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

[Grizz1963]

A quick recap for those who join midway and ask questions.

The van came with a small sports steering wheel, it worked, but I was not a fan.

Without even asking, advertising or mentioning it as a priority, including when I went to the junk yard in Rogers, Arkansas, a fellow member on AstroSafari.com messaged me and asked if I would be interested in an original wheel in great condition.

My instant response was to say yes please and to worry about logistics later. (He works in shipping and PayPal can fix stuff)

In the end Tony drove his Mustang a long way from beyond St Louis, Missouri to 45 miles beyond St Louis, in the opposite direction to deliver the wheel, and a load of books and rare service manuals to Dennis’ place before Dennis could even go to meet him halfway (keep in min, shipping would be easy)

But that is often what some of us do for each other in this car hobby and other situations.

So when I got back from my trip to see Clem in Arkansas and Andy in Oklahoma, there was a pile of gifts laying on the back of the 1966 C10 NASCAR truck.





Packed and ready to head to the U.K.





Offered up against the smaller one.





Of course the job was not going to be easy……

So plan B was devised.








Allen heads all drilled off.








Leaving the centre nut to remove and the boss to pull off.

Easy, using a socket.





That was not happening.

On to the next plan.

Create a puller.

Metric vs Imperial.





Made up a puller, using bits of metal and two bolts with the right thread pattern.









New steering fitted.

And super pleased.







Drove 110 miles to a car show and both on the road and through town it feels really great.





VIDEO.

https://youtu.be/j29iQnt4Ie8?si=2upEvene58VfU2js



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[Grizz1963]

I have pretty much completed the 2023 USA RoadTrip report on Retrorides

Hopefully it is of varying value to readers, After all, threads are more than just pictures, they should be a resource and a place to discuss things.

I never know if a basic break down of costs is of any value to anyone else.

And more importantly, if it will be the thing that makes someone realise their travel dream, or pee the same person off because they either do not have the resource, drive, ability or will power, or is that wont power to put a trip together.

I am very fortunate that my own lifestyle, life philosophy, circles of friends and living what I preach has made these trips possible, along with incredible humans like Dennis, and every other person mentioned, and not mentioned in these blogs and vlogs. So some of my travel is cheaper than you may be able to experience, but most readers will recall, I have had total strangers (the Australian couple touring UK/Europe) stay in my house, McMurphy and Patricia using it as a base, and countless others coming and going through my life. Karma has a way of lining all of these things up and making it into one continuous story.

MAYBE I SHOULD MENTION ALSO THAT I TRY TO PICK UP AS MANY TABS AS I CAN, PAYING MY OWN WAY, AND THROUGH MUTUAL RESPECT AND GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER OVER THE YEARS, THIS HAS BECOME EASIER, WHERE CLEM, DENNIS AND OTHERS ARE CONCERNED, SO I AM NOT AT ALL ON A SPONSORED HOLIDAY. PLACES LIKE FLORIDA FUN PARKS, DISNEY, ATTRACTIONS AND TOURIST CITIES ETC ADD TO COSTS VERY QUICKLY.

I prefer to travel off the beaten track and to get to know the real Americans and their world.

So a very basic break down of this trip costs, rounded up or down to the nearest £10.00 will be……

Ticket £660.00
Insurance, International driver license £140.00
Mickey Taxi, drop off, ULEZ, Parking £140.00
Heathrow breakfast £10.00
Boston sandwich £20.00
USA Fuel, Food, Alcohol, Gifts etc £1000.00

So I would say that 22 days including everything I can remember tops out at £2000.00 which means £90.00 per day.

Of course that is not really the way to do a calculation but when I do “man maths” and look at the price of a packet of cigarettes at a low average of £10.00 for 20 per day, and a few beers, or a pair of cocktails at a cheap £20.00 per visit, and a kebab and Coke rounded up to £10.00 before you have driven to town, paid up to £10.00 for parking and fuel you get to about:

Cigarettes £70.00/week
Beers £40.00/two nights
Kebab or food £30.00/week
Transport £20.00/week
EQUALS = £160.00
MONTHLY POTENTIAL = £640.00/month

A few other points to ponder, I drive a 1.5 diesel Ford Focus wagon as company car, I downgraded 6-7 years ago, UK Benefit in Kind TAX reduction on a smaller car than the BMW/Mercedes Benz that I qualify for is £980/year.
I am known for my love of Bootfairs, thrift stores and when I pay £50.00 for a like new, “used” lawnmower, the £350.00 original price puts £300.00 back into my imaginary pocket.
There are tons of ways to save in unconventional ways, turn off the lights in the rooms not used etc
I will immediately say that there are many people, who for various reasons do not spend or have the money to spend in this way, and respect to every person who fight the daily fight to make ends meet.

But for those who need a motivation, maybe this shows how easy it is to spend more than you realise.

When I went to St Louis to meet Dennis and ultimately the rest of America in 2016 for the first time, I did not want to spend the money as I always tried to thing of tomorrow and the next day.
It took a loving woman like Nicola to point out the basics to me, pointing out that Mickey next door smokes and has a few beers every day of his life, as long as he has cash in his pocket.
She also reminded me that the richest guy in the grave yard was not a particularly clever title to have, and that corpse shrouds do not come with pockets.


I really hope this entry is of value to anyone reading and considering a trip, whether it be to anywhere in America, like my road trips, or a trip to Wales in winter, when prices could be a bit lower, and a nice log fire as inviting as Route 66.



Choice is yours.

[Grizz1963]

Washed both the Astro and the S10 yesterday afternoon late.

They get dirty just standing around and if I looked at buying the S10, parked out on the sidewalk, a clean car would sell easier than one covered in a weeks worth of dust and spiders webs.

I also spoke to Dennis and he suggested going in gentle with trying to shift the paint on the glovebox lid.

Starting with brake cleaner and a coarse rag.



The ashtray can be removed and actually is made of black plastic.
I am not sure if that is the way they were originally made, and if they then were painted in the factory process to the colour of the “dog box” and other dash pieces, as the one the radio surround came from in Arkansas had brown down there.



The glove box can also be removed with three small screws on the hinge, making a possible repaint easier, and not necessitating a huge mask up of the interior.
This will also affect my decision making later today, as to what avenue to follow.



So I went at the whole thing for some time, using both elbow grease and a fair amount of brake cleaner.
The only place where the brake cleaner actually worked was the ashtray.
I never felt any change in the consistency of the clear lacquer over the 90’s graffiti at all.
Eventually giving up on that.

I will take the glovebox lid off some time today and take it to a local (7 miles) paint store and see if they can colour match the plastic on the inside of the lid and then just paint it directly over the clear, as more paint will lose the texture of the plastic, and I do not want to melt down the existing plastic by any aggressive use of strippers etc.

Final result was not encouraging.

But the ashtray is less grey.



Fingers crossed for later.

[Grizz1963]

Being made redundant has its perks {not really)

Asked the boss on Monday at our weekly team, Teams meeting what his expectations were of me, in front of the team.

His response: “Do whatever you want, however you feel”

I am still working, and going out, but not giving the constant 100% and pushing harder than most of my (still employed) colleagues.

That is just how I am.

But, if I run out of work to do by 2.00pm…….. I head home.

They can’t exactly fire me, can they.


So yesterday I managed to stop by a paint specialist to get some satin grey paint colour matched to what was left on the ashtray, which just happened to be in the car with me.

Custom filled spray can, the fan on the nozzle is perfect, and the paint overspray on my hand felt really “wet” also dried real fast at 5.00pm



A 5 minute job, and I was headed home from these guys in Medway City Industrial Estate.

Priced at under £20.00 including tax.

Highly recommend.



Back home I used a 3M scotch pad, fine-ish grade to completely scuff all the surfaces and grooves to maximise adhesion of the plastic primer (left over from a previous project) as well as really getting the colourful glovebox lid keyed up.



Followed by a decent wipe down, then masking, which was a bit of a pain due to previously using one of those plastic polishes on all the interior surfaces. Masking tape does not stick to it at all.

Plastic primer. Recommended for use on most paint types. No reactions.



Primered.

Two coats to ensure I did not miss anywhere, left to dry between coats.



Ashtray before cleaning and primer.



After two coats of satin grey paint and primer.

The texture of the plastic still clearly visible.

Really pleased with the result.



And of course the glovebox.

The whole interior was let down by this outdated art

Sometimes you just need to fix stuff.

Going from this……



To his finish is a massive change.

Again, if you look, the match is great, and it is just so much cleaner.





And stepping back.


Before.





And now.





Well, of course a video too for those who like moving pictures.


https://youtu.be/p6RydMevyyE?si=4CdEERCIxfbWv5Ar


Soon, I will run out of jobs to do for the van.


What next?

[Palf70Step]

Looks great Rian. Are you going to change out the radio unit when you do the one replacement piece, or is that still in the air as to what will happen.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Looks great Rian. Are you going to change out the radio unit when you do the one replacement piece, or is that still in the air as to what will happen.

Morning Bill,

Thank you.

I want to replace that radio unit to a single DIN sized one.

What is there is just wrong on so many levels.

So I need to approach with caution, no idea what wiring goes where as fitted, the speakers in the doors may be beyond their best years, tweeters too, two amplifiers in the rear wall, rear door speakers etc, all are potentially getting removed or replaced.

If I can find a radio/CD/Bluetooth unit that fits in the original space, using the intact replacement surround, that’s the way I prefer to proceed.

[Braunschweiger]

Schade wegen deines alten Jobs, du wirst was neues finden, oder?
Das sieht fantastisch aus, da hast du gute Arbeit geleistet, so wie du bist findest du sicher was, du machst aus dem Astrovan eine Mobile Werkstatt und fährst über die Dörfer und hilfst den Leuten bei ihren Projekten.
Gruß Harald

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Braunschweiger

Schade wegen deines alten Jobs, du wirst was neues finden, oder?
Das sieht fantastisch aus, da hast du gute Arbeit geleistet, so wie du bist findest du sicher was, du machst aus dem Astrovan eine Mobile Werkstatt und fährst über die Dörfer und hilfst den Leuten bei ihren Projekten.
Gruß Harald

Guten Tag Harald, du bist wirklich ein netter Kerl, danke für dein Vertrauen in meine Perspektiven und Fähigkeiten. Ich bin mir sicher, dass ich etwas finden werde. Es gibt ein Leben nach Bayer Pharma. Im Moment stört es mich nicht allzu sehr, da ich glaube, dass jeder, der arbeiten möchte, arbeiten wird oder Arbeit findet, auch wenn es nicht Ihre erste Wahl ist. Zuvor habe ich zwischen den Jobs auf Baustellen und in Bauwerken gearbeitet. Deshalb werde ich trotz des Stresses und der Sorgen dafür sorgen, dass alles zusammenpasst. Danke für deine Fürsorge

[Grizz1963]

Thanks to all those commenting on the obvious, Imfeel obliged to fix it.

After deleting the 90’s graffiti, it was obvious (was from the start really) that the parts to the left and right, through 33 years of wear and aging, could do with a colour match as well.

No idea how the plastics have gone yellow, but maybe GM had different suppliers for different pieces of trim, and as long as the exterior kinda matched….. we all know how often it does not even in new cars, it was fine for the production line.

In a commercial vehicle that was expected to do a 300k mile life in a few years, longevity was possibly less important than a “survivor” that after 33 years, still only had done 78k miles.

So as soon as I get time to disassemble these two panels, including the switches, buttons that run through them, they will be prepped and painted.







Friday, thank goodness.

Headed out to do some training at Woolwich today.

Then we can come home to play.

Later gang.

[Palf70Step]

Only time I have seen yellowing like that is from a heavy smoker vehicle. But who knows on what GM was thinking when they made the parts for them. Cheapest bidder wins I think would be most appropriate.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Only time I have seen yellowing like that is from a heavy smoker vehicle. But who knows on what GM was thinking when they made the parts for them. Cheapest bidder wins I think would be most appropriate.

Correct, cheapest bidder wins.

These had a single, light coat of paint over the plastic from the factory according to a report.





Thanks to my own eyes, and multiple comments from others, my Friday afternoon after work was spent addressing these.





So dismantling took a few minutes.







Looking a mess.

Loads of spare audio wires and plugs.

The radio, speakers and amps are a job for another day……

Need a clever audio type volunteer to come help me understand, identify and remove what can be removed, or re-use and replace what needs to be replaced in order to give me a simple Radio/CD/Bluetooth system, utilising all the speaker holes in doors and rear doors, plus maybe reinstate the two amplifiers in the side wall.

ANYONE ?



Next job…..

PREP, PRIME, PAINT.




Done.



Much better.




BEFORE





AFTER.





To all the Zoomers…….. keep going.

Now there is a difference again, and also, you can see what 33 years have done to distorting the plastics that may have been aligned from the factory.

I think there is a time to step away and start drinking.

Now is not the time.

Later.

[Palf70Step]

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Thanks



S10 sold this morning.

Just filled the tank for buyer, and fresh MOT getting done this afternoon At 4.30.

[Palf70Step]

Sorry to see it go, but glad for ya!

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Sorry to see it go, but glad for ya!

Thanks Bill.

Had it for almost three years, even driving it over to Sallys now, after filling it, I know it is a great truck, and I may regret selling it later, but I do like some change too.

The van is a bit of fun now.

[realvc]

Congrats. on the S10 sell and for the updating on the van.
Your eye for the details works overtime on all your projects.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by realvc

Congrats. on the S10 sell and for the updating on the van.
Your eye for the details works overtime on all your projects.

Thanks Vince.

The saying “polishing a turd” springs to mind.

New stuff just has no appeal.







Swapping parking places……


With the S10 sold, to be collected once license plate is swapped etc.


Astro now truly has become Number One Child.







Van has a lot to prove.








And of course.





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[Ta2Don]

Congrats on the S10 Sale. Your updates to the van will make it yours.
Cheers, Mate!

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Ta2Don

Congrats on the S10 Sale. Your updates to the van will make it yours.
Cheers, Mate!

Thank you Don.

I guess it will.

Or someone else who needs it more than me.

[Grizz1963]

So Saturday after the S10 sold, I filled it with fuel, and took it for an MOT.

Sunday I unpacked the two steel cabinets worth of spare parts for It and also the spare GMC parts I have for it.

I was amazed at how much stuff I had bought and collected for it over the last three years for it.

There are also two boxes already packed with wiring looms, complete ignition sets etc.



One of the things I rediscovered was a centre console from a 7.5 Ton refrigerated truck that I bought years ago.





When driving the van to Margate two weeks ago, I had a cooler bag for stuff, but thought it would be nice to have a bigger glovebox/storage space than the standard one I just removed the 90’s graffiti from.

Plan born.

I test fitted it on the floor, but also like this, with a plastic stacker box under it.

Preferred the raised position to flat on the floor.





So I washed and cleaned all of it with ammonia based scrubbing soap and a pot scouter, unfortunately the stains on the plastic would not shift.

So on to plan B.

This included the plastic box, which had a huge crack in the bottom.

So the plan was to cut a hole in the side and reinforce it all.



Magic stuff, plywood.



Screwed and glued together, the next job was to 3M Scotch pad the console, then mask and wipe it all down with thinners.

Followed by plastic primer.



Step away…….

Coffee…..

Satin black.





Cup holders and all the leading edges got a few coats of paint as they are high impact areas.



And test fitted after paint.

Still needs to be secured to the box, and a bit of carpet or fabric added to box floor.



And looking in from outside.

Really happy with that all.



To me, this is a small job with a great outcome.


Video

https://youtu.be/OF1an8w_82c?si=eTDOscFksmhD-jYz


Next job…….

Drive the bloody thing a bit.


.

[Braunschweiger]

Magical, cool solution.
I want your S10, it had style.
The Astro really blossoms in your hands.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Braunschweiger

Magical, cool solution.
I want your S10, it had style.
The Astro really blossoms in your hands.

Thank you Harald, you are very kind.

Truck is a great deal for the buyer at £6450.00 plus all the spares and 12 months TüV

Astro needed some care.

I am not yet finished.

[Palf70Step]

Originally Posted by Grizz1963

Astro needed some care.

I am not yet finished.

Are we EVER finished?

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Are we EVER finished?

That is very true.

[Grizz1963]

Life goes on at Grizz-Towers.

George has kinda gotten used to me being back home from the USA but still comes in for super cuddles or a bit of time with me, which I enjoy. He is way beyond the level of Gabby the feral at @ivanhoew but still his own,guy.




So a few holes, nuts, washers and tightened……

Needs a bit of automotive carpet inside the base box.

Job done.



Also had some lightweight fun yesterday.

I am not planning any more stickers, and the one on the rear door will be removed once I find it unfunny.

Bought because it always made me smile

The van does not need stickers.

This one I got from Tyler in the USA is a bit silly, but will make people do a double take.



Deeply placed on the firewall.



Struggled with afternoon light to get this pic taken.
Flying eyeball from Tyler as well.
And Tripp Jones Racing from Dennis is for his grandson who already is being prepped, like son Adam was, for a potential future in racing.



And the one that will not stay on for very long…. But I like it.





Late afternoon, mate Kevin came over in his very smart VW camper to visit and also to check out the Astro.

Of course I had to take him out for a run.

Nervous?



Came back, and it seems he approves.

He and his wife just came back from three weeks in Oregon and Washington states, which they loved.



Next job is to identify all the suspension lubrication points and then to get the van down to,the garage, get it raised up on the ramps or even higher, and grease all the various points.

Looking after stuff usually makes it last longer.


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