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

[mjh1965]

I can see the makings of a bed trolley ?

[Ta2Don]

Grizz tells me I'm a Bad, Bad Man...

Here ya go Mates... Daniel is sending more pics...

[Ta2Don]

No more pics yet, but this was in a PM earlier...

Some one has patched up the floors, needs rockers,cab corners, and cab supports.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Ta2Don

No more pics yet, but this was in a PM earlier...

Some one has patched up the floors, needs rockers,cab corners, and cab supports.

You really are creating havoc here.

Tonight I let my inner redneck out.....

2.5kg of prime Silverside beef was converted into Biltong/Beef Jerky down in the garage.



I also wrapped and packed the bumpers and before that I had cleaned out the garage gutters.... Yup, chores.


On a different tack, for some reason we have had an influx of metal robots into my study.

Last week Nicola came in with a new girl.



Interesting description of Elctra. Read it to the end.

[flashed]

The robots are so cool ,but you better watch out ,you might be served up on a plate with some of that Jerky .

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by flashed

The robots are so cool ,but you better watch out ,you might be served up on a plate with some of that Jerky .

True.

[Grizz1963]

Got a call from Nicola's brother last night...... Could I put the Rallye Wheels out behind the gate today for Jimmy to collect?

So I asked what time, and the reply was 08.30 which suited me.

So I kept them in the lounge (as you do) with Nicola's blessing.

When Jimmy came to collect them this morning, he was genuinely surprised and shocked that they were in the house, so we loaded them into his Range Rover to be taken away for blasting and coating.

Later today I got a call to ask what RAL colour code the Chrysler Firestorm Red, Variant C was aligned to. No bloody idea, so I called the paint supplier we use, and he suggested I look at RAL code 3020 Traffic Red.

So the wheels now have a committed colour.

Hope to have them back in a week or so.



This week has been good too so far for my scavenging efforts. Some of you may have realised, I like free money, and also like to give it away or share it.


I wanted to build a wheeled box, into which to pack the engine and other parts I strip off the 125cc Honda I bought to power the frame I bought last year as it is easier than creating a pile of parts in a corner.

So I mentioned it to a friend who works in a hospital stores dept and is responsible for getting rid of and destruction of equipment.

He said he had four wheels from some old piece of lab equipment for me that I could collect on Monday, so I collected and he had another three wheels that he found under a table added in.



I think we will have a decent roller here.

This morning on the way to work I saw a skip at a building site (where I normally get all the ply and crates) had gained a serious lump of wood on top of everything in there, as the job is coming to an end. So on the way back home tonight, I stopped in and asked two of the guys if they would mind if I scavenged it from the skip......... I guess this would be £20-25 if you bought it at a builders yard? Perfect for using as a ramp to get heavy stuff like compressors onto and off the truck.

[Palf70Step]

Good finds!

[flashed]

I love your scavenger hunts for free stuff ,keep us posted .

[Ta2Don]

Score

[clemdaddy]

agree with all above...

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Good finds!

Originally Posted by flashed

I love your scavenger hunts for free stuff ,keep us posted .

Originally Posted by Ta2Don

Score

Originally Posted by clemdaddy

agree with all above...

Thanks guys.

I just prefer free money to come my way, even if I do have to go gather it.

Took some samples of my home made beef jerky to a guy I met last week who loves it, he manages a tyre shop.

So gave him one of my home made garage knives made of a broken hacksaw blade, and sharpened to silly level.

He was very pleased or touched, so a good result, I tried some of the thin sliced stuff tonight as well, and it has to be one of the best batches yet made.



Today was also the first Thursday of the month, so Medawy Cruse, by the time I left, there was about 80 cars and I saw more heading over when I drove off.

Tomorrow is an early start for Wheels day.........

Happy Easter all.

[Grizz1963]

WHEELS DAY..........!!!

Easter Friday every year.

This show was so well organised in my view, the guys really delivered today, and at £5.00 entry fee which goes to charity, a bargain day out.

This year the weather promised a perfect English show day.

When I woke at 05.45 I made a mug of tea, then texted mate Martin to see if he was going with us or taking Amanda if he could drag her out of bed.

Seemed she was up and ready to go before he could even get going.

The weather forecast was perfect for spring in the UK.



We left at 07.00 and got to Rushmore Arena quite early, let in straight away, Martina and Amanda were there minutes after us.

So we went off and took different directions around the arena.

I headed for the small auto jumble area first as it is always first come first served with used spares.

On the way, Nicola clocked these....... Used industrial contract rubber mats.

Bought two for the garage in front of the work benches, one 16 foot by 2.5 foot and one 10 foot by 3 foot.

At £5.00 each it was not to be missed.




Also bought today for a lot less than expected was an adjustable Automatic Chevy Astro van steering column, which included the ignition with three keys and all the plugs for its wiring at a sensible price.

Heavy bloody thing to cart over to the car after Martin had come all the way across the field to check out if he thought it could be grafted into my truck. Along with the new wiring loom it should be good if we can make it fit and work.



Mouldy Airbag steering will have to go, then hopefully my original Moon style wheel can go on directly, or may need an adaptor.




Will need some brackets to fit it, and being an adjustable means it could be a bit nicer to use.



So for me, a great day, spending time with Mrs Boss looking at loads of awesome cars, priceless.

We will be back again next year.

Sunday and Monday is the Chatham Dockyard Festival of Steam and Transport which promises to be a great day out.



SO LAST THING IS TO ASK..........

HAS ANYONE FITTED ONE OF THESE TO A C10 BEFORE?

Any advice appreciated.

[Ta2Don]

Always dig the pics...

[Palf70Step]

Nice. I'm going to be interested to see how you get the Astro column in the truck.

[disasterbus]

Originally Posted by Grizz1963

..an adjustable Automatic Chevy Astro van steering column, which included the ignition with three keys and all the plugs for its wiring at a sensible price.

cool score, that could work out really well

[mjh1965]

Rian if you bring that with you tomorrow we can offer it up in my cab as its already stripped out

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by mjh1965

Rian if you bring that with you tomorrow we can offer it up in my cab as its already stripped out

Sounds like a good plan Martin.

Modges'66 replied to a thread I started in the general section, looking for a short cut to the wiring harness diagram for a 97 Astro Van.

He fitted a newer, but non airbag steering to his truck to get the ancillaries.

Thanks for posting up Modges'66

[Grizz1963]

Went over to Martin's early this morning as Nicola was off to visit her daughter in Buckinghamshire for a couple of days.

He needed to move a load of stuff in his garage and shed, including getting his V8 and gearbox out the way, and then getting the straight six from his truck and it's gearbox out to the front of his carport for Über Cool, Andy to collect next weekend for his truck build.

I took my new to me, steering wheel and column with to test fit/offer it up to his upside down cab to see if it will fit.

So after the engines and sheds were sorted, we tried it out.

My current Moon style wheels rim and boss are both 9" from the dash edges.

The new one is 11" away, so I will need to do a bit of thinking around the best solution for form and function when I get to fitting it.

While I was there, Martin ripped the airbag and it's ring and wiring out as well.



When I got home I cleaned it all up, much improved.

So now the steering wheel and it's airbag bits can get sold as I do not want a modern wheel on my truck, still need to figure out what splines the column has and see what adaptor I may have to fit to get a new steering wheel fitted.

I personally like the older style stuff and love my Moon style that is deep dished and will be removed.





One of the things we realised this morning was that the small plastic cover behind the light and indicator stalk is missing.


Aaaaaaarrrgghhh !!!!

This means I now need to find one from somewhere, and one would expect most columns to come with them fitted, so not many about to buy or scavenge.

Anyway, if anyone knows where, or has one...... Please let me know.






Next job today is to go build a rolling frame with some of the wheels I got this week and a box into which I can pack all the parts I plan to keep off the little Honda donor bike.

[Modges'66]

Rian,
I actually have a '96 Astro that I use as one of my daily drivers...That column looks exactly like the one my van! LOL!
I will look thru my collection of parts columns and see if I have one of this covers...

[Modges'66]

Rian,
I found a few more pics taken from different angles that may give you a better idea of the modifications that I made to install the column into my truck.
Hope that this helps...

This pic shows the extension bracket for moving the switch assembly further down the column to clear the C-10 column support. I think that I moved it 4 inches. Take note that the rods that drive the ignition switch & H/lamp dimmer must also be extended...I welded in some pieces of rod salvaged from a donor column.


This shot shows the modified brackets bolted into place....The weld on the C-10 mount is where I accidentally cut the bracket in half, then had to weld it back together. Feel free to eliminate this step in your modifications! LOL!


Here is a good pic comparing the stock GM column support to the one that I modified. A section was removed in order to raise the column as it hung too low.


And finally, a pic of the modified C-10 bracket by itself.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Modges'66

Rian,
I actually have a '96 Astro that I use as one of my daily drivers...That column looks exactly like the one my van! LOL!
I will look thru my collection of parts columns and see if I have one of this covers...

Thank you for the reply.

It would be great if you did have a spare cover.

I have no idea what year my column is from, not sure the tilt adjuster is any indicator of age or model.

Thank you also for the further description and photos, I love to post links and pics in my thread as it is a reference to me for the future.

[Grizz1963]

Nothing to done to the truck today, but went to the Chatham Dockyard Steam and Transport show till 2pm then came home and made up the new trolley and box for the spares of the little bike I am stripping for the tot Rod build later.


Did see some silly hats..........



Everything including the steel and wood and wheels was free and recycled.

Base welded up from bits.





Sides screwed together and screwed down.



Done, painted and waiting for the bits to go in, mobile spares is the way to go for me.



Tomorrow I will start stripping down the bike, saving the bits I need fort he kart build and selling the rest on Evilbay.

Been a good weekend so far.

[mjh1965]

I still think you should have got that hat . But there was some nice cars there today . Just a year ago we both drove our trucks there , no chance of that this year . Will they it make next year time will only tell

[flashed]

I think that hat looked good on you ,cart turned out good too.