Grizz's Redneck Express 1966 Chevy Short Fleetside BILLYBOB

[ters]

PS: Thanks to those of you who have taken the time to comment on the thread.
I am always amazed when I see over 200 views and three or four replies, not including the updates I post up.Maybe there is a message in that ??

Forums are voluntary... please don't confuse the lack of response to a post, a lack of gratitude. This forum is a collection of ideas and experiences held by every single member. The number of views is a thanks to you for sharing your ideas and progress.

I for one appreciate your "foreign" involvement here! Keep the pics coming.

Ters.

[gordini]

Right, went to bootfair this morning with some friends who slept over last night.
Got lots of bits n bobs.

Then right at the end, last stall, there was a steel trunk.

Asked the price..... Got it for £10.00

Been looking for a trunk to bolt into the rear of the truck to act as seat at shows, safe box for tools, jack etc and another bit of "personal decoration" to add.

Brought it home and now have to decide what route to go.

Outside is completely rusted on the surface.
Inside has been painted at some point.
It also has "The Times of India" from 4th of July 1945 stuck in the bottom, fairly messed up, but we want to protect or keep it in there.

Advice needed please How do I keep the interior with the paper stuck to it in one piece and what way is the best for the outside?

My thoughts are clear varnish inside and clear lacquer on the outside with some pinstriping later when I can afford to have it done.

Latches are all brass.

Use the retro decoupage method. My wife is a wizzard with it and she has done a couple of things for me. Durable and waterproof

[Bearhawke]

Grizz: your pictures say 10,000 words, most of us (including myself) were speechless after looking and savoring the pics

[Grizz]

Grizz: your pictures say 10,000 words, most of us (including myself) were speechless after looking and savoring the pics

Thanks mate, for your kind words.

A little off topic right now, but we got to see Nicola's wedding car (truck) today at the bootfair.

When the guy brought her to where we were getting married, I did not even see her.

I was very pleased and impressed when I realized it though.

Gotta show her commitment to this whole truck thing.



I spent a few hours in the garage looking for stuff, including fresh nuts and bolts to put onto the towbar and plug plate that is hidden under the body of course.

Found some old locks and two had keys. One for the trunk we got today.



Selected this one in the end.



At the bootfair today someone was selling this former First aid box for 10p so about 15 cents.
Had a purpose in mind and bought it for the truck. Copies of the insurance documents etc are all in there. And it fits behind the seat as well. Takes a large A4 plastic envelope easily.

Of course I had to decorate it a bit more appropriately as I had some stickers saved up from who knows when.



And inside as well.




During the afternoon I had also pressure cleaned and then sanded back the alloy wheel Scott brought me yesterday. Then painted it 4 coats of a random grey-white that I had bought at a bootfair four years ago.



The rest of this week will be very hectic, so I suspect nothing else will be happening around the truck till after the 16th of this month.
In the mean time I will start looking for a pair of chrome smoothies with caps for the teardrop trailer as I am going to change the existing wheel adaptors that fit 4 stud hubs to take a set of 6 x 140 wheels and 15 inch white walls like the truck is wearing.

[Grizz]

I wrote a generic letter to all the previous "owners" addresses I could find in the trucks history file.

Got a lovely email and a couple of pics from the previous to previous owner tonight.
Another step in the direction of creating and documenting a more comprehensive history of the trucks life.

I was wondering about maybe looking to see if I could contact it's last American owner too.

Here is a copy and paste of the email I got.

Hi Rian,
Congratulations!! You are the owner of one badass truck! I sold it to Rob over a year ago to answer a calling I've had for a looooong time to get tasked into some vintage stuff (check the link to see see what I'm smoking around in these days)
http://www.vhra.co.uk/VHRA/Members/Page ... Regan.html
I bought the truck off a chap called **** in Hastings around four years ago - he a Scavenger and plays bass in a few rockin' bands. He bought it off a chap in St Leonards who was the first UK owner. I gave all the import papers to Rob when I sold it but I think it's been over here about 8-10 years.
I had the trans rebuilt and swapped the dreadful slot mags it came with for the chrome smoothies it has now. The stickers on the back window were not my doing, you'll have to blame Rob for that although I did plant a couple on the glovebox and the rear window corners. The paintjob was an American lash up using truck paint - shame they rushed it but the colour's pretty cool nonetheless. The chopper guy you refer to in your letter is indeed me although I only carried bikes on the odd occasion as I prefer to ride 'em. Got a Triumph T140V based ride at the moment. Attached are a couple photos I took of the truck while I had it. Are you heading to the Hayride at the end of the month? I'd love to see the old girl again.
All the best,
****






I really love the setting and tone of these two pics.

[Grizz]

I recently removed a door from the garage and fitted a regular door after closing up the hole.

I tried to give the door away, repeatedly, it was 8x7 foot, probably worth over £400 to replace.No takers.

Yesterday I had planned on greasing up the truck, but then thought I would clear up in front of the garage and get the door onto the front pavement for the scrap man...... at which point another one of my crappy ideas sprung to mind.

Why not cut the door up and use a piece of it as a small roof for the garden tool cabinet etc.....

Into action and soon I had this, once I had found some lumber to use for the supports I had visualized.



Couple of hours later this was the scene.



At which point Mickey came around for a play.....

Then he was off to clean out his BBQ as his wife had demanded he cook some cow today.

Once I had finished clearing up etc, this was the result.

Next up will be moving the tool cabinet, painting the block wall, and painting the wood to get a uniform colour.



After clearing up a quick shower and then a bunch of friends over for a BBQ.
Perfect weather as well, we only came indoors after 22.00

[Grizz]

McMurphy up in North Pole sent me some parts to get started at fitting power steering to the truck THANK YOU !!



On Friday afternoon, Mickey came around bearing a stupid grin and shouting "That blooody truck of yours..... Here's something for it."

And proudly handed over the parts that must have been brought over by Super Man, with the speed of delivery.



Until I have all the parts together for the PS conversion I will just stash them in the trucks cabinet in the garage.

I have also bought this boat tank to convert into a slightly different, pinstriped Jerry can for the truck, when we do long distances with the teardrop, as I have no idea what the fuel consumption may do.

Clearly it will not be a Suzuki tank once done.



After various tasks today, by about 4pm I got started on the Steel trunk I am bolting into the rear of the truck to keep the jack, some tools and anything else "valuable"



Firstly I hand sanded the trunk, then in a fit of genius popped into the woodwork shed and got this little beauty out (found it at the tip years ago)



Photographed the latches as well, as it seems there may be somebodies military force number on the side latches. If anyone knows how to research the numbers, please do and fee back on here.



POSSIBLE LEAD AS TO ORIGINAL OWNERSHIP.



Once sanded back, I cleaned it three times with fresh cloths and thinners.



Then laid out the letters to get an idea of what size I will need for the name I want to add. Just in case you are trying to decipher, it will be 1966 in the bottom line, I just did not have another 6 stencil.



Masked it all off.




The process I am following is being made up as I go along, so never done it before, but logic says it should work.... to create a look of Fake Patina I am layering paint and colours randomly. I will leave this to dry and harden for the week, and then sand it back a lot by hand with water paper, untill it looks right. Then I will use the stencils one letter at a time and either spray or use a bit of foam to dab the paint over the letters, then do a very fine flatting again, after which I will coat the whole thing is Clear lacquer.

Couple of thick coats of primer to use as base.



Then a load of random colours, interdispersed with gold.



Finally a coat of Gold, overlaid with the lovely lurid green you can see.



Unmasked and put away, I was so tempted to stencil today as well.

Hopefully will get around to the grease gun next weekend.

[Grizz]

Jerry can sorted.

Thanks to Sven for selling it to me without his dad knowing.....

24 litres of precious fossil fuel to go in there.

Planning to get it distressed, pinstriped and then onto the rear of the truck some time.

[Grizz]

Had a call from Ian "FrankenHealey about some Teak planks he offered me over two years ago, as he knew I love wood, re-using etc.

I had decided that if I was going to go the wooden floor route for the truck, which currently has marine ply floors, then 60 year old Teak boards from a Bedford Green Goddess Fire tender, LINK HERE: http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/84662?page=1 would be a pretty cool way to go.

Here are some pics of the donor:









Currently looks like this...... with the race car it will be transporting in the foreground..... not that you would miss it.






Over the next weekend or so, Ian will be photographing the teak planks he has, and then I will decide if I am up for a rather large job of making them into a floor for the truck.


Once cut and planed you should have something like this.



This is what finished Teak should look like.



And a reclaimed Teak garden table.




So..... what is the general consensus?

The planks are about 240km from here.

[gordini]

240 kms for the planks and a nice drive in a V8....what more do you want for a Sunday