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

[Grizz1963]

Was chatting to Ta2Don around 23.15 on FaceTime about patching the speaker holes and also cutting out the crease down the passenger door and letting in fresh metal....... So went to the garage to photograph and measure the damage, when Don said "Lookey what I have here for you."

Being quick on the old camera finger, I took a screenshot pic.

Can you tell what it is yet??

[bj383ss]

Rian I am doing the white as you , but also my grille and bumpers will be white as well as the frontend eyebrows. I want my paint as close to original ad I can get it

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by bj383ss

Rian I am doing the white as you , but also my grille and bumpers will be white as well as the frontend eyebrows. I want my paint as close to original ad I can get it

Almost midnight here......

Because my truck is not standard at all, I will be looking for a colour that appeals to me Bret,

I like the idea of the white behind the grille too.

[Ta2Don]

Teamwork and Great Friends...

Looks like you need those clamps...
They'll be on their way soon...

[Ta2Don]

…almost forgot… Free Tools!!!

[uber cool]

Hi Rian, followed your advise and registered on here :-)

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by uber cool

Hi Rian, followed your advise and registered on here :-)

Welcome mate.

You realise that you will have to start a comprehensive build thread with many photos on here??

The guys like photos.

[Ta2Don]

Originally Posted by uber cool

Hi Rian, followed your advise and registered on here :-)

and Welcome aboard...

[mjh1965]

Originally Posted by uber cool

Hi Rian, followed your advise and registered on here :-)

Welcome to the thread I think you may have been given my number by Paul the guy you got the truck off

[bj383ss]

Drop those tools in some vinegar Rian. When They come out you can paint them and they will be good as new.

[bj383ss]

Rian,

How about this for an interior idea. I like the small things chromed. Maybe no the glove box.

10690077_10152488578126249_2261293490330881840_n by bjohnson388, on Flickr

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by bj383ss

Drop those tools in some vinegar Rian. When They come out you can paint them and they will be good as new.

You need to explain this a bit more Bret, I have heard about it, but never tried it.

These are chromed, well, they were chromed at some point.

[Grizz1963]

As I am building up credits for my trucks rewire and new EZ Wiring harness to be fitted by Martin when the time comes, I thought it prudent to get on with my latest punishment.

Came home tonight and thought I would give making the next panel for mate Martin's truck a go.

My piece of railway line that Woodsie got me years ago, again came in really handy. Can you say ANVIL ??

So using the sharp top curved edge, I started to bend the edge over.

Of course putting a curve at 90' to an existing flat surface, meant the plate started curling up like the "Fortune telling fish" you get in Christmas crackers.

So I took the hacksaw and cut slits in the edge of the curve, managing to complete the fold over.



Then drilled in the mounting hole for the fender in the plate. Using the step drills Ta2Don sent me last year.

Amazing tools they are.



Next up I cut the lip back by about 8mm to get it to loser to the size needed on the truck.

Then I welded all the cuts back together........ Using my mobile to get one of the best ever action pics in my opinion.



Then into the woodwork shed, to use my linisher to work it back to smooth and flat, flush.




Finished product, ready to be welded back into the fire wall.




Even if I say so, I am starting to enjoy this thing.

[mjh1965]

Thanks Rian I think you have more than enough credits already.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by mjh1965

Thanks Rian I think you have more than enough credits already.

Never enough credits, if you were to believe the girl you supply with Super Glue mate.


Always looking at re-purposing stuff I see.

Saw this skip today. On closer inspection it yielded a bunch of large heavy duty extruded plastic "trays" which I immediately saw as perfect receptacles for the parts that I strip off the truck, or even in the garage loft as tidy storage.
They have some extruded pieces inside with Velcro straps that seem to be set with double sided tape, not yet investigated fully.

Anyway, I feel another big waste if not scooped up......




Size perspective.



Saw this somewhere before, and just rediscovered it again today,

I do hope that someone helps her realise more than the declared value, should I bite the bullet.

[clemdaddy]

nice fab work on the cowl piece... and it always fun when you can make nice stuff or save useful stuff from the trash. good going rian.

[ibrown50]

Hi Rian just finished reading the two build threads, I'm inspired to do one myself! That sign reminds me of a one I once saw which said (something like) " when explaining the cost of the parts you just bought to your wife remember, always tell the truth......... Even if you have to make it up"
Cheers Ian

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by ibrown50

Hi Rian just finished reading the two build threads, I'm inspired to do one myself! That sign reminds me of a one I once saw which said (something like) " when explaining the cost of the parts you just bought to your wife remember, always tell the truth......... Even if you have to make it up"
Cheers Ian

Well, Now you owe me a new iPad keyboard..........

Just spat my coffee all over the place

Martin is over here to drop some of my tools, and to pick up some others and Nicola is in the lounge with us..... I read the quote to her, and her casual reply was "You know it applies to shoes and handbags too?"

Welcome to the best board for our trucks.

I think it will be good for you to start a thread on your truck too, you have been working against the odds too.

[Grizz1963]

Being my Birthday today, Nicola my sensible, sensitive caring ..... you get the picture, wife actually gave me the day off to do whatever I wanted, including "Garage time " should I want it.

You may remember that she had bought me the 3" Cutout Valves over the Christmas season for my birthday, so today she gave me a lovely card, and another book on traveling the USA plus she is taking me out as a surprise later.

I have rotated the photos on my iPhone before sending them to the iPad to upload to Photobucket, and it seems to work, let's see if they suddenly revert to upside down in a week or whatever, I really have no idea why it is flipping photos upside down.



Mate Martin had bought himself a new oil cooler for the auto trans, then found an even sexier one last year, so when I offered to buy it from him, he wrapped it in some old newspaper and gave it to me for my birthday. Thanks Mate, way too much and too big, but the truck thanks you.




As Nicola had given me the day off, and my £500.00 travel vouchers were delivered on Friday, I decided that we needed to pop in to Thomas Cook Travel and get the tickets bought today, which would anchor the road trip for October's trip to Clem's Party in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

I asked a lady to take the photo for me, and her reply was "This is a bit freaky" Hey, I don't care.




After the flights were sorted, we went down to Deptford in South East London to buy my white for the two tone the truck will be getting on its roof and the side flash.

I have really had a problem with choosing the white.

I wanted something traditional, like an Ivory or Old English White but it also needed to "pop" a bit against the Chrysler red I already have, without being a glacier white or pearlescent white.

In the end I chose an older Mercedes Benz Alaska White Variant Y which I trust will make me happy once on.




Weird colours mixed to get there, included Red Oxide, Blue, Yellow.



In the end I spent the rest of the day with Nicola, a good investment in my long term life expectancy......

[Grizz1963]

Another day not wasted..... No real truck time, but a load of "Honey-Do's" ,completed, including a bunch of new pictures up in the study, after removing a 6'x5' picture I made a few years ago.

Cartoons.

Now need to find a new home for this piece, anyone want it, PM and collect in Rochester.





I eventually made it into the garage by 3pm.

Because I know that I am rubbish at welding, but have a lot of open space welding to do, like fenders, doors etc as well as about 80 small holes just on the load bed, I know I have to practice, and also to set up my welder to make the most of the steel needing repairs.

So I prepared some hood steel off cuts with a multitude of holes drilled and some slots cut in with a 1mm disc.





Welded up and added more holes, leaving the front like this





Rear penetration was good enough for me.
Of course one can grind back afterward to tidy it up.



More practice needed, but I think it was the right thing to do.

[65sub]

Grizz check out this build by mp&c http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=564201 he is an amazing talent. I picked up a lot of tips

[Grizz1963]

Came home from London tonight, and got some post through the front door...... also a slip from the UPS guy to say there was a parcel left at the neighbors.

So I went around and fetched the parcel...... posted in Fayetteville, Arkansas. I smelled a rat.... only kmowing one person who lives in Fayetteville.

Go take a look at www.tubatrucks.com

So I opened the small parcel first, it was from Illinois, from Dan "WhippinSaw" and was the replacement panel for the radio opening in my trucks dash that had been put there by an Angry Badger on mind altering drugs.

Lovely bit of replacement metal to be welded in when I cut a huge hole in the dash. Thank you mate.



Then I got a Face Time call from Don in Arkansas to discuss posting the door replacement panels he cut out yesterday, as usual it took about 30 minutes before I got on to the next package.

Cutting the side open, it just kept on giving, and giving, and giving.

At one point I was laughing out loud in a way that would get a community psychiatric nurse worried at the contents.

So I called Clem in Fayetteville to say "Thank You Clemdaddy !! "

Clem, in his usual nonchalant way said it was all cool, and Happy Birthday.

I loved every piece, especially the blow up Sinclair Dino which has to be a bit rare, and the Thermometer, both of which along with the Heartbeat of America and plate surround are now fitted up in my study.

He also sent a rather juicy Arkansas Razorbacks T-Shirt for Nicola which she grabbed and went straight up to try on when she got home...... can you say HOOTERS !!



LIFE IS GOOD !!



Thank you guys, it just gets better and better.

[bj383ss]

Lucky Guy. Some nice stuff your scored there Rian

[Grizz1963]

Came home Friday night and the neighbor brought around a parcel.

Contents........

Bumper bolts, welding clamps I had ordered and apple licorice from Ta2Don.




Last week Martin climbed into a large skip and like a circus monkey, hanging on one side with one hand, he managed to retrieve this heavy duty towbar, possibly Jeep Cherokee.
So last night I dismantled it, as it is a heavy old thing.

Once more the rattle gun paid for itself on all the rusted bolts and nuts.



Along with the A-Class Mercedes Benz towbar which together will be making a new removable towbar and fitting points for bumper mounts for the new rear bumper.



Next up, I bolted the side plates to the chassis, cut the end plates off both towbars and fitted the Merc one between the Jeep items.

Grinding the parts clean for welding, I set my welder on higher power and feed.



The Mercedes parts ball fitting tabs were left on till I have finished making the slip on/in removable parts, then it will be welded on to the original chassis support along with tabs to bolt it to the Merc cross bar.



Got to welding the corners to the new side tabs, but my welder melted its tips, twice...... and the thread on the tip is screwed, so I pulled the plug on the welding.

Seems I need to figure out the settings a bit more and replace the torch as it is a bit knackered.




Last thing. Today I fitted the pair of Sinclair stickers Grunty made for me years ago for the Taunus Transit, to the Caravan Shed.

Especially for ClemDaddy, who for those who do not know, lives in a 1940's Sinclair Service station.

TAKE A LOOK AT: www.tubatrucks.com to see the perfect home.

[Grizz1963]

After weeks of waiting for the planets to align, today it all came together.

Ashley in Portsmouth had given me some tarpaulins he had gained a few years ago, to use for the truck and covering it etc.

So, via the power of "Pony Express" a mate of his delivered them to Bridges Auto breakers in Peas Pottage for me to collect today.

I picked Martin up early as we were going to rummage through some of the cars in the yard for bits to use in our builds. I was also hoping to find a Jeep Cherokee there as I need a pair of door stops for my doors and an aircon pipe for my buddy Maverick in South Africa who needs one. Unfortunately, it turned out they have no Cherokees at all.

When I got there, the guys had the tarps, and also a surprise from Ashley, he had had his buddy the Pony Express man, make me a massive Chevy logo sticker for my garage...... watch this space. THANKS MATE !!

USA sized plate and large fast cat for perspective.



Next up we were searched,and let loose in the yard.



Martin went straight for the Ford Mondeo's as he knew he wanted an oval dash clock to build into his truck.
Unfortunately, all the cars there were stripped of their clocks, except for one, which he managed to to get out.



Next up he showed me the very cool retractable cup holder that seems to be fitted only to the Mondeo's and three of the bodies there had them, so we took them all out. after this we walked around the yard, scavenging Jaguars, Mercedes, BMW and other brands looking for bits to remove, eventually we got back to where we started, and another scan around the outsides of the wrecks yielded a broken out dash under the snow, under the rear of another car.... JACKPOT !!!! A dash face with the clock still stuck in it with the plug and wiring attached, as well as another cup holder.
I plan on making another metal section below my dash to fit all the gauges I removed previously, and each end will get a "hidden" cup holder.



Next up it was back to the office and in anticipation for getting scapled for the parts we had picked, we put them on the counter......

£2.00 per item..... so $3.00 per item..... WTF ? Thats cheap. SCORE !!!

While out there I also kicked a Rover Grille out from under the snow. £5.00 bargain as well.

These guys really are not greedy. Which makes for a nice change.

Possibly for Clem's garage if it suits his Decor in Fayetteville. Registration plate for perspective of size.




Last thing for the day was to get a Bacon Buttie and a coffee at a service station vendor.



So all in, a short day out, but a great one.