Grizz's Redneck Express 1966 Chevy Short Fleetside BILLYBOB

Pictures of your muscle car!
Grizz
Posts: 1192
Joined: Mon 13 Aug 2012, 21:54
Location: Rochester, KENT.

Re: Grizz's Redneck Express 1966 Chevy Short Fleetside BILL

Post by Grizz » Mon 12 Dec 2016, 10:46

So day two started late.

Breakfast in bed.

Of course, it is Paris after all.

Bought some Brioche bread and a large olive Pretzel plus real President butter to have in the room. (We had opted for the non breakfast room booking as we both prefer to forage)

Note the prime quality cutlery.

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Then off to Carefour the local supermarket for a 1.5 litre iced tea and some fruit for the day.

And back up the hill to Arc de Triomphe, which looked rather good in the fresh light of day.

The day was also jeans and light hoody warm, so my ski jacket was hooked in behind the backpack and no gloves or woolly hat.

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Then around the Arc de Triomphe and down the Champs Elysées where all your big name brands are.

Destination for Katy of course was the "Traditional Christmas market"

First photo opportunity was within 10 minutes of starting down the hill.


CAPTIONS PLEASE: Note the uniform.


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Further down the New Peugeot SUV was on display, beautiful looking thing, but the lights inside the showroom did not allow for an decent photo to be taken.

I did however get a shot of this little guy.

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Then further down, just before we got to he Christmas market, that has to be almost a mile long, on both sides of the Champs Elysee we opted for coffee and a "rest"

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Then we set off again.

And found a little petrol head heaven.

BERTRAND, the very enthusiastic young petrol head, and guide told us all about the various cars and equipment on display on the 7 floors of the building, which also has a restaurant on the top floor and coffee shop out onto the pavement on ground floor.

Bertrand himself own a retro too, an Austin Vandenplas that he found as a barnfind that had been stored for over 10 years.

You will note that every display in the centre is on a lift floor, clearly they get loaded from the ground floor and then lifted like trays to the various floors to be displayed.

Fiat 500

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Fiat Multipla

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More in a bit.

Grizz
Posts: 1192
Joined: Mon 13 Aug 2012, 21:54
Location: Rochester, KENT.

Re: Grizz's Redneck Express 1966 Chevy Short Fleetside BILL

Post by Grizz » Mon 12 Dec 2016, 11:09

Some more.

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Then on to the Christmas market, that really did have a variety of stuff.

This table was only €499.00

Yes, that's what I thought too.

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Snails or Frogs Legs anyone?

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Pretzels were one of my favourites.

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We also bought a big lump of freshly made salted caramel nougat, which my trustty knife helped slice into decent slices.

Very nommmm.

Eventually made it to the end of the market and bottom of the Champs Elysee

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Then back to the river for a long walk, sight seeing etc.

Katy is like a wide eyed girly tourist and really enjoys her walks.

For once I missed something massively important (well, in a petrol head world) Katy did not miss this and I was pleasantly surprised.

Walking on the upper level on the banks of the River Seine, she managed to spot this on the back of a river barge/river boat home.


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It took a long walk to eventually get to a point where we could go down to the lower level, she then waited for me to walk all the way back and capture a pic of this little gem.

Just lovely.

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After this we carried on walking along the lover level.

I also saw this random bit of art that really made me smile.

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More later, now off to Norte Dame and then to find Galleries Lafayette which should be good too.


It's a chilly day out today.


Hope you guys are still along for the ride.

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Johann65
Posts: 6288
Joined: Sun 24 Aug 2008, 13:07
Location: Rothdene, Gauteng

Re: Grizz's Redneck Express 1966 Chevy Short Fleetside BILL

Post by Johann65 » Mon 12 Dec 2016, 15:17

Like!! :mrgreen:
Member No: 209
Ah! Yes I remember it well! (Only GM's!)
1966 Opel Rekord L CLASSIC SEDAN Current Project

Grizz
Posts: 1192
Joined: Mon 13 Aug 2012, 21:54
Location: Rochester, KENT.

Re: Grizz's Redneck Express 1966 Chevy Short Fleetside BILL

Post by Grizz » Mon 12 Dec 2016, 20:14

Johann65 wrote:Like!! :mrgreen:
Thanks Johann.

For anyone still OK king, who noticed the car on the back of the barge.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphicar


The Amphicar Model 770 is an amphibious automobile, launched at the 1961 New York Auto Show,[2] manufactured in West Germany and marketed in the United States from 1961-1967, with production having ended in 1965.

Designed by Hanns Trippel, the amphibious vehicle was manufactured by the Quandt Group at Lübeck and at Berlin-Borsigwalde, with a total of 3,878[2] manufactured in a single generation.

Grizz
Posts: 1192
Joined: Mon 13 Aug 2012, 21:54
Location: Rochester, KENT.

Re: Grizz's Redneck Express 1966 Chevy Short Fleetside BILL

Post by Grizz » Mon 12 Dec 2016, 21:00

One of the newer things to do in Paris, is for lovers to write a message or initials etc onto a lock, and then locking it to this bridge, tossing the keys into the Seine river.

Interesting observation........


The flag on the lock packaging where for sale, is the South African flag.

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1000's of locks.

And the council,had removed them all before as the sheer weight of them are impacting the bridge.

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Then off to the Louvre.

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Monsieur Vice and his Pancake van.

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Remember the ban on older cars in Paris?

I think these horrible things have come into use now, maybe a French member can shed more light on them.

Funny how the pollution needed to generate electricity for these bastardd things never gets mentioned in reports.

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Eventually we gave up on the day, my feet throbbing and back hurting from cold.

So we took one of the very efficient Metro underground trains.

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Reaching ground level right next to the Arc de Triomphe.

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Followed by dinner in an Italian restaurant.

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When we got in there, there were bread sticks on the table.

Katy has been looking for some of these breadsticks to buy for her Christmas table. Unsuccessfully.

I asked the proprietor where we could buy some for her and he replied "Italy, these come,from Italy"

Upon which he stepped over to a cabinet at his tide and pulled this bag of them out and gave them to me.

I,asked how much as Imwas totally happy to buy them for Katy.

His reply was: "It is Christmas, you can have some Christmas joy"

At this point we had not even committed to having dinner there.

But of course, attitude can often dictate behaviour.

So we decided it was a perfect venue to have dinner.

The chef and head waiter came and chatted to us.

Turns out this is a family run business, and that the head waiter is actually a coded welder too.

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I have said this before, life certainly is good.

And when people like here in France are as friendly, helpful and generous emotionally as they are, I will be back.

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paulusvrotius1
Posts: 1423
Joined: Fri 22 Apr 2011, 15:40
Location: Southampton UK

Re: Grizz's Redneck Express 1966 Chevy Short Fleetside BILL

Post by paulusvrotius1 » Tue 13 Dec 2016, 10:36

I have never been to Paris because people have put me off, my brother included, saying it is dirty, expensive and unfriendly.
Looking at your pics and narrative I think I should go and find out for myself.
Looks like you are both having a good time. :mrgreen:
Cheers

My AMC:
1971 Capri Perana Yellow/Blk.


Old Fords never die because some clotheads keep bodging them back together!!

Grizz
Posts: 1192
Joined: Mon 13 Aug 2012, 21:54
Location: Rochester, KENT.

Re: Grizz's Redneck Express 1966 Chevy Short Fleetside BILL

Post by Grizz » Tue 13 Dec 2016, 11:24

paulusvrotius1 wrote:I have never been to Paris because people have put me off, my brother included, saying it is dirty, expensive and unfriendly.
Looking at your pics and narrative I think I should go and find out for myself.
Looks like you are both having a good time. :mrgreen:

Paul,

People can be very short sighted and often project their own prejudices

I find that mostly, people want to be generous, kind and friendly.

We all do like to give what we like to receive.


Paris is certainly a tourists city.

We found that even prices in the "suburbs" vs places like the Champs Elysee are very similar.

It is not cheap, but a good dinner, drinks and tip on our first evening was £43.00 and the same in London itself would be no less or a bit more at places like Cafe Rouge.


Ohhh, and another thing, Parisians all try to speak English as we are too bloody useless to speak French.

They are helpful and courteous

Give it a go.

Grizz
Posts: 1192
Joined: Mon 13 Aug 2012, 21:54
Location: Rochester, KENT.

Re: Grizz's Redneck Express 1966 Chevy Short Fleetside BILL

Post by Grizz » Wed 14 Dec 2016, 21:55

Tuesday was a slow start.

Last day.

Packing up, the hotel is really good. Great service and staff.
They also offer to keep baggage till the evening if you need to go enjoy your day unencumbered before departing.

So we left our bags and did the usual walk to the Metro and got guidance on getting to Sacre Coeur and also how to get back to the Gare du Nord station by bus for our Eurostar train in the evening.

Tickets again silly cheap.

Getting us here in no time.


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We took a walk around the area.

Then checked out this cookie shop followed by coffee in a coffee shop where the "hostess" waitress invited us from outside.
Originally from Ethiopia, she came to France 7 years ago and is very good at her job. All 5' of her.

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Then the long climb up to Sacre Coeur.

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris, commonly known as Sacré-Cœur Basilica and often simply Sacré-Cœur (French: Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, pronounced [sakʁe kœʁ]), is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in Paris, France. A popular landmark, the basilica is located at the summit of the butte Montmartre, the highest point in the city. Sacré-Cœur is a double monument, political and cultural, both a national penance for the defeat of France in the 1871 Franco-Prussian War and the socialist Paris Commune of 1871[1] crowning its most rebellious neighborhood, and an embodiment of conservative moral order, publicly dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which was an increasingly popular vision of a loving and sympathetic Christ.[2]

The Sacré-Cœur Basilica was designed by Paul Abadie. Construction began in 1875 and was finished in 1914. It was consecrated after the end of World War I in 1919.

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Of course you should not take photos.

But I did.

Could not, not do it.

These places of worship are magnificent.

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And here I saw what is probably one of my life mottos.

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Back outside I did one quick panorama shot.

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Lastly. A quick video.

CLICK LINK.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9znOuORH7A0


Back in a bit.

Part two uploading.

Grizz
Posts: 1192
Joined: Mon 13 Aug 2012, 21:54
Location: Rochester, KENT.

Re: Grizz's Redneck Express 1966 Chevy Short Fleetside BILL

Post by Grizz » Wed 14 Dec 2016, 23:38

Finale.....

Came out and enjoyed the view, are some snacks in the form of Aldi fudge and peanuts with cashews mixed in.........

Mistake.

Minutes later............


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Then a walk to look for a knife shop I had been told about.

Passed these guys, artisans for sure.

I love old skool skills like this.

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We found the knife shop.

Prices were steep, stunning stuff but way out of my league at £150.00 for a folding knife.

Google Laguiole. Hand made art.

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Then off to find a late lunch by 3pm.

While sitting there, on a large roundabout, I saw a few cars that seemed out of place in the new Paris rules.

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Graffiti van....?

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Paris seems to have a lot of small 125cc bikes, all built to look like famous bigger bikes, Harley lookalikes, TriTon, etc.

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After lunch we walked some distance from the Sacre Coeur toward Moulin Rouge, and passed these shops.

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Making it there in the end.

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After this we took the Metro back to the hotel, picked up our stuff and then went to Carefour to pick up some nice French groceries. Before taking a bus to the station.

Onto Eurostar and home by 22.45

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It was a great trip, but I was sorely disappointed by the lack of quirky retro Frnch cars as we knew them.

I would probably avoid Paris for that reason a next time and rather go more rural and get to enjoy local cuisine, transportation and architecture.

The French architecture is worth travelling for.

Back to work tomorrow for two,days, then somemtruck and yard time booked.

Thanks for looking in.

Grizz
Posts: 1192
Joined: Mon 13 Aug 2012, 21:54
Location: Rochester, KENT.

Re: Grizz's Redneck Express 1966 Chevy Short Fleetside BILL

Post by Grizz » Mon 19 Dec 2016, 21:13

Monday 19 December........ it's almost two years since I pulled the truck off the road.

My life has hit a few speed humps that have certainly slowed me down this year.

Anyway, today I took a day leave, as did my mate CraigRK of 47 and 49 Chevy fame.
His car: http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/ ... pers-paint
His Wife's car: (Well, Truck) http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/ ... se-arrival

The plan was to wrap up on the rebuild with new parts of my trucks four corners and brakes.
After getting the new shoes brought in from the USA via Ireland.


So we had cofffee and a chat when he got here at 10.00 as he needed to avoid the M25 morning rush, he had also brought fresh cheese rolls, three meats and and some spreading cheese to have for lunch.

After this we went to the garage, pulled the truck out, onto axle stands and took off the wheels and hubs again.

Multiple photos of the brakes from all angles to use as reference for reassembly.

The other clever thing to do is only one side at a time, keeping the other side as a reference.

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Dismantled.

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Next up wire brushes, petrol and more brushes to the internals and all the bits that get reused.

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One of the reasons Craig came over was that he had this special tool that his dad had given him........

Perfect for pulling and removing as well,as refitting all the highly sprung, springs in the brake system.

There are a total of 9 springs per corner on the rear brakes to disassemble and then get back together, so some logic and some photos does help.

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After two relatively easy changes of the rear, it was all done.

New, new new and more new brakes.

Very pleased.

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Looking at the brake shoes that I have removed, it again reiterated the fact that one needs to sometimes just get on and spend some money and get stuff replaced.

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Then dropped the rear and started on the front end after rolling the chassis back into the garage.

Once the front was done, I started to reassemble it and tightened the wheel down again.............

Just then C wig came around and said to me "Do you thnk you will be needing the brake drum for the new shoes to kick into to stop the truck?"

Aaaaaaarrrrrgghhh!!

Disassemble, refit brake drum and back on with the wheel. Nuts tightened.

Then Craig laughed historically again...... and I knew that something had gone amiss again.

Bugggeerrrrr....!!

There is a little kickback spring on the outer periphery that pushes a plate back once you hit the brake, to release the brake shoe.

He had it n his hand.

Guess what? Yup, on reassembly it had ended up in the box with the old springs.

One more time and we were done.

The rest all went fine and the truck was back on its wheels, all four corners now with me brake parts, brake lines and fuel line.


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Last job before shutting shop and heading back indoors at 2.30 was to add in the new part I had made up a couple of weeks ago for the rear brake line.

Using a screwdriver handle, I bent the adapter into a 90' bend to join the chassis joint of the brake line.

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This wrapped up the brakes.

To me the chassis and wheels are now done. Only needs the new wheels and tyres once the body work is done.

In closing, a photo took on the Paris Metro over the weekend.

Can you see what is wrong?


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Thank you for checking in.

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