GRIZZ’s English 2001 S10 Extra Cab 4.3 V6 Truck

[Grizz1963]

Weather is not pleasant as well.

Just cooked a beed mince curry with chunks of carrots and cut baby potatoes, topped with a bottled curry sauce.

Ate it too, was nice.

Weather kept me indoors and not where I wanted to be.

Sally was here and is busy with some crafting, so I helped her with preparing the materials.

Printing and cutting the templates for her.

I also deep cleaned my range cooker and then put all the parts in the dishwasher that I rarely use, to clean them, and also all the glass we had picked up on the beach down at the Thames river.



Sorting colours and types out.



And finally, ready for the dishwasher……




Once she gets the right backing pieces to add the glass and pottery to, I will report back.

Maybe tomorrow will be a warmer day so that I can get down to the garage.

[Grizz1963]

For those interested in the continued activities at mate Craigs place in Shropshire where the horse stables are being converted into office and woodwork shop, plus motorbike storage and shop before adding a garage and workshop for his old cars…….

Progress continues.

Ready.





Also where the shed next to the house is going.



Next job will be measuring and shoring up for the concrete slab.

He also needs to find a supply of cheap or free used railway sleepers.


We all have our own crosses to bear.

In mate Craigs case, it is an attention to,detail, possibly borne out from growing up in a family where his mother and father owned a rather large, successful VW garage and engineering shop, started as a home industry in the time of aircooled VW’s where the local dealership would send complex, impossible jobs to to be done.

His mum was the machinist, and both parents had day jobs on night shift at GM at the same time.

So getting it right is part of his DNA.

I used to buy parts from his dad for my various Beetles and Bay window bus.

Anyway…….

Buying a barn conversion home, that used to be stables will always bring it’s own challenges.

This week it must have exploded his head.

While redecorating his sons bedroom, the carpet came up, shirting boards came away……

There is more to what meets the eye.

But, this took the proverbial totally.

Pink toilet paper used to fill the gap, topped by some builders caulk and painted over.







You really are never to old to learn a new trick or two.

Or are you?

[Grizz1963]

Weather has been a bit chilly, windy and wet.

I had planned on doing something, anything, down at the garage yesterday and today.

Nope, rubbish weather, so yesterday,I cleaned the cooker and helped Sally with some of her crafting stuff, posted elsewhere.

This morning I had the osteopath at 09.00 and some shopping after that.

Then came home, cleaned the fireplace and started a fire.

Deciding indoors was a much nicer place than outside……..



So much more sensible, and nicer.



Yes, it would have been nicer doing what @nickwheeler had suggested, slipping some bits together.

Tomorrow I may regret it, but man it is chilly outside today.

[Grizz1963]

Ultimately, I spent the whole day indoors.

At about 2.30,just as I was about to go to the garage a colleague contacted me for some help.

A 39 question online test she had to write, I had done mine on Wednesday and managed to bimble my way through it to get 86% for it.

Pass mark 80%

So I wa delayed.

Then, just as I had changed into my garage clothes mate Craig called on Whatsapp and shared some more bodgery from his new house.

This time it was the sewerage system.

Enough said.

Once we had finished our chat, it was starting to show failing light.

So I decided to just stay indoors and keep an eye on Sally with her glue gun.



One piece at a time.



And finally….. a very chuffed Sally.




She was really shocked at just how well it turned out.

No car stuff, but a chilly, yet good weekend.

Work tomorrow.

[Grizz1963]

Class, you just cannot buy it.

But you can fake it, RIGHT?

RIGHT…….

CLASSY VALVE COVERS FOR THE REZIN ROCKIT CAME YESTERDAY.







Going to add so much class and value to this build.

Can’t wait to fit them once I figure what tyres to fit to the steel wheels I have waiting.

Almost weekend.

Cold forecast again.

[Grizz1963]

Progress at Craigs place in Sandford near Whitchurch in Shropshire

Casting the two large slabs, yes there is a second one too, being cast today for a rather large shed.

So a concrete pump at £380.00 set up and £80.00 per added hour and a few more costs, its not cheap.

Concrete is being made up on site by an amazing machine.

10 cubic meters.




Mixing on site.



Pumping



All the way up to the top.

Over the second sheds steel reinforcing.




Looking forward to seeing this completed.

Still looking for cheap sleepers nearby.

Concrete or wood.

[Palf70Step]

Love to watch folks lay and work on concrete/cement slabs. Glad it is not me, but I do like to watch it.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Love to watch folks lay and work our concrete/cement slabs. Glad it is not me, but I do like it.

I have always loved construction, from the smallest to the largest jobs.





So in the mean time, I decided to rather than fight them, just put things right for the testers.

No need to stress them out, is there.



I am sure these look much nicer than the American style items.

[Grizz1963]

Searched Google for a MOT testing station close as possible to home last night.

And found what seemed like a good idea.

A station that only charges if your vehicle passes.

Also, they do only the test, and no repairs or parts…….

So no incentive to fail and possibly take advantage of anyone unsuspecting or lacking in knowledge.

So I drove there after getting the truck ready around 12.00 today.

They doo bookings and some walk in appointments.

So I got lucky, their only walk in for. The day was a cancelled booking for 13.00

So I took it and went to the shops, before returning at 12.50



I felt like a dad watching his kid ride a bicycle for the first time.

45 minutes later they reversed the truck out and after paying £45.00 for the service I was handed a certificate, valid to 23 December next year.

No advisories either as I had addressed them all before.



The whole team there liked the truck, and it seems it was the first S10 they had tested.

.
.
.
.
.
.


And back as we were.

Number plates swapped around too.




Pretty chuffed it passed and that I have another job ticked off for now to end of year.

[Palf70Step]

Good to hear no issues getting it re certified/validated (or whatever you folks call it). Good to see the ole S10 getting in its miles.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Good to hear no issues getting it re certified/validated (or whatever you folks call it). Good to see the ole S10 getting in its miles.

Ministry
Of
Transport Test.


It really is a full, safety and roadworthiness test, mandated by law for every vehicle over three years old.

Can be pedantic, but it ensures a reasonable standard on the roads.

Thanks Bill.


I tend to drive it whenever I can.

Company car is great but lacks a bit of soul.





For those reading the random stuff.

Sally made two more of these river glass gifts.

Really like this one.

Bits of pottery added as found.


I am now looking for a few broken tiles or delftware style plates etc to make some fake materials for her. (Cement mixer, sharp snd and spin for a bit to crete river style wear.

Sadly, no bootfairs now.





And her first one.




Friday morning very early I woke to a weight on my chest.

Seems George, the cat I do not own was plotting to smother me, or something.

[Grizz1963]

Not an ideal weekend, but the S10 passed MOT yesterday, and today is a bit wet and cold out.

But @nickwheeler and @pauly would not forgive me for not at least walking down to the garage and looking at whats laying around on the floor.

Both are much more hardcore than me.



Lets see if I make it down there.

[Grizz1963]

With the weather being a bit rubbish outside today, i had two options when it stopped raining

Cut down this tree to below last years pruning knots where the new growth started, up a long ladder, or go play with the Chassis and front end.



Decided the soft ground and working alone was not that clever, I did last year and nearly came down with the ladder at one point when the ground was too spft.

So I moved everything out from under the carport, cleaned up, swung the chassis through 180 degrees, then realised it was wrong, and swung it all around again.

After picking up and loading the chassis onto the front crossmember, I took a jack and lifted the rear to get the 8 bolts seated and in place to keep it all together.

Awkward on your own, but not impossible.



Chilly outside at 4’C when I started, moving up to 6’C or 40’F at which point I was missing @pauly who usually is spread out on my driveway when the temperature drops to that level.

Front end in.



Done.



I thought getting the back end up and in as well was happening, till I realised there were two studs missing from the one hub, and that I need some very short wheel nuts/lugnuts to hold the 4x108 to 4x100 adapters in place. I thought I had a set, but they seem to have disappeared.

I also want to get different wheel bolts for the rear wheels than the chrome ones that came with the adapters.

So I pulled things together, disassembled the rear wheels and adapters that need some more parts to get the steel wheels on there.

I suspect @nickwheeler will be grinning tonight.



Weekend over, dark and cold outside, heating on for a bit, chill from being outside.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Kenny

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334212891...QAAOSwzZthZXFb

Very smart looking thing.

Prefer the Jago shape as it is smaller and daintier than the Eagle RV shape I have.

[Grizz1963]

Got a phone call yesterday from AIB insurance brokers.

I suspect to pre-empt me looking at comparison websites.

Ultimately, increased the value of the truck by 25% and the price of the insurance came down by about £8.00 for the year.

Happy with that.

[Grizz1963]

Two day business meeting at Heathrow Terminal 5

Amazing how we get ripped a new ring every time we turn by the government and their cronies.

Signage is a bit ambigous and misleading, a bunch of colleagues managed to drive through the drop off zone at T5 and the fee, £5.00 for dropping a passenger, or just accidentally driving through.
Stealth taxes are all around us, and many are blatantly obvious.

Anyway………

Park your car sir??



I have had a chesty cough the last week, not the nasty governments mate virus, just a cough and a snotty nose that made me feel somewhat sorry for myself.

So by 4.00pm my boss sent me to my room to continue attending the meeting remotely on Teams.

Much better, though the cough continued.

Managed to stay awake all night, thanks to the cough etc.



Back home yesterday, I fell asleep in the chair, eventually waking at 7.20 and heading straight to bed.

Today was again desk time, but by 3.00pm my back had had enough and I had to go for a quick 3km walk,

Winter is here.

Over there is the Thames and Essex beyond it.



Sunset is early, and the chill slides in fast.



Weekend weather promises to warm up by Sunday to 12”

Fingers crossed.

[Grizz1963]

Saw this on FB.

[Grizz1963]

Some of you will recall my friend Kevin who lives a kilometre from me was building this Rolls Royce based replica.

Jaguar 4.2 engine……

CLICK LINK for VIDEO

https://youtu.be/lBQyUQN34oY

Completed and on the road.

Not bad for a guy in his 70’s who never built a car before.

Things like the bumpers, created from basic flat stock.

The rear wing stone guards, bashed out of flat aluminium sheeting and polished to a high sheen.

So many individual, hand made parts on this car that the most people would not notice.



So to celebrate, he went out and bought himself a new Aston Martin Convertible.



I love it when a man works hard and plays hard.

[Grizz1963]

Busy week and weekend really.

Just got back from the Thames river, collecting pottery shards and river glass with Sally, also spent a couple of hours working on my end of year review which is already 33 pages long, may end up a bit longer by the time Monday afternoons review comes along. It includes sales and performance graphs, but is a long cumbersome thing to creat for an hour long grilling by two managers.


Weather forecast is for 12’C tomorrow.


So the plan is to make time to get back down to the garage and start on the rear end reassembly, though I have not yet bought the wheel studs needed or the shallow nuts to hold the rear adapters in place.

Which are needed in order to see how it all comes together on the lower, shorter parts.

[Grizz1963]

Mate Craig found a guy to move his Mk1 Golf Cabriolet and the 1950 Chevy 3600 truck he bought his wife to the new place in Shropshire.



130 small hedge plants delivered and planted to replace the hedges he had removed or new ones being established.

Planning.



And this little waggon worked hard.

Not easy to see, but new hedge plants are right into the fence in order to grow into it and incorporate a dog and vision proof hedge

Muddy path will be remade once all the heavy vehicles stop going through.

With his neighbour building a complete new house next to him, and a shared drive…….

It may take some patience.



Plan is to move driveway over 450mm toward the lawn and new Laurel hedge.

[Grizz1963]

Update on the weekend activity later when I get time to sit and write.

Just a quick lunchtime note while I have cuppa soup and buttered bread.

Before my 3.00pm end of year performance review, not looking forward to it, never do.

Yesterday @nickwheeler and I spoke about the valve dust caps I ordered when I saw the magnificent items @etypephil was trying to give away……..

Remember these?



Well, Nick is the kind of guy who “gets it” but would never attach suck tackiness to any car he owns, hell, the man likes a silenced hotrod.

Anyway, the wheels I have need a few more bits to make them fit onto the car, and wheel adapters, including 15mm deep spigot rings for the front, some wheel bolts for the rear to go with the front nuts. And about 8 15mm deep wheel nuts on a 17 hex head. Ohhh, and centre caps for the steels.

This is where Nick really got clever, another reason I love having other guys here when I am out back playing…… the amount of silly stuff, and also very clever stuff that gets shared is amazing, and often improves what we build, or prevent costly mistakes. Plus stuff gets done quicker.

So Nick suggested crown style centre caps to mimic the valve caps.

GENIUS I SAY.

This morning I woke to a PM from him, not dissimilar to the stuff @peteh1969 would whip up while making a cuppa tea.

You guys amaze me with your design skills.

Anyway,



BEHOLD !!!!!!






And mocked on a steel wheel.






Now this will divide us like the red sea, but that is OK, because people can be wrong.


@craigRK is too busy to print them for me, but at least we know it needs to be done.

[Grizz1963]

Dodgy style, or on all fours, who knows what innuendo I may be playing at.

Sunday was partly spend doing winter yard work and maintenance.

And partly spent with @nickwheeler over here allowing me to make him coffee, pick his brains and have a really good time.

Rear axle was going back in.

Old vs new shortened springs thanks to @kevins



So we got going, and the first job was to make up new fresh brake lines for the rer in before even rolling it under the raised chassis.



This is what you call a perfect fit.



Rolling Rolling, I am Rolling…..



Old 16” FWD alloy wheels on the rear, just to roll the chassis about.

Note how close to the chassis it sits.



Then decided to try out the look, using the one 17mm hex M12x1.5 - 15mm shallow nut to bolt the rear adapter to the hub, just to get to see the look.

I need to buy 8 of these and a few other nuts and some double sided threaded studs to change the adapters to Nuts rather than bolts.



From the front.



And then checked out the amount of missing hub studs……. 3 needed to get the full compliment bacl on the hubs, front amd rear.



Very pleased with himself there, Mr Wheeler.

And so he should be.

We now have a rolling chassis.



After this we stood discussing just how much of the MX5 can be transferred to the Rockit in order to save money.

Quite a bit it seems.



Another great afternoon of playing out back.

Next job, according to Nick could or should be removing the engine, gearbox, wiring loom, radiator and some more spares needed to the conversion.

Making up some engine mounts to seat the heavy bits in the chassis and then body on top to get an idea of the look.

Though not going as low as the dream, I am happy for the effort put in so far.

Even @pauly should be happy.

I am off work between 25 December and 9 January so any visitors welcome.

Kettle on most of the time.

[Grizz1963]

Off to Nuts n Bolts Fastener guy, followed by Small Ford Spares breaker guy in a bit.

Need to sort my nuts out.


Still trying to figure what my minimum width front tyres will be on the 8” wide steels.

Especially the front.

I am thinking a 195/50 - 15 should work and show enough side wall up front, and not look like it is stretched the way the 175’s that are fitted, do at the moment.

And out back, possibly as much as a 225/60 - 15 to create some visual rake to the whole thing and fill those massive arches a bit, to enhance the lowered look, seeing as the lowering has not happened as extremely as planned originally. I wonder if a 245/60 - 15 would fit on the rear rims.

Guys like rich tend to have this tyre, wheel and combo stuff bouncing around in their heads mostly.

For me it is much more guessing and testing.

My eyes are constantly open for almost new/part worn bargains on FB Marketplace’s parts sections locally.

Mostly…… not happening, and tons of 16” tyres that are no use to me.

[Grizz1963]

Another Jeep on a Q plate, seen on FB.

Looking at the DVLA site, it seems it is another Eagle, so possibly some re-bodying has gone on here.

And I like it a whole lot.


Does anyone have any other photos of it from different angles, or know what spec it runs?


Fresh, unhampered MOT tests the last three years too.

EAGLE
Check another vehicle

Colour
Green

Fuel type
Petrol

Date registered
27 April 1987

MOT valid until
5 April 2022






In other news…..


Remember this logo I found out on the web originally?




I got a PM from @Peteh1969 last night asking if I could use a couple of 3D printed badges for the cr when it is together.

10mm deep amd 75mm tall

Looking a bit like this.


Of course I said yes please.

These little touches make it even more fun to do the build and consolidate all the ideas and input from everyone who has a share in the Rezin Rockit.





I think silver chrome paint could make it look decent.


Speaking of which……


Nick played a bit more on his PC overnight and refined, detailed the possible centre caps a bit more.

I am liking that.



Soon now.

Maybe.

[Grizz1963]

Popped out to go find some 15,, deep wheel nuts, a few tall, black domes wheel nuts and so e hub studs yesterday.

After stopping at two local suppliers, one could not supply, and one lot offered the nuts at £2.40 each plus a £10.00 shipping fee if they ordered them in, I decided to go to the third place, 10 miles from home where I knew I would get all the bits I wanted.



But they came at a cost.



£50.00 for the lot, and then that would not include getting 8 of the studs to fit the rear adapters.

Remember I am going from 4x108 to 4x100 and these were not easy to find.

They can be fitted to the rear hubs, using the shallow 15mm “Ford Transit Connect” style nuts that recess inside the adapters.

BUT…….. Then the chromed wheel bolts that came with the adapters are a different size and pitch to the front set, and wheel studs @M12 x 1.25mm vs originals @M12 x 1.5mm so I had planned on either drilling the threads out of the adapters with a 12.5mm drill and punching the studs through from the rear after removing (bodger alert &#128680 recessing collar/foot and then tack welding them from behind. Stop screaming, it would work, even if not conventional. The alternative would be to ask @nickwheeler to machine them correctly in an engineering way for me to allow me to use the Black domed M12 x 1.5mm threaded wheelnuts that the rest of the wheels have fitted, as I like that look.
So when I proudly got to Nicks place to show and ask, he gently but firmly pointed out that I was being an idiot…….. yup, straight and honest, the way I like it.

He had previously searched and found double ended threaded studs of the M12 x 1.25mm thread pitch that would screw into the adapters, allowing for the use of some chromed domed wheelnuts of the same size to be used.


[quote author="@nickwheeler" timestamp="1639415630"]M12x1.25 double ended studs    [a href="https://www.rallydesign.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=2040_2239_738&products_id=4725"]LINK[/a]

M12x1.25 nuts                            [a href="https://www.rallydesign.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=2040_2239_734&products_id=4657"]LINK[/a]

matching M12x1.5 nuts              [a href="https://www.rallydesign.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=2040_2239_734&products_id=4656"]LINK                       

[/a]

Which just leaves the short nuts to attach the adapters[/quote]


The hope is still to find a set of 8 black, tall, domed wheel nuts to match the front ones somewhere out there in the wide world, who knows where.

Anyway, he suggested I return the studs and three black domed nuts I had bought, for a refund minus the 20% handling fee and order the studs from Rally Design, plus some chrome wheelnuts to go all the way around, or some black domed wheelnuts off EBay or a seller to match the fronts closely.

[quote author="@nickwheeler" timestamp="1639496642"]How about [a href="https://wheelpartsdirect.com/products/nuts/65?gclid=Cj0KCQiAnuGNBhCPARIsACbnLzpUorSMYUVEJOO3KR7sxUsEPPHs7idkhex0HbLDgLR9SqyEayt6CzwaArEoEALw_wc B"]THESE [/a]or [a href="https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/113901899723?epid=28010254865&hash=item1a85150fcb:g:zskAAOSwCmlbdWm7"]THESE[/a]?


Bolts seem to be a lot harder to find[/quote]


So I took back the parts I did not need like a naughty schoolboy.


I will order the studs at some time, as well as some black nuts.



Changing direction completely, I was watching Guy Martin’s latest programme last night.

Been thinking about crazy paint and graphics that may create the illusion of both rake and lowering the car visually and saw this.

Certainly not necessarily what will happen, but made me smile.

This is not an important part of the build, but rather nice to just play with ideas.

Photoshopping is a cheaper alternative at this point.




Back to the day job.

Work to do.