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

[Grizz1963]

.

So this is a repeat.

But I want to draw a baseline.

The truck was brought into the U.K. like new, by a US serviceman in 2001 who sold it when he returned back to base after finishing his service here.

This is the trucks “build sheet” showing its whole DNA. What was put together to create it.

It seems to be pretty special, and I am both pleased and thankful to have been able to tick a box on my lust list.



Read and interpreted by some clever people out there

G80 and ZQ8 are posi track rear and sport suspension
G80 is the LSD, nice.
ZQ8 is a code and a trim package, so your truck is a ‘ZQ8’
They had a factory lowering kit, around 2in or so, springs and leafs. A tighter steering box and some other nice things. The Xtremes got the same setup but got a body kit and some badges.
This is kind of an aside since you're curious about rpo codes, but the guys who have the super sport S10’s look for the B4U code. SS trucks were the first to receive the ZQ8 suspension in 96 until they stopped the SS in 98. The ZQ8 then became its own trim package so to speak
That is the rear end. I think the codes that start with G are the gears for the rear. Not 100% but I think that's what it means. And G80 is a locking or semi locking rear end if I remember right.

GU6 = 3.42 gears
G80 = POSI limited slip
L35 = v6 4.3l vortec
M30 = 4spd overdrive transmission
ZQ8 = Sports suspension package


So having brought the truck home it was time to start looking at what all was added to the truck that adds value or cost.

Originally supplied in Missouri by Molle Chevrolet of Blue Springs.



An Extang BlackMax retractable vinyl tonneau cover has been fitted from new.



The truck benefitted from a Raptor bed liner applied in the USA before delivery.

Unfortunately, if you look on the outside, it carries a pair of metal FLEETSIDE badges, correct for what it is, versus a Stepside, but not original.
If it were not for the holes in the bedsides, they would be long gone (personal preference) but they will stay.

The bed has also never carried a load either, and is unmarked and indented after 20 years and 38k miles.



It has also, unlike so many truck, never towed or been used as a towing vehicle. Though I want to change that slightly.

Really interesting, is the fact that the rear bumper is ready to fit a tow ball once you remove the rear step rubber and find a hole, ready to receive.

Lift the rubber cover and away you go.





The original steering wheel was replaced with Grant item, personally, I prefer the idea of original there, so hope to find one and fit it back where it belongs.
Another Marmite “Love it or Hate it” addition to the interior is this fake wood dash overlay.
The quality and fir of it is actually really good, and may even have been a dealer fit option, along with the rear lights, wheels, bed liner and protection.
I actually like it more at this point, than disliking it, so it will stay.
Different strokes for different folks ehh...?
Also visible is the occasional bench seat once the armrest and cubby are flipped back to form a backrest.



Up closer in daylight.



My friend JB Matthews in Oklahoma mentioned that he never seemed to buy a truck with the emergency Jack and wheel spinner.

Looks like I got lucky.



Also, unused is the 4th seat, behind the passenger seat, what is not apparent, is the fact the front bucket seats are actually a bench seat for occasional use of three, with safety belt.



As we know, the truck runs on two piece 17 inch Cragar SS wheels, shod in 255/45ZR17 98W Nankang tyres. There is also a full size spare Cragar wheel that came with the truck.

Included in the sale was a set of lowering springs and blocks. Some matching paint and two spare handles for the third door.

Seems the bump stops were removed and not refitted when the lowering kit was removed before I bought the truck.

I would love to see what my truck would look like with another 2” or 50mm drop, once it gets cold, I am sure @pauly will pop over..





In the engine bay, the only change affected was a change to K&N air filter system which in itself seems to be controversial.

So there you have it.

Baseline extras fitted to the truck, worth a few Dollars.

Next up, broken bits and bits needing replacement or fine tuning.

Changes that need to be made.

[Grizz1963]

Looking at this truck, it certainly is a shape changer.

Frontal area, through shaping and design is quite small and aerodynamic.

Maybe what delivered the 27mpg in part.

Facing the 020 Ford Focus, 20 years difference in design



Much easier to get up the alleyway than some of the wide stuff I have had in there before.

The rear tail light was actually about 50mm from the concrete fence post in this pic.



Pretty obvious that the wheels need a good seeing to.

Later guys, out in the cold now.

.

[Grizz1963]

Bought and collected another puzzle piece that will need a bit of machining to make work properly.

Adapters were £30.00 for the pair.



Pretty pleased to have found them.

[Grizz1963]

Seem to have kinda got Photobucket back to working again.


Only owned this truck a week and a half and it really is feeing like this is a keeper, possibly why it was on my bucket list, and being as it took this long to get the right basic specs for my personal preference list, it makes me happy.

So we start with some of the “needs fixing” items.

Came with only one ignition key.
Went to Timpson and helpful guy says yup, I cam Mel one, it’s £75.00 of course I bite my tongue not to laugh, saying it does not have a chip, just need to open the door, Ohhh he says, that will be £15.00
So I walked out, I will find a half a brick when I need it.
Got to be a cheaper option somewhere.



So I headed home planning on watching something random on the telly and drinking by lunch time.

First I had to add this little aerial topper like a football player, silly but satisfying.



The Marmite dash in fake wood, it’s staying.
So why post it in the faults section?

No heating, no aircon, just a blower. So that needs to be investigated and repaired.

Maybe the unit in the Blazer from the same era will work as an easy repair, once we figure what has died.



As possibly not yet mentioned, the front seat setup acts as an occasional three seater, along with a lap belt for that passenger.
The armrest is also a storage space, and flips out the way when in use.
They are known to be fragile.



When you open it, the whole top is cracked up, but that’s an easy one to replicate in aluminium and fit in there to retain support.



Next problem is the rear tailgate handle.



Plastic inner to the chrome has a broken tab(s) a $5.00 part, hopefully I will order one to replace it.



So when I got home, I ended up deciding to go it and wash one wheel and tyre. Just to calm my conscience.

I also decided to wash the suspension lowering bits that came with the truck, clean is good.

Before.



After



Of course typically, wash one wheel, became maybe wash the truck first and then do the wheels, one by one.

Sally took a pic as she popped over to watch some recorded telly.

Thanks I am mad, washing the car in 4’C weather with intermittent rain nd wind.



So the car washing took about an hour, because I was giving it some attention.

I did not realise that I was actually going to wash it again on Sunday, as I realised the door rubbers, undersides and some hidden grooves needed some pressure cleaning and a brush or two.

[Grizz1963]

GALAXY: Great service.

Paid for itself, and saved me some cash.

Cost me £700.00 in maintenance to run for 14 months excluding,tax and insurance. Got £150 of that plus purchase price back.

Now on its way to be broken for parts and shipped to Nigeria.




Would I recommend it to anyone else.

Absolutely.

Remove the rear seats and you have a cavernous van with capability and comfort well beyond what it deserves.

BLAND, BLAND, BLAND BUT FUNCTIONAL.

Want some fun? Go out and buy a 1.4 petrol Berlingo like Prozac and fold the seats down.



Roll on S10 Truck.






PS:


Though this is mostly a USA site, thought it worth mentioning.



.

I feel it justified to give ESURE Insurance a punt on here today.

They came in as the lowest sensible quote by over £200.-0 for the same service when I insured the Galaxy.

And their renewal this year, dropped another £20.00 plus off that.

So I called to cancel and spoke to a lovely lady called Caitlin who cancelled the policy, informing me that my refund would be £151.00 as there was a £35.00 cancellation fee (I feel it’s a pits take from insurance companies) but we agree to that in the fine print.

I said I tried online and telephonically to insure the S10 with them, but failed.

Then she asked me to hold on while she spoke to her supervisor, three minutes later she was back.

ESURE could not insure the truck, therefore my cancellation was not my fault, and they wanted to waive the cancellation fee.

I have to say, that was a surprise and will have me go back to them first for any future insurance first.

Customer care.

Simple really.

[Grizz1963]

.

So back to phase one of the S10 ownership.

Still on the first cleanup, finding flaws, surprises the good stuff.

After washing the truck, it was onto the wheels, I know they are kinda well past their best by date.

Still good at 5 yards, and the tyres need replacing, despite having loads of life in them.

For illustration, I will post only pics of the drivers side front wheel. It was possibly the worst.

Before washing.



After washing



And after a few hours on the set.

Polished, detailed, done.



Also note, there is a full sized Cragar S/S wheel with like new Kumho tyre.

Needs to be washed, polished, detailed.



Can you say Hovercraft?

Truck on blocks



Front view of the UFO



Working in the cold is kinda less fun than summer, but getting my hands on this truck and getting to know it, seeing flaws, possible issues to address in future, priceless.



Coffee time.

.

[realvc]

Hey Rian, I wish you were closer so I could try to buy or trade those Cragar S/S rims off of you.
Those are some of the coolest rims going. They look better on your truck than any you have shown so far, again to me.
I had a set on a 1966 GTO back in the day.

Like some have said, "To each his own"

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by realvc

Hey Rian, I wish you were closer so I could try to buy or trade those Cragar S/S rims off of you.
Those are some of the coolest rims going. They look better on your truck than any you have shown so far, again to me.
I had a set on a 1966 GTO back in the day.

Like some have said, "To each his own"

Thanks Vince,

Thing is, they are past their best by date, and need to be changed to make the truck both mine and a bit more together.

As driver quality they are fine, but I want them better than that.



More about getting to know the S10

On Sunday I spent another couple of hours getting even deeper into the grooves, under rubber seals, and behind stuff, lifting, probing, brushing and washing the whole truck again.

This was quite interesting as I found so much more grime, moss, green mould to remove.



After the wheels and going over the whole truck a second time, it was on to the tonneau cover.

It looked good as it was.



But using the Auto Glym product to revive and feed the vinyl gave decent results.

Midway through polishing and buffing.



Job done.



And nicely showing the result the next morning.



After all this I reversed down the drive in order to get the Galaxy in for a quick wheel wash as it was parked over the road in some mud.

So a few cleaned up pics.

Front end, obviously.







This is possibly my favourite angle or view of the truck.



Lastly, went food shopping yesterday, and stopped at the independent locksmiths en-route to have a spare key cut for the truck.

Ouch...... £14.50 which I think is steep, but needed to just get on with it, as it is a brand specific blank, and driving around to find a saving on that, costs money too.

These guys know me well though as they have cut spare keys for all my American vehicles.

Never understand why people lose keys, especially spare keys, surely you store them in a safe place.




Need to start marketing the wheels and tyres and finding replacements.

.

[Indian113]

Rian, I had the same problem with the console on my 98 S10. I bought some thick lexan from a Lumber yard and cut it to fit then glued it to the top. It was still holding up good when I sold my truck.

[aggie91]

S10 look nice, should get plenty of use with all the hauling of misc. stuff you do over there...

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Indian113

Rian, I had the same problem with the console on my 98 S10. I bought some thick lexan from a Lumber yard and cut it to fit then glued it to the top. It was still holding up good when I sold my truck.

Hi Ray, I am going to get something, aluminium or Lexan and use it to reinforce and support the console.

Originally Posted by aggie91

S10 look nice, should get plenty of use with all the hauling of misc. stuff you do over there...

I will haul ass hopefully too.

I love this little truck.

And it needs to work too.

[Grizz1963]

So after a few days of serious rain, cold and wind, today dawned with rain.

Eventually by 10.30 I managed to get out and start on cleaning up the load bed of the truck, as well as the spare wheel.



The tyres tread, like new.



Once I got going, the info exposed showed these are ream American made wheels.



Cleaned up nicely

Rear end.



Still bloody cold out at 3’C but no rain or wind at this point.



And done.



Coffee, followed by getting onto the external plastics, using Auto Glym products, opinions will differ, progress continued.

Bumper before.



After



Front end, sorry for the sun glare.



Discovered another added extra, the chrome grille inserts are also non standard. More value? Maybe.



And after cleaning and polishing the interior plastics, I was really happy.

Suicide door?

Only one.



Last job for the day was to get back to the carport and garge.

Been a few days of not getting down there.

Managed to do a load of little connected jobs, including packing some stuff in some of the cabinets after sorting the shelves and identifying the load of keys.



More packing and sorting down there tomorrow.

.

[Grizz1963]

What have I bought? Rixtrix reckons I may have lucked out a bit on spec sheet.

Feedback so far..........

G80 and ZQ8 are posi track rear and sport suspension
G80 is the LSD, nice.
ZQ8 is a code and a trim package, so your truck is a ‘ZQ8’
They had a factory lowering kit, around 2in or so, springs and leafs. A tighter steering box and some other nice things. The Xtremes got the same setup but got a body kit and some badges.
This is kind of an aside since you're curious about rpo codes, but the guys who have the super sport S10’s look for the B4U code. SS trucks were the first to receive the ZQ8 suspension in 96 until they stopped the SS in 98. The ZQ8 then became its own trim package so to speak
That is the rear end. I think the codes that start with G are the gears for the rear. Not 100% but I think that's what it means. And G80 is a locking or semi locking rear end if I remember right.

More

GU6 = 3.42 gears
G80 = POSI limited slip
L35 = v6 4.3l vortec
M30 = 4spd overdrive transmission
ZQ8 = Sports suspension package


Thanks for the help.




YES..........


I know it is a repeat quote.


Just found this information, further to what we know.


Seems the S10 fans out there call this a ZQ8 truck.



Chevrolet S-10 and GMC Sonoma

The ZQ8 option suspension package comes standard on the 1999-2003 S-10 Xtreme and 1996-1998 S-10 SS models, but was also available as a sports package on either the S-10 or GMC Sonoma. The package included a total lowered ride height of approximately 2" over stock (1.5" from suspension, ~0.5" from shorter tire diameter), thicker front sway bar (33mm), rear sway bar (23mm), quicker ratio (12:1) steering box, upgraded Decarbon or Bilstein gas shock absorbers, and a frame brace. Some ZQ8 models were also equipped with a frame to axle "anti-hop" shock.
The lowered stance was achieved using front coils with a different spring rate, and a 3-leaf rear spring pack.
Wheels and tires were also upgraded to 16" x 8" cast aluminum rim with 235/55/16 Goodyear Eagle GA tires. The Xtreme package used a different style rim than a standard truck equipped with the ZQ8 option. There are 2 versions of "ZQ8" wheels - 1996-2000 (also standard on 1996-1998 SS trucks), similar in design to 3rd generation Camaro wheels, and 2001-2003 (also used on Blazer Xtremes from 2004-2005), which bear a resemblance to an IROC Z28 wheel. Another variation among different models was in the center caps. S-10s and Sonomas used a grey center cap with the exception of the 2002-2003 S-10s, which featured a chrome center cap.

[88Stanger]

Originally Posted by Grizz1963

Thanks Vince,

Thing is, they are past their best by date, and need to be changed to make the truck both mine and a bit more together.

As driver quality they are fine, but I want them better than that.



More about getting to know the S10

On Sunday I spent another couple of hours getting even deeper into the grooves, under rubber seals, and behind stuff, lifting, probing, brushing and washing the whole truck again.

This was quite interesting as I found so much more grime, moss, green mould to remove.



After the wheels and going over the whole truck a second time, it was on to the tonneau cover.

It looked good as it was.



But using the Auto Glym product to revive and feed the vinyl gave decent results.

Midway through polishing and buffing.



Job done.



And nicely showing the result the next morning.



After all this I reversed down the drive in order to get the Galaxy in for a quick wheel wash as it was parked over the road in some mud.

So a few cleaned up pics.

Front end, obviously.







This is possibly my favourite angle or view of the truck.



Lastly, went food shopping yesterday, and stopped at the independent locksmiths en-route to have a spare key cut for the truck.

Ouch...... £14.50 which I think is steep, but needed to just get on with it, as it is a brand specific blank, and driving around to find a saving on that, costs money too.

These guys know me well though as they have cut spare keys for all my American vehicles.

Never understand why people lose keys, especially spare keys, surely you store them in a safe place.




Need to start marketing the wheels and tyres and finding replacements.

.

I would help her make any set of keys she wants!! LOL

Nice little truck there..
By the way, damn does the sun ever come out and say Hi there... lol

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by 88Stanger

I would help her make any set of keys she wants!! LOL

Nice little truck there..
By the way, damn does the sun ever come out and say Hi there... lol

Yup, she would need some help.

Sun, naaaahhhh, rarely.

Truck I am happy too.


Have a snow player video.

[quote author="@joem83" source="/post/2651747/thread" timestamp="1610054322"]Well, as it's snowing up here (oop North)
Have a S10 in snow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIQ7Xs0LvKw
[/quote]

[Grizz1963]

Some more useless information......

Whenever I buy cars one of the first things I do is to check the MOT status, followed by the MOT history.

When the S10 (as yet unnamed) came up for sale, and ticked all the boxes, with the added bonus of being an extremely low mileage example, I was intrigued.

So on getting the registration number from the advertiser, as it was actually blanked out, I got straight online to check the history.

Below is its whole life, laid out in MOT tests, and confirming mileage.

To be honest, on inspection things like the gas and brake pedals show almost no wear, upholstery is complete, intact, clean as are floor carpeting, dash and interior.
The underside, shown before, again shows not much more than a few surface rust stains, possibly indicating a cosseted life and dry storage when not in use.


Some years there was not even a MOT test done and the mileage between tests was limited to 100’s and 2013 to 2015 it did 78 miles.


Looking at advisories, and reasons for Failing the test, most were either based around being an Import or small things like a fog lamp not working, tyres rubbing the chassis (lowering possibly to blame?)

Reading needs to be done bottom up, to get chronology right.










Had an interesting observation from a Facebook group about the door handles on my truck, Chrome vs most in black plastic.

Did a previous owner have=ve a chrome and bling thing going?

No idea, but happy to benefit from it.

So yesterday I refitted the rubber mats I got from mate Ricky for the Blazer

I like that a lot. Functional Rubber.



I also remembered to take a pic of this little switch on the side of the dash, marked fuse box.

Anyone got any idea what it could be for, before I flip it and destroy something?



Chilly outside the last week or two.



Anyway, I carried on sorting the carport storage out, three areas created to empty the storage caravan into.

1966 Chevy C10 stuff
Rezin Rockit stuff
Italjet 50cc scooter stuff.
Miscellaneous stuff.

Like steering wheels and columns



Rediscovered the rubber mat from the C10 on the caravan floor.

Going to cut and trim this to fit in the rear of the S10 to aid protection.



Eventually called it a day at some point when light started to fail.

Few more bits to unpack and identify today.

Caravan found a new home within 5 minutes of offering it to mate Darren, as another ,ate, Ross is restoring a Bedford CF Camper that needs stuff like refrigerator and Porta-Potty.





Last day of vacation today, got stuff done, just not as much as I would have liked to, due to really miserable weather.


.

[Grizz1963]

.

School of YouTube


I will be changing the yellow indicator lenses for clear as soon as I can get hold of a pair.

Amazon is out of stock currently.

Looking at the front end of the truck it was not immediately apparent how to remove the lights

So following the masters advice ( @pauly ) I headed for YouTube to see how to do it.

https://youtu.be/x1Eyr_UVktA


I do love technology at times, makes life. Lot easier.


.

[Grizz1963]

Time for a laugh......

This was just one of many dipchits trying it on when I sold the Galaxy.

Worth a laugh, or if it was you....... 🖕

[Grizz1963]

Got a parcel this week from “Doc” on UKGSER with another ally lampshade and some other switches and this wall mount handle.......

I think that with a bit of editing, it would work nicely on the front bumper, just to butch it up a bit.

Yes, I am cutting the tow ball tab off on the underside.



.Thanks Doc.

[Grizz1963]

Well......

What a way to end your week.



This was in America, not the U.K.

Absolutely sucks

[Grizz1963]

And so the carport has almost come to completion.

Stuff like the lighting still needs to be done, but it is a dry working space.

Also unpacked the storage caravan and moved all the stuff into the cabinets, and got rid of some stuff.

Next trick getting the caravan ready for collection included this.

Zero miles, but a lifetime out in the elements.





Ultimately resulting in this.

Space.






At the point where I walked away from this in the late afternoon chill, I felt really pleased with the result.

It has exceeded all my expectations.

.

[Grizz1963]

So...


Good news.


Whatcha think gang?






.

[Grizz1963]

So back to the white truck posted earlier.

It seems to be an American spec model Extreme.

Side repeaters on mine, are not on it.

It is also the donor of the clear lenses I have wanted from day one.

And yes, clear side repeaters may be a problem, it’s a European thing and the conversion kits are made for the American market.

So the solution will be to find a set of clear side repeaters from something European that will fit the hole.

Challenge? Yes, possibly.


.

I have bought the clear indicator lenses off the owner who is going with smoked front lights and lenses.

£25.00 included postage which sounded like a sweet deal to me vs finding and importing a set from the USA, getting posted tomorrow so hopefully fitted by next weekend.

The one has a small scratch that I will tackle with a bit of rubbing compound to clear off.





Pretty chuffed today.

[Grizz1963]

Needs clear side repeaters not orange though.

[quote author="@zeberdee" source="/post/2652217/thread" timestamp="1610290715"]Hard to tell from your pics , but the side repeaters look like they could be ford ?
MK3 Escort , MK4 Transit kind of era ??

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/322533049013[/quote]


Spot on.


I Think.....


30mm base



Hole drilled is about 20mm to maybe 22mm to let fitting through.




I th9nk it is very muchm80’s Ford.

Need to find a pair of replacements.

Ideally oval items.

[Grizz1963]

Went out early to just check the fittings as there are so many different types and tabs.



Opened one to see what the bulb looked like.



Then ordered a set of “London Taxi” side repeater lenses.
I will have to edit or trim the fitting tabs though to ensure a flush fit
(They are Ford Transit items)



Back to work today.....

Hmmmmmm....