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

[Grizz1963]

Availing myself of Rogers hospitality, I had some of the ham, and then also some of his Chilli, and it was good.



And the cars kept coming.



Then this Alcohol fed brute came in..











Bucket list Gasser

[Grizz1963]

Love the tractor name.





If you look carefully, you will see just how the alcohol makes you sweat on the scoop.







Unusual beast.

Diesel Land Cruiser, from Canada.

[Grizz1963]

Photobucket is really being a dick today.

Keeps freezing, refusing to copy etc.

Almost done with Rogers picnic.

Next will be headed back to the real reason for the trip.



Roger coming to try out his own Burnout strip.





At this point, Steve and I had to get back, and hit the motorway back to Dennis' place, where the party was already going well.

I think that people expected us to do a Burnout as we drove over the concrete strip to leave, but I would not pull another mans motor through my butt, even though Dennis did call me a ***** last year for managing 26mpg in the Challenger.


I will post up a bunch of random short Burnout and arrival videos later for those of you that may be interested.,

Now headed to Thomas Cook to exchange what was left of my Dollars after the last 12 days.

TBH it surprised me that I have any left as I spent as and where I needed to.


Later guys.

[Grizz1963]

ROGER ORF's Picnic

Random V8 clips.

Roger Orf's picnic - YouTube

Roger Orf's Picnic 2 - YouTube

Roger Orf's picnic 3 - YouTube

Roger Orf's picnic 4 - YouTube

Roger Orf's picnic 5 - YouTube

Some random mini burnouts.

I would imagine the new concrete is very grippy.

Roger Orf's picnic 6 Burnouts - YouTube

Roger Orf's picnic 7 no burnout - YouTube

Roger Orf's picnic 8 - YouTube

Roger Orf's picnic 9 - YouTube

Roger Orf's picnic 10 - YouTube

Trust some of these make you smile.

Or grin madly.

[Grizz1963]

When we got back to Foristell and the party was well into its swing.

Parked up the Challenger and Steve and I joined in.

First worthy spot........

Redneck beer cooler.

This was for real. Baby stroller with built in beer compartment

Jesse's patent.



Up closer.



Funny what a few creative editors and motivated minds can do to a working Race car Workshop in a few hours.



People travelled over 200 miles, or 300km to come and join Dennis and Debbie for their birthday party.

Pretty impressive the following he has.

Dennis's Mum and Dad, and his cousin from Jonesboro who was going to drive me up if the Challenger did not get fixed in time.



Some of the usual suspects, including Adam, Clancy and Thomas,and Jesse.



Katie, Debbie's daughter in law, organiser, photographer, great mum and wife......

Racing as usual.



In his Golf Kart was Donny, and friends.




And his daughter Danielle's dog Diesel.......

What an awesome dog. Two licks and your whole face is wet.

Loved him.



Amazing food all round.

Dennis and Debbie asked people to bring side dishes rather than prezzies, as they pretty much have all they need.

Rob Jackson did a Cajun Boil.

He and his team were certainly magicians in the cooking department.

This cooker sooooooooo does not get the flavours they managed to capture.



Dennis' NASCAR based C10 drew attention all day as well.



Makes for a good place to post your beers.

[Grizz1963]

Looks like I am posting up too much, got you guys dazed and confused.



More pics.

Dennis and his baby sister.



Thomas' truck and his drag racing car.

Seems race fuel runs in all of these people's veins.



Sweet Sweet Debbie.

Mother to Jason, Bryan and granny to Skyler Katie and Bryan's daughter.

Invited me when I could not come, but I also felt responsible to her when I got a windfall from the tax man giving me back some cash they had taken off me the year before. Plus a small bonus.

Money so well spent, to be with friends and make even more new friends. Loyal people.



Live music, all day and late into the evening, not your usual 30 minute session followed by a 30 minute break, nope..... nonstop.



Jack Hossack and his clan came in some of his Long Roofs.

Low low low.







Engineer in the house.





Can you guess who??



Amazingly, it just went on and on, and we did not run out of beer.

[flashed]

Looks like everyone had a great time .

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by flashed

Looks like everyone had a great time .

Certainly did John.

But that's what you,expect at this home.

[Grizz1963]

As the night got longer and later, people left to travel where they had come from.

Tyler is another of the guys I met there, he is part of the family, and his lady friend Kelsie

Great people all around me.



By very late I got to model one of Dennis' prezzies that he got from Scottie.




Eventually we all went to bed and Inguess by midnight the party was over.


Next morning, we were all up early and Debbie made us a quick little breakfast.....




Outside it was time to clear up the yard, packmup chairs, tables, mobile beer coolers, etc etc etc.......

Move cars, race cars, trucks etc about.

Almost there.






By 10.30 all order was restored and Dennis and I jumped into the Dually to go to a local Estate Auction.


American Pickers anyone?


Yes, it had not slowed down for me.


More stuff to do and experience.


This trip just kept getting better


Life certainly is good.

[Grizz1963]

So after all the clearing up got done, Dennis and I jump in the Dually and run down to a "local" estate auction of collectibles.

Truck taken just in case either of us see something.

Filled up and Jerky bought just in case we get snowed in, we head out.



The auction is done by a professional company and fast paced as there are so many individual lots.
Some items price silly low, if they are your thing. Like 50's school desks for $3.00 each. But then a six pack vintage Coke cooler hit over $200.00
It puts into perspective the crazy prices we see at car shows in England.
Maybe the profit margins are not that big.
Signage makes good money, regardless of condition as there are always entry level collectors who just want and need stuff and pay higher prices than the pro's would.

When we get there its clear there are some serious buyers who know the inventory.

Trucks, many with car trailers fill a very large field.

Closer to the actual yard there is a very large catering trailer selling food and drinks and another trailer that is the registration and payment office

This is organised.

Of course we walk in and it is shoulder to shoulder with punters, some serious, some just out to look.

Now I have to make it clear to those of you actually reading the script as well as the photos, the stuff you see here, is the scrap from one mans collection, the "B" and "C" teams are still in all the sheds, and then there is his collection of top end stuff that would qualify for the "A Team" Yet a lot of this stuff is great, and some to a collector would just be bulky debris.

Time for a photodump again.











Too many to choose from.

Rare to common, modern and real vintage.



Absolutely love this side by side.

Take a close look at the design.



A few Trailer loads of smalls, from glass preserve jars to school desks, masses of steel pressed and cast toys. All individually sold items.





And cars, nothing I needed that desperately, but all guaranteed to sell.

[Grizz1963]

Mini Coke cooler in top left of pic on trailer made over $200.00



Waltons anyone??



What beauty in design.



This is the mobile auction wagon, tannoy and PS systems, all sorted, gets moved around to each pile or lot, so handlers and auctioneer and secretary can see it all.



Magnificent.





Dennis and I stayed for about an hour, watching people pay more than what we were prepared to pay for most stuff, we had purporsefully not registered as bidders...... then we left and headed home.

You know the fever can get you.

Back home after midday, Skyler, Dennis' grand daughter wanted to ride her Pink four wheeler.......

So grandpa helped with the helmet and mum Katie rode around the yard with her.

I loved what my camera saw at this point.





Got to be Beer-0-Clock somewhere soon ehhh??

More in a while.

It is now Sunday 13.00 and we have a 4 year old whizzing around on a Pink quad and there is stuff to be done.


Later.

[Grizz1963]

Barstard system.

Just when I completed a write up, the iPad deleted the lot.

I hate the blooody thing at times.

So now photos and less talk.

We went for a ride after the kids and grand daughter left.

SUDDENLY MY HOLIDAY WAS ABOUT TO GET A WHOLE LOT BETTER........



Dennis has a long hedge, wood, call it what you like, along his one boundary.

It had Honeysuckle, barbed wire fences grown into trees etc and very unruly red Cedar trees.

Looking a bit like this.



The trick is to go in on hands and knees, cut out the barbed wire bit by bit, then trim back the Cedar and the. Use the bucket on the tractor to strip the Honeysuckle followed by pushing it all onto the large Fire pile.

One of the things that works well, once you cut down the trees a and branches is to pull and guide the lot while the tractor pushes from behind.







And real sunshine too.



Resulting in this kind of finish.



After the tools were packed away
We had a beer with Donny who came to fetch his golf cart that broke down the night before.



Helping hand.



Jobs done, Dennis loaded up,the cart with cold beers and we headed out.

Now it was just after 5pm on Sunday......

Where did the time go??

[Grizz1963]

Beers replenished, we rode over to a neighbours farm to check out the hunting hides and paths they had created on 200 acres of farming and hunting land.

Despite it being my last night or afternoon in the US, I felt such a strong affiliation with these people, real people, honest people who had taken me into their world.
Dennis is the consummate host and friend.
During this trip, I had learned more about him and his totally unselfish and generous ways.
You would have to go a very long way to meet another quite like him.

Off into the Soy bean fields.



At one point I made him stop and reverse to this thistle....

Look at the second from bottom left flower.....





Neighbours pond.

Seems they are only tenants, but have put masses of work into the land they do not even own.




Then we headed home as Debbie had bought, you better believe it.......

2.5 inch thick mature fillets on Saturday for Dennis to cook.

With amstrip,of streaky bacon around the edges held in place with a tooth pic, theymlitterally fel apart on your plate, cooked to medium rare.

I had a Rum and Pepsi to celebrate my last evening.

Thinking this was it.

But not Dennis......

Nooooooooo

Gary who we met at the auction on Sunday morning had bought a few things.

So,after dinner, armed with more beers, in the golf cart, we headed into the sunset, a few miles away.

State of the day when we headed out.



Have I mentioned adventure??

Or that things just never are boring around Dennis or any of his mates??

Seen me dirt farm road connections, then asphalt.

Hammer down



Eventually into the estate where Gary lives.



Gary, all round good guy, plumber by day.



His son Paul's pride and joy.

Cutouts.....

More Want - YouTube

More in a while.

[Palf70Step]

[flashed]

You have more fun than should be legal but so glad you share with us .

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Originally Posted by flashed

You have more fun than should be legal but so glad you share with us .

Agreed Bill.


This is true John, said it before, I could get arrested for some of the fun I have.


Last bit, sadly.......


As you can see by the lack of light in the video above of Paul's truck opening its cutouts, time is irrelevant in these parts.

When friends get together, that's all it is.....

A great time.


Gary is restoring a car his dad raced 20 years ago.

Seems everyone around here has race fuel in their veins.




Not yard art.



Some of his auction lots.



The man also has a bunch of 70's small capacity Japanese motorcycles stashed safely in his garage. More envy.

I know that if there was one car I saw the last two weeks that I would love to own.......


Seems this is NFS

Check the video though to realise why I need this in my life.

Want Want Want !!! - YouTube

Can you say Patina again?



At some point we decided it was time to take the golf cart and get home, it had been a long day since Friday morning.
And some of us needed to open the shop in the morning.

Monday loomed ahead of us.

Out into the dark with a 20 candle power illumination, where my mobile phone have a lot more light than the cart did.

Adventure you say.

PS. This is a BEER COOLER



And this may not be everyones taste.

Saw these on the wall as I went to my room fir the last time, late on Sunday evening. Tired but massively content.

Debbies son has produced these and many other blockbuster shows. Not bad for a small town guy making it big in the city.

[Grizz1963]

Monday Morning Dennis was out early to work.

When I woke up my first thoughts were that it was my last half day.

BUT

THEN

I

REMEMBERED

LAST

YEAR.

Anyone not aware of this..........??






But more importantly......


This still waited.


https://youtu.be/P7cFiE_CWMY



Anyone still about?


Stand by

[flashed]

Im still here and standing by .

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by flashed

Im still here and standing by .

Good man !!





SO IT SEEMS PHOTOPHUKIT DOES NOT LIKE OUR KELLY OR HER PHOTO FROM LAST YEAR.


I HAVE NO IDEA HOW IT DECIDED THIS (And deleted her photo everywhere including the original post)


ANY IDEAS ??


So back at Dennis' place I got up, did some internet surfing, packed and organised my baggage.

I had to bring back a set of rear brake shoes for Martin's '65 C10 and some other bits, so Adam gave me a spare backpack to use as my allocated hand baggage, along with my travel backpack.

Once all was kind of sorted, it was time to head out as I needed to go do some final shopping at my favourite store...... Walmart.

Up to now I had purposefully avoided using Adams Hellcat SR/T for commuting and holiday driving due to the 17mpg it offered on a good day.

707 hungry, angry horses eat up a lot more fossil fuel than the 550 horses of Dennis' Hemi Challenger, and on the back of a recovery truck for 50 miles, it increased my overall mileage even more.

Adam had been telling me almost daily to take the Hellcat out and to use it, and if I broke it, we would just fix it.

So today this was my view......

Leaving the farm.




Headed back after my shopping trip, and being very sensible with it, I realised that this is an amazing piece of brutal engineering.

I could never exploit more than a third of its potential.

But the grin on my face in the dark cockpit of this car started to hurt after the first hour of driving it.



Did you note the fuel prices in the photo above.

Possibly some of the higest that had been seen here in many years.

Today was also the 11th of September, a somber day in Americas history, and Dennis' birthday.

I had seen someone's gateway when we went to the auction, and as always, clocked it and stashed it in my memory for another day.

Today.





Thank you Adam for letting me use this incredible car, freely.

It has ticked an obvious Bucket list item, I had not even realised I had.

At 12.30 Dennis came back in the Dually to pick me up and take me to the airport.

We had to pop in at Mittler Bros Racing to check the metal work of the truck they were rebuilding again.



New steel down this side and the whole rear bed on the other side.

I love this stuff.



From there we headed down the i70 toward St Louis, via O'Fallon where I picked up eye drops at Walgreens, then on to his Mum and Dads home where she had offered me another decoy duck for my home.
I love these things and other older traditional stuff

We also saw this guy.....

Keeping up and passing traffic.





Everywhere we drove, flags were at half mast, in respect of all the lives lost and injured of 9/11



And then the moment I had waited for......

Oooopppps......

No RiffRaff served here.

It is really a very good place, check out what Mr Google says.



Yup.......




Headed out for dinner now.


Later.

[Indian113]

Fire away!

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Indian113

Fire away!

Just did

Off to dinner somewhere called Mango now.

Guaranteed to be Indian (my least favourite restaurant or feed, all tastes the same)

[flashed]

I would be thrilled to pay that for gas ,ours is $2.79 per gal .

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by flashed

I would be thrilled to pay that for gas ,ours is $2.79 per gal .

No idea what it is now.

We saw it jump 10 cents a day.

[flashed]

Ours went up about $.50 per gallon before the Hurricane that hit Texas and has not gone down since .

[ibrown50]

I would also be thrilled to pay $2.79, i filled up last night and (according to my currency calculator) paid $6.91 It's a good job my daily driver is a girlie "Euro box"