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

[Grizz1963]

So while Nick was making sparks, I carried on making dust and some occasional sparks.

I knew I had to head toward this adhesive and getting the cluster sorted.

But it’s another slow job, to get the right finish.



Cardboard template followed by Dexian shelving donor still giving.



Cut out and rough shaped.



Followed by adding some studs to have hidden fasteners.



Test fit, again.



Followed by my favourite part of the job. Paint

Mainly for preventing rust once closed up in padding and vinyl.



Once the paint dried, I messed it up again by gluing and clamping it all together overnight.



One more job before closing up the shop was to carefully line the edge of the cluster trim with black adhesive and then clamp the screen once carefully laid down, AFTER ENSURING NO FINGERPRINTS ON THE INSIDE OF THE SCREEN.



Typically, Nick and I stood talking for some time, then I dragged out the grinder and powerfile again and trimmed back the ECU bracket, that looks lovely now.

Funny how we decide to stop work and then start again, just doing that one more little job.

I fetched the dash and cluster in earlier this morning to warm up indoors, trimming the excess glue on the dash and masking the cluster for fixing the small cowl next, and leaving it alone.

Chilly outside this morning.

Onwards

[Grizz1963]

Regarding the lighting.

Some replies below, from RetroRides



[quote author="@flingstam" source="/post/2726206/thread" timestamp="1649060375"][quote timestamp="1649058376" source="/post/2726200/thread" author="@foxmcintyre"]Does the MX5 use a negative trigger rather than a positive? Some Japanese cars had one 12V feed and 2 switched earths to operate the filaments in the bulb. That config won’t work with LED lamps, worth double checking that. [/quote]Rich has hit the nail on the head here. The MX-5 does indeed use a switched ground/earth to operate the headlights. However, at least one light  (dipped or main) should come on if there is power going through. 

This video may be helpful. It's not perfect, because he's swapping H4 halogens for separate high and low beam bulbs rather than LEDs, but he explains the wiring situation pretty well:

[video src="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxJbmIKp2KM"][/video]

This is exactly the issue I had with the Deliboy, and I solved it by buying a plug and play link harness from eBay, which included an additional power feed from the battery, and standalone relays. Of course, it did take me two attempts, as the first one I bought wasn't for a switched ground circuit. Caveat Emptor, and all that. 

[a href="https://forum.retro-rides.org/thread/215030/1991-toyota-deliboy?page=7"]The Deliboy Story[/a]

(Pages 7 and 8 of the thread contain all my headlight-related adventures).[/quote]

[Grizz1963]

Popped in at Aghabridge on the way home to get some fuel hose and proper clamps.

Also grabbed three cans of satin black for any small jobs that need a few squirts of black.

Will be useful to get the fuel lines, tank and engine sides all connected safe;y.



After dinner I was bored, so went down to get the hinges coated in black, they have always bothered me since day one.

Back side.



Front side, multiple coats and heat gun used to warm it all up.



Another 30 minute job out the way.

Time thieves.


On the way home I also popped into the scrap yard to see if they would sell an even larger vice/vise I had seen the other day.

No luck, they use it.

But I did see this little aluminium boat……

Sooooo wanted it, and yes it would be for sale.

Sense prevailed.




Later gang.

[Grizz1963]

Paging @nickwheeler

Hammerite rules.

One for you

Painted tank.



Also test fitted this one.

I know there is a change I am considering but need to consider it first.





Back in a bit.

[Grizz1963]

RIGHT………


Time for the Tech-Heads to pop their heads up like a family of Meerkats.


Exhaust and Tank were the last big jobs to get done before bolting the body down again (maybe finally)

Along with brakes, wiring etc that are all easier to get to without the tub in the way.


So on Sunday after bolting the tank into place, this was the view from the rear.



And poking a long stick in the open down pipe and resting it on the rear axle gave me this……



I could not get the Ford Ka 1.6 rear box that @kevins donated to the build, in there with it curly piece attached. And was not going to start cutting it up.

Measuring up the various length and diameters gave me this…….

Ford Ka rear box entry is 2” but the pipe welded to it is 1.75”

It will need cutting and rewelding to make it over the rear axle, fit next to the tank and hang in a way that the rear exit pipes look right.





On the engine side the original down pipe exits this flange at 2” vs the rear end at 1.75” of the Ka bendy bit.

I am happy to reuse the Ka bendy bit of course, if I can make it all come together.

Having spoken to @pauly my guru (one of many) it seems that change in diameter will make little difference in this sort of car.





So it leaves me with about 1200mm of straight 2” pipe to buy and some fiddling to make it all come together, and some welding,and a clamp or such, along the way.

Paperwork summary



Over to the collective.

[Grizz1963]

What a day.

Guess that’s what a day job is about.

In between meetings, clients etc, I also raced around doing about 55 miles to go get stuff in various places and dealing with a hysterical friend whose best friend (long term cardiac issues) was found dead at home yesterday.

Anyway…….

Back to Sunday.

I started earlier than usual, more brackets, fine tuning and fitting for the heater blower done.



Also made a clever little spring loaded seat for the fan unit to sit on, along with that bracket.

Then a small tab for the front end as the exits still need to be decided and planned, then cut and fitted once the dash is built.

Around lunch time @nickwheeler got here after spending the morning in Rochester Cathedral.

He brought gifts….. made these overnight, clevis, lengthened clutch actuator and some squirty things…..



For the screen washer, new Cortina items (I think)



Also brought this tool.

I had never seen or used one.

But I needed it as I had managed to create a use for it.

Spectacularly tactile and a true lifesaver.

Nick was telling me (I forget the make) he had bought it to work on a Russian airplane and his them boss was blown away seeing him extricate himself from a wing structure to report that he had repaired a load of faults, using it.

10 virtual beers for the guy who identifies what it is and used for.

It fixed my problem in less than 5 minutes while Nick was making up a braided hydraulic line.





While I carried on with other jobs, Nick sorted out the brake and clutch pedals and assembly.

The recessed tray for the blower in the transmission tunnel was sealed and bolted in, blower set up to allow for spacial planning.

Also edited the gear stick hole a bit more.

It still needs a gaiter to either be made up, or even an existing one to be edited to fit.



More in a bit.

About the proverbial hitting the fan, thanks to Karma.

[Jeff La]

That would be a thread file. Have both a metric and standard. Has saved me a few times.

Great work by the way.

[realvc]

Yes, a thread file is what I thought too.

Looking good and making a bunch of progress.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Jeff La

That would be a thread file. Have both a metric and standard. Has saved me a few times.

Great work by the way.

Morning Jeff,

Yes, you are right.

Such an incredible little tool.

I always used a hacksaw blade of fine file.

Game changer for me.

Originally Posted by realvc

Yes, a thread file is what I thought too.

Looking good and making a bunch of progress.

Morning Vince.

Spot on, and yes, progress is good……

Well, was…… till,Sunday afternoon.

Now need to fix that before we can get onto the treadmill of progress again.

Still, all good.

[Grizz1963]

So the thread file was used to tidy up the gear shifter thread, as I had managed to damage it slightly when removing a very tight collar from in and miscalculated my hammer angle.

Fixed now.


Right……


Back to Sunday and the Kitcar Boogie.

You know the one, two steps forward and three steps back.

It had become time to fit and fix the windscreen frame so that ECU,,relays, fuses and wiring loom can be fitted and fixed, as well as heater pipes, controls and then the firewall plate and its embellishments.

But Karma had other plans.

When @nickwheeler had done the pedalbox, actuators etc, it all went together relatively easily, as if he had been dealt a bonus card.

So I cut and prepped the bolts that became the studs to be welded into the Land Rover screen that @glenanderson had donated to the build.



I drilled the holes for a tight fit, cleared all the galvanising away for welding, magnet placed and then Nick tacked them all.



Trial fitting the 5 studs showed one hole needed a 3mm sideways elongation.

No problem, I did that while Nick welded up the studs.

Perfect.

Errrrrmmmmmmm…. Nope. FAIL.


Though we did not know it at this point.




So next step was get the Nyloc nuts in there and tighten it down with a high density foam sealing strip.


HA HA HA HA HAHAHA.


When we assembled the support, I will take the blame here, the angle was welded in the wrong way around, and despite drilling, noticing it all, I had forgotten.


Look closely at my KING SIZED COCK-UP.


Can you see the problem yet?




Yes, no way a nut and socket will be going in there.

Space is tight, very tight.

So a variety of options were considered, including a tungsten carbide bit to whittle away 25mm of each holes obstruction.

In the end I drove to Aghabridge and saw this display when I got there.




Explaining my dilemma through the medium of a few photos, Karma smiled and an engineer found me some 15mm pipe with 11mm inner diameter hole, cut me some and sent me on my way.

FOR THE TOTAL PRICE OF FREE.



From there I went to get some replacement M10 bolts and extras for the firewall work that still has to follow.

Hopefully this will come together on Friday when I have a day vacation.

More to come.

[Braunschweiger]

Great progress, a thread file is a lifesaver.

[realvc]

Wait, when did you get a dog? She looks like a great friend to have around.

[realvc]

Oh yeah, your dog picture got me off track. I have a valve in the heater hose of my jeep like yours only mine is under the hood/bonnet. I like your idea better but for me it would require a lot of hose plumbing to get the valve located under the dash.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Braunschweiger

Great progress, a thread file is a lifesaver.

Morning

Yes, it certainly is.

I previously used a hacksaw blade or some very fine files.

Originally Posted by realvc

Wait, when did you get a dog? She looks like a great friend to have around.

80% belongs to Uncle Bob the hoarder and 20% is Sally’s responsibility.

Things like walking, Vets bills etc.

She is seeing the vet tonight as she was not herself last night.

Originally Posted by realvc

Oh yeah, your dog picture got me off track. I have a valve in the heater hose of my jeep like yours only mine is under the hood/bonnet. I like your idea better but for me it would require a lot of hose plumbing to get the valve located under the dash.

There may have to be an edit and rethink on the routing and valve though Vince.

Seems it can cause overheating in the engine.

.

[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.

[realvc]

I really like those latches. Heavy duty built to last. The ones on my jeep are not nearly as well built as yours.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by realvc

I really like those latches. Heavy duty built to last. The ones on my jeep are not nearly as well built as yours.

Absolutely agreed Vince.


These are the bes Ihave seen, lovely design too.

[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.

[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.




.