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

[Grizz1963]

More ??

Single post truck lift used as Toys for Tots table.

Great success in collecting toys for a great cause.



QUICK VIDEO:

Silver Shakers 2016 Tuba Trucks. - YouTube

Looking for breakfast?

Seems we went to the wrong place.





Of couse only in America can you find a great group of cars on a road trip while on a road trip.
They were headed for California.
Went to fill Clems truck after breakfast and found this group.











DRIVING OFF

Road trip in a road trip - YouTube

[Grizz1963]

Sunday was started slowly by all concerned.





After waking, breakfast etc we all decamped for Mike and Sarah Losh's new place for lunch.
Some of us in Kims Subaru, McMurphy and Trish their hire car and Chad in his truck.
Prepared by Mikes nimble fingers.

Boosted Bertha



Cloud Nine





I also got given a gift for being the biggest poopy stirrer

Meet Mr Poopy.



Paul "Neveno" reversing his dream truck "Boosted Bertha" into The White House's garage.



Originator of the Mr Poopy award and allround good guy Paul.




New addition at the Losh household.

Thank you Sarah and Mike for lunch.



Headed back toward Fayetteville we were all shattered from a few days of hyper activity.



I love these large flags proudly flown on tbe side of the roads.

[flashed]

Love all your pics and I too love to see the Flag in the wind like that .

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by flashed

Love all your pics and I too love to see the Flag in the wind like that .

Wish the British were more proud.


Monday came and it was all back to normal.

Clem asked Bomp and I if we wanted to join him on a littke road trip to go fetch his Race car.

Helll Yeahhh !!



He had some custom headers made up for the motor, with a block in place so it could be custom fitted.
So we were off early after filling the truck and hooking up the trailer.



Some distance into the back of beyond got us to this side road and sign.



Getting inside the shops after Bomp reversed the trailer up a track like a pro was interesting.

Low light.

Masses of machines out in the fields rusting away.

Indoors a load of clutter.





Can you say Headers ??



Working headers for a miniature V8 motor.



Clems Car loaded





Once loaded we were offered an extensive tour of the factory.

Few pics as lighting was terrible.

A 24 foot dragster fram in the background.

Business owner Jim Dugan started building it 20 years ago but his knees gave in and it has never been completed.

Much of the factory sadly had a similar feel to it but it seems they still produceproducys for various custom and after market suppliers.

[65sub]

I'm really enjoying the trip Rian. It's almost like being there.

[Larry64]

Between last year & this, what great story lines. Thanks for the details.

[Grizz1963]

Seems that Jim had been involved with some interesting teams and builds in the past. He is also a confirmed Hemi addict.

Built one of these years ago it seems.



Leaving, there was loads of evidence of the past.







Headed back toward Fayetteville the signs and roadside was filled with reminders of America as I had experienced it.

This was my last day with Clem.
McMurphy, Chad had both gone home by now. So it was just Bomp and I left.

My heart was certainly becoming heavy. Funny that.



A lot of Religion in this part of the US as well.



Back home we unloaded the race car.

Underside



Mockup engine in place.



Bomp in place. Happy.



My car patiently waiting to be packed. Ready for the trip back to Missouri.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by 65sub

I'm really enjoying the trip Rian. It's almost like being there.

Dale, that is the perfect way to sit back and enjoy it.

There is so much to see in the US so this is nothing more than a little pinch of salt. Meant to add flavour to the days of those reading or following my life and this truck build that will become a build again as soon as my head agrees.

I do miss working on the truck and swearing and laughing at it in equal measure.

It is very therapeutic to me.

Originally Posted by Larry64

Between last year & this, what great story lines. Thanks for the details.

Hey Larry. Thanks for posting a reply.

Yes. It has been great.

Filled with the most awesomely generous people you would ever want to meet.

The thing is, from the teenage girl working the petrol station near Dennis who "Just love your accent" to the people I met along the way to my various hosts and friends...... you could not ask for better.

I love the US that I experienced and the people I met.

[flashed]

We do tend to like an accent we dont hear often but I do hear some since we have students from the UK here on our university campus .

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by flashed

We do tend to like an accent we dont hear often but I do hear some since we have students from the UK here on our university campus .

John
The best part about many foreigners is that they like to learn from you and you can often learn a lot from them.

I love any accents as they are sure to teach me stuff too.

[Grizz1963]

Remember the Hemi Challenger sitting outside Clems yard?

Well, it was waiting for a rather precious cargo.

Dennis as you may remember, is building a 1966 C10 on a modern NASCAR Chassis with a serious motor and trans.

He had bought one C10 that turned out to be no good other than for some parts.

What was left was destined for the scrapyard in the sky.
Until he tought about it and took his Sawzall to the scrap pile and removed the rear end from the bed and mounted it outside his shop.



At this point he asked me to see if Clem may have a used/patina'd front or rear bumper to sell him that he could fit under the tailgate section.

This is where the Hemi Challenger comes into its own.

I fitted the bumper Clem sourced for Dennis into the rear and still had space in the front seat for a passenger.



Tuesday morning it was the last three men standing. Clem, Bomp and me.

Up early and ready to leave by 08.00 I was ready to go back to bed. Thos whole jetlag thing was no fun this year.



After all our Goodbyes were said, including Mrs J and all the cats, it was time to see what Ms SatNag had to say on the shortest route to St Louis, Missouri.



Well. Trust me. It was going to be an 8 hr plus day.
I was certainly not racing through. I would avoid motorways where possible. Stop at McDonalds for WiFi etc.

I would also try to keep awake.

I filled the car in Fayetteville and got on the road by 08.30

Once filed and before I hit the city bypass I saw this.......

Gotta love cool classics.



By now you know I love place names and quirky names. Very juvenile yes.

So along the way there was this.

And various versions of it.









And a personal favourite.

[Grizz1963]

Along the motorway I did see a sign..........



After Donnie Wilson giving me that Case knife this was just perfect.

One of my favourite photos of the whole trip.

It brought together various facets of the USA for me.



So of course I went in.........

MY MIND WAS BLOWN !!!

I have always loved pen or pocket knives ever since I was a kid.
In fact, my mum even bought me a twin blade for my 21st birthday. Which I promptly went and lost two days later through a hole in my trouser pocket on my way to work. 32 years later I still have not forgotten or forgiven myself.

I have a small collection of random knives all with stories or emotions attached and still love them.

The knife Donnie gave me lies next to my bed and I look at it, tpich it and use it regularly.

Back to the Case Knife shop.

All types, all prices, all sizes.

I looked and drooled in that shop for an hour, wanted to buy Donnie a knife to replace the one he gave me but in the end realised that Ihad no idea just what was in his collection.

So I formulated "Plan B" and bought Miss Katy a pinkn(coz she loves pink) Buck knife for her handbag. Yes..........??? So what? She is a nurse matron and often uses a knife.

She loved it.



Back to "Plan B"

One of my car and bike buddies in South Africa had asked me for some US license plates for his weekend getawaybb

He also likes knives. So I created a deal with him.
I would get him some plates and a 5'6" black snake skin in the post before I left and he would get me an Okapi knife in the post for Donnies collection

Now Okapi's have the dubious honour of beingknown in South Africa to have killed the most gangsters in drunken and gang fights.

They are real cheap n nasty but they have a special allure.
So maybe one will add a bit of interest to Donnie's collection of higher end knives.



From there I carried on past some more interesting places.





Later in the day at one of my stay awake and have a coffee breaks the internet delivered a lovely message from Clem and Bomp who were clearly missing me much.



One for all the South Africans



And even a Katy's Trail.



The road went on and on.
And I certainly enjoyed myself. Listening to a Satelite Country music station.

NSFW !!

PARENTAL ADVISORY.

EXPLICIT LYRICS.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED !!!

Recorded in the Ozark Mountains.

Bit of true country in The Ozark mountains in...

The roads became narrower and at one point I stopped for an hour after turning back to go investigate a fleamarket shop. Bought a few pieces including some cool glass insulators for dennis.

Beautiful bridges all in use and functional. Some of the old Route 66 roads retain them as well.



Time flew and eventually I made it to Wright City after 5pm so the trip had taken just over 9 hrs and with detours off the motorway had ended around 410 miles.

Interestingly the cars fuel consumption calculation showed a healthy 25.3 mpg

Dennis told me that I had driven like a P#$$€¥ if that was the best I could do.
Well, thats fine too.
Not my backyard, not my car.

[dwcardfan]

I love seeing this trip through your eyes. And yes that Okapi is going to make my collection even better! It will have a great story.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by dwcardfan

I love seeing this trip through your eyes. And yes that Okapi is going to make my collection even better! It will have a great story.

Like you say.
It has a story attached so that changes its inherent value.

I am sure you will like it too.



So when I got back to Dennis it was a bit rainy and overcast so I just filled the car up a mile from his place and took it home without washing it as the roads were wet and would defeat the objective of the exercise.

I parked up and unpacked.



Just as I finished the gravel crunched, the dogs barked and Dennis came in.

So we went straight out to the garage with the new bumper to test out the tailgate he had fitted while I was away.

Perfect - Beer o Clock.

The day was still young at 6pm.

Tailgate worked perfectly.



A bunch of Dennis' friends, son Adam and his lady Hannah all came for dinner.

Very ably prepared by Debbie and Hannah. Dennis did the steaks.

This sort of impromptu family meals is something I noticed everwhere I travelled and it reminded me of South Africa where I grew up.
There was always place and food for one more. Nothing formal. It just happens.

A very good day got even better and despite being tired I loved it all.



"Cinch" is Adams dog.

What an awesome dog again. He seemed to like my company.
Along with Tally one of Dennis' two dogs. Did I mention I love animals?





Did I mention that we had gone over to Dennis' neighbour Ryan a few times on the quads?

One of the times he and I went digging around in some derelict buildings.
We found some cool old tims etc as well as Dennis Paul cking up a short dry snakeskin at about 18 inches. He handed it to me and said we should maybe be carefull. I don't like but certainly don't fear snakes.
Anyway, I noticed the thick end had a large lump to it and started to unravel the STILL WET skin.
Whoooopps!!!
It turned out to be 5'6" or 1.65m long. Head skin and eye lenses stuill attached.
Of course we then did vacate the building, beers in hand.

I carefully rolled it up, tucked into my new John Deere hoody front pocket and took it home later.

This was dried out when I got back to St Louis.

Beer for size perspective ;-))



Some pics of the 66 as well.

Dennis is trying to use as much as possible from the original NASCAR in his build.

Note the safety fuel cell out back.







Slightly wider than standard rubber and lightweight control arms.

Dennis wants to drive this truck to Clems in 2017



Eventually the evening drew to a close and everyone went home.

I went to bed. Tired but happy.

[Grizz1963]

Next day I felt a bit better.

Rum and beer fixes stuff. Sometimes.



Dennis had gone off to work and I had the Challenger again.

Some errands to run. Including getting various parcels into the post for US and other destinations.

Here was an interesting experience. Again the sort of stuff I do like to discover.

A whole town had been laid out and planned. Roads and infrastructure set up. Plus a large Post Office and depot built.

Guess what.......?

Town never got built so this post office sits on its own in the middle of nowhere.

Staff ....??

I have yet to meet more helpful and friendly staff in a post office. The lady just blew me away with her helpfulness. Even wrapped my parcels in extra tape to ensure they arrived safely.



I went to Walmart where Chevy, Ford and Gas Monkey garage T shirts, tops and hoodies cost from $7.50
Bargains.

Then later on back home to start sorting my piles of stuff that I had either bought or been asked to bring back.

Flashed (John) had selected a load of Hotwheels trucks, baseball caps etc for me and posted them to Clems before I got there. To be shared if I wanted to.

Some of the toys



When Dennis came home we went straight over to Roger and Debbies place again as the hood needed to be fitted to the Orange monster.

But before that we checked out his favourite toy.

Heater control for the cab........



Motor

With welded cracked block.



Pretty in primer.



Both cars as found and bought in a barn

Photo of a photo obviously.



Spot-less the hunting dog.

Very cool garage company too.



Hunting wagon. Massive kennel built onto rear for Spot-Less to stay in when hunting season is on.

Rogers smoked game sausage is absolutely awesome with beer.



Dennis as always making short work of body work and getting shut lines sorted.

[Grizz1963]

Interior starting to take shape as well.

Newly upholstered seats. Piping colour matches body paint colou as painted by Dennis.







And then there was the chicken wings. With BBQ or Hot Sauce. Made by Rogers wife Debbie.

These had us all stumped. They were just perfect.






We eventually made it back home. Beers in hand.

Dennis showed me his race car trailer.

Well, its not really a trailer as we know it. It is a fully mobile workshop.

Loaded with complete front and rear ends and other stuff that is all dialed in for the race car.





That was it for Wednesday evening.

Thursday would be final packing.

[flashed]

Yiu have got me thinking real hard about going in that direction next year .

[NevEno]

Looks like you had a great time! It was cool hanging out again!

[Bomp]

It'd be cool to get to cruise around with and see the sites.
Started planning next year now.
See you next year.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by flashed

Yiu have got me thinking real hard about going in that direction next year .

John
If you plan it well, in advance then it can be a great trip.
There are a lot of good people to meet out there.

Ultimately the choice is yours.

Originally Posted by NevEno

Looks like you had a great time! It was cool hanging out again!

Certainly was.

Sadly holidays are just that.

A break from reality.

Two weeks back in England and I am ready to get back on the plane.

Originally Posted by Bomp

It'd be cool to get to cruise around with and see the sites.
Started planning next year now.
See you next year.

You have no idea buddy.

[Grizz1963]

Well, Thursday morning arrived.

Two weeks had flown by at a massive rate.

Admittedly, I had been quite busy and not slept much inbetween.

So we got up, got ready and Debbie made us a serious breakfast with a load of extra bacon thrown in as a final farewell to me.

Once packed in the car the three of us set off to a couple of stops.

I had more parcels to post out to the world and typically the closest post office was shut so we drove all the way back to Wright City and got them sorted.
Then off to the race car shop as Dennis had to pick up some bits to paint.

Remember this mangled truck we saw less than two weeks before after it had hit the wall very hard and needed a serious rebuild?

It was getting a lot of attention and a lot of new parts.



Can you see the difference??

Dennis magic again.



Left and right spindles. Different on each truck. Different for each track.
New for the rebuilt truck.





Lightweight and again custom made.

Money Money Money. Possibly destroyed the next time the truck gets out on the track. Seems its the name of the game.



Once we were done at the race shop it was off to O'Fallon where Dennis has his shop.

He had saved the best for last.

Ethyls Restaurant has been an eatery for as long as most people can recall.

The last change of decor saw Dennis do a lot of the work and there are pieces of his own history in there. As well as a lot of his personal hours making furniture and decor items.

Have a menu for now.



Dennis and Debbie outside before we went in.

The rest should be a treat when I get back to posting up.




Back in a while.

Git work to do now.

Later.

[Grizz1963]

Sooooo.........???

Remember Ethyls where we were headed for lunch?

Any guess what the name implies or the theme of the restaurant?

Answers on here to see if anyone is still taking notice or reading the words?

Photobucket should be releasing my last batch of pics later to wrap up this trip.

[clemdaddy]

Eat here and get gas...

[Palf70Step]

Don't look Ethel.........but it was tooo late, she been.....



Oh, wrong theme song

[Grizz1963]

So Ethyls:

noun: ethyl alcohol
a colourless volatile flammable liquid which is the intoxicating constituent of wine, beer, spirits, and other drinks, and is also used as an industrial solvent and as fuel.

Walking into the restaurant this greets you.

Look closely.......

In the background you see Dennis headed for the bar where we were having our last lunch.

You can see the pumps. Answer.



Everywhere you walk the theme is clearly automotive.



Ethyl alcohol...... makes our hobby go around.

Dennis put in a lot of his life and many many hours of his time into getting this restaurant its look.


Remember the various sprint cars over at Dennis' shop at home?

Driven to championship status by his son Adam.

This was Adams first car he raced as a kid.




Model T Ford?

Well, half of one, built and paunted by Dennis years ago.

It has a long and interesting history, including. Eing stolen and repatriated by the police years later.
Only the plate on the front helped the police find where it was from.



Loads of these tables also made by recessing tools etc and then covering them in clear resin.









Bear and a barrel.

Just so much stuff everywhere.

Pegasus is an original.

Massive.

Priceless (well, worth a lot of money)



Some amazing history on the walls and hung up everywhere.

And at this point my mouth was still just hanging open.

So much great stuff in one place.



I had not even sat down to order my lunch.

Also kept running into people I had previously met with Dennis and Debbie.

It really was like being at home with friends.

Did I mention that life is good ??

More in a bit.

Last mile.