a plastic piece that took the screws and a metal cup that the horn button snaps onto were there as they were not in the original pics Ian had sent.

So I texted Ian again and a few minutes later he replies that he found the parts as well, and they would be making their way down south soon.



Got a message this afternoon at 13.20 from Ian to say that he had boxed and dropped of the wheel at a courier, to make its way down South to me.

All I can say is Thank you, and that life certainly is good.

Today was a good day as well, as I had some garage time with my friend Henry who came over from Romford in Essex to give me a hand in the garage.

More Later.

[flashed]

Love the Blazer , still hope I land a nice 72 one day .