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

[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.


.

[Grizz1963]

Seems to me, I am spoiling the readers on here.

Way too much story telling and posting.

So it is time for a LUBE JOB

I think that when you service a vehicle or machine, you mostly extend its life.

So one of the things I wanted to do was clean up and grease all the moving parts with a nipple today.

Consulting the GM service manuals I was gifted by Tony, I printed off the one page with all the lubrication points to take to the garage, rather than mess up the manuals.

Haynes Manual was an outright failure.



All on one one page.



So I got going.

Swapped around the cars and truck.



YouTube content I hear you say.

Hopefully a guide.





Getting a rise out of this lube job yet?




So looking under the front end, the grease points were all a bit dirty and the grease was hardened.

When last was this thing lubbed up ?

Maintenance ?

Errrmmm.








So I crawled around, cleaned up and lubed up under there.

Result.







So another job done today, in order to get keep this little gem on the road.


Video:


https://youtu.be/fAmEHBt6IsI?si=tpy8UoPt44J0yzhg


So, what do you think?

Progress?

[realvc]

Progress is progress and since you never sit still it will continue. Did you sell your 66 C10?

[Palf70Step]

NIce work. Looks pretty clean under there.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by realvc

Progress is progress and since you never sit still it will continue. Did you sell your 66 C10?

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

NIce work. Looks pretty clean under there.

Thanks guys.



CLUNK

CLINK

CLUNK

CLINK

CLUNK

CLINK


ONLY SMALL NOISES.


Not currently apparent from the left rear wheel area.

So I got an Allen key set and proceeded to remove the centre Line centre caps

One by one they came off, nothing in there at all

Impressed that the Allen head screws all had copper slip on their threads.

Never found anything loose in the end.






Went for a drive.

Saw this Mitsubishi L200 shorty.

Makes the van look smaller than it is.



Still smiling.



Still smiling.

[Grizz1963]

Saturday morning I was out earlier than normal, as we had a BBQ invitation to friends an hour from here for 2.00pm.

Lazy jobs to do, so I started with checking out the radio in the Van.

Still not able to figure the balance control on this rocket ship,radio.

So unable to test the speakers in the rear doors.

But I did find this………

Anyone need it?



Next up, refitted the rear door retaining strap that @glenanderson had fished out.

Two handed job for sure.

Fitted though.





While out back, I did an asses,ent of the threshold, not too nice.

So a bit of paint repairing will happen .

I also measured the open section and went to order a 5 meter length of 150mm or 6 inch wide, anti-slip tape to put on the edge.

Whoever the genius put the bit on there before, clearly never loaded a van.

I will apply it o the edge and possibly fold it over the edge a bit.



At £9.00 delivered it seems a good investment or added peace of mind in preventative maintenance.



While I was on that job, I looked at the second door (opens after the first one) on the left, it is missing a trip strip of some sort

Does the van doors come with a protective strip?

Or do I have to make one up?

Answers please.



Then back to the floor……..

The rear retaining g strip for the carpeting has missed a few screws since day one, so I thought removing and replacing them all makes sense.

They are screwed through the floor.

Some came out easy……





Some needed a bit of persuading, and rather than force them, a gentle tape, followed by a more persuasive tap on a Phillips screwdriver made the rust break and then allowed me to get them out.

This really does help, as having the head break off meant that replacing the screws with fresh ones would be a ball ache for sure.



I had very short replacements , but lucky for me, neighbour Tony at no1 house who does my boiler servicing and electrical maintenance, had some in his garage.

Longer than I need, but a swift cut with a grinder will see that sorted.

Once I have prepared all the holes with some rust preventative, and cleaned the edge strop, I will refit the strip with new screws.

That should make a difference too.



At this point, I had to walk away to go shower and shave for the afternoon out.

But even small jobs need doing.

So a good day again.



I need to go shower and then pack a small bag…….

Remember Bill who did the logistics for the Rezin Rockit?

He called me on Friday, offering to come down from Scotland for a few days to help me with anything random that needs doing here.

He is a fireman, so has extended shifts on and off work.

Currently dog-sitting, he wanted to bring his dog along, but of course George would not be happy.

So I declined his offer of helping me with servicing the Astro, and sorting the sound system out.

450 miles is a long way to drive to randomly help someone (of course he gains time away as a break too)

So last night I impulsively called him at 9.30pm and asked if he has a bed for me……..

I have about 10 days vacation time too use before I stop work mid November, and had texted my boss for permission while out at the BBQ.

Anyone near Glasgow? Whitchurch, Shropshire?

Get the kettle going, send me a PM.





Life certainly is good.

[Grizz1963]

Another one of those “I NEED” entries.


I need a spare wheel for the Astro van.

Steel, or alloy, but alloy preferred as it would use the right lug nuts.

15” and 5x5


Tire Rim. Offset. Range mm
OE 205/75SR15 6Jx15 ET13 11 - 15
OE 215/75SR15 6Jx15 ET13 11 - 15
245/60HR15 6.5Jx15 ET13 11 - 15




PM please.

[Grizz1963]

Here’s another question……


https://forum.retro-rides.org/thread...panelvan-value


Any advice appreciated.

[Grizz1963]

Interesting gift from mate Bill.

There you go, if it works, great, if not, bin it.

[Grizz1963]

My trip up to Scotland has been really enjoyable.

Seen loads of stuff, met some great people.

One of Bills long term friends shall we say is a money making machine.

Nonstop ideas and cations keeps money pouring in.

Last week he drove to Norway to strip down this Volvo truck, bringing back the parts to restore one of 6 that were meant to have been exported to South Africa years ago, that he now owns, three rusted away, one is on the road and one unknown.





The one he has, note the cab floor, and a birds nest in the roof.









Anyway….. he is the kind of guy who buys a Porsche Taycan new, drives it a few months and parks it up on the drive because it is disappointing in its range and ability as a daily driver, going back to his Mercedes Vito as daily.
He owns A load of interesting exotics and collectibles, including a beautiful Datsun 260Z , 911, a few Tombstone Benzes, two G-Wagons and then all sorts of interesting smaller stuff.

Moss covered Taycan did not look like this.



Various barns, garages and stables filled with all sorts of future projects.

Just one of the barns, filled with loads, and there were three early Honda Accors and much more stuff.

Nothing for sale here.










But this had me calling him on Bills phone to just register my interest, if you know what I mean.


















Tonight is steak…….

[Grizz1963]

Looks like I have sourced a wheel.

Just need to figure a way to get it from Hereford to Kent.



And then get a tyre on it as well.

And paint would help.

[Grizz1963]

While in Scotland, Bill and I took,Blue, his dog for a walk.

Perfect.

Also managed to go see the Falkirk Wheel.

Wikipedia says:

The Falkirk Wheel is a rotating boat lift in Tamfourhill, Falkirk, in central Scotland, connecting the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal. It reconnects the two canals for the first time since the 1930s. It opened in 2002 as part of the Millennium Link project.

The plan to regenerate central Scotland's canals and reconnect Glasgow with Edinburgh was led by British Waterways with support and funding from seven local authorities, the Scottish Enterprise Network, the European Regional Development Fund, and the Millennium Commission. Planners decided early on to create a dramatic 21st-century landmark structure to reconnect the canals, instead of simply recreating the historic lock flight.

The wheel raises boats by 24 metres (79 ft), but the Union Canal is still 11 metres (36 ft) higher than the aqueduct which meets the wheel. Boats must also pass through a pair of locks between the top of the wheel and the Union Canal. The Falkirk Wheel is the only rotating boat lift of its kind in the world, and one of two working boat lifts in the United Kingdom, the other being the Anderton Boat Lift.



Did a bit of a glued together bit of video of it turning nd lifting a longboat from one canal up to another system.


https://youtu.be/1nOVHFwgpL0?si=UnVttmjINJ6IIQFK


Time well spent, both for me and the dog.

[Palf70Step]

Very cool. Way different than the locks in Pittsburgh where I grew up.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Very cool. Way different than the locks in Pittsburgh where I grew up.

An amazing piece of engineering and thinking.

Simple really but loved it.

Glad to share.

[Grizz1963]

S10 truck Collection on Sunday.

Truck now back to its original registration number.

Astro issued with GRZ733

​So the story continues.

Friday 13th and today at 11.00 is my final redundancy “consultation” not sure what part of this is consulting, as it is more a “tell you”

It will be interesting to hear what they have to tell me.

[Braunschweiger]

What good is that? Do they want to demoralize you even further? The company has decided against you. You are a good one and find a job that you enjoy again.
The report about the lock is very interesting, we also have ship lifts in Germany, but this is very special, great.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Braunschweiger

What good is that? Do they want to demoralize you even further? The company has decided against you. You are a good one and find a job that you enjoy again.
The report about the lock is very interesting, we also have ship lifts in Germany, but this is very special, great.

Indeed Harald, it is all corporate scheisse (spelling? )

The big bosses protect themselves and screw the people who do the work.

Always been this way.

I am not even actively looking for a job……. I am thinking of leaving this health industry altogether and maybe becoming a handyman, or something simple.

I will send you a Private Message in a moment.


The lock is very impressive as well.

[Grizz1963]

While I was up in Scotland visiting Bill, I managed to scavenge som plastic trim from a Mazda Bongo van he had chopped up.



Door lock and side needs trim.

This may be a plan.





Not quite a perfect fit, but a grinder, some heat gun action and we may have it looking a lot better.



During the week, while I travelled to Scotland, some anti-slip tape arrived at home.

So I removed the half-arsed attempt by some brain surgeon, leaned up many years worth of old hardened glue and proceeded to measure and cut.



Pretty messy and messed up.



Cut to length



Cut to shape.



Up close.

Liking that a lot.



Cleaned up the removable tow bar and removed the original license plate.



Fitted, with license plate in place.

Not ideal



And replaced the front license plate.

I am liking this.



Next job is to drill the holes for the retaining stip, carefully, in order to get the screws back in to hold the strip down.

Fit the rear license plate, as I had to clean up and repaint the rear plate support.