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

[Grizz1963]

Impulsively and on short notice I took Friday off this week.

Came up to help Craig after we got Fil “Sparkplug” and his wife to agree to come up in their campervan from Cambridge.

So up by 04.30 and by 09.00 I was here and by 10.00 Fill and Mrs Sparkplug was parked up outside too.






Uneventful trip had me stop to grab a couple of pics along the way.

Life goes on……..





Our task for the two days was this…….

Get the rest of the structure and roof up so Craig could carry on with the build on his own.





John the lodger and David the contractor lodger are looking after the house this weekend.

Yesterday I got a WhatsApp message from John.

He had been playing a bit.

Enjoy.


https://youtu.be/lcti0CSe54c


I was very thankful and pleased.


More inconvenient jobs out the way.

[Grizz1963]

Impulsively and on short notice I took Friday off this week.

Came up to Shropshire to help Craig after we got Fil “Sparkplug” and his wife to agree to come up in their campervan from Cambridge.

Craig had bought these 20 year old stables from the lady he bought his house from.

She was replacing it and rebuilding a new home on the foundation footprint (Crazy English planning permission rules)

So what he bought was this.

We dismantled it in November……….






So up by 04.30 and by 09.00 I was here and by 10.00 Fill and Mrs Sparkplug was parked up outside too.






Uneventful trip had me stop to grab a couple of pics along the way.

Life goes on……..





Our task for the two days was this…….

Get the rest of the structure and roof up so Craig could carry on with the build on his own.




So once the unpacking, unwinding and coffee was done, we went up to the workshop space and discussed, planned and double checked various parts of the planned erection.

So the main, to be exposed ridge beam was lifted into place and then with a strap we pulled it to align and drop into place as rain and being stored in kit form for 9 months had had certainly affected some of the panels.

Fil the strapping lad tidying up after the heave-ho.



Of course what does not show in all of these photos is the amount of time it takes to make small tweaks for fitting, and larger tweaks for our own health and safety.

Nobody wants to get hurt 200 miles from home, let alone at home.


Ridge beams all fitted and various extra bearers and supports added
.











Inbetween Craigs wife and Nicky made sure we were motivated with food and drinks…….

Thankfully it was overcast all day.

Next job was to start sorting through the pile of roof panels that had been packed and piled around the back of the temporary garage.

Then a decision was made

On how to raise the super sized and heavy, trust me, roof panels safely onto the structure.

The old dividing walls were laid on the floor as a stable work surface, followed by fetching the hydraulic engine hoist on the Radio Flyer wagon.



Every panel needed more denailing, and then strengthening with 100mm to 150mm screws to ensure they lasted another lifetime.

The original build was all done with nails.

You can see the size of the small panels vs the larger ones we were standing on.



Loads of lifting and shifting, and also using these low down dollies over some OSB boards to get the panels into a workable position.



Lifting these large heavy panels onto the roof is dangerous and heavy work.

So using the engine hoist to do the initial dead-lift made a load of sense.



VIDEO.

https://youtu.be/NCkz3-KbnKE

And number one up and over.



Screwed down, with more interior screwing down going on.

At this point it was around 18.30 and rain had set in earlier.



So we decided that the rain was just going to make things dangerous and slippery…….

ANOTHER LITTLE VIDEO…..

https://youtu.be/cb_5Q26Vbug

YES, IT WAS NOW WET.

At the point where we stood under the cover, looking out and feeling pretty pleased with ourselves for the work done so far.



Closing shop meant covering things over, strapping bits down and heading indoors.

Lorraine had planned it all out for us in the farm kitchen……

DIY Pizzas.

I think we were all long gone to sleep by 10.00

Both Craig and I were awake by 03.00 as we sleep less that we want to.

I chatted with Dennis for a while then dozed off again till 6.00

More in a while.

[Grizz1963]

Saturday morning broke early and we got some odd jobs done, then breakfast, after which we stormed the rest of the roof panels.



The first four panels are massive and we were thankful when the were screwed down as they also created a landing pad for the next few which we manhandled and lifted up, three of us lifting and Craig on top, pulling and positioning, along with Kyle, they did all the top fastening, leaving Fil and I to do the stuff below.





We did find some time to laugh as well.

Fil had his parole revoked.



More of the same, refitting the panels as they were marked when disassembled.





We eventually made it to the last panel……..



Tidied away tools for the night.

Started a fire for BBQ…….




Anyone who has not done one of these builds, do not be deceived into thinking its a quick job.

Very different to a team who do it for a living and have plans.

This was all re-engineered.

And if you look at the photo of what it started out as, you will notice a lot of re-engineering.

Changes in wall plans etc.

[Grizz1963]

While the fire was burning, we carried on tidying up inside the workshop.



Craig could not contain himself.



This is where the bench should go……

Outside his home office.

Which the first room will be.



Overhang is just right to keep most weather off the doors.

This side will be office, woodworking shop, and the extended section includes a double door out the further side for motorcycles and mechanical stuff.



Once we settled down next to the fire and started to chat, I suggested we could get the roof felted in the morning, as the rain had stopped again.

So at 7.00pm we raced over to B&Q to buy 13 rolls of 5 year roofing felt as a temporary measure till Craig can get up and do the shingles he has planned.



Done



When we got home, Kyle and Lorraine Had cooked dinner……

Awesome food, company and Jack Daniels Tennessee Fire……..





At around 10.00pm I was dead, and Fil always helpful, managed to help me remember the next morning.



I got up and slunk off to bed.

Sunday awaited.

[realvc]

Great progress and congrats. all around for all the team.

The roof panel Craig and Kyle are stripping must have been the first one roofed back in the day as it has way more tar than any of the others.

I like the random designs of the tar on the panels, very artistic.

[Braunschweiger]

What a great job, my highest respect for your teamwork. Turned out to be a great house

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by realvc

Great progress and congrats. all around for all the team.

The roof panel Craig and Kyle are stripping must have been the first one roofed back in the day as it has way more tar than any of the others.

I like the random designs of the tar on the panels, very artistic.

Morning Vince,

Thank you.

The problem with the way the tar was applied, is it hardly worked, most sheets came up intact.

I saw a cat and dog playing in one of the panels…….








Tested the new “Fit them after MOT pass” lights for their DRL connection last night.

Certainly brighter than the pics show.

Pretty silly, but pleased regardless.

Some stuff must be done.





Also bought some fresh clear 5mm pipe and a T Connector for the windscreen washer.

Removed the reservoir and spent 30 minutes cleaning the very manky inside with brushes, some sand and water.

Looked better.

Reassembled, connected and added some pink Cherry fragrance screen wash.

Silly for,sure, but the only colour under the hood at this point.



Concentrate diluted at 25% and pump tested…… pass.



One more small change I wanted was to remove and replace the standard hooter/horn with something a touch more loud and “Wake The F#@£ Up” as a horn should only be used in emergency, at which point I have no intention of tickling anyone, rather a full punch in the ribs.



Other jobs to addressed this week, as and when I can get to it is lift the rear, try get to the fuel pump plug and wiring, or else drop the fuel tank, thankfully still empty, but no lightweight.
Also connect up the tow hitch trailer wiring plug and bleed the clutch now that Nicks lever is fitted.

More jobs to get to, obviously.

Originally Posted by Braunschweiger

What a great job, my highest respect for your teamwork. Turned out to be a great house

[Grizz1963]

Small mishap yesterday with wiring and relaus….

Sorted.



After work tonight……

I know a certain @nickwheeler may not lile the next episode.

But it is so true to the “Owner style” builds….

Some La Cucaracha horns.



Resulting in this.



And this….



Mounted



Had to shut shop at this pount.

Hope to complete the fitting tomorrow or Thursday evening, BUT……


https://youtu.be/mU7pId6dtyE


There you go…..


Always something to do.



.

[Grizz1963]

Walk the dog…..


Dinner time next.

[Grizz1963]

Thanks to Dennis….

My drive for this years trip has been confirmed.

Space to sleep, and load space for parts and spares along the way.



Time to rock n roll the 2022 road trip.

[Grizz1963]

Skipped the bootfair today due to ongoing insomnia.

Things to do when you don’t want to do what you really should be doing.

Skip dive.

Rescue big chinks of lumber.

Did I mention Free cash before?

Along with these two lengths, one is over 9 foot, I also got a 3 foot and 7 foot length to use.

Decided to make something in keeping with the tongue in cheek nature of the carport.





Extra outdoor varnish on all sides.



Router into action, freehanded writing.



Then colour infill for the letters.



Resulting in this once mounted.

And a silly grin.






Dennis was out in his NASCAR 66 C10 at a show yesterday.

Went down a treat.

Then later he and stepson (read no2 son) Brian worked on Brian’s Willys to get that going.

Some crazy plans for it as well.






Really looking forward to being there in person soon.

[Grizz1963]

So in preparation of possibly dismantling and dropping the fuel tank to get to see the wiring, I lifted the rear end, again.

I’m wondering how many times this thing has gone up and down since it got here.



Anyway, another small job done.

Fitted the handbrake cable spacer Nick turned for me from some Nylon he had, added a circlip and hey presto…..

Next job will be to remove the wheels, AGAIN, and set the handbrake and pads to a level where it is functional for the MOT test.





Weekend almost over.

Need to go find something in the garage though.

[Grizz1963]

Thinking

Thinking

Thinking


Noooooooo, not what you are thinking, or is it.





Lace roof painting.

Net curtain from my old neighbours home after she sold it.

.

[Grizz1963]

Sometimes payback works in a weird way.

A friend asked if I could help with the car he bought for his daughter as her first car. As he thought she may reject it as it is not exactly a new shiny car, and small things can set them off to reject as not pretty, fashionable or whatever 18 year olds want. I said he should give her a bus pass, that would make any car look heavenly

Despite these trucks being all metal.


Thought I would share a quick, easy fix on here.

I have done it on a few cars before and it works like a charm.

Raw, unpainted plastics tend to go grey and dull over time.

Something the sun and oxidation does.

So you can use raw linseed oil, other oils, or plastic refresher in a can, elbow grease or paint the plastics…..

I found a heatgun works well, controlled and kept at a safe distance, moving constantly, you will see it change as you go along.

Door handles.

Before:



After:



Light surrounds……





After



Bumpers come up in a similar way.

Adds “value” by making cars look cared for.

Well, fixing it up is caring, Innit?

[Braunschweiger]

The little things make it.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Braunschweiger

The little things make it.

Absolutely.




Thanks to @redratbike for selling me these 4x100 wheels in 14” size.

I have something in mind for them.

Wheels make me happy.





Ohhhh, and it is the weekend.

Beer time.

[Grizz1963]

Thanks to @westbay for poking his fingers in my wallet like @pauly does……

I now have some of these badges headed my way.

Certainly apt for this build.

[Grizz1963]

Few small tweaks today.

I actually drilled and tapped another earth……



After more digging around we found that the fuel pump relay was not working correctly, so John bridged it and it fired right up.

More testing after opening it up showed it could be closed and be made to work. So a brilliant bodge installed, closing the switch permananetly.

I need to get a working MX5 relay like this to replace the fitted one.



So then 20 litres of fuel into the tank, and a small prayer we turned the key.



And after all the ups n downs, it fired up, lumpy at first then settled into a idle.

Revving it up reminds me of an Alfa Giulia when I was growing up.

Once over the jubilation, trying to get the heater/blower fan going was a major fail……….

To be revisited another day.

Next job was to bleed the clutch master cylinder.

Lots of murky brown fluid.

Failed to get it sorted as well.

So I took the MC off and inspected it.

Looks like a replacement may be due or recommended.


I am guessing it is an original Ford part though.

[Grizz1963]

So after yesterday’s final fiddling and finding the relay needs replacing or repairs, currently bodged to work by closing the switch manually with a stick, we had the engine fire up.


There are a few more jobs to do, including finding a replacement clutch master cylinder, blower unit fix, upholstering the dash, fitting instruments, switches, inside panels, setting the handbrake to full capacity, dry run testing on the farm, draining all coolant and replacing with anti-freeze based coolant, then possibly final nuts and bolts check, followed by a prayer and MOT.


START UP VIDEO:


https://youtu.be/26uEIRMZdrk


And yes, I certainly am pleased.


Thanks to all who had a hand take the time to post comments, advice, and chat.

[Braunschweiger]

Hell yeah..... sounds very angry for a jeep and which jeep revs over 6500 rpm
Good Job.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Braunschweiger

Hell yeah..... sounds very angry for a jeep and which jeep revs over 6500 rpm
Good Job.

LOL.

I,am looking forward to it going on the road and a local tunnel.

[Grizz1963]

The 2022 USA Roadtrip is already coming to life.

https://forum.retro-rides.org/thread...p-grizz-report

Was contacted by a guy I saw in Kansas before, where I had planned to stop by……

Always something interesting in a barn, sometimes it takes a while to come out the barn.

He is patient, fair and people trust him.




Wonder if I should hook a trailer as well when I head out.

Just in case ya know.

[Grizz1963]

I thought I would ask the question here as there is a lot of knowledge.

Based on what I see here it is a phone call away from becoming a double door refrigerator.

And making the best decision may not always be the most popular

A Small engined manifold attached catalytic converter with a pair of snapped bolt heads…….

These are meant to keep a pair of springs in place to absorb the movement of the engine, against the exhaust with a cup and ball design.

At 130k miles trying to undo them, the hapless owners managed to have both heads break off with an impact wrench, despite copious amounts of penetrating oil.

Now stuck with a pair of studs protruding from the cat, one threaded into the casting, the other seemingly bolted to a nut……….



Options seem to be:

A) To cut the studs flush, centre punch, drill out and tap new threads, add new bolts

B) To remove the manifold after dismantling half the front end and repeat “A” after snapping half the fasteners along the way, including manifold bolts.

C) Clean up the studs well, clean the catalytic converter face, make sleeves to fit over the studs with threaded ends to take new external nuts to hold the downpipe cup and then weld either Mig or Tig in position, these sleeves and return the springs, assemble the downpipe and refit the exhaust.


The evidence.







This is the general condition down under there.



And “work” prior to me seeing it.

And NO, I honestly have no idea how that was created.

[Grizz1963]

Mailman and EBay made me happy.

New clutch Master cylinder came.

Design is a bit different.

First thing I noticed was the guide at the mouth of the unit where the rod enters to hit the plunger.

It was not present on the other unit, for whatever reason.


Hopefully it is a quick fix tomorrow morning.

Would be nice.





At least the weekend has landed, heat predicted so be careful out there.

.

[Grizz1963]

So the first job back home tonight was to cut the new MC and grind it to fit around the brake booster mounting foot.



Clevis fitted, clutch pumped and bled…..

Car started, 1st and 2nd engaged with the rear in the air.

Brakes tested, clutch tested some more, clevis adjusted, still not quite right….

Shortened and found to not be quite right.

Called out Mr Grinder….



Refitted.

Perfect, gear change smooth…….

Till it went PoP !

Dismantled, and rewelded.

Refitted, works well, clutch pedal too high……

And POP it went leaving the clutch fixed in a position.

Removed the Slave cylinder, and clutch back in position, wheels turning freely etc.

And yes, cleaned up, ground back tidy.



So I removed the Slave cylinder completely and will be buying a new one as @nickwheeler had suggested in the first place.

Lets see what the spares shops have in stock tomorrow.

Hanging loose with the Rezin Rockit.



And removed.





So clutching at straws.

While I have other stuff to deal with.

Friday night .

Drink??