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

[Braunschweiger]

Wow, great progress, you two make a great team.

[realvc]

That is a very nice battery tray you have built for the RR.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Braunschweiger

Wow, great progress, you two make a great team.

Thank you Harald.

It is great when you do find people with a similar work and creative ethic.

Originally Posted by realvc

That is a very nice battery tray you have built for the RR.

Hi Vince,

Thanks a lot.

Pretty pleased yes.

[Grizz1963]

Two small reports……

Nick said:

Could I suggest 8.5mm holes in each end of the brackets, and matching 12mm in the rails? I'll provide some weld in threaded bungs, as I'm not convinced about rivnuts for this job, and we need at least two good earth points.


4 M8 threaded bungs to weld into 12mm holes in the chassis rail. We will need to drill clearance holes in the body for it to float over the bosses. These will also make for good battery and starter grounds.

I'll make some more, but tapped M6 for the light grounds at each corner. But I'm due at a ringing practice so that's a job for tomorrow.





So battery strap V2.0

Bypassed the sleeve, though I still like it.

So as @kevins said…….

Webbing.



Add some brass eyelets

And a hot punch.



Holey Moley.



Brass eyelets added.



And then a lightweight mock up.



Now we just need to wait for the vegans to object to the tightened nuts.

Just teeeeaaazzzinnng.

May still go back to the sparkly option ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️

Thursday…..

Weekend soon.

Garage time.

[Grizz1963]

Power failure since 11.00 Friday morning .

Two power pilons down.

Not sure when we will have electricity again.

Means @nickwheeler and I had no power down at the garage tonight.

So all progress was non energy dependant.


Also no heating in the house.




Storm Eunice still tearing up the world outside.

[Grizz1963]

Part of yesterday’s zero emissions progress was another one of @nickwheeler ‘s crafty longterm ideas.

The Mini heater box, fan and matrix from the original kit car was one speed and no more than lukewarm.

Where as it was mentioned that the MX5 heater was a furnace and also 4 speed

So dismantling to the sum of its parts, discarding 50% of the useless bulk and redesigning the blower box, exit vents and matrix positioning could lead to a win.

So while I searched for a ready made solution (think random discarded containers) Nick grabbed some pizza cardboard box, scissors and masking tape.

He won………..

Further fine tuning and fitting needed.

Also the transmission tunnel needs a hefty chunk of surgery and sculpting to allow the blower to fit under the scuttle and behind the firewall.

More added to the list of tasks.




Today the power is still out and no prospect of a repair today either. A freezer load of food to be discarded.

Not impressed with that at all.

But apparently we are not a priority.

So this morning I cleaned up the carport area after the storm yesterday.

Of course the wind and rain waited just for that point where I was done, to start all over again.

So now it is cold, wet, windy and raining outside.

But earlier on I did make it down there to remove the front wheels as I want new valves fitted that were not done when the tyres got fitted as the plan was blasting and painting.

While I was there I decided to clean up and reset the tie rod ends as the front end was way out of line.

New short term lodger John came down when he got up to see what I was up to.
He is a Trike rider and builder having a full strength V-MAX based trike. He lost a leg at at age 24 in a motorcycle accident when he was T-Boned and had a high thigh amputation.
He works as a driving instructor and has a keen mechanical eye.
Nice guy to have about too.

So an extra pair of hands to hold a twin pair of vice grips on the steering rod.

I also cleaned up the threads on both sides so the steering toe in could be fine tuned once the car is completed.



Once the threads were done and reassembled I fitted the space savers so the wheels can get taken to the tyre shop.



Military spec?

Rake.



Now sitting indoors with a drink and a fire warning my heatless, cold, dark house.

Anyone know a main grid electrical man or woman.

Get me some electricity

And internet.

[Grizz1963]

Spoke to engineers a few minutes ago.

They are trying to get permits for replacement of the pilons that went down.

Loads to do.



Hopefully by Monday afternoon.

[Grizz1963]

Morning world.

Went to bed 10.00 when fire died off.

Woken 11.30 by John the one legged lodger banging my door. Bloody house alarm outside had gone off and main control panel is in his room. No battery mains backup with power out for 18 hours.
Ended up opening masterpanel as no power on keyboard etc to try figuring it out, then going down to garage, got MX5 battery, jumper leads, some heavy cable and masking tape. Removed dead battery and joined up MX5 battery with a spectacular bodge including jumpers and bits of electrical wire, that shut up the whole lot.
So today’s job will be to find a small 12v 15ah battery and install plus reset system.

[Grizz1963]

Despite it looking romantic this was more born out of desperation.

Fire, light, warmth.



Easy dinner.




By 12.00 still no power.

But activity in the farmers fields.

Headed out in the S10 to get a new battery for the alarm system backup at Tool Station. Cost £23.00

Sally on camera duties.



Poles being planted.

Maybe we can look forward to power by tonight.

New storm forecast is called Franklin. Ooooops.



Spending time at Sallys house to get stuff charged up.

So no building time really but have stuff going on in my head.

[Paul Y]

Any excuse for Fish and Chips...

P.

[Grizz1963]

Thanks fpr all the advice on generators etc.

Certainly not something I would EVER try or do.

I do not understand or trust electricity. Simple.





Power came back last night after 6.0pm……

BUT……

Now my whole downstairs of my house is dead, NO HEATING since Friday (have a power shower upstairs that works) No fridges etc.

So tried removing and refitting every plug downstairs one by one in a process of elimination

Then removed all the plugs, washing machine, drier, radios, side lamps, chargers etc and still it tripped out the mains even before I could start refitting them one by one.

So stopped there. Had a glass of sherry, put more wood on the fire.

Have to try find an electrician once I have gone through a further process of elimination today.

Next step is to remove the downstairs plug circuit breaker, in case that is gone and needs replacing, in which case it could be a simple, affordable job.

But both my lodgers are here, one is an electrician at the power station, one was an appliances type electrician 25 years ago, and we will try figure this out in the mean time.

Surely it can be fixed……..


As long as John does not trip down the stairs getting his crutches or prosthetic leg tangled in extension cables coming down.

[Grizz1963]

Plumber came at 13.00 despite his day job being a night shift.

Straight up on the job after I updated him, up the ladder and not even a cuppa tea.

Having unpacked a few cabinets to get to hidden power sources, it was a bit of a mess.



Like most of the wiring.



Ultimately he had to drop a load of the sockets to find the faults.

Loose earths, and ultimately a section that was dead, which he fixed.



Two hours later, £90.00 or $120.00 , the heating and circuits downstairs have been reinstated.

So tonight the bed will be warm, and the kettle is not balanced on a chair……..

After the electrician left, I tidied up the house.

Then shot down to the industrial estate to go look for a set of front side lights and indicators to replace the ones fitted the Rezin Rockit units.

No luck, but found out they were Lotus items, followed by @rich suggesting tractor units.

Ebay brought up a nice looking set for £22.00 delivered. Same thing with a Lotus badge is £30.00 each.





While I was on the industrial estate I got 15 meters of nylon hose to use as fuel line, and some chassis clips for mounting the fuel line and return.








Lastly, Kev sent these pics from Wales…….

The king may be dead, but it lives on in the Rezin Rockit



And off it goes to the scrapyard in the sky.



I also ordered some fuel line clips to be collected tomorrow.

@nickwheeler will hopefully be pleased too.

Progress.

[Grizz1963]

Found some nice looking front repeater and marker lights.

Prettier than what is fitted.

Will need slight fettling of the body to fit.

Tractor parts, cheap at £22.00 the pair, delivered.

Perfect.







Rain and chilly with a cold front coming in here in Kent today and toward the weekend.

Onwards as a certain @pauly says.

[Grizz1963]

Got home from work tonight, some sleet on the road.

Chilly outside for sure.

Quick coffee, then down to the garage to mess around a bit.



@nickwheeler made a template for the heater box and blower to fit under the slimline dash, in order to extend my useable season for the car.

So,I pulled out the template box, copied ot, and transferred the measurements onto a Dexian shelf.



Grinder (stop s******ing at the back)



Result.

Tidied and smoorhed.



High tech folding tools.



Progress.



Liking it so far.



Chocolates?



And folded, not yet welded.

Front slot will get cut out once welded and stable.

Great fit on the blower too.




Really pleased with this.

Once welded, I will cut some holes for the directional vents too.

Toasty ……

[Braunschweiger]

I tell you, you can learn something here. Good work.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Braunschweiger

I tell you, you can learn something here. Good work.

Guten Morgen Harald.


Do you have a blower heater in your truck?


The MX5 blower is a direct retrofit for the C10 blower unit.

I put one in my truck, then you also get a multi speed power control.

Mine cost about €15.00 to do from a broken Mazda.

[Grizz1963]

Have gone down this morning to check the vents on the box.

Looks like I will have to do a slight redesign and find some slimline vents to fit, or make some narrower grilles.





Also, mate Martin, like me, is using an MX5 blower and switches in his 66 C10 truck.

It is a direct retrofit to the original airbox with no cutting etc.

The switching is either by original switch, or a multi speed switch.

VIDEO BELOW.

https://youtu.be/18tMWTUCvbY

Coming together bit by bit.

[Braunschweiger]

Yes, I got a DeLuxe heater relatively cheaply, but the MX5 heater would be a good option

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Braunschweiger

Yes, I got a DeLuxe heater relatively cheaply, but the MX5 heater would be a good option

DeLuxe is a good option.






Quick job.

New fender brackets made.



More to come.

Soon.

[Grizz1963]

Meet Molly.

No, not Mollie.

Sally’s Uncle John, older brother to UncleBob The Hoarder had her for 5 years, born on Christmas day eve.

Uncle John was walking Molly today, like he did twice every day, when he collapsed on the path and emergency services could not recover him.

So Sally brought her over to me this afternoon as she was a bit of a mess.

I love animals, as may be known, and she instantly took to me, possibly feeling secure, who knows.

I wanted to offer her a home but it looks like one of Johns daughters may take her on.

Sweet pup.

And she loved the garage, perfect match?



After Sally left, I felt a bit deflated.

So I went to the garage, found some Chinese ply to create a template with.

Measured, marked and cut………..



More measuring, arty stuff……… some cutting.



Then a big hole.



Some more fine tuning, cutting and fitting.



And close up.



And looking over my shoulder.

I think it will work, with a bit of fine tuning.



So tomorrow morning I need to play some more.

Then figure out how to tilt it up a bit, and more importantly, creating a shroud.

I really need a spare cover to cut up.

Looking forward to getting on with this in the morning


.

[Grizz1963]

Pretty pleased with the first job I did this morning.

Shaped and clamped the folded box, took a bit of time to make it all square up.

But it worked out in the end.




More work done through the rest of the day.

Back in a bit for those who are interested.

[Grizz1963]

I felt like a kid, caught out being naughty yesterday.

Had @pauly over by 09.00 to collect the cab lifter for Woody his C10 bought in 2015 https://forum.retro-rides.org/thread...0-eagle-landed

As well as his blasting pot, and a quick bacon sandwich with a mug of tea.

After he left I had gone and carried on down at the garage, followed by a visit from Stuart my one neighbour to collect his large die that I had used to clean up the track rod ends when I reset the front wheel tracking last week.

When he left it was time for a coffee, which I had just finished when @nickwhheler arrived, me sitting indoors reading the internet.

More coffee, note comparing, planning and then off to the garage.

Nick brought gifts………

He can explain them.





First job was to remove the front grille, make space and do one more trial fit, then tack weld it all in place the steering rod.


Not as tight as it looks, and later I would remove what was left of the original Ford engine mount.





Then final weld up.

More about this later.



In the mean time it had become time to address the relocated position of the MX5 gear lever vs original Ford position.

The MX5 gearbox is small, and lower than the original Ford part.



Marked, cut, and then fine tuned the piece of MX5 tunnel I had removed. This will allow a Mazda part to be bolted in place once I have a gear lever extender screwed in place.



5th gear position was what mainly drove the relocation, as the original box would have been a 4 speed I suspect.

Happy with this position too.

Loads of small fabrication jobs done.

Nick also carried on with modifications to the battery bridge and its mounts.

Coffee was consumed constantly, the machine needs fueling.

[Grizz1963]

The afternoon flew by with Nick and I continuing with a load of small jobs that are all part of the bigger job at hand.

At one point John, my current short term lodger came home, he needed a place to store his Yamaha V-Max powered trike, so I said to just bring it here.

Sounds magnificent.



In the mean time it was once again time for the body to come off.

Allowing me to cut out the remaining Ford engine mount and for Nick to drill some holes in the chassis, followed by welding in captive threaded nuts he had made to act as a foundation for the battery bridge and as foolproof earth points for the power and loom.



Body up again.



Resulting in…….



With the body on the trolley I carried on with another fiddly, time consuming job.

Removing and refitting the steering column repeatedly till all the grinding resulted in a free spinning knuckle.

John the lodger was adding a hand and camera skills.



6mm aluminium plate plus a few layers of firewall……

Eventually slick, clearance created, time not wasted but consumed.



More cleaning up, grinding back, tidying.

Through the day things like the steering shaft, gearbox mount, fender brackets, radiator brackets etc all got painted and cleaned up, in preparation for final (We hope) mounting when the body goes back one more time.

It is amazing the amount of work that goes into this build that is not recorded or reported.

I liked this posting on a South African Adventure Biking Forum by a member “EssBee”

True for both Nick and I, but more so for me, learning so much as the build progresses.


[quote author=EssBee link=topic=127490.msg4790247#msg4790247 date=1645884322]
Nice work, Grizz, and a LOT of it at that....one doesn't realise how much there is to do in a project like that. Also...it's not stuff you've done before, every step of the way is new to you and requires a brand new line of thought figuring how you're going to go about it. Lot's of kopkrap/head scratching for you guys.
[/quote]








Nick continued to remove excess materials, parts and obstructions all the time.

By 18.30 we put down the power tools as I needed to spend a bit of time with Sally and make dinner.


Nick and I usually have a post mortem after the day ends for 30-60 minutes to discuss next jobs, plans, materials needed.


One of the jobs that ended up happening while discussing was to remove the complex, space wasting clutch pipe assembly……. More about that later.

He also managed to bleed over the wiring loom up front while removing excess cabling.

As the battery bridge was completed the next trick was to simplify and reroute some power cables to and from the starter. More about that later too.

Suffice it to say that it was a great day again, and huge thanks to Nick for coming to play.

We closed shop just after 19.00 in the end, two more ad-hoc jobs done.


Final pic, tidy wiring and bridge in place.





Sunday will be a new firewall plate, many holes, brake and fuel lines…….


And a multitude of other things to do.


Progress is happening.

[Grizz1963]

Short night.

Woke knackered.

Bloody war in Ukraine has people behaving like idiots.

Sally could not get fuel on the way to work at 05.00 so texted me to go get her some petrol in case things turned silly again.

So I took the diesel company car, with less than 100 miles range left. And my days are a minimum of 65 miles.and a couple of Jerry cns.

Got to the gas station…… No Diesel.

So I went home, got the S10 and the Jerry cans and headed back, £108 later I had 25 litres for Sally, and the truck filled as it was also on empty.

Got back home around 09.30 and had breakfast and read a bit, before going to the garage, before I stepped out the house Nick arrived.

So another coffee, checking manuals and creating a shopping list of bits to purchase.

While indoors I ordered a set of 7 inch LED headlights. For the car too.

Looking forward to seeing them.



Then down to the garage.

First job was to drill the chassis and lay the two nylon fuel lines, and the rear brake line that @nickwheeler had made up and laid.

Chassis clips ordered last week, to be collected.





Drilling with 5mm and then an 8mm drill meant I could get the fuel lines sorted pretty quickly.



Fuel lines laid, bit invisible against the black chassis.

Nick also connected them to the front end at the engine.



Another of many small jobs was to drill through to the rear for the rear wiring looms, they will be fed through on ground level, Nick sorted that while I was drilling the chassis.

And then of course the transmission tunnel needed to be cut to allow the blower unit to fit.



Resulting in a huge hole.



So the next job on this will be making it fit, then closing the transmission tunnel again when I do the fiberglass work on the floor, tunnel and a few other spots.



.

[Grizz1963]

Lunch was a couple of Ginsters chicken and Bacon meat pasties.

First time I had them, and enjoyed them.

One of todays jobs with the body coming of again as well, was getting the battery bridge finished……….

Followed by a support for the airbox.

And most importantly for @Nickwheeler and I would be getting the steering sorted.



Lifting the body again meant a few Riv-Nuts could be fitted and one knocked out and replaced.

This was to ensure the body mounting points to the chassis were all secure and present.

So the Riv-Nut tool.









PITA body of and on.



Next up was to refit the breathing system.

First job was to cut off the resonator, prepare for more noise.



Also refitted the second time was the steering rod.






So the steering is back, for the first time in months.

VIDEO:

https://youtu.be/29bKFUqFDok


Nick left at 4.30 sharp for a5.00pm meeting.

And I cleaned up down at the garage.

Progress again today.




So the weekend is pretty much over again.

But very satisfied as we managed to get a few jobs progressed andmactually the steering is ticked off the list.

Thanks for checking in.