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

[Grizz1963]

John the lodger took his V-Max trike to a friends house yesterday.


Came back in the afternoon with @craigrk ‘s wheels that will go onto a yet to be built, garden wagon that can be hand towed or behind a garden tractor.


The rims need some bashing, and they do need two hubs.





Being disabled, losing a leg etc certainly does not mean unable or unwilling


Next thing he came down with a 160cc proprietary engine that had been fitted to a kart, and abandoned by its owners.


I had offered £10.00 for it.


Worth a try at that money.


@nickwheeler had his own opinion on it, which may prove to be correct.





I have stashed it in a dry corner of the carport for now.


Future fodder for the barstool racer.


More Rezin Rockit time today.

[Grizz1963]

You know those days…..?


Loads planned, loads done, not much to see….l?


Yes, one of those.


Nick came over by midday.


During the week he had rebuilt the loom into something lighter and more flexible


With its ancillaries


Looks a lot less threatening now.





Scrap from the loom totalled up to 3kg





I had spent some time being a nice boyfriend, and then time doing little jobs like cleaning the paint off the chassis where to chassis numbers are punched in, not very clearly.


Spray painted over it in black.


Then made up a complete new plate that will be attached elsewhere too, much more legible.


After that I started working on bringing the heater matrix, box and blower fan together.


Nick carried on with the pedal box, clutch master cylinder relocation, minimal space but got it perfectly fitted. BIG FIDDLY JOB, TRUST ME.





Carrying on with the easy stuff, the heater box needed some thinking too.





Cut, fold, fit.






Starting to resemble what it will be.






Also made and welded a support and holding bracket inside.



Front strap bracket made using @nickwheeler ‘s Riv-Nut tool.

Absolute magic.



Finally did the last trimming on the blower unit and then bonded the parts together.


John the lodger was on hand to pump out the Soudal Crystal glue/sealant for me.





The actual holes for the heated air to be directed into the footwells will be made one final fitting of the blower, wiring loom, ECU etc has been decided.



More in a bit.


Coffee.

[Grizz1963]

In-between making coffee and doing cosmetic stuff, Nick was beavering away.

First big win was getting the clutch master cylinder into the bulkhead after trimming a bit from the brake system brackets, and the mc base.

Minimal when you look at it, but a ton of work to make it fit and look right.

You can see it fitted in the last photo.


Firewall clearing continues.






I hope @nickwheeler comes and describes what happened here, he is more capable than me.


Suffice it to say he hoped that this amount of adjustment would save on some fabrication…..



Errrrrrrrrrmmmmm……?



NOPE !



Buggerrr !!!





Resulting in the whole assembly coming out once more, and Nick taking it all home to remake.


Similarly for the throttle cable where the beautifully made cable ends needed to be remade possibly 0.5mm bigger holes to fit the cables.


I guess that is the kitcar boogie, two steps forward and three steps back.


I ordered a gearbox shifter boot on Friday, yesterday, less than 24 hrs later……l



DELIVERED.





LOADS OF LUBE……..



Fitted.





Removing the brake master cylinder and trying to make its rusted, seized parts move, failed.


So now we have another brake system part to find.


But it will potentially see the whole braking system being new and rebuilt.









Eventually we ran out of jobs to do.


John caught Nick and I sitting going through next jobs and tasks.


@pedalcarjoe Ernie likes a happy photo.





Closing shop at 18.30 felt early, but was a good time.


A rubbish night, netting me 4 hours sleep in total, sucks.


Also hoping to take delivery later of Sally’s new fence panels after the storms destroyed some.


Thanks for checking in.


Breakfast next.

[Grizz1963]

What a day.

Guess that’s what a day job is about.

In between meetings, clients etc, I also raced around doing about 55 miles to go get stuff in various places and dealing with a hysterical friend whose best friend (long term cardiac issues) was found dead at home yesterday.

Anyway…….

Back to Sunday.

I started earlier than usual, more brackets, fine tuning and fitting for the heater blower done.



Also made a clever little spring loaded seat for the fan unit to sit on, along with that bracket.

Then a small tab for the front end as the exits still need to be decided and planned, then cut and fitted once the dash is built.

Around lunch time @nickwheeler got here after spending the morning in Rochester Cathedral.

He brought gifts….. made these overnight, clevis, lengthened clutch actuator and some squirty things…..



For the screen washer, new Cortina items (I think)



Also brought this tool.

I had never seen or used one.

But I needed it as I had managed to create a use for it.

Spectacularly tactile and a true lifesaver.

Nick was telling me (I forget the make) he had bought it to work on a Russian airplane and his them boss was blown away seeing him extricate himself from a wing structure to report that he had repaired a load of faults, using it.

10 virtual beers for the guy who identifies what it is and used for.

It fixed my problem in less than 5 minutes while Nick was making up a braided hydraulic line.





While I carried on with other jobs, Nick sorted out the brake and clutch pedals and assembly.

The recessed tray for the blower in the transmission tunnel was sealed and bolted in, blower set up to allow for spacial planning.

Also edited the gear stick hole a bit more.

It still needs a gaiter to either be made up, or even an existing one to be edited to fit.



More in a bit.

About the proverbial hitting the fan, thanks to Karma.

[Jeff La]

That would be a thread file. Have both a metric and standard. Has saved me a few times.

Great work by the way.

[realvc]

Yes, a thread file is what I thought too.

Looking good and making a bunch of progress.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Jeff La

That would be a thread file. Have both a metric and standard. Has saved me a few times.

Great work by the way.

Morning Jeff,

Yes, you are right.

Such an incredible little tool.

I always used a hacksaw blade of fine file.

Game changer for me.

Originally Posted by realvc

Yes, a thread file is what I thought too.

Looking good and making a bunch of progress.

Morning Vince.

Spot on, and yes, progress is good……

Well, was…… till,Sunday afternoon.

Now need to fix that before we can get onto the treadmill of progress again.

Still, all good.

[Grizz1963]

So the thread file was used to tidy up the gear shifter thread, as I had managed to damage it slightly when removing a very tight collar from in and miscalculated my hammer angle.

Fixed now.


Right……


Back to Sunday and the Kitcar Boogie.

You know the one, two steps forward and three steps back.

It had become time to fit and fix the windscreen frame so that ECU,,relays, fuses and wiring loom can be fitted and fixed, as well as heater pipes, controls and then the firewall plate and its embellishments.

But Karma had other plans.

When @nickwheeler had done the pedalbox, actuators etc, it all went together relatively easily, as if he had been dealt a bonus card.

So I cut and prepped the bolts that became the studs to be welded into the Land Rover screen that @glenanderson had donated to the build.



I drilled the holes for a tight fit, cleared all the galvanising away for welding, magnet placed and then Nick tacked them all.



Trial fitting the 5 studs showed one hole needed a 3mm sideways elongation.

No problem, I did that while Nick welded up the studs.

Perfect.

Errrrrmmmmmmm…. Nope. FAIL.


Though we did not know it at this point.




So next step was get the Nyloc nuts in there and tighten it down with a high density foam sealing strip.


HA HA HA HA HAHAHA.


When we assembled the support, I will take the blame here, the angle was welded in the wrong way around, and despite drilling, noticing it all, I had forgotten.


Look closely at my KING SIZED COCK-UP.


Can you see the problem yet?




Yes, no way a nut and socket will be going in there.

Space is tight, very tight.

So a variety of options were considered, including a tungsten carbide bit to whittle away 25mm of each holes obstruction.

In the end I drove to Aghabridge and saw this display when I got there.




Explaining my dilemma through the medium of a few photos, Karma smiled and an engineer found me some 15mm pipe with 11mm inner diameter hole, cut me some and sent me on my way.

FOR THE TOTAL PRICE OF FREE.



From there I went to get some replacement M10 bolts and extras for the firewall work that still has to follow.

Hopefully this will come together on Friday when I have a day vacation.

More to come.

[Grizz1963]

Many of you will realise I am the pretty one in this build.

Nick is the brains.

But rarely, I come up with a goodererer idea.

Case in point, fabricating or making up a switch or valve for the heater to turn it off started out as a complex thing, cables, levers, brackets etc…… you know the drill.

Then I suggested why not just add a simple tap into the mix.

On/Off

£12.00 of the Queens English Pounds vs a load of faffing and fabrication.

Mounted on the side panel under the dash.

Ladies prerogative when feet are freezing.



While at Car Builder Solutions I saw this Cod-piece.

I need a used one from a scrap car, the one in the donor was completely torn and rotten.

Quite phallic in a dark dungeon kinda way.



Spent £82.00 inmthe end.

Including full,size headlight bowls and chrome trim bezels.

The ones with the cut awy backs are specific for Land Rover Discovery.


Got home and did a bit of assembly.



Later, after walking Bonnie the dog, Sally popped in to say hello before heading home.



So I showed her what it looks like, have to say it works for me.





Because there was no Sally for dinner, I managed to stay down there till 8.45 doing some little cleaning up jobs.


More about that later.

[Braunschweiger]

Great progress, a thread file is a lifesaver.

[realvc]

Wait, when did you get a dog? She looks like a great friend to have around.

[realvc]

Oh yeah, your dog picture got me off track. I have a valve in the heater hose of my jeep like yours only mine is under the hood/bonnet. I like your idea better but for me it would require a lot of hose plumbing to get the valve located under the dash.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Braunschweiger

Great progress, a thread file is a lifesaver.

Morning

Yes, it certainly is.

I previously used a hacksaw blade or some very fine files.

Originally Posted by realvc

Wait, when did you get a dog? She looks like a great friend to have around.

80% belongs to Uncle Bob the hoarder and 20% is Sally’s responsibility.

Things like walking, Vets bills etc.

She is seeing the vet tonight as she was not herself last night.

Originally Posted by realvc

Oh yeah, your dog picture got me off track. I have a valve in the heater hose of my jeep like yours only mine is under the hood/bonnet. I like your idea better but for me it would require a lot of hose plumbing to get the valve located under the dash.

There may have to be an edit and rethink on the routing and valve though Vince.

Seems it can cause overheating in the engine.

.

[Grizz1963]

So where were we.

Cleaning up my act.

Monday evening after work I ended up in the garage because Sally was knackered and had gone straight home after walking the dog.

So I started on some nice, easy win jobs that ultimately need doing.

Cleaning, Flap Wheeling, Scraping, Masking, HEATING And Painting a few pieces

Clutch MC and reservoir ready.



Pedal box.

Manky as hell.

Needs new rubbers.



Flap wheeled.



Better.



Dirty Big Donut.








Much happier with them all uniformly painted.

Have also ordered a £64.00 new Brake MC to fit.

Heating each part before painting when it is 7’C outside meant slower going, but it beats sitting around indoors.



Came in after this lot.

Happy so far.

[Grizz1963]

Remember these bonnet/hood latches that were seized up and rusted away.




Well, thought I would try open them, if they broke….. hey, meant to be, if not…. Money saved.

I really like their design and they suit the car.

Bench vice, spanner…….

Cleaned up the steel bits with a small “Knotwheel of Truth” @pauly ©️ and painted.

Used some Autosol to try polish up the handles a bit.

Not great, but improved.



Halfords wheel silver paint.

Hook tab shows condition before when removed from the bonnet/hood.




AND REASSEMBLED

Saving myself a bit of cash, plus I could not find new ones in the usual places.




Cleaning stuff is certainly therapeutic as they are small wins that take time and makes a difference.

[realvc]

I really like those latches. Heavy duty built to last. The ones on my jeep are not nearly as well built as yours.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by realvc

I really like those latches. Heavy duty built to last. The ones on my jeep are not nearly as well built as yours.

Absolutely agreed Vince.


These are the bes Ihave seen, lovely design too.

[Grizz1963]

So the screen, or is that scream?

Removed the studs.

Bought longer units, cut some spacers.



Tried them, should be fine.



Then decided @nickwheeler would love this look.



Done.

And yes, no paint where the new studs will be welded up.




While I was on the cleaning up run, I decided to buy a nice new, working brake master cylinder.

£64.00 delivered..

Hope to rescue to reservoir from the old unit.



Work today.

Vacation tomorrow.

Saturday spoken for.

Sunday has opened up again for a bit of poking and shoving.

[Grizz1963]

Godzilla is alive.

My friend JB sent me a short clip of his first start up of his 861bhp Cobra with Godzilla 7.3 liter motor.

So I called him at 4.00am Oklahoma time, he was driving to gym, before heading to work.





Video:

https://youtu.be/k_1Rm5qlsOA

Should move along nicely.


Work owed me some time.

Planned on getting a few things done at the garage, but ended up distracted by a few friends randomly popping in for various reasons.

So got some tools and wood together and went over to Sally’s house to fix her fences that were damaged by the recent storms.

Time flies, but by 5.00pm as I was leaving, she got home with the dog in tow.

Dog is really unwell, vets had nothing to say, gave some meds but thats it.

Sally likes the new fences and some changes I made.








Bonnie the pup does not look sick, but totally listless and not interested in food, play or anything.




Friday today.

Vacation day reserved for the garage.

All day, so maybe a bit of progress.


Later.

[Grizz1963]

Another day in the garage, having the day off helps.

@nickwheeler and I were busy from 11.00 to 18.30 with a load of fiddly jobs.

Some necessitated fitting and removing between 5 and 15 times…….. let that sink in for a moment.

After removing the original studs welded to the screen, I prepared the parts and started again.

Some gentle cursing, but eventually mad laughter and almost a high five.








I repainted the screen in position late in the day to get its second coat on.

Also the glass fixing strips.







Remember the kitcar Boogie?

Still dancing.

Pedal rubbers came, look great.

HOWEVER……

Brake master cylinder came too….. not right.

Everything is the same, except mounting face and lugs WTaF ??






Lovely.




Another great job Nick got on with was creating the earth straps for the engine and also the dash supports.

Brings new meaning to the term “over engineering” but, plastic cars can be pigs for earthing.

Threaded bungs he made, drilled, welded into the chassis, then all bolted together, gearbox mounting bolt for the engine.







Some Heat shrink in size large needed.




Of course all this gets disassembled once the fuel tank and exhaust are built in.


Maybe after that a final body bolt down.


Maybe.

[Grizz1963]

Along with the other jobs he was doing, Nick was wrestling with copying all the holes, mounting points etc in the firewall.

Most of the complex stuff sits to the drivers side.

So making up the template was done section by section and then stuck together one by one.

Patience of a saint…… Saint Wheeler.



Eventually part 1 was done, and Nick was jubilant as a kid at Christmas, came charging in where I was painting trim pieces to show me.

Bloody nice to see that piece together.

Much more to come.

Happy Chappy.



One of the reasons for now making a full,new aluminium firewall is the stupid hole cut in over the transmission tunnel.

More cardboard added here to get is covered over.



Cut around and filled.



Screen frame in place too.



Just before closing up, with the cardboard template in place, a selfie.

Today I will go add a couple more holes, for the main ECU wiring loom and the heater hoses in the centre and to the right.

Then transfer the wibbly wobbly cardboard template to some thin Chinese ply I have rather than a single sheet of hard cardboard which I do not have.

Once that is completed and CHECKED AND CHECKED AGAIN, @nickwheeler can CHECK IT AGAIN before transferring to the aluminium sheet and at that point I will cut it out and add the holes for all the mounting points etc.





LASTLY……


BONUS PICS.


NICK INSISTED WE TREAT OURSELVES TODAY.


SO I ASSEMBLED THE HEADLIGHTS AND WE TUCKED THEM IN, USING JUST DUCKTAPE TO HOLD THEM AND BALANCE FOR THE SIDE LIGHTS.


LIKING THIS A LOT.





And semi-side view.





It has taken a while to get here.

But keeping in mind it is a weekend build……….

Chuffed as……

[Grizz1963]

Today was a total loss, timewise and financially, and it is not yet over.

Bonnie the pup is back with the vets, being kept in hospital till Monday.

Already just the initial bloodwork, drips, antibiotics etc are making my eyes water.

Unexpected expenses are a pain, but we love our animals a whole lot, so it will be as it is.

Looking back to about September last year…..

Never anticipated going this far at polishing this turd.



And today we are this far down that rocky road.



So I cleaned up the aluminium that was left over from the Grizz Pod Teardrop Trailer build 12 years or so, ago.



Cleared some more holes and prepared the ply that will become the master template with all the correct holes, cutouts etc for the aluminium



And then did the basic cutout.

Loads of holes etc to be made.

Also cutting to fit nice and tightly.

The fenders and firewall are a curved piece, so one needs to keep to the flat surfaces.



Getting there.

More tomorrow.

[Grizz1963]

Today I will probably only get into the shop around 11.00 as Sally stayed over, as the dog issue had her emotionally tired out yesterday.

So a late, lazy breakfast, maybe bacon and eggs on toast……..

Then get the shop open and get going on the rest of the firewall template I started yesterday.


If the day does deliver as planned……..


Wishfully, this tool may get rolled out (see what I did there)





A nice finish will always be a nice finish.


And an early-ish one too.

[Grizz1963]

After last weeks sand storm from Spain, dropped a load of Sahara sand on everything here, I washed the truck early this morning.

Nice.

Clean suits this truck.




.

[Grizz1963]

So the pup has parvovirus, Sally had no insurance and it seems these residential vets have no scruples. Dog has cost a serious lump of cash and still alive.

She is collecting Bonnie at 7.30 this morning from the “after hours” vets.

Lets hope she gets better.


Part 2 of the plywood firewall template fine tuning and fit started at 12.00

Some may ask why it needed to be done.

Well, with the amount of holes and bolts in it, plus wanting it to be very neat, it had to be more accurate than a patch panel under a rusty MOT failure.

Eventually happy with the tidy, tight fit.

There is a 1.5mm tolerance on all the holes.



Then transferred to the aluminium sheet.

A lot of cutting and drilling ahead.

@nickwheeler had brought his electric shear for a tidy cut on straight lines.

Curves I attacked with the small power file and hand tools.

A lot of hand tools used all day.



Cut out, filed to shape.

Starting to look like it should.



And first loose trial fit.

Starting to look like it should work.



Amazingly that photo was taken at 16.25 after starting around 12.00

Hard to believe how time flies when you are fitting and removing repeatedly.


You know those tools you buy, knowing the concept is good but never actually get to use?

No

Well, part of this build has been the car fighting back, a lot

But…… Yesterday, one of these tools came into play, a few times.

Meet Mr Dodgey, around a corner drilling attachment.

Worked a charm.






More about that process in a bit.