GRIZZ’s ‘79 - 2WD BLAZER Challenge over in London, England. “~It’s not a Project~”

[Grizz1963]

Sunday

I started earlier than usual with small random jobs that all needed wrapping up and doing at some point, so decided any time is a good time.

A few parts needed painting after welding, grinding, fabrication.

Including the “space maker” recessed tray on the transmission tunnel.

Keep in mind, this was made to create space for the blower unit and heater matrix and box to be fitted in a way that left space for wiring looms, switches, dash cluster, large ECU and various chunky bits of hardware, as well as the pedals and related mechanisms.



More time consumed with measure, cut, drill, fold and shaping of the side supports for the dash panel and also side panels that will see he blower exists get fitted.

Need to still get a decent piece of ply, preferably waterproof, for the dash panel and sides plus kick panels.

Job for another day.




Another job has been to make the gear stick and hole fit correctly.

Yes, it will need an extension……….

Interestingly, the thread on the stick is different to anything I have, so a quick screw on a nut and long bolt solution for mocking up, did not happen.

Still, happy so far.



With the heater box and blower fitted in place, you can see how much space it takes up.



But Nick, and others reckon I will be thankful on a chilly spring or autumn evening.




More in a bit, day job stuff to deal with.

[Grizz1963]

Photobucket continues to frustrate me, but at least I seem to have found a way to support my random rambling with phots, using the web based home, vs a mobile app.

Money seems to continue to haemorrhage from my wallet.

Important stuff, current and earthing.

@nickwheeler said so. 😉



Various nuts n bolts, think sheet metal, firewall, trays etc.

Gloopy silicone, gutter sealant etc for various sealing and joining jobs.



‘The last few weeks have been quite full on with day job work keeping me busy and away from home (Covid home working was good) and knackered at night.

Tuesday evening I was angry about some dumb stuff at work (seems it makes me more productive to go unwind a bit) so an hour in the garage gave me progress.

Shelving offcut.




Bit of measuring, cutting.

John, the short term lodger is a biker, car guy and driving instructor, and enjoys coming to the garage.

I did not realise he had taken some photos while I was busy focussing.

David the other lodger (Electrician contractor manager at Grain power station) who has been here a year also came down to check if I had lost any limbs yet, and promptly proposed to close down my site for all sorts of H&S infringements.

So different these two guys.



Bit of folding,



Some holes drilled, bolted to the fender, and we will have the mounting bracket for fuse box and relay as illustrated before.



This was one of those jobs that the wiring loom unpicking has made easier by adding maybe 50mm of play to it.

Small steps, all take time.

I look at this bracket and kinda wish I had some record of time spent overall like @blackpopracing has on his build.

https://forum.retro-rides.org/thread...glia-shinyness

That is the way to do it.

My Teardrop trailer build was about 360 hours all told, years ago.

Crazy how time adds up.

[Grizz1963]

One other job I got done this week was to find out the thread pitch of the MX5.

Then tracked down a Mazda specialist 10 miles from home, who sile me a soare shifter for £5.00 (plan B would be cut and weld)

He then introduced me to an engineering shop aro8nd the corner from where his workshop is.

So we started with this…….




Guy was the guy I spoke to, and he measured the thread and pitch, said they had the correct tap and die to make a male and female extension.

Using 15.9mm steel stock, and set as 200mm or 8 inches he offered to do the job for £15.00 or about $20.00

@nickwheeler and I had agreed that there was no way I could buy materials and produce for that sort of money afterwards when we chatted.

Order placed late afternoon, and collection arranged for the next day.

They are open for small challenging jobs, interestingly, Guy has built a kitcar before, so understands the challenges.



While waiting for him to confirm the job, I saw this………….

Evidence of an engineering shop that has been there a while, despite being clean and very modern.

Made me smile.



Yesterday morning I had a hospital appointment for myself at 09.00 and afterwards before 10.00 I stopped by at the engineering shop to collect my stick.

Lovely finish.







Back home in the evening I had to go test it out.

REMEMBER……. There is a rubber fitting to go around it, bolted into the yellow piece of MX5 tunnel, and then a leather boot, sheath, or whatever you want to call it.

Feels good in the hand when making Brum Brum noises like @pauly

Doing the maths…….

More than 1 inch below the tunnel, and shifter knob takes up 2 inches, leaving the actual stick being about 5 inches or 150mm long.

Neutral.



First gear…….



Second gear, fourth and reverse are all the same.



Small steps, but Progress nonetheless.

Looking forward to the weekend.

Hopefully more stuff getting made, attached, tested.

Bleeding all over.

Perfect.

[Grizz1963]

Message from Nick Wheeler yesterday.

He had taken the whole wiring loom with him on Sunday after dinner.

I've been destructive too:





The body loom no longer has any airbag, window, central locking, stereo, headlight aim or air conditioning wiring. It looks a lot less intimidating, and is much more malleable.






Quick bit of checking yesterday showed the base plate of the gear lever needs replacing.

However, the question is how to remove the old and fit the new.



Also tried my Paul Walker memorial knob, more gears than the gearbox actually has……..

Sounds about right for this build.

Tongue firmly in cheek.



Got home and my neighbour where George the cat actually lives, delivered a parcel.

@pedalcarjoe Ernie had sent me a new, unused auto dimming welding helmet. Thanks mate.

Mickey next door had previously broken one I let him use. No idea how, he is heavy handed.

Ernie also included some very cool stickers.







Today being Friday means weekend, and hopefully some progress.


Kettle is on.

[Grizz1963]

Well…..

What do they say about the best laid plans and all that?

Corporate work kept me busy in the end, and in the end…. ultimately I popped out for half an hour to fetch a pull wagon chassis for mate @craigrk from Uncle Bob the hoarder.

He had agreed to selling it to Craig for £10.00 what a surprise.

Sally popped in to show me the new doggy acquisition at Uncle Bobs, a rescue from a flat in Maidstone.

Meet Bonnie, I was smitten. Instantly.



So my total days productivity was condensed in this.



The bed may be,widened, as will the track, to be used to drag stuff about at his new home.



The afternoon weather also absolutely sucked, which was just as well, having to deal with a load of corporate Bolloxx and colleagues.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a lot easier to actually get on with stuff and also better weather.


Fingers crossed.

Loads left to be done, made, created, tested and laughed at.

[Grizz1963]

So where were we.

Cleaning up my act.

Monday evening after work I ended up in the garage because Sally was knackered and had gone straight home after walking the dog.

So I started on some nice, easy win jobs that ultimately need doing.

Cleaning, Flap Wheeling, Scraping, Masking, HEATING And Painting a few pieces

Clutch MC and reservoir ready.



Pedal box.

Manky as hell.

Needs new rubbers.



Flap wheeled.



Better.



Dirty Big Donut.








Much happier with them all uniformly painted.

Have also ordered a £64.00 new Brake MC to fit.

Heating each part before painting when it is 7’C outside meant slower going, but it beats sitting around indoors.



Came in after this lot.

Happy so far.

[Grizz1963]

Remember these bonnet/hood latches that were seized up and rusted away.




Well, thought I would try open them, if they broke….. hey, meant to be, if not…. Money saved.

I really like their design and they suit the car.

Bench vice, spanner…….

Cleaned up the steel bits with a small “Knotwheel of Truth” @pauly ©️ and painted.

Used some Autosol to try polish up the handles a bit.

Not great, but improved.



Halfords wheel silver paint.

Hook tab shows condition before when removed from the bonnet/hood.




AND REASSEMBLED

Saving myself a bit of cash, plus I could not find new ones in the usual places.




Cleaning stuff is certainly therapeutic as they are small wins that take time and makes a difference.

[Grizz1963]

So the screen, or is that scream?

Removed the studs.

Bought longer units, cut some spacers.



Tried them, should be fine.



Then decided @nickwheeler would love this look.



Done.

And yes, no paint where the new studs will be welded up.




While I was on the cleaning up run, I decided to buy a nice new, working brake master cylinder.

£64.00 delivered..

Hope to rescue to reservoir from the old unit.



Work today.

Vacation tomorrow.

Saturday spoken for.

Sunday has opened up again for a bit of poking and shoving.

[LT7A]

Once again, you guys are making some great progress. Definitely some setbacks, but ultimately undaunted. And your effort to clean up and paint the parts makes a huge difference. Your bonnet hold downs came out very nice. I have studied the ones on my Jeep and tried to come up with something that will resist the weather better. I have tried to find them reproduced in stainless steel, to no avail. I think I may soak them in phosphoric acid to remove all of the rust and provide a little protective layer, and then just try to keep them well protected with a finishing wax.

[Grizz1963]

Godzilla is alive.

My friend JB sent me a short clip of his first start up of his 861bhp Cobra with Godzilla 7.3 liter motor.

So I called him at 4.00am Oklahoma time, he was driving to gym, before heading to work.





Video:

https://youtu.be/k_1Rm5qlsOA

Should move along nicely.


Work owed me some time.

Planned on getting a few things done at the garage, but ended up distracted by a few friends randomly popping in for various reasons.

So got some tools and wood together and went over to Sally’s house to fix her fences that were damaged by the recent storms.

Time flies, but by 5.00pm as I was leaving, she got home with the dog in tow.

Dog is really unwell, vets had nothing to say, gave some meds but thats it.

Sally likes the new fences and some changes I made.








Bonnie the pup does not look sick, but totally listless and not interested in food, play or anything.




Friday today.

Vacation day reserved for the garage.

All day, so maybe a bit of progress.


Later.

[Grizz1963]

Another day in the garage, having the day off helps.

@nickwheeler and I were busy from 11.00 to 18.30 with a load of fiddly jobs.

Some necessitated fitting and removing between 5 and 15 times…….. let that sink in for a moment.

After removing the original studs welded to the screen, I prepared the parts and started again.

Some gentle cursing, but eventually mad laughter and almost a high five.








I repainted the screen in position late in the day to get its second coat on.

Also the glass fixing strips.







Remember the kitcar Boogie?

Still dancing.

Pedal rubbers came, look great.

HOWEVER……

Brake master cylinder came too….. not right.

Everything is the same, except mounting face and lugs WTaF ??






Lovely.




Another great job Nick got on with was creating the earth straps for the engine and also the dash supports.

Brings new meaning to the term “over engineering” but, plastic cars can be pigs for earthing.

Threaded bungs he made, drilled, welded into the chassis, then all bolted together, gearbox mounting bolt for the engine.







Some Heat shrink in size large needed.




Of course all this gets disassembled once the fuel tank and exhaust are built in.


Maybe after that a final body bolt down.


Maybe.

[Grizz1963]

Along with the other jobs he was doing, Nick was wrestling with copying all the holes, mounting points etc in the firewall.

Most of the complex stuff sits to the drivers side.

So making up the template was done section by section and then stuck together one by one.

Patience of a saint…… Saint Wheeler.



Eventually part 1 was done, and Nick was jubilant as a kid at Christmas, came charging in where I was painting trim pieces to show me.

Bloody nice to see that piece together.

Much more to come.

Happy Chappy.



One of the reasons for now making a full,new aluminium firewall is the stupid hole cut in over the transmission tunnel.

More cardboard added here to get is covered over.



Cut around and filled.



Screen frame in place too.



Just before closing up, with the cardboard template in place, a selfie.

Today I will go add a couple more holes, for the main ECU wiring loom and the heater hoses in the centre and to the right.

Then transfer the wibbly wobbly cardboard template to some thin Chinese ply I have rather than a single sheet of hard cardboard which I do not have.

Once that is completed and CHECKED AND CHECKED AGAIN, @nickwheeler can CHECK IT AGAIN before transferring to the aluminium sheet and at that point I will cut it out and add the holes for all the mounting points etc.





LASTLY……


BONUS PICS.


NICK INSISTED WE TREAT OURSELVES TODAY.


SO I ASSEMBLED THE HEADLIGHTS AND WE TUCKED THEM IN, USING JUST DUCKTAPE TO HOLD THEM AND BALANCE FOR THE SIDE LIGHTS.


LIKING THIS A LOT.





And semi-side view.





It has taken a while to get here.

But keeping in mind it is a weekend build……….

Chuffed as……

[Grizz1963]

Today was a total loss, timewise and financially, and it is not yet over.

Bonnie the pup is back with the vets, being kept in hospital till Monday.

Already just the initial bloodwork, drips, antibiotics etc are making my eyes water.

Unexpected expenses are a pain, but we love our animals a whole lot, so it will be as it is.

Looking back to about September last year…..

Never anticipated going this far at polishing this turd.



And today we are this far down that rocky road.



So I cleaned up the aluminium that was left over from the Grizz Pod Teardrop Trailer build 12 years or so, ago.



Cleared some more holes and prepared the ply that will become the master template with all the correct holes, cutouts etc for the aluminium



And then did the basic cutout.

Loads of holes etc to be made.

Also cutting to fit nice and tightly.

The fenders and firewall are a curved piece, so one needs to keep to the flat surfaces.



Getting there.

More tomorrow.

[Grizz1963]

Today I will probably only get into the shop around 11.00 as Sally stayed over, as the dog issue had her emotionally tired out yesterday.

So a late, lazy breakfast, maybe bacon and eggs on toast……..

Then get the shop open and get going on the rest of the firewall template I started yesterday.


If the day does deliver as planned……..


Wishfully, this tool may get rolled out (see what I did there)





A nice finish will always be a nice finish.


And an early-ish one too.

[Grizz1963]

After last weeks sand storm from Spain, dropped a load of Sahara sand on everything here, I washed the truck early this morning.

Nice.

Clean suits this truck.




.

[Grizz1963]

So the pup has parvovirus, Sally had no insurance and it seems these residential vets have no scruples. Dog has cost a serious lump of cash and still alive.

She is collecting Bonnie at 7.30 this morning from the “after hours” vets.

Lets hope she gets better.


Part 2 of the plywood firewall template fine tuning and fit started at 12.00

Some may ask why it needed to be done.

Well, with the amount of holes and bolts in it, plus wanting it to be very neat, it had to be more accurate than a patch panel under a rusty MOT failure.

Eventually happy with the tidy, tight fit.

There is a 1.5mm tolerance on all the holes.



Then transferred to the aluminium sheet.

A lot of cutting and drilling ahead.

@nickwheeler had brought his electric shear for a tidy cut on straight lines.

Curves I attacked with the small power file and hand tools.

A lot of hand tools used all day.



Cut out, filed to shape.

Starting to look like it should.



And first loose trial fit.

Starting to look like it should work.



Amazingly that photo was taken at 16.25 after starting around 12.00

Hard to believe how time flies when you are fitting and removing repeatedly.


You know those tools you buy, knowing the concept is good but never actually get to use?

No

Well, part of this build has been the car fighting back, a lot

But…… Yesterday, one of these tools came into play, a few times.

Meet Mr Dodgey, around a corner drilling attachment.

Worked a charm.






More about that process in a bit.

[Grizz1963]

Remember the Bead roller?

Me neither.

In the end in order to stiffen up the bottom edge of plate, Nick put a return in there.

17.15 now…… time flies.

Quick, efficient and functional.

Start with glazing pliers to pull back the planned section.



Then some supported hammer work.



And tighten it all up with some dolly work.

And just like that, no more Rolf Harris jokes.



Next up 101 holes for all the retaining bolts and Nyloc nuts.

Measure, mark, punch, drill, grind back burrs, try all holes………



Holes all holed.

Long way to go yet.



Because the sheeting was from a build 11 years ago, surfaces were damaged.

So a belt sander with used belt was run over the surface.

Followed by me on sandpaper to get even consistency, and Nick on Scotch pad duty to get it looking more brushed than scrapped.



Followed by loads of cleaning with thinners and panel wipe……. Standing back, waiting for it all to dry and the new surface to appear.

A few silly grins, a mini-high-five and then time for commitment, well, we really should have been committed a long time ago.

I opened the Polyurethane adhesive and spread it generously on the old, holed firewall.



Nick had the pleasure of slipping the new plate in place while I took a photo, unfortunately I was a tad slow, so just imagine his manic grin when laying the plate against the adhesive, never to come off again.

More holes, a ton of parts and bolts fitted.

Some clamps to reinforce some load bearing areas’ drying tightly.



And looking down, so much tidier.

A whole day spent on doing it right.



So at 19.30 we shut shop, came inside and I cooked some rather nice chicken thighs with Cajun and plum sauce on rice, along with a celebratory beer for Nick and my usual rum and Pepsi.

A long day, but great results.

Nick ticked the job list off, we are over halfway, but being held up by the fuel tank that is not yet made, and a few other issues.

But we did agree, it would have been easy to just throw this all together in a week, but at this pount, this is a great little build.

Monday morning and it is Back to reality.



Later gang.

[LT7A]

"bo110x"

Hahaha, took me a second.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by LT7A

"bo110x"

Hahaha, took me a second.

On a couple of forums the swear filters are fine tuned, so one needs to try be cleverererer……

And often an expletive is just more descriptive.









Good morning after a very short night.

I cooked Nick, John the lodger and myself a lovely chicken curry last night, and in my own case, drank way more than I should have.

Well, a second rum is a rare thing. But usually results in a restless night. But it tasted so good.

Yesterday was one of those MANY JOBS MAKE A DAY kinda days.

Fettling a piece of wood for 2 hours etc.

Started like this.




Sorted some stuff, tidied up stuff and got tools and materials out.

Nick was early, no ringing bells afaik.

By 11.00 I had to run to the village to pick up another brake master cylinder ordered on Friday. £70.00 or about $100.00 at a guess.

Also pharmacy to get some Actifed for Sally who has been sick most of the week and something for me.

Bolted on.

Shiny.



We had hoped the Ford reservoir would fit…..

Looked like a good fit, even initially back to front, but alas…….. the legs are too big to fit in the new holes, which means it needs a different, new reservoir.






Next up, we started to lay the wiring looms for the umpteenth time.



Fuse box and clutch hose mocked up and made up.

Looking encouraging.



Progress.

Looking tidy.



Nick had brought treats for around lunch time.

Short bread cookies.

Time to stand back, discuss, grin, gloat, coffee, plan, enjoy the progress.

Loads of stuff happening in the background, not captured.



More in a bit.

.

[Grizz1963]

Another of those fine tuning, redesigning as you go along jobs.

I had a full sheet of 6mm ply from when I built the teardrop trailer 12 years ago.

And was loathe to cut it up…… Nick insisted that it was what I had saved it for… to be used.

Transferring the layout from the original cheap n nasty ply to the final version took a lot longer than planned.

But we know these jobs take just as long as they should.

It went in and out no less than 10 times to make the basic shape fit, and also for the steering column shroud to fit around and leave room for the vinyl and foam covering.



In Out In Out In Out……..

In Out In…….

Drivers side is slightly lower to cover fuse boxes, pedal boxes and various bits of low hardware.



Next up.

Fitting the instrument cluster.

That took forever.



Eventually happy, very happy.

Switch gear and side panels next.



At some point John the lodger came back home and as always, came to look, advise, help, poke fun.

And took some pics neither @nickwheeler nor I knew he was taking.



No, I have no clue either, but obviously busy with something that consumes time and necessitated being on my knees.

Still not done.

[Grizz1963]

Amazing how much time goes into planning.

Thinking how to solve a problem.

What materials to use.

Finding the right materials.

Making a template.

Copying it it onto steel.

Cutting, shaping, drilling, screwing, shaping, grinding, fitting, tack welding, dismantling, full welding, test fitting 6 screws, celebrating.



John the lodgers pics help tell a story.



And mocking up.

Brains go here.

ECU

Keep in mind, the original engine wiring loom needs to come here and be connected to control things.



Welding.



NIIIIIIIIICCCCE !!!

Secure, high and dry.

Ready to be plugged in and tested (much later)




Remember those other little jobs that consume an inordinate amount of time?/

These hinges needed to come off, be cleaned, wire brushed, prepped, painted and refitted later.

Typically one of the countersunk head bolts/screws refused to budge, so drilling out the head with three different drillbits was necessary.

Where does time go?

Two of each of the replacement screws will hold up hooks to support and keep the wiring loom tidy and out the way……

Tempest Fugit.





Last engine bay pic for the day.

Diagnostic plug mounted on the opposite fender , allowing for some symmetry in design.

Loads more to happen today, Sunday.



And lastly……….


A QUESTION TO YOU ALL.


DID WE ACHIEVE ONE OF THE OBJECTIVES?


85mm








Breakfast next.


.

[Grizz1963]

And in other news.

Raffle Tickets available for this new build at US $39.00 per ticket today.

Built in the Philippines to all out Driver Style.



Loving this car.

[Grizz1963]

Sally is a donkey, not much stops her. Certainly not Covid.


Thanks for the care messages for Sally, the dog and George the cat and of course compliments aimed at @nickwheeler and me.


In the mean time I have released an album to help generate funds for the body and wheels that need painting.


Hope it sells well and generates sufficient funds.

[Grizz1963]

Ordered a couple of new switches yesterday.

Rear fog lamp switch (need to still find a slimline one to fit)

An one of these to replace the cigarette lighter plug with.

Thanks to Nick for the suggestion.

Better than plugging a USB extension into the cigarette lighter to get the same result.



On the way home last night the traffic was light so I took a chance to go past my turning to the industrial estate to see if they had some 75mm M6 countersunk Phillips head screws or are they bolts?

To mount the bonnet/hood hinges and allow enough length to hang some supports from under the scuttle into which the wiring loom can rest.



Time consuming jobs, detours etc.

Makes for an interesting build.

[Grizz1963]

Bought from my favourite scrapyard.

Cheap.


Record no 111 vice.

24kg weight.

£10.00 or $13.00