♻️ Grizz’s ~~ ASTRO Van 🚙 Renault SCENIC 1.5dci 🚙 1966 Chevy C10 Restoration “Reboot” 🚘

[Mr Pastry]

17 minutes ago, Morris 63 said:

the "approved" method of test running them whilst also providing cooling is to fill a wheelie bin with water and test run it in that!

Yes.  Have done this with small outboards and it works fine.

[grizz]

On 06/03/2025 at 06:40, GlenAnderson said:

I would think that’s a 1950s era bit of kit. British Anzani had quite a good reputation IIRC. My old man had one, and a couple of smaller Seagull outboards. They were just a few of the many things that my mum saw fit to get rid of while I was working away. 

This sort of thing saddens me. 
 

When my mum died, and once years before, my dad did massive clearances. 
 

When mum died, photos of family, friends and history, ornaments and other random things were all tossed by him. 
 

He preferred a very stripped back, almost spartan style. 

22 hours ago, Morris 63 said:

If you try to get it running, and it's anything like a Seagull, the "approved" method of test running them whilst also providing cooling is to fill a wheelie bin with water and test run it in that!

Just don't let the prop chew a hole in the bin!  

I actually have a 44 Gallon drum. 
 

There may be a halfsize wheely bin somewhere as well. 

22 hours ago, Mr Pastry said:

Yes.  Have done this with small outboards and it works fine.

Cool. 

[GlenAnderson]

4 hours ago, grizz said:

This sort of thing saddens me. 
 

When my mum died, and once years before, my dad did massive clearances. 
 

When mum died, photos of family, friends and history, ornaments and other random things were all tossed by him. 

My mum didn’t like anything around her that wasn’t hers. She practically erased my dad from her life after he died. I don’t pretend to understand grief, or her decisions, but I do appreciate that I probably will never be able to put myself into her shoes. I have, however, never forgiven her for giving the family dog away within a month of my dad passing, and never consulting me or my sister (who was utterly heartbroken) on the matter. 
 

You don’t get to choose where you come from; you get to choose where you go. 

[grizz]

2 hours ago, GlenAnderson said:

My mum didn’t like anything around her that wasn’t hers. She practically erased my dad from her life after he died. I don’t pretend to understand grief, or her decisions, but I do appreciate that I probably will never be able to put myself into her shoes. I have, however, never forgiven her for giving the family dog away within a month of my dad passing, and never consulting me or my sister (who was utterly heartbroken) on the matter. 
 

You don’t get to choose where you come from; you get to choose where you go. 

I cry for you, your sister and the dog. 
 

My ex-fiasco years ago dif a similar thing while I was away for work 

Unforgiven.  

[GlenAnderson]

Yeah, I came home from a week away with work to find my sister in floods of tears locked in her room because she’d gone to school that morning and come home to find him gone. I wanted to go and get him back from wherever, but my mum didn’t know where they lived, and never even asked their names. 
 

Things like that never leave you. My mum was so cold about the whole thing. 

[grizz]

Back to the outboard engine. 
 

 

 

 

Sparkplug is a Champion 4/5/6/7 COM or something like that 

[grizz]

Remember the Vintage Grinder dumpster find I bought from Uncle Bob ?

£12.01 of my English pounds.

Add a 150mm stone and a 15mm wire wheel, for £32.00 plus some bits of scrap steel and galvanised and powder coated railings, gloop it all together with a welder after a lot of cleaning, grinding, cutting and visualising of a work station on top of a rusted out truck brake drum, weighing 30kg and bought for £5.00

So what does it give me?

Pictures tell a 1000 words.

So this is my pile of junk.

More to show soon.

Bonus for the day was mate Henry coming over and bringing cakes, wiring up a new 6’ LED light for my shop table. 

George, of course happy to have a cat person around as well. 

VIDEO

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[grizz]

Anyone interested in what happened next??

 

Beg me….

 

Tell me you really want to know what happened. 

 

 

.

[grizz]

 

Up bright and early 

 

Welder and grinders at hand. 

 

Mocked up

 

Glooped together. 

 

Video too

 

 

 

 

Almost done. 

 

Bit more to get done. 

 

Happy with the results 

 

 

 

.

 

 

[Bmwdumptruck]

Won’t the plate sticking out catch you in the shins one day Rian.  Bit of plumbers pipe insulation stuck over the edge might help just in case. Great build though, mine just sits on the bench and even though it’s in the workshop that’s the other side of the garage away from the house the wife knows when I’m using it!! 

[grizz]

11 minutes ago, Bmwdumptruck said:

Won’t the plate sticking out catch you in the shins one day Rian.  Bit of plumbers pipe insulation stuck over the edge might help just in case. Great build though, mine just sits on the bench and even though it’s in the workshop that’s the other side of the garage away from the house the wife knows when I’m using it!! 

Naaahhhh

 

Litigation waiting to happen. 
 

 

 

Seriously though, it is along way from shins. Made to put a foot on to prevent pushing it over. 
 

 

 

[grizz]

So glooping together a load of scrap steel including galvanised, powder coated railings etc I made up a footrest at the bottom so one doesn’t accidentally push it all over. 

 

It took me most of a day, with Henry visiting, to get that far in the last post update. 

 

Next morning I added a small side table for a cooling tub with edges to stop the bucket vibrating off. 

 

I also added a small pipe vice to hold rebar, square tube or flat bar when cutting and grinding in a production run. 

 

I then assembled the grinder that I had previously completed, using the new medium stone and wire brush. 

Testing it on the driveway (in the video) before final assembly. 

 

Followed by painting the new grinder stand and then the vice bench. 

 

 

Small distraction for a big gain. 

 

 

Hope you all enjoyed the build. 

 

 

I certainly did so. 

 

 

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[MrBig]

Love the juxtaposition with your builds. Vintage grinder/vice stand built on upcycled steel while fitting LED lights 😎

I just watch, taking the inspiration for a day when the kids are older and I have the time to get my hands dirty more.

[grizz]

4 hours ago, MrBig said:

Love the juxtaposition with your builds. Vintage grinder/vice stand built on upcycled steel while fitting LED lights 😎

I just watch, taking the inspiration for a day when the kids are older and I have the time to get my hands dirty more.

Dirty hands and clean money 

[grizz]

Bought these for my die grinder, or drill, to get in around the grooves, seals, joints etc that I bare metalled 10 years ago. 
Surface rust should get off around screen, to be ready for paint.

[grizz]

Saturday was Chevy truck time. 
 

There id 59 year old underseal, black paint of unknown origin, blobs of filler etc. 

 

VIDEO SHOWS IT BETTER. 
 

 

 

Mate PaulY had problems with his truck 

Eventually he got it sorted out. 
 

Happy days. 
 

Sunday morning I got back onto my cab and cleaned the firewall once I had figured it out the most effective method. 
 

 

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[Dick Cheeseburger]

Love it. Is the blue original? Are you going back to it eventually? Red looks lovely too, though...

[grizz]

6 minutes ago, Dick Cheeseburger said:

Love it. Is the blue original? Are you going back to it eventually? Red looks lovely too, though...

Blue is original yes. 
 

A few people have suggested that I change the colour. 
 

From Chrysler Firestorm Red to blue. 
 

I agreed that it was a great idea……. If someone Crowdfunded the change of the wheels to off white and bought me 6 liters of new colour two pack. 

[auntiemaryscanary]

On 09/03/2025 at 18:27, grizz said:

 

 

Up bright and early 

 

Welder and grinders at hand. 

 

Mocked up

 

Glooped together. 

 

Video too

 

 

 

 

Almost done. 

 

Bit more to get done. 

 

Happy with the results 

 

 

 

.

 

 

That SDS drill you had given you will come in very handy. Think you said in the video you'd not used one before. Might only be a B&Q Performance brand one but they are very good for masonry/concrete drilling and demolition too. It's probably roughly equivalent to my £50 Toolstation one.

For occasional use drill bits and chisels are cheap. Worth checking if it has an access plate to cram in grease for the mechanism. If not kept greased it won't last long.

Liking your pedestal stands as well.

[grizz]

19 minutes ago, auntiemaryscanary said:

That SDS drill you had given you will come in very handy. Think you said in the video you'd not used one before. Might only be a B&Q Performance brand one but they are very good for masonry/concrete drilling and demolition too. It's probably roughly equivalent to my £50 Toolstation one.

For occasional use drill bits and chisels are cheap. Worth checking if it has an access plate to cram in grease for the mechanism. If not kept greased it won't last long.

Liking your pedestal stands as well.

 

I had to chuckle today. 
 

early morning I went down to the garage to gloat at Saturday and Sundays work. (Still to be published) when Mickey slides into the garage, telling me that if I give him £10.00 I can keep the SDS. 
Man needs a beer I guess. 
 

I will give it a good look over tomorrow. 

[93fxdl]

I have found poly strip discs in an angry grinder will shift rust,  paint,  filler etc but isnt too aggressive on good metalwork, leaves a nicely keyed surface for primer too. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284260144391?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=hGwHrsWxQTi&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=2oNbumgoQ7a&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

I have painted 2k over rattlecan several times, never had problems with it reacting, saturday painting sons kawasaki, 

Black rattlecan covered with metalflake in 2k clear covered in candy orange in 2k clear

 

Ttfn Glenn 

[MrBig]

Those poly discs are brilliant. They happily take powder coat off too with a bit more effort.

[grizz]

On 10/03/2025 at 22:29, 93fxdl said:

I have found poly strip discs in an angry grinder will shift rust,  paint,  filler etc but isnt too aggressive on good metalwork, leaves a nicely keyed surface for primer too. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284260144391?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=hGwHrsWxQTi&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=2oNbumgoQ7a&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

I have painted 2k over rattlecan several times, never had problems with it reacting, saturday painting sons kawasaki, 

Black rattlecan covered with metalflake in 2k clear covered in candy orange in 2k clear

 

Ttfn Glenn 

 

Thanks for this Glenn. 
 

I know ZERO about painting big stuff. 
 

6 liters of 2K paint bought 10 years ago and primer the same. 
 

Would hate for it to react to something that I should have sorted. 

[grizz]

On 11/03/2025 at 07:46, MrBig said:

Those poly discs are brilliant. They happily take powder coat off too with a bit more effort.

Good to know. 
 

I might have one or two stashed, otherwise I’ll order some in. 

[grizz]

Sunday turned out to be a lovely day. 
 

Sunny, warm and I spent around 5 hours on the cab. 
 

Hard to believe when you look back at the progress. 
 

But I was still trying to figure out what I needed to do to remove the various finishes to the firewall. 
 

VIDEO 

 

 

 

Mate John came around with his kids for a while too…… letting them blow off steam in the garden. 
 

These distractions are actually great because they tend to break the monotony of the jobs at hand. 
 

So in a fit of creativity, I fetched some woodwork scourers and used petrol from the lawnmower can to address the black paint. That worked, albeit slowly. 
 

Next brainfart saw me grab an empty spray bottle and fill it with fuel, so I could spray onto the work surface constantly because the fuel dribbles out of the scourer faster than I could use it. 
 

A job where you just keep gping over and over. 
 

I didn’t want to scar the metal before painting. 
 

I closed shop as having John over was a perfect excuse by 4.00pm 

 

It was a good day. 

 

PS  I found a number scribbled into the firewall  

Any ideas about what or why? 
 

853-2

 

.

[Westbay]

"PS  I found a number scribbled into the firewall  

Any ideas about what or why? 
 

853-2"

 

Number of hours it took 2 people to paint the cab ...  🤔  😁

[93fxdl]

Bit late now, but you really need to be wearing gloves

Ttfn Glenn 

[grizz]

4 hours ago, 93fxdl said:

Bit late now, but you really need to be wearing gloves

Ttfn Glenn 

Yup. 
 

Realised it afterwards. 

[grizz]

She broke the squeaker out of it. 

 

Life is all about her squeaky balls. 

 

 

Yes, I guess I am mean. 

 

 

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[grizz]

Friday night……

 

George says yes. 
 

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