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

[Grizz1963]

Few more pics from Mrs S

Our official trip photographer

Tonight the Rezin Rockit sleeps here.



Pretty place





Dinner in the go.



No, this is not all there is.



Chef. Photographer. Co-driver, Tired. And a big part of the trip as Fils sidekick.



Observers have commented that the registration implies Grin factor

Lets hope so.



Support from all over too.



I am grinning in anticipation here.

[Grizz1963]

Copy and paste of Fil’s report tonight from where they have struck camp.

Originally Posted by sparkplug

...and to keep the real time theme as far as possible...

Bill and Gordon were waiting for us as we arrived to pick the Rezin Rocket up. The Rocket itself had already been moved out of the yard and was prepped and ready to load.

With the trailer lined up and ready I went in to the cab to get my gloves and fetch the straps and by the time I got out Bill & Gordon had already got the ramp tilted and the winch hooked up. They've obviously done this before.

It became obvious right away that any attempt at me helping would only slow them down so I kept out of the way and left them to it. Nicer people you couldn't wish to meet.

Bill made sure that the trailer wheel nuts were tight as it was clearly a concern to him and the Rezin Rocket then got strapped down. If we'd used any more straps it would have ended up looking like an Egyptian mummy.

With gifts exchanged and apologies from me to Bill for stealing the road trip which he revealed he was hoping to do it was time for us to head back south.

You'll see the loading pics from the official tour photographer later but here's the snaps I got of the new view from the trailer cams





The second cam was almost an afterthought and was a really cheap and nasty one from eBay. I specifically ordered the version without the parking stripes as I just wanted something that pointed backwards rather than down as it can give you a better idea of how tall a kerb is, for example. As you can see, they sent me the wrong one but return postage would have cost about the same as the camera so I didn't bother.

I had originally thought it might also double up as a rear view mirror, but being mounted on the rear step it's so close to the ground that it makes you feel nauseous as the tarmac appears to be shooting past at 300 mph!

It does what it needs to do.

A couple of hours on some stunning roads with the sun beating down gloriously on us and we're back at Haggs Bank.



A quick inspection showed that my replacement number plate had stayed on this time. I was nothing short of amazed at the speed and organisation of getting that made - especially as Bill was working a night shift and met me straight afterwards.

It just shows that with the right will, connections and organisation anything is possible.

Today's massive drama which I'm struggling to find a way of blowing out of all proportion in a sensationalist tabloid way is that the stereo which was mounted on the jeep wasn't there any more.

The mounting frame was so rotten that the whole thing had fallen down. Fortunately it landed in the jeep.



And with that I'll sign off for today. Off for a warm shower and a bacon roll I think.



Tune in for tomorrow's exciting episode - "the final leg"

[Grizz1963]

Ready for the next leg, down to Kent.

Three wipers should clean the screen pretty well.






ETA at a lazy pace with stops for coffee etc is 3.00 to 4.00pm just when I have an hours training online.

Let’s hope it is 4.00pm


.

[Grizz1963]

So the AA man got there pronto to replace the tyre.



Oooops.

Commercial tyre.

No can do it seems.





So John, the good man he is started to call around and managed to locate a tyre and someone who can fit it.

I am expecting a fist sized hole to be torn through my wallet and then my ring to be significantly stretched.

But we are at their mercy.

Would be nice if not the case.



In the mean time Fil stretches his legs.



While Nikki gets on with her studies.




In the mean time I get a PM from a stranger.

Proving again, life is good and that this is an amazing community.



The story continues.


Stay tuned.

[Grizz1963]

So......



Because commercial tyre needed.



Up she goes.



Removed dead one



Fitted new one



Back on the trailer.





And 3.5 hours later.


And


£162.00 or $210.00 or ZA R3510.00 For the pleasure later.



Straight into the afternoon traffic and a delay.



Next will be the afternoon M25 tango in the slow lane.







My debt to Fil and Nikki continues to grow exponentially it seems.



I signed up for this, so I will play the game out.


.

[Grizz1963]

At last, 26 hrs late.

Sorry team.

So the last pic from the road, before they rolled up to my place was this......



So I set up with phone on video to capture the arrival.

And photos for the story.



By the time had done faffing with[hotels for you guys, Fil who had had a long, stressful day, was already at it.





I was pleased with what I saw of course.



Once unloaded, we pushed it through to the back of the kitchen.

This thing is incredibly light too, I was surprised.



After unloading, I hooked the Galaxy up and took the trailer up to the farm where the owner lives.



They did not hear me, or the dogs knocking, and it took me 20 minutes to get Nick to answer the door.

A quick chat and road report, had me telling him the one tyre had let go on the motorway, but been replaced en-route.
Mainly to make sure he checked the others as usually if one goes, the rest are shortly to follow.

Here is where the story changes direction for the good, in fact, for the great......

He asked in surprise how much it had been ( Do remember that I had already paid for it and was happy to take responsibility) old rule of borrowing: “You bend it, You mend it” so not a problem.
I had told Fil when it happened to just do whatever needed to be done.

So he insisted that he reimburse me for the cost, I declined, he insisted, I declined again, he walked away to the house, and I started to drive to the gat, and he came out with cash in hand, saying it was his trailer and would have been his cost in any case in 800 miles had I not used it.

After once more declining the money, he said that it would displease him if I did not take the money, I had also offered to go half and half with him.

I guess for a guy with a 4 week old Tesla, an Audi R8 , Bentley and Range Rover plus a few very nice motorbikes on his drive, who still does his own bodywork and is currently restoring an older Jeep CJ for his wife, this is not a biggie.

To me, the cash was already spent when Fil had the blow out, however, this once again reiterated the nature of this hobby and the people who inhabit this space.

So, result.



After getting back and parking the Galaxy, we decided Fish nd Chips we’re in order, rather than me making dinner.



We sat chatting till quite late, after which Fil and Nikki Headed for the camper, as they declined the indoors.

My night sucked as usual, but I woke to a real nice lazy sunrise.




Looking out the bedroom window my eye was instantly drawn to the Rezin Rockit.





For now, it is early days and like a toddler it will take time to find its feet.





Becoming a Teenager later, though still not quite knowing its ultimate destiny or even having a real identity.





My day was filled with a load of small unrelated jobs and I did not get to touch it till about 3.30 this afternoon.


More later.

[Grizz1963]

So after coffee, chats etc, Fil and Nikki left for Cambridge around 10.30 or so.

But not after he and Mickey carried the RX8 seats down to the garage and plonked them in the Chevy C10 cab.

Looks good, trust me.

Wrapped up, thanks to Bill who is a fan of protection



I also noted that some big wheels mush have called these arches home at some point, with this sort of damage against the body up front.



Fast forward to this afternoon, after shopping and trying to find a few things, including some free/cheap used tyres for the two alloys Bill had dug out to roll the car around on.

One guy offered to fit me some for £40.00 after the guys at my usual tyre shop, used for all the Galaxy and Berlingo’s new tyres, was not there today.

I will go back tomorrow morning early to see if they can help

In the mean time........ I had to start messing around.





Front end hub, A-arms look tiny compared to my Chevy Blazer and the C10 items.

All rubbers and bushes seem to need replacement and servicing too, and if this thing is to become an antisocial animal, it will need to handle safely.

I trust the service items will be [font color="e6198a"]aFORDable[/font]



Small little components.



So on closer inspection, it seemed the front drivers side has one stud broken off, I found it inside a nut, in the leaves and rubbish in the tub.



Tyres are 195 rear, and 205 in the front.

Amazingly still do not come close to filling the gap.



Really interesting modification on the passenger rear rear hub and wheel to make two nuts fit a non standard steel wheel.

Two studs removed, leaving two.



Two nuts again, as it seems to be the case all around the Rockit



Passenger side front wheel is totally flat.

I tried to fit the spare steel that Bill had sent along, only to find it does not fit the disc brake setup once bolted in, everything was locked tight. Burger !




So after not getting tyres, Sally and I (she is a patient girl) went to Small Ford Centre in Chatham and I got some wheel nuts, to replace the many missing ones, and to get a set that were all the same.

50p per item, equalled £8.00 in wheel it’s.

Only problem is that they are for steel wheels. Fail.

Well not a com-let’s failure, I do like some steels on these as well, so will keep them for future use.



Sally’s son Ryan came around to look as well, he is very intrigued, being a 20 year old in a 1.6 diesel Fiesta, that’s already significantly modified, His,first question when O said the roll bar was getting removed, was “What are you going to do with it” and his eyes looked like those of a magpie.

I want to find a thicker diameter,roll bar, and possibly mount it with a slight rearward tilt.

He also gave me some alloy wheel nuts he had got for his previous Fiesta, the tapered cones are solid, and I am not sure if they are meant to be the “loose type” of cones, any advice?



Almost midnight, bed time.

Amazed that two weeks ago Bill had gone to look at this thing that had been offered to me for sale, and now it is on my,drive.

More tomorrow for those,who are in need of a fix, or still watching.

[Grizz1963]

Thought I would quickly update the cost of fetching it so far.

I had agreed to pay Fil’s diesel in the Sprinter van for fetching the car in Scotland.

But his and everyone else involved’ s contribution is priceless and most people really don’t get it fully.

I also offered to pay for sausage rolls on the trip, he declined as they had a fridge full of food in the camper van.

Fil took a load of used double glazed windows and a Honda CG125 in a box up.

Bike was sold for £60.00 to a friend, cash into kitty.

Trip was 1074.7 miles, door to door
Fuel total £247.18
Making it 23p per mile
Subtracting £60.00,from the bike. That I had paid for 5 years ago.
Left £187.18 to pay

Car was £350.00 with so much work to do, and a lot more missing than just engine and transmission.

RX8 seats,,still to be made to fit £70.00 thanks to Bill.

Wheel nuts £8.00

Two tyres on the alloys who knows, I will find out later.

This will cost a fair amount to get to MOT level, and on the road safely, but hopefully it will be fun nd teach me more new,stuff.


Priceless.


Oh, and you guys get to laugh at me.


Woke to this today.


Not done a whole lot yet, been helping Tom the lodger sort stuff out.

[Grizz1963]

So late afternoon yesterday after getting back from shops and various jobs, Sally and I were able to start on looking at, and cleaning the Piggy.

She continues to surprise me.

By the time I came out the house after doing some work stuff that needed to be dealt with, this is what I found.



And the back of it looking like this



So proceeded to get a brush, wheelie bin and scoop.....

About 1/3 of the bin filled with leaves and debris.



Moss next, and leaves under the hood.

How does it all get in there?



After all this, I went to get my pressure cleaner, forgetting that it really does not work anymore, resulting in waking Mickey up from his 6.00pm post pub sleep, he was zonked.

Got his cleaner and then proceeded with the job for an hour or so.





Only got the rear half done, as it turned cold and light was fading.

But happy so far. Need to do the rest today.



Starting with it looking like this.......



Pressure cleaner left it like this, after intense, close up cleaning



Much better, but still not right.

I thought I would try a trick I used on the Chevy Blazer glassfibre roof before.

Domestos bleach gel, brushed on neat, washed off after 5 minutes, removes the staining, giving a much nicer look.




So off to the tyre place next, then back to pressure clean the rest of it, followed by bleach to remove the stains after that, and another pass with the pressure cleaner to remove it all.

Hope to get that all done today.

[Grizz1963]

Back from town.

12 miles to joy.

Two used tyres fitted for cost of a “drink”

Happy with that.

Now for the front half with the pressure cleaner after fitting the alloys quickly.

Did forget to go to Halfords to grab a can of Arizona Gold to try out on one side.

Job for another day maybe.

[Grizz1963]

Seen in 2015 in Austin, Texas.

That's a hood ornament.



Notice also the flying pig hanging from the rear view mirror.

[Grizz1963]

Still trying to catch back up to real time.

Only 16 hours behind now.





Getting some tidying up done was high on the agenda.

Found some interesting “details” in the design and build.

Can you see it?



I also removed most of the original radio and interior light, rear view mirror mess.

Need to try get these two parallel bars out as well, Bill whacked his head on them twice, I am still due to do it.



Also removed most of the seatbelts and mounts from the rear, and despite the bloody long bar, still could not get the roll bar shifted.

The seat belt cassettes are on the same mounts.

Will try again today when it warms up, and after the bleach job.



Certainly do not want or like this bull bar.

Heavy and unsightly, plus rusted through under plastic coating.

And if it is on a diet, this will help.




Some serious bolts keeping it all together.




Better?



Other side?



The moss stains were really resistant.



Last bit.



Anyone know what these lights are from?

Body and internals on this one rotted away completely, so need replacing.

I prefer to replace like for like.



Lens after cleaning out the rust stains. Certainly can be refitted.



Actually pleased that I could also do the whole engine bay, behind the grille, under the hood etc.











Does my butt look big in this?



From up high.




Not that there is any money, but yesterday’s Money Shot.

Some change so far.





So, now it is Sunday 9.25 and the next job is a coffee, walk around the Rezin Rockit for some silly grinning and dreaming.

Then get on with the bleach.

Followed by one more run with the pressure cleaner.





Anyone see hope?


.

[Grizz1963]

Opinions again.


I do not have any of the stuff needed yet, and not given the it a lot of technical consideration.


But.











I a, thinking a simple, hinged pipe bar where the yellow masking tape lies.

Then attached to it, a racing style window net (re-used, recycled) hanging down on a 5mm to 10mm Max rod shaped frame for it to be attached to.

99% visual, racer style. Not really an airbag or soft plush cushion.

I also thought that buying some nylon webbing and stitching it all together by hand was an option, albeit not a clever one.


Opinions?

[Grizz1963]

So my helper hates a photo, no matter why.

Still, fooled her.



The old seatbelt mounts were attached at the same points as the roll bar rear mounts.

They were rotten and needed to come out, so I crawled underneath and let Sally drive the 3 foot breaker bar and about 5 extensions.



Got them, and the rotten carpet and under felt out.

Then cleaned up again, how many times have I cleaned this out.



Other way.




Looking at the base, behind the seats, where the seatbelt mounting nuts are welded in, it became apparent that this was not a safe place, and my newly bent and laid out roll bar would be a good idea.




But first a bit of fun.

I had enough of doing the real job of cleaning and prepping.

There would be more to come.

[Grizz1963]

Lunch time action.

Micky loves this sort of thing.

Today we were back to full social distancing, and it felt so stupid for me to wear a face covering as he is isolating.





Rear end, looks different, coz it is.



Front again



So the next trick will be finding some 60mm to 70mm Outside diameter pipe and a pipe bender to make a new roll bar, differently configured.


More in a bit.

[Grizz1963]

So after all the stuff I did the last few days, yesterday afternoon was also time for relaxing.


So I went to the garage and pulled out some of the stripes I had put on the Blazer


Thought it worth playing about a bit..





AND FOR THE PHOTOSHOP KINGS..........


Knock yourself out


Lowered, coloured, plain, GOLD WHEELS, change the wheels outright, steels, alloys.


Go on.\






One of my colour schemes will be along this line.


Sticking to the white as primary colour.


Star Gasoline Racing ?

















So there you go team.


Show us what you have.

[Grizz1963]

Bit more

QUOTE=sparkplug;5817207]again, just a rough illustration to give an idea.

[/QUOTE]

Originally Posted by sparkplug

Different wheels, lower



Any particular wheels you'd like to see on it?

Just silly?

[Grizz1963]

.

OK.........

So let’s get this put to bed first.

Wheels are back on, its on the floor, and I am safe, tools put away.

Ion Monday afternoon I had a Video call with @PaulY to show him the underside and chassis.



Took some pics for you all to comment on, plan around or just stare at, like I did, in order to plan how to lower this thing significantly, while keeping it driveable.

Sally had come over for dinner after work, and took a sneaky pic from the kitchen.





Front









Various views.





You will note bits missing, bits undone or loose.

I guess that will be part of the challenge.









So there you go.

.

[Grizz1963]

.


Houston, we have a problem.


Meet “ Burger “ she lives in a Vauxhall Viva estate.

When discovered a year ago,the nobody knew how she got inside a closed car in an engineering companies yard.

Turns out, she had found a large enough hole under the rear wheel arch to make her way inside, and create a home.

Since then, she was de-wormed, de-flea’d and has two full meals a day, while keeping an eye on the engineering shop’s owner.

Seems that ideally she needs a real home.

Sweet as a sweet thing and loves a cuddle.





Soooo tempting.

While I was in the yard, I was offered this twin axle galvanised car trailer that only had one axle as someone managed to mangle the front axle.



No space for it, but wish I did.

[Grizz1963]

With slowly returning to normal, and going out again, I got this delivery today.



Guess the honeymoon could not last forever

In another postal related trick, Fil, who went to fetch the Rezin Rockit with his camper van, for the cost of diesel, was not impressed when I rounded up the cost and “overpaid” him.

So he sent me an envelope with the receipts and a £2.00 scratch card.

That made me laugh out loud, realising it was no use trying to challenge the man to a game of one upmanship



Then I made a protesting Sally scratch.....

No win though, which was also fine.

Imagine a win though.





In other news.

I went to see mate Darren and he offered me Burger The sweetest stray cat that lives in a car in his yard, Sally and others said yes, I am still contemplating.

Inside the shop, this is one of his side projects, alongside the real day job tasks happening.

Meet Project Covid.

V8 Beetle.

Planned for a beach race called Race the Waves






Out in the yard, he had this galvanised car transporter trailer, was twin axle, one got damaged, yours for £250.00 collected on Sheppey.

Wish I had space and use for it.



So next stop, inside a container, crawling through a caravan body.......

To this.






Gearbox side.



Comes with a wiring loom, hopefully the ECU is somewhere too.

Should be in there.




And found one 5 point harness.

May not be the right thing for the car and seats I have , but hopefully it works, and once I have a second one, which Bill in Scotland has a Black example of.

Displayed on the Vauxhall Viva’s hood, where Burger lives.



Meet Burger, not a Harley, and not yet adopted, but certainly has put the cat amongst my mental pigeons.




So there you have it, engine and gearbox.

Clearly needs a lot more........

[Grizz1963]

[quote author="@iainr" source="/post/2629522/thread" timestamp="1600502351"]It looks like you have successfully got through the first round of interviews to be Burgers new servant. Good luck with the second round.

Iain[/quote]

LOL...!

I am thankful.

Darren, like me is a sucker for animals..... she already owns his asss.

Sally says her name is Molly, not Burger.

I don’t care what her name is, but rather if she will sit on my lap, cleaning herself.

Seems she is a cleaner.





Looks like a real shop cat.

Seems like another Harley

.

[Grizz1963]

.

Most of you on these forums knew Harley, my half dog/half cat who used to be around me wherever I went, especially the garage and loved cars.



The house has been empty for sure, and one sees her and looks for her in all the places she should be.

She will be missed of course.

But just to put the record in here, it seems she has a successor.

Known as “Burger” but sympathetically renamed Molly by Sally, she came with a free Mazda MX5 engine and gearbox plus loom to be uses in the Rezin Rockit build.

https://forum.retro-rides.org/thread...rockit-chassis

So after being sucker punched by mate Darren it was all hands on deck, Sally and a bunch of friends and forum members all cheering and saying “Do It “

Pet store, spend £120.00 (which I would not think twice of to spend on a car) for basics.



Then over to Darren’s workshop at Unit Engineering.

The cats home for the Last year or so, along with anywhere else she wanted to sleep.

Vauxhall Viva Estate. With custom entrance through the rusted out rear wheel arch.



But typically today she was sleeping in a Suzuki HiJet camper in a different workshop.

So Darren and his dad took us there, basket in hand.

Woke her, tempted her out and said goodbye. I think he was a bit sad too, softy.



Caged



Once back home, after a stressful trip for her, she came out the carrier and walked around, tried out the dry food.....

Seemed to approve.



Settling in 10 minutes later.

Video:

https://youtu.be/6ZWxzI2ZTm0



Seemed pretty obvious that she must have lived in a house before, too comfortable and settled.



Amazing that she had lived in the year for two years as a semi feral.



Did not take long for her to go to sleep there.

However, when I got up to go make a coffee, she followed me to the kitchen.

After which she went upstairs on her own and I found her on the end of the bed later, sleeping curled up in a ball on the end of the bed.




Pretty cat in her own way.

I love her black foot pads and pink nose.





I think that I will keep her indoors for a couple of weeks before letting her out.

Then just pray that the numbnuts who race past outside don’t hit her, should she go over the street as cats do.

I do look forward to having a garage buddy again, and even if she chooses to be a house diva, that’s fine too.

Harley had survived 10 years out here.

Fingers crossed.

[Grizz1963]

With the new cat Molly in the house last night, I was not sure if bootfair would be on the cards today.

And when she fell off something in the en-suite bathroom at 1.20am I turned on the light to spend a few minutes with her, before she left my room, and back to the lodgers room which she seems to like.

I next woke at 05.40 which made for a good night.

Considering her, I did think after the last few weeks of absolute junk, not to go.

Then got up, made a cuppa tea, fed her and fussed about her.

She pee’d in the litter tray, and after breakfast pooped, a healthy mix of deathly pong and some noxious gasses.

So to me, that was perfect, as it meant she had accepted this as a place to be for a while, hopefully a long while.

She needs to be indoors for a couple of weeks at least so she can root here.


Anyway. Off to the Bootfair by 06.30 and it was full,by the time I got there 10 minutes later.


As always looking out for various things for various people.

I got a 22mm stopcock, brand new, £2.00

Followed by this star for £1.00 it will be part of the new garage forecourt that will happen once the steel guy gets his butt into gear to come do my steel works, will be STAR BRAND GASOLINE using the Sinclair colours.



Part of a deal that gave me a bunch of new and unused kitchen knives, a folding knife and two pairs of secateurs was this lifetime guaranteed Wilkinson Sword item, I have had one for about 30 years, and it is nigh on indestructible, though tired, it still works well, so always said I wished I could find another....... got lucky.



Part of the same deal.

What has the world come to?

Warnings one everything

Let Darwin decide.



Unused. Locking blade, solid.



Another favourite as I have loved these a long time, though expensive at £3.00 it is a solid state and well built 1/12 size model.

2CV heaven.



Flags for £2.00



When I got home, it was a real DejaVu moment as I started to unpack, head into the bag, and then onto the ottoman to check it all out.

Like Harley was channelling through Molly.

She let me start to unpack after a certain amount of security checking.



Race car out back left, made from a Coke can 50p
Aviator helmet, thrown in free with knives.
Happy dancing “Coca Cola” bottle £2.00
Hotwheels toys £1.00 for three, Craig gets 4 and I keep 5
Build a camper for @CraigRK £2.00
The Mum book (great reading for the loo) 20p
2CV £3.00 bargain



By now Molly was comfy.


Enamel bucket for kitchen utensils £1.00 new unused
Star £1.00
Knives £2.00
Small plug in night light for Molly downstairs 50p
Duvet glass 50p
“E” tea cup for Elli £1.00
Ultra insect repellent military grade 50p each (loads of mosquitoes)



So this was the best Bootfair of the year, not most bargains, but most happy things.

I saw no cat scratching posts, or a Cat Mate water fountain, but faith restored in my local Bootfair.

Now got to go work on the Rezin Rockit.

Later.

[Grizz1963]

Busy day.

Only got out to the Rockit bym3.30, thankfully still some sun.

Jack, axle stands and penetrating oil.



Up



Front



Under



And eventually done.

Seems like a high lift hit fitted.



Done.




Have left the Rezin Rockit up on the axle stands.

Will go back and re-apply the Duck oil at least two more times on every nut and bolt underneath the body.

Weekend over.

[Grizz1963]

A long long day.

Spent mainly on creating a report and PowerPoint presentation

Had planned on going and doing another round of Duck oil lubrication in, but failed.

Like the steel guy, whom I am starting to think is taking the pee, but I could be wrong.

In other news, reported in the Galaxy thread, Molly seems to have manage to catch wildlife indoors, despite all doors being shut since she came here.

Strange.


Woke early today,

Came downstairs for a cuppa tea, interestingly, the cat had not come up to join me in bed, or bother me overnight. I like that.

Having my tea and watching the news, I was joined by Molly, first grooming, then settling down on me.



My first meeting at at 09.00

By which time she settled on the opposite couch, and stayed there till 4.00pm

Crazy.



When Sally popped in at 4,30 the first thing she saw was this.......

Keep in mind the doors have all been shut since the cat moved in.

Usually over weekends and during the week tbh the back doors onto the garden are always open, so I know mice have come in before to look for whatever they can find.





Now explain this one to me.

Working for her dinner?

Baffled.