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

[Grizz1963]

Wednesday was the real start of my Christmas break.
We have to take he time between Christmas and New Year off, as historically our factories would have shut down.

I also did not take enough or all my vacation through the year as it has been a busy one.

So on Wednesday, I went to B&Q to see if I could find something to spend then£90.00 in gift cards I got last year and the year before.
Crazy, yes.

I found nothing, and will wait for the new year sales and possibly put it toward a £180.00 Bosh hedge trimmer I could do with, in case there is a mark down, and the alternative is taking Nicolas dad along to get a 10% pensioners discount, if they still do that.

I popped into her dads place on the way to town to pick up this awesome plate that Alan had sent for my collection.

I absolutely love it, as it is a rare rare thing.



I also scored this water feature from Nicolas dad, and tossed it into the rear of Prozac.



In the mean time, the Eastern Cape plates I had made for Dennis and his son and daughter in law had made it to Missouri as well.

Thenplate withnthe extra H at the end is wrong, and I gave that to one of my favourite secretaries for her daughter whose name is. Hannah.




I did however get to speak to a great little customer service lady called Briony when checking to see if the cards were still valid.
Great customer service is always a good thing.

And the coffee and Carrot cake were exceptionally good for a hardware shop.




Later I went to Chatham High street and the Turkish shop for some groceries as well as a late lunch in their restaurant.

This is just their selection of Olives.
I know it is a love hate item.
I love them.





Lamb pitta with salad.

All for £5.00

Seriously good eating.




Yesterday Mickey and I loaded the GS for the third time in two weeks and took it to BMW in Tonbridge Well for the warranty work to be done to the fuel injection system and a rear flange of some sort.
Great dealership, massively helpful

And the kicker.....

My bike will be fixed by a tall, really nice and blonde lady called Katie.

I asked them what the jobs would cost if I paid for the parts and labour as a normal customer...... suffice it to say, it made my eyes water when they told me.

Thank goodness for recalls and free repairs on a 12 year old bike.

Headed out.



Mickey does like a coffee and something to eat.

My treat, as he only ever asks for a couple of pints of beer and diesel when he uses his car.



Lastly,

Late yesterday afternoon, I took Prozac and went to buy a load of 20kg bags of coal for the fire place.

The little van that can was happy to help.

Guy at the yard where I loaded the coal loved the NASCAR inspired look and practicality.



I want to service him soon too, replacing belts and waterpump plus the rest as I have no real idea what state the belts are in.

And today I'm planning on heading out to see if I can get a tow bar and wiring harness plus box from a local-ish scrapyard.

Hopefully Martin will be able to do the honours on the wiring.

[flashed]

The carrot cake looks very tasty ,never seen that many Olives ,I love them too ,and the salad and Pita's look great too. Great deal on the Bike repairs too and always great to hang with friends .

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by flashed

The carrot cake looks very tasty ,never seen that many Olives ,I love them too ,and the salad and Pita's look great too. Great deal on the Bike repairs too and always great to hang with friends .

It is one of the better "catering grade" carrot cakes I have had.

Agreed on food and friends.

And lucky with repairs.



Lazy start to the day.

Then went to the garage and opened up, to Harleys absolute joy. In like a shot she went. Happy cat.

I settled down to chop up all the planks and offcuts I had bought this week.
Then packed it all. Sorted in different sizes and purposes then garden shed still has loads of room.



Once I was finished with that, I thought it sensible to clear out the guttering in front of the garage and then started to sweep up, clean up and move stuff about.

Typical.

Followed by clearing up the lawn and then the garden beds.

Happy with this winter clearing.



Now reversing Prozac or a trailer up,and down the drive will be without plant contact at least.



As usual, Dennis and I were chatting at 07.00 my time, which is,01.00 hos time and he told me about this lightly damaged truck he missed out on yesterday.
1999 model, one owner from new, 100k miles, 4 cylinder Fleetside. $1000.00 which he would have offered $800.00 for.

Rubbish pic, sorry, but truck looks good value for what is is.



Today he finished work early, as it is Sig's yearly Christmas party at Ethyls restaurant.......

Guess.......??




Dennis had also bought some 12+ foot tall pine trees, to plant where we had cleared up in September when I was there

On the back of his,favourite truck after work, parked outside his place.



Ready to be planted once he complies the holes.



Of course, back to Ethyls.....

No Christmas party would be complete without the star on the tree.......

Or is that the naughty Elf??


Kelly........!!!

Everyone's favourite lady it would seem.




And one more photo for those of you already frothing at the mouth.

Or was it just me??

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM KELLY.



HOPE YOU,CAN ALL GET TO SLEEP TONIGHT.

[Palf70Step]

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Kelly hasn't to be most people's favourite stocking filler.



Watch this.....

You probably will not regret it.

https://youtu.be/3PLEK3z8qK8


Gives new meaning to engine transplants.

[Ta2Don]

Merry Christmas Eve Mate!!!

Unbelievable, no pic of mechanic...

Love the Water feature...

Have a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year Mate!!!

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Ta2Don

Merry Christmas Eve Mate!!!

Unbelievable, no pic of mechanic...

Love the Water feature...

Have a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year Mate!!!

Hmmmmmmm...??

Would it make you and the rest here happy to see proof of a better looking mechanic than you Don ??

She is nice.



Dennis has planted the first trees.

Loads more to get added...... maybe I need to get over there and complete the clearing up.



When done, this will be a great new line hedge.



Not as easy to see, but a new porch added to the front of the shop.



From one day to the next.

Today it is snowing, and Dennis is not impressed......

And it continues to snow.

Perfect for a mushy, I mean White Christmas



Christmas greetings from Arkansas as well, from Ta2Don and JoJo.



Random flashback....

It was filled with ber and cider, then rolled off the side side stand



Anyway, Christmas is a bit ****e for me.

Headed out to Rochester in the hope to have a random conversation with anyone....

Had a youngster say "Cool car mate" in the car park, made me smile.



Went and god some chips, they were good.....



Followed by a Costa coffee and watching people, then homeward, via Rochester Castle.

The plan had been to go up to the castle to take a nice photo to finish a great year with Prozac......


Could not get in.......






Merry Christmas to all of you and your loved ones.

I trust you get what you need and some of what you want from Santa.

Thank you for the friendships, and support on the forums and on my travels this year.

It has been a blast !!!


In the mean time, I will endeavour to become a pirate tonight.

That's what Rum does to you.





Bahhh Bloody Humbug !!

[Indian113]

Merry Christmas! Looking Forward to Next Years Adventures, may they be even better than the previous ones!

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Indian113

Merry Christmas! Looking Forward to Next Years Adventures, may they be even better than the previous ones!

Thank you very much.

Yes, they will be better, if not different.

Trust you had a good Christmas as well.

[Grizz1963]

Funny how things turn out.

I had planned to spend Christmas Day indoors with the cats, a bottle of rum and some crackers and cheese, followed by more of the same.

My very good friends Kevin and Theresa had their kids mostly scattered across the UK and Ireland, due to growing up and various relationships.

So I got invited to Christmas dinner/lunch to us civilised people as they needed a clown at the table.

Kevin is a very capable for,al cook, so the food was awesome, the company even better, and I eventually went here me for 9pm as I was tired as Insomnia does not respect holidays.

While they were at it, I also got a load of very well thought out gifts from Kevin and Theresa..... massive thanks there too.



Theresa's mum and dad and her one son with his lady friend.



I had no plans for Boxing Day but this was going to keep me busy.

Can you tell what it is yet?



Then at 11.30 I got a call from a friend, was I going to be in today, was my kettle full, did I have biccies.....??

PS. Could she bring her dogs??

Yes of course, to all the above.

The cats would have to just deal with it, and the planned activity would have to wait for another day.

This was the point at which she called, so I decided to shut shop, clean the house and have a shower......

Certainly a better investment in Boxing Day



My visitors.





Of course the lady had not been in my house before, so she and the dogs did get the grand tour, and when we got upstairs, the cats reacted as they should, first standing their ground, then flying down stairs, and out the back door, with the dogs giving chase.


Dukey the Ginger Whinger came back indoors from the rain, two hours after the guests had left and Harley was in 45 minutes after they left, she is a lot less fussed with stuff like dogs, but the Ginger is a bit more highly strung and gets spooked easily.



I also made them a fire to make up for their distress and inconvenience, which both seemed to enjoy a whole lot.



Lastly, despite being a Grinch about Christmas, my visitor also brought me a Christmas tree that I can plant in the garden when the weather gets better.



Later today, I will carry on with the block I started on yesterday.

Hope you all got what you needed and some of what you wanted for Christmas

Time for a cuppa tea now.

[Palf70Step]

Glad you had a good day Rian. Just work here and watching the rin and COLD come thru again.

[Indian113]

Rian, I had a excellent Christmas but then I picked out and Bought my OWN gifts from my Wife. You can't go wrong if you do that! I bought a set of 2 1/2 inch dropped spindles and a 12 inch disc brake kit for the 64. Actually I had more fun watching my Grand Kids open their presents plus playing games with them. Here a Toast to The New Year - May Every New Day be Better Than The Last!

Ray

[Ta2Don]

As Always, Thanks for sharing and I won't reveal what's up with the blocks, remember, Palm Fronds!!!

I need to find some rum to get back to Pirate mode...

Have a Blessed New Year Mate...

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Glad you had a good day Rian. Just work here and watching the rin and COLD come thru again.

Cold and rain never stopped me before, and rain itself won't stop me, but the cold gets into my bones badly these days.
To the point where it hurts a lot.

Originally Posted by Indian113

Rian, I had a excellent Christmas but then I picked out and Bought my OWN gifts from my Wife. You can't go wrong if you do that! I bought a set of 2 1/2 inch dropped spindles and a 12 inch disc brake kit for the 64. Actually I had more fun watching my Grand Kids open their presents plus playing games with them. Here a Toast to The New Year - May Every New Day be Better Than The Last!

Ray

Thanks for the reply Ray.

Own gifts are the way to go.

And yes, agreed on a good new year.

That would be rather special to experience again.

Originally Posted by Ta2Don

As Always, Thanks for sharing and I won't reveal what's up with the blocks, remember, Palm Fronds!!!

I need to find some rum to get back to Pirate mode...

Have a Blessed New Year Mate...

Donald, I suspect we will chat on FaceTime still before or by new year.

Part one of he non truck related update coming up.

You and I should become pirates together.



Bah Humbug and all that.

I had a lovely Christmas dinner with friends and then planned on keeping myself busy for Boxing Day.

Got this far..... then got a phone call from a friend that she wanted to visit with her two dogs, would that be OK?

Of course it was.

So this is pretty much where it ended on Day one.



Few pics to speak for themselves.

As I started to get my flow.

Had to incorporate the broken off corner.







By now the block was coming to life.

This was the plan.

Getting it into shape would be another job.



Next up a lovely visit and doggy time.

Next morning a lazy start, then down to the garage, which showed 2'C inside.

Cut the basics.



Shaped.



Primary tool.

Remember this stuff can be fragile.





All the outlines done.



Amazingly, this took quite a few hours.

Called it a day early.

[Grizz1963]

Woke up to this, this morning.

So part two of the carving.



It was -2'C or 28'F outside, despite this lovely sunrise as seen from my cozy bed.



So I started with my awl, and also half of a pair of secateurs that lives in the garage.
Makes a great cutting tool.



Slow but sure progress.



Of course I had completely cleaned the house on Tuesday morning.

Today I noticed that it would be a repeat job.

Thankfully I live alone and pay the mortgage.



Eventually by just after 13.00 the Tiki head was completed.

Funny how these things shape themselves..... no matter how hard you try.



Decided to try it on a plinth.

And really liked it.



So designed a Tiki Surfboard plinth whith pineapple, and some palm fronds down the sides.






Completed.



Happy.

Next up some SHAG style Skulls I think.

Look them up.

[Palf70Step]

Very nice Rian. Last time I tried that kind of carving, it had red spots all over it from where I kept stabbing/poking myself.

[flashed]

Very nice and belated Merry Christmas ,mine sort of sucked but Im not into it anymore .

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Very nice Rian. Last time I tried that kind of carving, it had red spots all over it from where I kept stabbing/poking myself.

Thank you.

I must be honest Bill,

I always worry about poking holes or slashing myself in the hands, arms or face for that matter.

Originally Posted by flashed

Very nice and belated Merry Christmas ,mine sort of sucked but Im not into it anymore .

Hey John,

I should have called you, then we could have been miserable together....

[Grizz1963]

Friday.

Last one of 2017.

Had a date with a lady, but this was the weather in the morning......

Needless to say, not much use for going to the beach, unless you are testing g umbrellas or rain coats.




So we cancelled our "date" and I contacted Neil "MyGasser" about some plastic pallets he had found for Craig my mate, and decided that today would be a good day to run Prozac down to Whitstable where he works.

In an unusual move, I stopped at the gas station and filled up, one forgets to fill as these things are relatively light on fuel.



Got to Whitstable and had a nice chat with Neil, then loaded the pallets, and a large section of show display carpet he had laying around, good for my garage, under the truck.



One of the jobs he does is to test every Mig Welder they sell before it goes out to customers, you are talking in excess of 750 and the last week it's been about 15 machines.

Obviously, testing welders can get a bit boring, so a bit of boredom relief creeps in......

Includes a dragon breaking through the base, a butterfly, sun, monster worm





And of course a bondage mermaid......



While I was there, I also got these bits.

Available for anyone who needs them at cost of postage and packing.

Couple of UJ's for steering column and a quick release base for a steering wheel.



Got home and unpacked the Little Van that Can.



Chuffed as always, this van is certainly Prozac for the Soul.

Miles of smiles.

[Grizz1963]

Remember my Road Trip in September?

http://forum.retro-rides.org/thread/...-small-updates

Well, this is a road trip that seems to keep on giving and giving and GIVING AND GIVING........

Today when I got back from Whitstable in Prozac, there was a letter in my mailbox.

Anyway........

Remember this entry when the Hemi Challenger broke down, due to a melted wiring loom, which turned out to be a factory recall job after Dennis spending a small fortune to get it bypassed in Jonesboro in order to get me mobile so I could get back to Rogers party and his birthday party??


Challenger breaking down in the middle of nowhere, in Banjo country....


So I try various ways to start the Hemi Challenger, but no go.

So I pull out my UK based mobile phone that will let me make a call at £1.10/min to call Dennis......

No reception.

So took some pics of the car, the address etc and started to walk toward the next home down Hiway 25 Arkansas.

Number 3001 has an old guy working in his yard, next to a trailer and 70's Big Block Suburban.





So I look for guns and approach, explaining my situation.

He pulls out his mobile phone and says "You can use my phone" while he carries on trying to remove a tyre from a rim with some wholly inadequate tools. But he does succeed.

Long story short, Dennis refers me to Dodge recovery service, they take my exact details and say it should take an hour (I am 29 miles from one small dealer at Wallnut Ridge and about 45 miles from the bigger dealer at Jonesboro)
I get a text a while later to confirm it will be just over two hours for them to get there.
So Walk back to the car to check if it will start again, but also just to move it more on driveway.
Then I hear RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.........!!!

Look back and see this.



Old guy in his EZ-GO Golf kart coming to pick me up and run me to the car.

Thank you Charles.

No luck there in the end.

We do look at this truck, found out later it was bought for the house owners son, but he lost interest fast and now has a jacked up V6 Toyota pickup



We go back to the old guys home, try to get a tyre onto the rim, unsuccessfully.
More chat, glass of water and local history.
Help him adjust golf kart throttle cable.
And then I go back to the car to await recovery service.
By 3.30 pm still no recovery, so I walk back to the house and ask for phone again......
at 4.03 a missed call, as I cannot raise the service......
Call back and it is the Recovery service owner to say they were given the wrong details and despatched to the wrong address

So I walk back to the car and at the same time my friend Steve from Jonesboro where I was headed arrives in his Toyota truck, so we chat while waiting for the service guys, who eventually get there after 5pm.



Car loaded, we head to Jonesboro, which is where Steve lives, the recovery service is based even though Dodge will only recover to the nearest address etc...... the owner Glenn says he will take the car to Jonesboro with us following in Steves truck.



Once we got there, signed off the car, to be investigated on Thursday.....

And Steve and I head home via a Pizza place with cold beers and great service.



Then home to see Lulu the dog and his wife.

Lulu loves me, and I love her gentle nature.

Knowing we need to be back at the dealers 30 minutes away by 07.30 the next morning, we turn in early-ish.

Thursday was going to turn into a pile of steaming poop.





SO TODAY WHEN I GET IN THERE IS THIS ENVELOPE IN THE POST.


I look at the return address and the memories come rushing back.





Take a moment to read this message from Charles, who had helped me when I broke down.

I had sent him and his wife Onida a nice Thank You card after I got back to Dennis and it must have impressed them that I did not take their help for granted.
They actually made the effort to find out what my address in the UK is.





Did I mention that LIFE IS GOOD ??

[clemdaddy]

Life certainly is good... even wonderful sometimes. Here's hoping you have a wonderful 2018, you crafty pirate you.

[Palf70Step]

I could not think up nothing wiser to say

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by clemdaddy

Life certainly is good... even wonderful sometimes. Here's hoping you have a wonderful 2018, you crafty pirate you.

Thank you very much my good friend.

I trust Texas was good to the Johnsons too??

Here is indeed to a good 2018 for all of us.

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

I could not think up nothing wiser to say

[Grizz1963]

More random stuff.

Ended up that I did 100's of miles in Prozac over the festive season, fetching stuff, visiting people and going shopping etc.

This little van consinue to amaze.

Parked next to a newer face.ifted panel version on Chatham town centre.



As you may remember, I spent Christmas with Kevin and his family.

Old years a few of us went there again, for a roast dinner as only he can do, and some drinks......

Friends Dave and Helen joined us as well and they brought me one more Christmas prezzie.

It blew my little mind.

Personalised.



In other news, it seems I have a real lodger again (deposit and first month paid, plus all his stuff moved in) and the cool thing is that he is into scooters, cars, music and his day job...... super cool I think, is with Bobcat as a regional representative.

He seems to like the cats and both Dukey last night, and Harley every time he has been here, went straight to him.
Trust me, they are selective who they spend time with.

Meet Dave.



Dave drives an Isuzu D-Max double cab, so unlike previous lodgers in Corsa, Golf etc sized cars, this is a bit larger.

Bush out front needed a bit of a trim.



Randomly associated, is the C10 front and rear screen glass...

Been in the spare room the last two years, but I needed to clear it for Dave, so needed to make a safe space on top of the wardrobe in my room.

This made me realise that 2018 has to be the year of the Redneck Express rising from being a pile of parts to being a thundering Antisocial Thug again.

1.6 meter wide screen and 480mm high.

It's a large truck.



Yesterday Mickey and I went to fetch my bike after the fuel pump and rear flange had been replaced under warranty by Katie.
Still impresses me that BMW will repair, free of charge a 2006 model bike.



And so the sun sets on my vacation.

Monday it's back to it all, with all guns playing.




Here's to an awesome 2018 for all of us.

Life is still good.

[Indian113]

Glad you got your Cycle back! I have Separation Anxiety if I am away from my Harley VERY LONG. I don't have to ride it every day I just Need to know it's in the Garage.
What flavor is that jar of Jam?