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

[Grizz1963]

Sometimes the camera does not quite capture the changes.

Went out after work last night for a few minutes.

Polished the indicators and side repeaters with some G3 as I was on a roll.

Both actually showed an improvement.



And after of course.

Still convinced I need a pair of clear lenses.




More small jobs waiting.




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[Grizz1963]

Just how small has the world become.

My buddy Stas in Siberia sent mr this pic.

He was watching my youtube channel.





A friend, JB Math in Oklahoma gave me what I regard as a lovely compliment yesterday, saying that I have an innate ability to find those little imperfections that when corrected, make a nice impact.

To me, some of the bodges and repairs I see, make me wonder why people did not just do it right in the first place, as the effort is the same as doing it right.

Yesterday’s small jobs would have @nickwheeler rubbing his hands together in glee.

The black gloss paint came out…….

A few small jobs to do, necessitated some masking up, and also dismantling weather seals in the door frames, but with a nice impact.

First job, mask up the cut and shut Recarro seat bases. Welded, ground and left like that……

Nice job mr Craftsman.





Masked and painted.



Surely looks better already.




Next job was the A-Pillars, weirdly missed when painted blue and so obvious.

After poking and prodding, realised I could remove the door seals on both sides, passenger side is a long one including the sliding door.

Then washed many years of accumulated dirt and muck from there.



Cleaned up.



Painted.



At the same time I prepped the rear door, that is missing some trim.

The other door needs its upholstery to be fixed back neatly as well, maybe a weekend job.

But plans include driving and enjoying the van, and making up for forgetting Sally’s birthday.



Left the masking tape in place till this morning and was pleasantly surprised at the changes.

Looks much better imho.



Doors….

I had to look twice at where the yellow was sticking out so obviously before.

Really pleased with the result. Seals back in place.



And the rear door needs me to make up a piece of trim, probably in black, or dark grey to go with the upholstery trim.

For all the zoomers, yes there is damage to the rear glass tinting and some genius sprayed some black aerosol paint on it.

Not ideal, but a good solution, especially looking from the outside, until,I get to replacing the tint.

Possibly both sides at the same time.






As I get the small jobs done, I am getting to like the van more and more.

Realising that it has essentially had a very good life to date.

Friday…….. last day of the week.

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[Grizz1963]

After work a quick few small jobs.

WD40 in the lock barrels, got all three doors to lock. In a secret sequence.

Also went back to the garage and fetched the G3 and some cloths.

The rear end, roll pan and lights were not as tidy as I would like them.

So rear end paint polished, followed by the rear lights that were less than good.



After quite a bit of buffing, the results were satisfactory, or a bit more than that to be honest.



Plan is to go out for a drive with Sally tomorrow.

No idea where to go really, and @glenanderson will possibly have advice on Dover and Folkestone, I hope.

Not really interested in Dover castle, expensive and done recently..

Any ideas for greater Kent gang?

No tight car parks of course.




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[Braunschweiger]

The Van has already become a jewel. Hmm... recommending something to an Englishman in his home country, that can only go wrong,
you know every blade of grass in your corner, lol

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Braunschweiger

The Van has already become a jewel. Hmm... recommending something to an Englishman in his home country, that can only go wrong,
you know every blade of grass in your corner, lol

Morning my friend,

I am actually a real “Go home from work” kind of guy.

Off to America for three weeks on Thursday, but at home I tend to be happy doing the stuff I do.

A suggestion from Texas was to use Tripadvisor but it is clear from the prices to visit anything here, they are raping the tourists, and locals.

So maybe a trip to Aldi and Walmart are in order.

[Braunschweiger]

As a German tourist,
I would have Leeds Castle or Canterbury as sights on my list,
or Botany Bay, is certainly more relaxed by the sea with the high temperatures.
I envy you for your USA tour and wish you a lot of fun and a great time.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Braunschweiger

As a German tourist,
I would have Leeds Castle or Canterbury as sights on my list,
or Botany Bay, is certainly more relaxed by the sea with the high temperatures.
I envy you for your USA tour and wish you a lot of fun and a great time.

Thank you very much for the well wishes on the tour.

The America I see is filled with kind, generous, open, honest and straight people.

They remind me of the Africa I grew up in.

In Africa, and over here, my door is always open.

I have a suspicion that Michael McMurphy and his wife Patricia, both retired soldiers, will be living in my house the first two weeks of September.

His build thread here: https://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/...d.php?t=487100

They stayed here a few years ago as well.

[Grizz1963]

Took the new van and Sally for a ride today.

One of the places we ended up was on the Isle of Sheppey, at good friend Darren’s engineering shop.

Always one to look for other avenues of revenue, and also liking a project or two on the side.

This is current with great potential.



After making a full round of his newest car, engineering and fun stuff, I searched his massive dumpster/skip in case there were treasures in there……

No luck.


But, associated with one of his current engineering projects, was this……..

We got into a quick negotiation and a sensible price was agreed.

This may end up being a fart in a wind storm, or it could become real thunder.


SO ANY INPUT, PAST EXPERIENCE, PHOTOS, DESIGNS, WARNINGS ( fiscal and H&S) are welcome.

At this point Sally just said OMG, Really? And carried on on her Instagram.



So we were discussing me taking ownership of this beauty after it has served its purpose here……

And turning it into a 4 wheeled drivable vehicle.

If Barstools, Ammo cases, lawn tractors and mobility scooters can…… then why not a Jetski.






Steering wheel, rear view mirrors, comfy seat.

WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT?





So right now, it is just an idea fuelled by a lot of cannabis and beer.


Input welcome.


Don’t be negative, get with the madness.

[Grizz1963]

Up early, as usual, then went to fill the van up to its neck, suspect 75 litres or 15 gallons, too lazy to search Google right now.


Local gas station is still running a manned forecourt, so you may not fill your own car/truck.



Likes the Dino-Juice.

Let’s see how much it likes it.



Once Sally got here, we set off.

She took a pic of me because of my silly grin most of the way.




One of the places we ended up was on the Isle of Sheppey, at good friend Darren’s engineering shop.

Always one to look for other avenues of revenue, and also liking a project or two on the side.

This is current with great potential.



After making a full round of his newest car, engineering and fun stuff, I searched his massive dumpster/skip in case there were treasures in there……

No luck.


But, associated with one of his current engineering projects, was this…….. Check the last two entries https://forum.retro-rides.org/thread...-real?page=179


Once we’re done at Darren’s it was off to some shops.

Now we all know the saying, “If you don’t look back at your car when you walk away, you bought the wrong car”

Well, I never expected to hear the words from a usually reserved, noncommittal Sally.

Half way to the shops, she stopped and looked back, saying “You,did get lucky finding such a nice looking van”

High praise indeed from the Queen of Yeah, it’s OK.

Coming back, I felt compelled to take another pic of the same blue van, these colours really do love a bit of light.




Lastly, an early morning message from Dennis……

Looks like it is going to continue being hellishly hot in the USA.




I don’t really care, as long as I get there.

[Grizz1963]

Small jobs.

They keep on popping their little grubby heads up.

Today, after taking the day off yesterday to do a very belated and apologetic birthday BBQ, Sally went home to clean her already clean house and various other tasks.

This made her a lot happier than a fist full of cash I gave her as an apology for forgetting her birthday.



So this morning I got going early because time slips away quietly and quickly.

Steering wheel has irked ,e from day one, just the way paint had flaked over time.



So I polished the ally boss, masked the plastic section and flatted the ally section.

Then wrapped most of the interior in T-shirts and an old sheet in order to apply some satin black.

Result.

Improved.




Video.

https://youtu.be/GXNDFWaGBW4


Once again, not a 5 minute job, but a small one that makes for the right result.


Back to work tomorrow.

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[Grizz1963]

Remember the USA Road Trip ?

https://forum.retro-rides.org/thread...023-road-again

I am looking forward to three weeks away from work, though I never stop thinking about it.

Dennis just sent this, this morning.

40’C when I get there on Friday.

Add in some humidity, and it seems I will be flying in shorts and flip flops.

I know how the heat hits you in the face as you step out of the buildings.



Luckily even the workshop has air conditioning

And beer.

[Grizz1963]

Seems Someone used an angry badger to enlarge the radio hole.
Fitted is a unit I want to remove as I do not understand it, and also the bottom of this dash surround has been cut.
I will be in the USA soon, with a very large case. And scrap yards are always included in my road trips.
But I was wondering if anyone knew someone who was stripping a Mk1 van, this one is a 1990 short panelvan Astro.

Any pointers are much appreciated.

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[Grizz1963]

RIGHT

NEXT SMALL JOB, WITH A BIT OF RISK, THAT BUGGED ME FROM THE DAY I COLLECTED THE VAN, WAS THE DOORS.

Sorry, caps lock.

After all the years the van has been on the road, the fabric used is actually incredibly well preserved.

But it is grubby, more so to the naked eye, than the camera lens.

So I decided to use some fabric and carpet cleaner, along with a nail scrubbing brush, at the risk of messing it all up.

Before.

Dirty, dull.




After.



Graphics, faded and dusty.



After, certainly much better.




Another job, one I usually do the day I wash a new car, is to clean the interior surfaces, knobs, stalks, controls and all grooves with an ammonia based cleaner like Jif/Cif/Handy Andy whatever, and then using some form of plastic or leather or even wax based wood polish.
This time it was Auto Glym, because I have bottle I bought previously.

Result is a distinct improvement.




VIDEO

https://youtu.be/qxjT2TBaXq0


That is where we are up to today.

A cleaner van.

[Grizz1963]

Off on my USA road trip in the morning.

George seems to know.

That’s last night.

Unusual.




​Woke this morning, him curled up next to me on the bedside locker.

Seriously unusual behaviour.

Poor guy.

[Braunschweiger]

The little guy feels that what is different, he will miss you.
I wish you a lot of fun on your USA trip.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Braunschweiger

The little guy feels that what is different, he will miss you.
I wish you a lot of fun on your USA trip.

Yes, animals sense stuff.

I hope he managed with the tin opener to get his food every day, and can open the taps to drink.

The trip will hopefully be a good one, especially if I can get some footage filmed.

[Grizz1963]

After Glenn commented about the dash, and after I cleaned it up, I was wondering if there was anything missing here.

It looks like there should be a mesh grille over the 6 holes, but there are no mounting holes, clips or grooves.



However, I was thinking, if I cut to shape painted some of this scrap plastic mesh I found on a discarded laundry drying rack, and just dropped two long strips into the groove, one each from the centre, it could look factory and be a slight improvement.




Of course I have no clue what the original Mk1 vents looks like up front.

Any pics out there?

[Grizz1963]

The hive mind that is GarageJournal.com and other forums, has come up trumps.


The dash, radio and blower surround section that I was looking for could be available new.

@grenade Found a used one on eBay for $70.00 However, Bob Heine in Florida found this……..

Half the price.

https://www.gmpartscorp.com/p/Chevro...oaAkcaEALw_wcB





Now of course the next trick will be to see if they have one in stock and to get it shipped to Dennis’ in St Louis.


Pretty pleased with that.


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[Grizz1963]

Day one of the American road trip reported……

https://forum.retro-rides.org/thread...023-road-again

I still need to edit and upload the Youtube video.

So maybe later.

[Grizz1963]

And the real first episode……

From the 2023 road trip.


https://youtu.be/U9reUcSTKT4?si=ksIYZa6vkZ5GgfHt


More as I get to upload as Wi-Fi is a bit slow…..


​Thanks for watching.
​

[Grizz1963]

Well.

It is way deeper.

Up at 4.00am then off on a 480mile trip to collect a pre-breakfast purchase for Dennis.

TURN AND BURN 960miles.


https://youtu.be/NO70poLpNYY?si=l0Fe12WjRE_whlpP


Never boring out here.


‘Merica delivers

Again.

[Grizz1963]

Well, back home, trailer unhooked, unload after work when Dennis gets home tonight.

1000 miles in the end, so a long run.

Knackered.

I am three days behind on the write up, but it has been kinda nonstop.

Update later when I get back from buying a fridge/freezer.

Yup….. chores are chores.

[Grizz1963]

As part of the road trip Report was the 1000 mile Kansas run.



RIGHT, A SERIOUS REQUEST, OFFER, CALL IT WHAT YOU LIKE.



Having been to Mike Kellers BIG CREEK RESTORATIONS he gave Jerry and I a tour of the shop.


And it is a shop anyone liking restoration and rodding would love.


His story also starts small, really small…….


To now building cars that hit and pass the $500k level as he delivers for his selective and selected clients.


When you start to decline $300k builds because you do not feel you can/want to work with a client, or won’t be able to deliver for them, you are certainly maintaining the highest expectations and standards for your business.



I want you guys to go take a look at Mikes website and work, to expand on what we were privileged to see.

I took no photos, no video of this part of the trip as he has builds there that have not yet been unveiled, but suffice it to say that a guy who over 20 years has won a variety of AMERICA’S BEST Awards in various classes and shows, the website will show you how good this part of the trip was.



Click the link: bigcreekrestoration.com

[URL unfurl="true"]https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjtvMmEz4SBAxVgrYkEHWCWAZQQFnoECBEQAQ&url=https%3A %2F%2Fbigcreekrestoration.com%2F&usg=AOvVaw32v97FUFZk6k0w5tUFaWDB&opi=89978449[/URL]

[Braunschweiger]

That sounds interesting,
I can't open the link.
I wish you lots of fun.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Braunschweiger

That sounds interesting,
I can't open the link.
I wish you lots of fun.

Just Google Bigcreekrestorations


Thanks.








Still doing this…..

https://forum.retro-rides.org/thread...023-road-again





Funny the stuff, unnecessary as it may be, that runs through your head at stupid-0-clock when U.K. and USA time has not yet meshed together.


Had a suggestion from @sparkplug Fil iirc to go with a cartoon paint theme.


But I am,actually still not sure if one should even mess with what is there.


Not a great fan of this theme, though the pic has me wondering, or is that wandering.





Need to get on and order that surround for the radio and dash.


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