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

[Grizz1963]

While doing the spare wheel refresh I looked at the rear bumper again.

The truck actually has facility for a specific tow ball mounted on the step.

I have no idea on what size it needs to be and what fittings it takes.







Hard to read but it says “REMOVE FOR TRAILER BALL”

So ine removes the whole rubber cover. And I assume you fit the ball through a hole.



And on another of the pads there was this: “350 LBS TONGUE LOAD MAXIMUM”

[Grizz1963]

Post man dropped by today.

Small parcel.

After all the various opinions and input on here and elsewhere, I decided that a white front placement lamp and an amber indicator would satisfy the jobsworth, anal and anyone else whose farts don’t smell.

So I ordered a set of “Switchback” lamps on Friday evening.



Tried them out, and impressed no end.



Once the colour matched grille is back, I will reassemble it and the clear lenses.

Should look good.


In the mean time I have also investigated colours for the ZQ8 wheels, they are often Silver, Anthracite and rarely gold with machined faces.

I really like this look.

Not sure how it will look on the truck I have.




Think about it.

[Grizz1963]

When I bought the truck, there were a few little things I wanted to change.

Not one of them was necessary, just a personal itch to scratch.

Aesthetically I really wanted to get rid of the amber position/indicator lights.



So I mentioned that I was looking for a set of clear indicator lenses to buy, preferably not in the USA

Next thing, Simon Mayes from Essex offered the set from his truck as he was going to convert his to smoked lenses.



So these arrived, £25.00 posted.

Pleased as punch.



Also on the cards were the amber side repeaters, to be done once the light fittings get delivered.



After much thinking and consideration due to all the various opinions being raised, I bought set no 3 of lamps, LED Switchbacks, clear driving lights most of the time, and amber indicators when needed.



I was getting quite excited at the thought of reassembling the front end.

In other news, I need to get a tow ball to fit the rear step.



I may have one in the garage. Photo from 8 years ago when I fitted this one to the C10, which has subsequently removed.



It may just still be in my garage somewhere to be found, if it fits the hole, we are sorted on this.

[Grizz1963]

So part two of the new smile on the S10’s face reported.

Ross took the grille and the paint that the seller had supplied when I bought it to go paint it to body colour for me.


This morning I had to be in a shopping centre, so we met in the carpark and he responsibly handed it to me, before heading to work.



Massive improvement on where we started with the 20 year old grille.



Stainless central bars refitted.



So from this when removed..........



To this finish today.

Centre bar refitted, and looking at it outside, I was again pleased.



Grille refitted.



Clear indicator lenses fitted.



Headlights fitted.

BUT..........

Wrongly placed, will need to go redo them tomorrow. Missed a side tab that would seat them fully squarely.



1/4 front view.

[Grizz1963]

Sleepless nights.........

Usually work or backache causes it.

Not last night.

Observation within minutes of posting on an S10 group on FB and showing mate @craigrk summarised below.

Had me wonder whether I would get it sorted.



Woke to this....

Photo taken while @pauly and I spoke with him herding his wild bunch over a muddy field



Day job kept me busy from before 08.00

Been thinking also where would I find a low level canopy to fit the truck.... something like this.






Around 11.00 I made a coffee and took it out to the truck.


Headlights fitted.

BUT..........

Wrongly placed, will need to go redo them tomorrow. Missed a side tab that would seat them fully squarely.



So with the drivers side light refitted and the passenger side still to be done, it became obvious how wrong it was.



Challenge if course was to get too lower tabs in, and push the two tabs through the holes in the front panel and slide home the two sliding retainers

Note the space, battery clamped in place......

So how do you get dozen into this slot without removing the battery?

Using the handle of a long steel fork, I twisted it so push/force the wiring and its sheath away, then gripping in a death grip with some extra long rat nosed pliers, I slipped the hole over the pin and then slid the slot down it. Home dry.



Job done, much happier, I think.



So I had to wait for the new battery to be delivered, then I could test the lights up front.

I also got onto another small repair job.

Specifically a redneck repair.

Unlikely to be guessed.

[Grizz1963]

Remember this.....??

Armrest come backrest when you go three up front.





So I removed it today.

Removed all the old manky, sticky foam and backing sticker in the kitchen.



This truck was originally a Missouri truck, so rather than use some flat sheet metal, I thought one of the license plates from Dennis seemed a better idea.



Cut and bent to fit the interior, and this will support the inside of the armrest.



And then glued in place using a couple of G-clamps, backing plates to keep it all in place a 5 litre jug of water, earmarked for the radiator flush and recharge, but perfect to keep it all tight while the glue dries overnight.



I am sure that this will make the armrest feel solid, rather than squidgy when I do use it, either as a rest or as a pivot when getting in or out the car.

Refit some time tomorrow when it is well dried.

[Grizz1963]

Perfectly timed delivery when I walked up to the house.



Unbolted the old battery.

Removed it.......

Found a puddle, and a small rubber mat.

Not good.

Anyone got a good battery tray to sell, or am I making my own ? Done it before for the C10 relocated battery



Plan is to remove the battery and tray sometime, clean up, weld up and seal and paint the tray.

After fitting the new battery of course the best part was starting the engine up, and testing the lights, and indicators.



Happy to say that they really look much better in real life.

Money and time so well spent.

Indicator.



After 11.00pm methinks its bedtime.

Thanks for checking in and all your comments.

Later.

[aggie91]

Looking Good there Rian!

[Grizz1963]

Went shopping in the S10 today.

Big grin all the way.

Bought some resistors. Fitting tomorrow if weather and Sally permits.

Also got a toot and thumbs up on the way home.

Perfect.

[Grizz1963]

Marmite.

Chalk n Cheese.

Give and Take.

Wheels from other brands.

Still have the hots for a set of these, I see they come as low as £120.00 for 4 with or without tyres.



So with the 5x120 size here, a lot of non-GM wheels will be needing spacers to place them right in the arches.

Yesterday afternoon around 5.00pm I saw some 5x120 BMW 20mm spacers with a 72mm centre bore on Marketplace for £20.00 including 9 bolts about 10 miles from here.

The S10 uses Nuts, not bolts, so missing one was fine, and these can be used for trading again at some point.

Contacted the seller to say I was interested but could only collect today if I went out for some hardware, and that he should sell them if another buyer came up.

“Where do you live, I am headed out for some food shopping in a few minutes”

Told him where I lived, and he said he would run by and just drop them off on the driveway en route to the grocery store.

So half an hour later I traded, a pack of Haribo Mix for his kids in the car and some cash for him. Saved me 20 miles driving and specific planning.



Nice way to end my day........; now to find something interesting to fit for winter wheels. (No, absolutely do not need them, you are right)

Went to bed late, woke too early, by 05.00 so sat chatting with Dennis in St Louis about life and the 66 NASCAR C10 Truck build that is progressing.

Later he went to bed and I went down for breakfast.

Pleasant surprise outside.

Rain had stopped, thankfully, as I had a few plans for today.




Plan one for today was to fit the resistors over the LED indicator wires.

One on each side.




Front end disassembled again, easier every time as you learn your way around this truck.



Outside was 3’C and shady, plus there was a brisk breeze, cutting through 4 layers, that was less than pleasant.

This is the mess I found.

Remember the wiring on the Blazer? That was certainly worse, and I got that lot tidied up.

Tried to get the soldering iron warm enough to undo the joins the cowboy who did the original wiring “modifications” had done was fun, it actually did not get warm enough.





Mate Martin had given advice remotely as well, as he speaks electrics in his sleep. But a bit of a struggle for my little brain overall.

@craigrk suggested I remove all the mess and use some of these plugs units.

So I ordered them off eBay for delivery next weekend.and will solder in new wires and connections.



Reassembled. Amber bulbs fitted temporarily.

https://youtu.be/jyv9UAEtv4Q



After this I came in to warm up and also had a delivery.

One more small job left to do a bit later.

[Grizz1963]

Been a bit busy with the day job.

Small jobs.

This one took about 6 minutes in total.

.






I hear @pauly clapping now.



And they are ready to be off to Hampshire



And in their place will be a set of original manufacturers specification lights.

Personal choice yes.



Remember how pitted my battery tray was, lots of holes rusted through.

Reached out to Robert, they guy selling me an original steering wheel, and asked if he maybe had one in better condition.

He went through his scrap pile nd found this one, needs a bit of cleaning and painting, but looks better than mine.








Saw this truck for sale on FB today.

In case someone needs one.

145k miles and £6750.00



And so that is all for today.

Bit by bit.

[realvc]

Man oh man, Rian I am so glad to see that you are going to go back to stock tail lights.
The after market ones that came on your truck were the thing that bugged me about your truck.

So happy to see all your progress.
Good luck on your job search.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by realvc

Man oh man, Rian I am so glad to see that you are going to go back to stock tail lights.
The after market ones that came on your truck were the thing that bugged me about your truck.

So happy to see all your progress.
Good luck on your job search.

Thank you very much Vince.

This truck is nice, no great challenges.



Covid-19 has taught us to work more sensibly, if not cleverly.

Everything done remotely, and with little more concern, circumspection and care.

So buying the wheels for the truck....... paid remotely yesterday.

Got it all piled up outside a garage at a post code, collection and pickup arranged by someone who happens to be doing a disability conversion for hand controls in a paraplegics car a few houses away.

Clever, or blind luck?

Got to see what I have bought by messenger video today, terrible video quality, but happy to have seen it anyways.

Note the original rear lights, wheel nut caps and centre caps all in the pic as well.



Tyre treads seem to be pretty decent, not needing replacement at this point.



BONUS TIME:

Steve the seller is also giving me a GMC Grille and headlights, which could work on my truck with minimal modifications.



He also has a 4.3 V6 and Auto gearbox to sell. PM me for details.

Then Steve dropped the bombshell........

Gear-lever came off, and I have left the Torx screw on it, in case you have a problem with yours.

He remembered I was looking into changing mine recently and has given me his.



I want to strip the rubbed knob off, and fit this new ally knob.



Somehow the little grub screws are missing, but you get the idea.



Pretty pleased tonight.

Little by Little it is getting together.

Chuffed.

[mjh1965]

I haven’t sent you my courier charges yet . ��

[Grizz1963]

The Fleetside badges on the sides of the truck have been a thorn in my side from day one, mainly because they are both drilled through in 4 places.

I am kinda ambivalent about the aesthetic, but the holes bug the living hell out of me.

And I will not be welding them up or closing them, and repainting the whole truck.

So making the best of it came together today.

Chatting with Fil in Cambridge who fetched the Rezin Rockit, after his offer of a new rear bed mat for the truck, his suggestion of a tongue in cheek name for the truck resonated, and set in motion some work and research

Originally Posted by sparkplug

We need to find a name for the truck, remove the 'fleet side' badges and cast a new badge with the truck's name on it....

Given the lovely engine burble I'm voting for "XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX"

Jolity aside - your last post reminded me that I still have plenty of G-Floor diamond pattern flooring left over if you'd like it for the truck bed.

3.1mm thick polyvinyl (waterproof, resistant to oil, salt and even battery acid) 2.3m wide and I can cut the roll to length

Looks a bit like this



It's actually a lighter grey than that photo suggests. Slight blue tint to it - a bit like battleship grey. I can send a sample piece if you want to see the colour properly against the van before lopping off a big chunk?

40mm high



400mm long



Wedge shaped and flat faced, pic taken tonight as part of the planning.




So the attention turned to CraigRK and Andy in Tulsa Oklahoma, both capable 3D printers.

Could they print and Cast me a new set of silly custom side badges to fit over the holes with some double sided tape.


Something along this style.

Of course it may be a divider, but hey, life is interesting.



Let’s see where this goes.

.PS: Fill said that he likes the Rumble of the V6, lets see if it can be improved if I can find an electric cutout switch for the exhaust, fitted before the muffler/silencer.

Could be a nice sound................... A BIT LIKE THIS


https://youtu.be/Fwf1M-irmG0


Another one

https://youtu.be/aVbvZmJ82uY


Just enough of an antisocial tone.

[Grizz1963]

So many things on this truck, which really was meant to just be a get in and drive it type of ownership project has changed.

Typically things changed.

And then, little by little it started to open itself up to me, allowing me to discover its secrets, its quirks, its character, ZQ8 factory build.

Things have kinda fallen in place, sure, I made some effort too, in fact I probably made a lot of effort in some cases.

And one of the things that happened so randomly was being offered for sale, a 20 year old set of factory ZQ8 wheels with tyres.

I never got to see them and still have not looked at them for real, but was told by Steve the seller that they did not have any kerb rash.

That I will check out when I get to wash and clean them for inspection possibly tomorrow.

With the current restrictions of travel, I had anticipated only getting my hands on them at some point when the house arrest is lifted.

Step up mate Martin who is restoring a 1965 C10 truck

His day job is working and converting all sorts of cars for disabled people, from paraplegics to amputees and everything inbetween

Today he had a job up the street from Steve, so by 09.00 he had already stopped, picked up and driven off with the wheels.

Always good to have a mobile job with a van.



Loaded.

Steve also sent me a very good GMC S15 Sonoma Grille to use as a garage hanging.



After work I shot out for food shopping and stopped by to pick up my goodies and help Martin lift his 65 hood into place as he is moving house in the next two weeks.

Again, sensibly he had prepared it all by the time I got there.



The hood is LARGE, really lARGE.



Job done.



And wheels loaded.



Looking closer, but not fully inspected, they will need repainting.

So QUESTION TIME........

Powder coating, anyone do me shadow chrome on any wheels before ?

Please show me and report on durability etc.






One for a few of the guys, @pauly included, is the replacement, swapped out, 20 year old rear light lenses.

They will be getting some serious attention from G3 rubbing compound to revitalise and shine up the lenses.



Also in the bag were the good centre caps for the wheels, GMC items, unfortunately, available to trade for good Chevrolet items.

A few wheel nut covers in plastic, need another 10 of them, and also 20 special wheel nuts with an external thread for the wheel nut caps, they in turn hold the centre caps in place.

Lastly........

The BONUS item

A spare gear shift lever from Steve’s truck, which will be a floor shift manual in future.

I wanted one that I could modify, while retaining the original for refitting if ever needed.



And to close out the day, a nice sunset again.



Life is good, I may have mentioned this before.

[Grizz1963]

So this morning I went out to see what my £200.00 or $260.00 had bought me.

Tyres, still have some life left in them. (Subject to getting changed at a whim)



These wheels will be needing a refurbishment, without doubt.



Lacquer peel and also oxidation on the diamond cut surfaces, in order to get them up to the standard the truck is presenting.



During my lunch hour I used a whole large bottle of Cif/ammonia based scrubbing agent along with two large, hard brushes to clean them one at a time.

The two on the left are cleaned.

Dirty on the right.



Also done today, at 07.00 when I got up, I cleaned the front and rears of these caps, 20 years worth of brake dust, muck etc took an hour to clean, but result was decent.

Unfortunately I only got 11 wheel nut caps when I got the wheels, so will need to find or buy some more.





And unless I find a trade for some Chevrolet items in the UK, I may fill these debossed GMC logos with a resin based filler and sand them flat, followed by paint.



What I would like to fit......



Hope to have it all done sooner than later.

[Grizz1963]

Another quick job while on a Teams or was it Zoom meeting today, they get so tedious.

Sat with a big knife and my breadboard below the camera angle (my colleagues would be horrified) and cut the existing knob away.

Then hit hard times.



In fact, so hard that I had to go to the garage quickly to grind back the secondary knob as it was not going to let me cut it away.



Grabbed some magic in a tube, mixed on the back of a pizza box, dribbled into the new ally shift knob,

Followed by the shift lever.



Then set it to dry in the vice, brought it into the house later and laid it on the hot water radiator, hopefully to make it react faster to the heat.




You recall the swapping of rear light units.

Well, looking closer, these need some attention, grinder, DA, Compound I guess.

Not today though.





Once flatted back, polished etc, they should look just fine.



In another great Karma in action turn, I got a PM from @peteh1969 to ask if I was interested in some free 3D design work that @craigrk could print off, in order to create a more interesting cover for the holes in the bedsides of the truck.

The print files would also be sent to Andy in Oklahoma to print and then create aluminium castings for the truck.

So after sending me various designs and ideas, Pete finalised the one I had in mind.

This should be fun, and a massive Thank You to Pete.


Imagine these either in chrome paint, or the ally buffed to a nice shine.



Been a long day, I guess it is bedtime soon.

[Grizz1963]

So many of the things I have done so far were not needed.

But they do make me feel good about the truck.

Ordered a replacement for this manky piece too.




This lot arrived too.

Though current weather completely precludes fitting.



These also landed.

Push fit blugs for the side repeaters.

Guess we will now be drilling bigger holes in the fenders.




Though.........


Looking at the weather forecast it may be a slow week ahead.





Still.


Its Friday, 10 hours to the weekend.

[Grizz1963]

Funny the stuff that catches ones eye on FB Marketplace

I was genuinely looking for a random full size spare for the A10



Busy work day, but made some time for myself,

First job took about 5 minutes.





Pleased with the result of that.

Later some more stolen time between meetings, foregoing lunch.

I wanted to black out the B-pillar as part of tinting the door glass to create a large expanse of black.



So ordered a piece of Matt finish black car wrap vinyl @ 200mm x 500mm for £2.88 including postage from eBay, that is CHEAP.

Rolled up for delivery, it did not look promising at all.



Cutting the strip in half, then taping it up, I traced the profile by just rubbing it against the B-pillar and the took some scissors to trim it back (the offcuts are being used on Sallys Corsa rear door mini pillars.



Once trimmed right back, a decent rub down to shape the vinyl on the curves.



And finally all done, next was the passenger side, again done between meetings



Tonight @craigrk sent a message to show what he had done as a test sample.

Thanks to @peteh1969 for the work so far.



I am liking this as an alternative to the existing badges.



Weekend plans??

[Grizz1963]

For a long time I have wanted to buy a metal folder, it beats two lengths of angle iron in the vice.

Which is my usual way.

And the price, new:




So how wrong could I go for £40.00 ?



One meter long, used in a Lamborghini restoration


@peteh1969 finalised the rendering.

Done in three parts with links in the support bar behind, it can be printed on a 200mm bed.







Chatting with Dennis in a cold and wet St Louis, he is busy taking more of the NASCAR Truck apart for more paint and powder coating.





I also carried on with some bits on the truck, wind, rain and chilly.....

Not a lot got done, but a few choice words used.

[Grizz1963]

Overnight, this happened at @craigrk towers.



@peteh1969 had made it into a 3 piece clip together print.



Resulting in this.



Now needs to be built, glued and finished off.

Then painted and mounted, at least until Andy in Oklahoma can get around to possibly creating a cast and making some cast metal ones.

All the test runs are saved.......



Then added to a small bottle with some acetone and melted down to create a colour coded “glue” to set the parts together.

Some of that gloop that Craig made earlier.





Snowing outside, so I have a few things that I could do indoors.

And a lot of coffee to drink.

[Grizz1963]

Yesterday, between little showers and a chilly “Beast from the East” wind on the drive, down the side of the house, I started with some more of the lights and wiring.

First job was to identify what the two empty sockets on the rear lights were for, indicating or markers.

Turns out they are red side markers, so I added a pair of amber push fit bulbs in.

Also took the pair of chrome finish amber bulbs. @phila had sent and added them to the rear as they now sit in the space the reverse/backing up lamps were before.

Wrapped them up again as the weather promised a mess.



Next job in the garage was to cut down the old amber and new clear side repeaters and mash them together to make a new unit.

I was not going to drill the buckled holes bigger and also was not going to risk losing the wires into the abyss that is the fender spaces.

White replaces black



Cut them up, ground them to shape and also skimmed the new push fit fittings to fit inside the white tubes.

Before and after.



Back to the truck and found this ........ must have been some cowboy who added the side repeaters, holes are terrible, and then the drivers side wire.......

All there was to work with,



Passenger side...... all of this.



Having cut both old and new lenses up, this what I was left with, sexy glue next.



Then the challenge of the day, rain, chilly breeze and a small electric soldering iron.

Note the two separate shrink sleeves and a large to fit over both.

Trust me when I say, first time around, I managed to seal both, in-insulated in the same large sheath.



Sealed them up in a bit of plastic each, after finding the passenger side which previously was temperamental, now completely refused to work.

Job for another day.



Next up off with the front end....... again.

Rain was not helping, and neither the chill running down the alley.

I managed to find the two lives, soldered the resistor in, incorrectly, having to remove it again.

Gave up, job for another day, screw it, indoors to warm up.



So what I should have connected was A&C but of course I did A&B because I am not too bright on electronics.



And then @paulf sent me this useful,diagram, just when I got indoors.




Unfortunately the cold he cut through my 4 layers on the drive and when I went to bed at 10.30 the chicks came home to roost, causing a spasm that resulted in me taking pills and sitting upright in a chair till 01.30 when I crept up to bed, but too scared to fall asleep in case of another spasm, I eventually dozed off at about 5.30

Trust me, it is less fun than it sounds.

[Grizz1963]

A few bits done and completed today.

Those side badges that so divide.

Out in the snow.



And inside the bed, the offending holes, if only the fitter had thought it through.



And finally completed,,thanks to @peteh1969 designing and @craigrk printing.

Two different styles, side badges, and a grille badge.

Painting them, still to be researched.



Also completed today, side repeaters.



And the clear glue all darkened with a black Sharpie.

Should work well, once I figure the passenger light bulb out.



.

[Grizz1963]

Wrap up for the weekend.

Snow made everything a bit indoorsy, unless you went skiing.

So I traded Steve in a straight swap for my Lexus style rear lights to go on his GMC Sonoma Flareside trailer build as I was trying to get this truck the way I wanted it, and ORM does feature in my vision.

22 year old lenses from a well used truck are far from new, but I was happy to risk it to get toward my picture.

So the lights brought home by Mate Martin last week have been waiting for their turn to get some attention.

Tired, scratched, faded,Matheus were well beyond their best before date.

As delivered.



So first step was to take a deep breath, decide that if my attempt at a ham fisted refresh were to fail, then I was up for finding or buying a new set, not cheap at around £130.00 landed, without handling costs locally.

Thought I would try out my method on one of the side repeaters I removed yesterday.

Came up OK and boosted my confidence



Back with my lenses, the first thing was to mask off the black edges. In order not to sand them as well when bringing the 1000 grit wet and dry paper, which I decided to do dry.



With trepidation I sanded the lens in a straight pattern, rather than circular which in my screwup way would make sense too.

At this point I did panic a bit, thinking that I should maybe have gone the wet route or even up to 1500grit.

After wiping it all down I realised it was too late for tears.



Next up, the flannel sleeve off a pair of pink pyjamas and some G3 compound,

Rubbing, rubbing, rubbing.

Firstly just following the sanded groove, then breaking out to a circular motion and keeping on at it, three times, followed by a dry bi[uff, then one more pass with the compound just to ensure I had not missed anywhere.



Last thing was to grab some furniture polish after removing the masking ta-e to clean the black border.

And a photo in the snow.

Though the lenses seem to have chips away, there is actually no damage or chips, just an illusion of the light outside.



After this I came in and made dinner.

Chuffed to bits I took a chance on these tired lights.

Maybe fit them tomorrow after my 1:1 consultation interview at 11.30

Fingers crossed. I have a mortgage to pay .