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

[Palf70Step]

That would be like understanding females!

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

That would be like understanding females!

Riiiiiiiiggght.

That I do understand.




This dog has never brought anything but joy.

Happiest rescue dog I’ve ever seen.

Typical COVID dog.

Third floor, in a cage, never walked outside etc.

Got Parvo less than two weeks after Sally got her. £1400 over a weekend in vets hospital later…..

The best money ever spent.

Probably a year old here.

Loves water.

https://youtube.com/shorts/9HFwyDXhh...Mffi2r614n_Pew


And a bit more fun.

https://youtu.be/vKa0XIJu624?si=s8TAh_9FMa6GJbiP

[Grizz1963]

Lots of small random jobs happening here st the moment.

Been preparing parts of the garden for making the soil that comes out of the ground work disappear including rejigging some garden beds and using railway sleepers or ties to raise beds.

There is a part of the garden known as “The Secret Garden” partly because it completely obscures my garage and workshop area chaos, and also because animals, cats, foxes, birds etc can disappear into it.

So I am extending it to creat more space to hide some more soil.

Currently the grass and soil removed to have the sleeper a flat surface is being used elsewhere to raise parts of the lawn and hopefully reduce the chances of falling off the small floor in front of the BBQ.

While digging down a bit more, I hit what seemed to be a rock, but turned out to be metal.

A rusty relic.

I would love to know when this cobblers last/anvil landed here. And why.

So once i had made good my work, I also cleaned up the last.

Video of the process.

https://youtu.be/2O_r5uMfHMw?si=giTMZvwd2R3NyvvE

After cleaning up I made some amazingly good beef meatballs wrapped in some smoked bacon.


Of course George continues to observe his space and marks it when I am not around.


I also pruned my fruit trees and cut down the weeds out back that were as much as 8-10 foot tall.

More random stuff later.

[Grizz1963]

Once again new wheels ran up my driveway this week.


But I only found them.

My mate Craig, 204 miles from here has a large property that is uncomfortably but perfectly far enough away from the main road down a private lane. This means wheelie bins, bin bags etc need to be taken there on bin days.
His neighbour has a horse school, horses, horse manure to collect, and another neighbour has a bonfire pile in one of his paddocks where everyone takes their garden refuse that they cannot turn into compost.

So……….

A few lawn tractors, trailers etc are always about.

But this was always the dream.



https://youtu.be/2om-ecQzEJY?si=sY_gOz-PnpWBLX6X


More about the process later.


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[Grizz1963]

Right.


So just to wrap this up for the uneventful collection story.


A car from outside the Auto****e stable but firmly inside the realm of AS. Those who know will know.


Skip truck damage to two doors, sil and rear quarter worth more than I paid for the car to repair without me getting a quote. So I will drive it like that. It will make my eyeballs hurt every day.


Couple of random, not so random photos.


So looking out in the morning and seeing the double glass sunroofs made me smile.

This is so much car out there. And I suspect it will make me grin and grimace in equal measure like Prozac the Berlingo did. It, also was battle scarred from a much older drivers ownership but always delivered.


Then I moved out into the back yard to give a first full valet.

This thing is actually deceptively wide compared to the Astro van. I should Google the dimensions.


Rain and cold windy weather only let up in the afternoon at which time I went out in three layers and shorts to start cleaning every nook and door hinge, door shut and all rubbers etc.

Much to do.

[Grizz1963]

Day one of owning a 19 year old car.

Because I do copy and paste for the text on the various forums where I contribute, and the last 48 hours have been disjointed, I will start with this from the beginning.


I saw this 2005 Renault Megan Scenic AKA Renault Scenic advertisement in the “other cars and bikes for sale” section on UKGSER
Always liked them for many reasons. Including practical, slightly quirky and looks on this model.

ADVERTISEMENT

My 89 year old mother’s car (she took the pictures!)
She’s had it 17 year, it’s just about to turn 61,000 miles, full service history, still drives really well, feels tight.
Big scratch along the near side where she didn’t quite squeeze through a gap with a skip lorry, inside door handles and dashboard are sticky, it’s a bit scruffy here and there. But well worth £700, car is in Southampton and can be viewed pretty much anytime.

Initially I just looked and smiled BECAUSE I do love a cheap basement priced car but I really don’t need one. Right?

Then someone commented about wishing it were in Manchester, which made me reply to try sell it.


My reply posted at 16.09


I just checked…….. At 16.10 seriously, I sent a private message to Danny the advertiser asking if I could call him.



My reply to this: Doh, why can't it be in Manchester....!



Take a train, taxi, grab a lift, hitch hike.

Fetch it

Drive it home.

None of my last three cars were closer than 100 miles.

All driven home.

Two via train to collect and 206CC my mate gave me a ride in exchange for a liter of Jamesons best.

Make it an adventure.

This hijack was me fetching the Astro van 200 miles away.
​
​
https://youtu.be/5-mHFYu0USM?si=MpMA-xZSrMGJ3PTx​


So the seller replied and gave me his number a while later.

I called him, we spoke for 14 minutes, then he called his 89 year old mom to confirm something about the car. Following that we spoke for another 27 minutes.

He sent me his banking details by 21.08 and I transferred the cash by 21.13
Job done.

Figuring out collection was not yet a thing…… that was reserved for 03.50 when I woke up.
Danny was available Thursday, Friday or Monday.

So I did a quick ask around in case someone was headed down to Southampton 130 miles from me…….
No luck.

So I asked Mickey next door for a lift to the station 7 miles away. £10.00 for two pints of beer paid for the ride.

I also texted Danny to check if he could collect me at a station which he agreed to do. In a brown Mercedes Benz. Bonus.

Train ticket was £52.00 one way.

Trip was amazingly fast. Never waited more than 5 minutes for the next train.

Got to Southampton, collected by @diplomaticdanny and whisked off to his mums home. Car as described. Did paperwork, wrestled the keys from his mums hands after 17 years of ownership and set off homeward.

Three hours and 130 miles later, I pulled up on my drive.

Happy.

Really happy.

Mickey popped around to give it his wholehearted approval.

I did not tell Sally, but she saw it when driving by to take Bonnie to the vets for vaccines.

That concludes the finding, buying, collecting of the Scenic.

[Grizz1963]

So a quick photo montage of the Renault Scenic.

https://youtu.be/tkduOHnB6F8?si=ilglfyDivjG3Y4iA

.

Video

[Grizz1963]

Another quick n dirty video of photos I took at Hawk Classics in Gravesend yesterday.

https://youtu.be/bQTar2Mmgsg?si=kpvVo_TJsbtSJftw

Hopefully some entertaining footage or a waste of 5 minutes of your life.

[Braunschweiger]

A practical car, the Scenic, very spacious.
A nice little meeting, a great workshop.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Braunschweiger

A practical car, the Scenic, very spacious.
A nice little meeting, a great workshop.

Good morning Harald

Yes the Scenic is a car of many facets.

1.5 diesel also used by Mercedes Benz and many other manufacturers.

Frugal, yet practical. Ideal for a daily donkey.

Some cosmetic damage but nothing impacting performance.

The small meeting is one I would not repeat but I have now done it.

[Grizz1963]

Another progression on something that I started and realised needed more, was the go faster stripe covering the paint damage on the 206CC

Captured in Time Lapse.

I am ambivalent about the look. I think it looks better plain but thr strip covers damage on the hood, so a case of funtion over form.

Also……

The rear deck, trunk lid, bootlid is so complex with humps, bumps, curves and egg shaped to boot that choosing how to lay the 5 stripes, was a challenge.

I think the choice I made was correct.

​https://youtu.be/rXvzj5id9bI?si=x2h-5FObdv6sF56b


Judt need someone to buy and enjoy it.

[Grizz1963]

No photos because I can’t upload here .


Bit out of sync but here goes.


Sooooooooo





Today I went to Tesco to look for a bottle of Smirnoff Tamarind Vodka.


Dont…!!!!



Don't slam it till you try it.


Anyway.


FAILED on the vodka. I am not a vodka drinker.


BUT……..



I saw some Elbow Grease.


Brought it home



Been polishing the proverbially named turd that is this Scenic yesterday and today

Trying to fix as much of the damage the skip truck had managed to do to the one side of this car



More of that in my OCD thread



In the meantime I eventually found time by 4.00pm to start on the tacky, sticky soft touch plastics

Tried cleaning the gearshift section in position Kinda failed

So pics below



40 minutes and two thumb nails later I could go reassemble that section

I can vouch for the elbow grease results

Actually an easy job made easier by the product



Mojo boosted, I decided to get on with the door handles and window switches another 30 minutes later I was done



The seller posted this elsewhere on another forum:



Good to meet you today and thanks for taking that car away, I’ve hated it for years, was so pleased to see the back of it. I think I started hating pretty much when she bought it, I was away on holiday and she’d driven her beautiful (bit much for a Peugeot I know) 307 diesel through floods and killed it, she’d bought it new, I still miss that car, light silvery blue metallic, quick, quiet and economical. She panic bought the scenic from a dealer who (in my opinion) ripped her off because he sensed her desperation at getting a car quick and then when the internal trims got sticky it was the last straw. Having said that, 17 years of relatively trouble free motoring counts for something. Glad it’s gone to a good home. It was actually a high mileage car when she bought!




Finger nails work really well but don’t have longevity.


So I switched to a teaspoon.


Really chuffed this job is done.

[Grizz1963]

Another “fault” the car was sold with was “sunroof doesn’t work, don’t open it”



Of course we don’t listen to all that negativity.


So when I did the first wash I probably took about 10 minutes to get the hidden rails of the full length glass roofs cleaned.
Years worth of leaves, dirt muck accumulated up there, clearly never cleaned out, eventually ran clear of debris.


So yesterday my good friend and former lodger, John, a driving instructor found himself with two lessons cancelled through the middle of the day. Leaving him at a loose end between 10.30 and 5.00pm , after which he had two students booked till 9.00pm



So he came over to visit and deliver a bottle of Smirnoff Tamarind Vodka. As a non vodka drinker, the stuff is weird but good.


While I carried on with a load of jobs to be reported still, he chatted, had coffee etc.



At one point his question of “Have you tried the broken sunroof?” Left me quietly ignoring him, so hd asked again and I said no, I had enough to keep me busy.


Of course being who he is, he tried opening the sunroof.


EUREKA !!!!


It opened.


THEN IT WOULD NOT CLOSE.



Try as he might, I tried too…….it was stuck wide open, with intermittent rain forecast for later.


So I went back to polishing body panels, and assembling alloys wheels. More about that later.


Once done with my jobs, a coffee and chat followed by more prodding and poking around the roof and its mechanics plus pulling down the controld and lights from the roof…….


NO JOY.



Then I added some white silicone grease, sprayed in and onto every moving part and rail visible in and on the still open roof.


NO JOY



So I went off to the school of YouTube and found a Russian demonstration showing that you can reset the roof electronics by pushing and holding the centre power button.


NO JOY



But this actually started the roof movement and closed it in a very jerky motion.
Some repeated use of it had the roof running super smoothly like new.


I then added more spray on white silicone grease everywhere I could reach.


MORAL OF THE STORY ………



MAINTENANCE.



Pretty obvious in both The scuttle area, front drains and the whole roof and glass roof area that 19 years of built up crud would result in some issues.


VIDEO.


https://youtu.be/RcBqDYa78_k?si=3kpAwD211ZsdJLVD




Loads more effort on other parts still to report.


drivers door controls for door glass also suspect. With passenger rear glass not working and driver side intermittent and even refusing to drop or rise on demand.
​​​​​​​

Problem for another day.

[Palf70Step]

Glad to see you got it working. Like the color of the new ride.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Glad to see you got it working. Like the color of the new ride.

Thanks Bill

Colour was a coincidence.

I’m still getting to know it.






Little details.

All add up.

The car has never lacked in money being spent on it over the years.

Replacement original parts were fitted wherever it was needed by dealers over the last 19 years.

HOWEVER……

Despite the new drop links, springs, headlights, and hardly used tyres and a full dealer service history, there is a distinct lack of attention to things that affect simple enjoyment of this 61k mile or 101k km car.

Now firstly, we have to keep in mind, different people see cars as very different things. Some see a tool, some see a toy and some, a thing of beauty.
So maintenance is approached differently.

Unfortunately official dealers are there to make money or of customers. End of story.

So I bought the Scenic and drove it home.

HAPPY.

FRIDAY I started by giving it a first wash.

Getting a feel for a car is made easy by running your hands over it, washing it, poking fingers into holes, grooves, every opening.

So I found a few things.

The sunroof took a while to clear of grit, leaves, detritus from the last 19 years.
I was told by the seller the roof did not work. Ultimately it was just that nobody had ever done any cleaning up there.

Door handles, trim, window rubbers, door sills, wipers, everything had a load of hard, green and black moss of different kinds attached.

Using different brushes to get into every groove I cleaned away most of the moss. Some would not move.

I went back a few days later with some Elbow Grease and it easily removed the rest of it. Amazing product.
This was my second wash of the car.

I also took the Elbow Grease to the alloy wheels and centre caps and sanded back and painted the retaining bolts, painting them silver.
Whats amazing is just how much cleaner the already washed Wheels became after washing and scrubbing with the Elbow Grease.

I am incredibly happy with the progress so far.

Next report will be around what to do with the damage on the passenger side where the skip truck scraped by.

Some photos of course.

[Grizz1963]

So when I bought the Scenic the seller had told me the remotes were not working and to lock the door you needed to do it manually from the passenger side after popping a cover off and using a key stuck in the remote.

I tried them all when I got home but failed.

Also, after testing the batteries fitted to the two remote controls. One problem presented itself.
Meant to be 3 Volt, both read 0.3 Volt.

So on Saturday I went to the not so local motor parts store and got some correct sized batteries. £7.50 for two so £3.75 per remote control.
I also found a small 12ml paint touch up brush and pot.
Remember that the passenger side had lost a fight with a skip truck.
So the scrapes were a combination of yellow, grey, scuffed paint.

With the new batteries the remotes both worked perfectly and the car has a close proximity sensor that allows you to have the keys in your pocket and unlock the doors or tailgate (alone if you are at the rear) so another problem solved.

[Grizz1963]

I am spoiling you all.

Way too many pictures for those who don’t read words and way too many words for those who take the time to read them.

Still, sitting at Sallys house after delivering the free BBQ I collected and cleaned yesterday and getting a load of her older plastic garden furniture collected after she was given a used hardwood set from her uncle who died…….

Using her fast broadband and uploading photos at a decent pace makes sense to catch up on the last weeks activity.


So on to the next update.

Had the car a week now and its been valeted once, washed once.

I always think that washing a car gives you a good feel for the damage and things that need attention.

I will be honest here, I did not read the advertisement properly. And I am not one to zoom into pictures like so many people do.

Quote from the ad:
“Big scratch along the near side where she didn’t quite squeeze through a gap with a skip lorry, inside door handles and dashboard are sticky, it’s a bit scruffy here and there. But well worth £700.00”

So when I collected, I realised just how big the scratches and dents were. “Buyer beware“ springs to mind. Seller was 100% upfront in everything they declared. But I didn’t zooooom in.

Despite the ugly scratches, yellow skip paint, grey primer and bare metal, the car was worth the money and effort I had put in.
In my world cosmetics are less important than mechanical issues. The seller had told me when I bought and paid for the car the day before, that if I was unhappy, he would refund me. I bought the car because I liked them and the car.

So on Friday after collecting it, and after washing it the first time I looked at all the damage closer.
Varying degrees of damage, from hedge or shrubbery “parking”damage and scuffs through to scrapes, gouging and dents on the passenger side doors, rear wheel arch and lower rear passenger door sill from the dumpster/skip.

So I fetched some G3 polishing compound and a coarse rag and set about to polish out as much of the scuffs, scraped etc.

Pictures don’t do it justice really.

But trust me, an improvement.

On the rear arch some surface rust was sanded back and i then used Vactan paintable rust converter on that exposed part. Followed by some paint from the almost colour matching paint.
All the gouges and scratches plus worse damage in places were painted over.

Drying time 20 minutes and hardened by 24 hours.
I will wait a week and then run water paper at about 2000 grit or whatever over the rough patches, followed by G3 compound and finally some of the same polish I used on the Astro and front half of the Scenic.

I am not going to repair any dents but if someone has a pair of complete colour matched doors to GIVE me, they can be fitted.

The one trim piece on the rear door is deeply gouged too, so needs replacing outright or maybe I will spend £22.00 on a small aerosol can of matched paint to try repair it.

Unfortunately some pics will seem out of sync. ​

But they are different as I progressed with the polishing.

Sorry.

[Grizz1963]

I am spoiling you all.

Way too many pictures for those who don’t read words and way too many words for those who take the time to read them.

Still, sitting at Sallys house after delivering the free BBQ I collected and cleaned yesterday and getting a load of her older plastic garden furniture collected after she was given a used hardwood set from her uncle who died…….

Using her fast broadband and uploading photos at a decent pace makes sense to catch up on the last weeks activity.


So on to the next update.

Had the car a week now and its been valeted once, washed once.

I always think that washing a car gives you a good feel for the damage and things that need attention.

I will be honest here, I did not read the advertisement properly. And I am not one to zoom into pictures like so many people do.

Quote from the ad:
“Big scratch along the near side where she didn’t quite squeeze through a gap with a skip lorry, inside door handles and dashboard are sticky, it’s a bit scruffy here and there. But well worth £700.00”

So when I collected, I realised just how big the scratches and dents were. “Buyer beware“ springs to mind. Seller was 100% upfront in everything they declared. But I didn’t zooooom in.

Despite the ugly scratches, yellow skip paint, grey primer and bare metal, the car was worth the money and effort I had put in.
In my world cosmetics are less important than mechanical issues. The seller had told me when I bought and paid for the car the day before, that if I was unhappy, he would refund me. I bought the car because I liked them and the car.

So on Friday after collecting it, and after washing it the first time I looked at all the damage closer.
Varying degrees of damage, from hedge or shrubbery “parking”damage and scuffs through to scrapes, gouging and dents on the passenger side doors, rear wheel arch and lower rear passenger door sill from the dumpster/skip.

So I fetched some G3 polishing compound and a coarse rag and set about to polish out as much of the scuffs, scraped etc.

Pictures don’t do it justice really.

But trust me, an improvement.

On the rear arch some surface rust was sanded back and i then used Vactan paintable rust converter on that exposed part. Followed by some paint from the almost colour matching paint.
All the gouges and scratches plus worse damage in places were painted over.

Drying time 20 minutes and hardened by 24 hours.
I will wait a week and then run water paper at about 2000 grit or whatever over the rough patches, followed by G3 compound and finally some of the same polish I used on the Astro and front half of the Scenic.

I am not going to repair any dents but if someone has a pair of complete colour matched doors to GIVE me, they can be fitted.

The one trim piece on the rear door is deeply gouged too, so needs replacing outright or maybe I will spend £22.00 on a small aerosol can of matched paint to try repair it.

Unfortunately some pics will seem out of sync. ​

But they are different as I progressed with the polishing.

Sorry.

[Grizz1963]

So……..

Next job is a log of smoke and mirrors.

But it works for me.

And for now……. That’s just fine.

Buffing etc over, I proceeded to add two coats of the almost matched color paint.
Filling some of the grooves.

A weeks wait shoukd see it really hardened enough to go over with water paper, compound and polish to improve the matching.

Abra Kadabra !!!

MAGICAL DIFFERENCE.

NOW ZOOM IN ON THAT…….

I am liking it.

.

[Braunschweiger]

You have a good hand for it, even without seeing pictures it will look great.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Braunschweiger

You have a good hand for it, even without seeing pictures it will look great.

Thank you my friend.

I enjoy it.

Just so disappointed Photobucket is not working.

[Grizz1963]

Do I like it?


Do I love it?


Do I sell it?


Do I keep it?



Do I need it?



Do I want it?



NO, I LOVE IT, (for now ��)



So two weeks after buying it, £100.00 spent on it, including the train fare and many hours used up fettling damage and cleaning every shut line, the scuttle and engine bay, interior, plus catching up on 19 years of “neglect” in places like the sunroof etc. that had no use or attention since day one.


So 400 miles/two weeks later and getting to know it a bit better……

How do I feel about one of the many impulse car buys I have done over the years?

Keep in mind, literally a minute before I messaged the seller, I had tried to motivate someone else in Manchester to just get on a train, drive, cycle, hitchhike or walk to buy and collect it before thinking that it really did offer as much and more than Prozac the 2000 1.4 petrol Berlingo I had bought for £250.00 years ago. So the £700.00 advertised price to me was equivalent to what the Berlingo had cost way back. I have a good friend who is paying £760.09 per month for a three year old BMW.


Driving and living my first 400 miles with the Scenic has been a really pleasant experience so far.
The 106bhp 1.5 liter diesel engine, used in many other brands including Mercedes Benz, is pleasant, quiet and the 6 speed transmission really well designed to compliment the engine.
Inside, getting into the car, seats are higher than most sports cars and even things like Ford Focus or Fiesta for comparison. This alongside the raised driving position, large front and side glass makes it awesome to use. Add in the glass sunroof and your feeling of space and openess really increases exponentially.

A few things I have noticed about it will not stop my enjoyment or it’s functionality and includes 1.) Aircon- Doesn’t. 2.) Rear windows Don’t work predictably. 3.) Radio occasionally changes stations R2 to R3 (I will not be going any further trying to fix any of these problems) Beyond that, its an awesome car. Just brilliant. Done two small, “van jobs” so far



So the reserve light, indicating 62 miles or 100km left to go, came on on Wednesday. I carried on driving it some more and went to fill it at the local serviced Gulf station and insisted the guy fill it after the first click off and it took another 5 liters of diesel. Totalling £86.10 for 57.5 liters diesel.


This is a clever car and I am still getting to grips with it’s onboard computer etc. So I zeroed the trip meter and noticed it showed 47.5 mpg for the previous 400 miles. It also showed at the tanks full point, a range of 600 miles or 1000 kilometres.
Unlikely for me to reach that as I drive reasonably briskly. But that would have resulted in the indicated 47.5mpg.


Does it sound like I have reason to be happy??


I think so.


Some pics of course.


Next to it’s spiritual predecessor at a bootfair and a sunset pic.

.

[Grizz1963]

So??


Going down the pan?


Or exciting anyone else out there??


Bought some paint yesterday



What could go wrong?


Colour matching?


I always stop to say hi to the staff at the Turkish restaurant. Nice people.


Manager offered me a coffee, which I accepted and sat out on the sidewalk with, watching the insane world go by.


Did I mention that Life is Good?


AI may also have made some suggestions, thanks to a creative member playing around with it Thanks @Dick Longbridge





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