GRIZZ’s English 2001 S10 Extra Cab 4.3 V6 Truck

[Grizz1963]

Last night I got these photos.

Progress on the fuel tank.

Includes welded baffle plates to keep it tight.

Original MX5 fuel tank with pump and senders and returns.

I hope it all fits in under the floor.

I envisage lengthening of some wires to make them reach.

















Early start at the garage, Sally is off today, so I may have to payback a bit (unlikely) and mate @craigrk is coming to collect a load of stuff I collected for him and staying over before heading back to Shropshire tomorrow afternoon. Also need a tin of contact adhesive for the vinyl work once all is prepped.


Loads to get onto today.


Later.

[Grizz1963]

Was looking for a pic that shows how and where the fuel tank used to sit.

Looks low to be honest.

Found these pics from 18 months ago.

Just how far has it come.

Thanks to all the helpers, advisors and watchers.




Copied and pasted for my own pleasure.





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]

Well.

So much for taking the day off to do stuff.

But, I did manage to clean up and sweep up the whole carport and drive after yesterday’s storms deposited half the garden un under the Rezin Rockit.

Mickey was clearing out his garage, and a load of electrical tools.

Now the first thing I will say is that you have to be bloody desperate for a few beers to stand and cut all the electrical cables of perfectly good power tools.

Sadly, he does like a drink, a lot.

So before the tools ended up on the sidewalk to be collected as scrap, I put them all in the wagon and brought them home, along with a couple of small metal toolboxes, one of which will be added to the rear of the car.

@craigrk will be here tonight to collect them and some more stuff I have collected for him over the last three months or so.

Dewalt cross cut saw is in working condition as are the others.





It never ceases to amaze me how wasteful people can be, and then complain about the cost of living.

I was also speaking with,Darren at Unit Engineering this morning about a good time to collect the fuel,tank, which is now completed.

So after agreeing to “any time” I messaged Sally to ask if she wanted to go with to Sheppey.

She needed new trainers, a soft toy for Bonnie (from a charity shop) and I needed to find a large piece of high density foam to add to the inner firewall as noise absorption and to tidy up all the visible fasteners in there.
No luck on finding an inch thick yoga mat type piece of foam, but trainers and toys ✅


Then around to Darrens shop to collect the tank and scavenge as usual.


I also had marked the gearshift extension where it needed to be kinked.



So we put it in the hydraulic press and managed to get it perfectly bent.

The sort of service you do not get many places.



And easy as that.

Kinky.



Back home, Sally went off to get her seedlings potted for this year. And I unpacked the car.

First thing…………

Screw it in.

Love it.



Scavenging at Darrens yard, I found and traded two sets of gokart wheels.

One set for me, one set for Craigs wagon he is building on the chassis he bought off Uncle Bob.



Why would you want a 3 Series or C-Class sedan when you can have a wagon.

Loaded.



Love a wagon, did I mention it already?

Unloaded.



Tank needs to be dried out before assembly.

I am also going to drill and weld in a drain plug in the bottom, in case one ever needed it.

Then once fitting starts, I will make up the tabs to weld on and bolt it under the body so all access is free to the feeds and wiring.

The Mazda fuel tank parts were shortened to fit in the 10 inch depth of the new tank.



Now headed down to the garage for a late start.

What next.

[Grizz1963]

Smallest parcel ever.

Replacement fog light switch.



One of the small toolboxes Mickey threw out will become the fuel filler cover.

Mocked up with the back cut out, and lockable should work.





Back to the new tank.

Do I add in a drain plug on the underside?

Cutting this one from the old tank and cleaning and welding it in.



Made some new mounting tabs for the new tank.

Hope to get them on today.





I am hoping for around 10 inches clearance at the rear, and more than the diff once tank is filled, and new tyres are loaded.



Breakfast next.

[Grizz1963]

So Craig got in well after 8.00pm and we had fish and chips, and sat chatting till late.

Then off to bed, Craig slept on the couch, full,house at Casa Grizz.

Up, coffee and chatting by -6.15

Later we were out to gather all Craigs treasures, fetch my trailer from Uncle Bobs place, clean it and pack it all.

Then we found some 25mm square tube and also some 20mm to use as inserts…….

Craig chopped the chassis in 2 and I proceeded to weld it all up, 10 inches longer.

Shod with off-road buggy wheels, bought from John the lodger, it will be a great tool

Hacksaw at work.



And the 10 inch extension.



Braced, welded.



Some rattle can over the welds became burgundy all over it.

Mickey was already there inspecting, and then @mercdan68 popped in for a chat, declined coffee, but good to see him and chat about his boy destroying a perfectly good cat 😉



Dan left, Mickey left and by 1.00pm Craig left for his 200 mile run home, trailer behind the ML Benz.

As Craig left, Dean @gentabout and his daughter, I mean wife Yvonne arrived for a visit and to deliver some special cargo………

We sat out on the deck, shared 100 stories, great to meet up, and even nicer having good company.

Eventually they left, in his MG……….

Embarrasingly his car refused to start, as he had left the lights on when he arrived a few hours earlier.

Jump pack to the rescue, the car barked into life, and then they were off home.

Very Nice car.



And the contents of the parcel they had delivered………



Thank you very much Dean.

So answers on a postcard……

What is the paint for?

Thanks for checking in.

[Grizz1963]

So after Mickey and @mercdan68 left, Craig and I had less than an hour before he had to head back home via a detour to pick up another machine.

He came sans trailer, but left with my 5 foot, tall caged trailer and his car already half full.

So first was to generate space for the fuel pump pipes and wiring on top of the tank.

2x4 seemed a perfect shim to create and keep the space while setting up to weld the tabs.



Mickey had just reappeared to give me a nice two tin trolley jack, so took a pic of us worms, then promptly left again as they had a lunch date.



So welder out, tacking started, first two tabs in position.



At this point Craig had to leave, and s I saw him off, Dean @gentabout and Yvonne landed….. and an awesome visit followed.

Actually loved stepping away for a bit, like this mornings breakfast meeting.

Once we had done an mini inspection of the garage, they left, and I headed back down to resume fabrication.

Weird how I could not get the tank up square, the mounting holes were also not quite in position, so some drilling and filing ensued, followed by BFH action to make both step down a tad.



Tacked in, then removed for a decent weld up.



Good Sally had come back with the dog, so I shut shop early and went for a walk.



Found this oil can at the side of a farm building.

How long has it been there?



Right.

Breakfast and driving the S10 calls.

Later.

[Grizz1963]

Not been to the Kent Breakfast meeting for American cars for some time.

It had become a roving kind of meet and to be honest, bootfairs trump food any day in my world.

But they may have a new venue 20 miles from me……

So today I popped up there, after Sally suggested I need to take a break from the garage.

No regrets ultimately.

In early, had breakfast and left by 10.30

Nice to have the truck out for a proper blast down the motorway.

Company good as always, and I left early to carry on with the Rezin Rockit build.


Venue is just off the A2/M2 at Ebbsfleet near Bluewater



£9.95 eat as much as you can, drinks unlimited too is a decent deal at a pub style restaurant.



Breakfast included 3x Croissants, and two Flat white coffees from a machine that were quite drinkable.


Outside.

Stripes roolz.

















A nice group of guys, random mix of cars and trucks.

And no dick swinging.

[Palf70Step]

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Boooom.






Back home and out by 11.00 today.

Breakfast was nice, but felt like a waste of garage time.

Still, no regrets.

So I tidied up, and added a few bits to the welds.

Also opened the mounting holes on the tabs.



And on so that I could work out the next job…….

Guessing time.

What?





Once the tank is fitted the filler neck is now this low as I have dropped the tank so the MX5 fuel system can fit under the floor.



So I created a template to cut away the bottom of the toolbox that will hold the filler cap once completed.

Cut, cleaned up.



Ready for etch primer.



And primed.



I think it will be a Marmite addition to the car.

I like Marmite.

[Grizz1963]

For those who like animals, and in this case, dogs.

Went for a walk, met a German Shepherd named Gus. Adult dog.

She went straight in and was running circles around him.

Back home, typically, she figured out she could get into the bird bath for a drink.





Water dog?



Certainly worth the money the Parvovirus cost us.

Every day is a joy.

[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]

I am sooooo looking forward to an early finish tomorrow as the last three weeks have been a bit full on.

And there is talk of another restructure for Q3 so June/July sh!t will happen for some of us, kills my head.

Last night after I got home and wrapped the work day up, I needed a small win to just help my head relax a bit.

So I grabbed the badges @peteh1969 had printed for me, and the paints that @gentabout Dean had brought over on the weekend and sat down indoors.

Starting with the Piggy Pink, I soon realised that I needed much more light, and a pair of reading glasses as some of the colour inserts are very small.

These is also paint spillage that will be corrected when I do the final fill with black on the raised edges, followed by application of a clear sealing coat as directed by Pete.




Piggy Pink done.

Bloody slow job.



At this point I poured a sherry.

Yes, something sweet.



I also decided to add some Silver to the Rocket as the black as per original artwork would blend too much and get a bit heavy.

Glad I did.



And finally I had to step away from the paint.



And closer up for the Zoomers.



Next job will be black edges etc to tidy it all up, followed by clear over the whole lot.

And no, not going to resin fill them, though it is extremely tempting.

I suspect that I would get caught out by the curing times and bubbles in the corners when you look at just how fine the tolerance is on some parts here.

So compared to the original from page one of the build thread, I am happy with the result.

Even from 3 foot they will look fine.

I trust.


u][/u]



And 3, 2 , 1 and back to reality and the day job.


Almost the weekend.

[Grizz1963]

5 minutes in the garage.

And it all ground to a halt.

One nut undone with an impact wrench.

One looks like it is welded, and rounded off with the rattle gun.

Do I cut and drill the studs out and start again ?







Thought I would lay the basics out on the floor.



Hopefully it will come together soon enough.

.

[Palf70Step]

I think I would try a sawsall and cut the bolt. The take a cutoff wheel to get that not out of the way

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

I think I would try a sawsall and cut the bolt. The take a cutoff wheel to get that not out of the way

Spot on Bill.

[Grizz1963]

Before I forget.

Ordered some Johnsons Klear off Amazon to coat the badges with.

Said to dry both hard and with UV protection.

Also did the black outlines.

Plenty Good Enough for a 3 foot inspection.





A lot of the detail will be lost on the casual observer.

But it makes me smile.

[Grizz1963]

Using my special, banned tool, I got the second nut undone.

The threads are good, and new gasket was ordered, will get some new nuts.

Job done.

[Grizz1963]

Went to Euro Car Parts yesterday to collect a Nissan Micra high pressure fuel filter @pauly made some suggestions for me to consider that includes a return valve that may be needed in the system.
Hopefully @nickwheeler can decipher Pauls advice.



While out, I saw a nice example of some French engineering that with small, subtle tweaks, drew my eye.



I had ordered two 57mm exhaust clamps and a gasket, along with the fuel filter.

Looking at the list pricing, I wonder how these prices differ so wildly.



When I collected, they only had one clamp.

Slightly miffed, I was sure there would be another at home, but it is a risk to hope you have a random one floating about.

Serendipity.

Got home and the straight pipe I had ordered was delivered on time, by DHL.

Guess what…..?

An exhaust clamp included in the price, I had not realised.

John my one lodger was home early, and took a pic when I laid them out.



Job for the weekend.

Next job was to quickly assemble the tank inners.

Pump, return etc.

Got the original screws and realised that the build was done using M5 nuts rather than the M3 that was standard on the MX5 tank.

Thankfully I have a tub of nuts, bolts etc in all sorts of sizes that always gives and gives.

Got 12 bolts and tried them, 5 of the nuts would not thread in, so out came the small Tap and Die set and a quick run through saw me fighting the next fight, threading them all and keeping the rubber gasket in position.



Fuel pump arm shortened by 60mm to fit in the new custom tank.



Pray this lot does not need to be taken apart again.



Also looked in my collection of three filler caps to see if one fitted……..

Nope.

So need to go out and find one

I suspect that this is a former Ford filler neck.



Hopefully not too hard to find one.

[Grizz1963]

Well, Wheels Day came and went.

I chose not to go for various reasons, none very valid in retrospect.

I hope it was a good day for those who went and that someone takes the time to create thread for us all.

At home I saw this walking to the garage with uncle Bob who came to see what filler cap my gas tank needs.



He does not have one that fits in his stash either.

Parts store it is then. Fingers crossed.

Or else it may end up being a simple plastic bung type in the end, protected by the locking toolbox, balanced on the rear bumper.

While I was at that job, I pulled out the towball and plate that came from somewhere.

I want to be able to tow with this car, my small garden trailer etc.

So along with the toolbox bolted on, I am going to weld this guy onto the top bolt and fasten it with the nut from behind.

Tow ball goes one step lower.

I can imagine people shouting and gesticulating on the motorway that I have forgotten my toolbox and wrench on the back.



Cleaned and painted.

Needs fitting and wiring into loom.



Weirdly, I did not get started till after 1.00pm with helping Mickey next door, and Uncle Bob spending more than two hours here.

So I drilled the holes for the plates to hold the new dash, using existing holes.



Then added more holes through both wood and fiberglass.

Should hold it in place.



Once all were straightened and made to fit exactly as expected, I added the glue to seal them in place.



And the rear looks tidy.



I will trial fit it later today, in the hope all 11 studs thread through the holes and that it fits around the steering wheel and under the window frame.

Sun is out……

[Grizz1963]

Almost 10.30 on Easter Sunday, and I am not expecting to be in the garage before 11.00

Slow start, Bunny shaped crumpets and coffee, and Sally just left to go work in her garden, cook Uncle Bobs dinners for the next three days.

So I will do a quick write up of yesterday’s work with @nickwheeler.

I went shopping early on to see if I could find a fuel filler cap, or radiator cap to fit the neck of the fuel tank.

No luck.

BUT…….. petrolcaps.co.uk is the address Nick had supplied, and is a bona fide supplier of you will never guess……. Yup, petrol cpas.

@mercdan68malready dropped off a filler cap earlier this morning that is not a fit, but a good place to start making a new neck for, before wafting off in his W202 Mercedes Benz, sunroof and windows open, Meatloaf’s Bat Outta Hell drifting down the road.

What a way to use a real 20-something year old car.


Back to yesterday.

Nick proceeded to plan where to attach the high pressure fuel filter, changing his mind three times.

The tank was also fitted and removed three times, including removing the fuel pump unit to establish the feed and return, as I could not remember which way they went.

Making a clamshell bracket took longer than a few minutes, as did attaching it, and some other brackets for the various fuel lines and pipes.



There you see well over 10 minutes of work.



Result



And second fitment of three.

Yes, of course I helped. (Someone had to jack it up, fit axle stands and make coffee)



In the mean time, I carried on with other jobs, including the dash testing, some more dash reshaping in order to fit the steering column shroud once covered in vinyl.

In and out about 6 times for fine tuning.

Also now fits with all the studs glued in place and holes drilled.



Another job that took an easy hour was again, fitting and fine tuning the switches that have been retained or added from the MX5 donor.

Fog lights, cluster lighting, hazard light switch, heater/blower switch and of course the twin USB charger points.

This little cover for the Hazard switch took forever to work till it was round enough, with flattened fixing tabs at the back, made from one bit of flat Dexian shelving.



Trust me, once covered in scrim foam and vinyl it should look a bit better.



While the body was up in the air, we also started to cut and trim the rear box @kevins donated, and the straight length ordered this week.

I had to be shut and showering by 6.00pm for a chest CT scan hospital appointment at 7.30

Yes, they work on a weekend too.

Amazing team I was dealt by.

A bit of fiddling, a bit of luck should see the pipe miss all the obstructions, both fixed and moving.




I tried one more little job just as we closed shop.

I hope @nickwheeler has stopped laughing, because he was still laughing when he drove off toward the sunset and home.

Suffice it to say, one of my plans had completely backfired, and the joy he got from it was amazing.

I am sure he will be along to,explain…….



Mate Fil did a quick Photoshop of a pic I had sent him when we were chatting about how far we had made it.




Well, it is 10.51 now, 30 minutes later.

Need to get out and spend some time moving more small jobs along.

Later gang.

[Grizz1963]

So in between domestic duties, and a variety of things, I also spent so e time down at the garage.

Not a lot of time, but still a little bit of progress.

@Mercdan68 dropped off a fuel filler cap with a key.

Thos was not a fit, but got me thinking.

So I went back to my pile of 3 vintage fuel caps, all with at least one key.

Found one I liked, that has two keys.

And started with a bit of offcut 2” mild steel exhaust pipe.

Cut and shaped to counter the weird angle of the tank filler exit.

Followed by some measuring and then using my large step drill, and a half-round file.



Filed till the hole was the right size, measured, marked and filed to allow the tabs entry.



Test fitted.

Liking that.



Glued it together.





Hammerite tomorrow.



Following this, I made a major cock up.

I used a flap disc to smooth down the mounting plates, then a bit of satin black to seal the open steel.

So the next job was cutting the scrim foam to size, spraying the contact adhesive on both surfaces and joining them.

Major mistake………

Once on top of each other, I walked over the back of the dash panel to ensure maximum adhesion.

Mistake, mistake, mistake, and Nick will give me a bollocking, maybe.

Amazingly, the pattern of the brick paving has gone through and is visible on the scrim foam.

Tomorrow morning I will cut the excess off with a scalpel blade.

Then apply a second coat to absorb the irregularities.





I also closed shop early and spent some time with Sally, she continues to put up with me playing in the garahe.

So we went for a 3 mile walk over the marshes and took Bonnie along, she loves these walks.

So many smells and things to see.

Different from her previous life, caged up 24/7 in a block of apartments.



I keep repeating this, but it is true.

Little jobs that keep stealing,time.

But life is good.

[Grizz1963]

And this was how I solved this one for myself.

Could have made it at an angle, had it at an angle, but then minimal OCD kicked in and fitted it straight.

Also tempted to change the colour to blue to make it contrast and look like a Record brand tool, which it is.

The toolbox of course stays as part of the illusion.





Waiting for the first horn beep and wild gesticulating.

[Grizz1963]

Went to fill my car today and saw this van.

You certainly cannot ignore it.

As an ex serviceman myself, and possibly being true to my own beliefs, this really does appeal.





Owner was proud of his immaculate car.

[Grizz1963]

Easter Monday.

Some parts of the world has had a 4 day weekend, and thus a short 4 day week ahead.

Various tasks, including food shopping, also wanted to get a digital photo done for a new passport application.

But photo shop was shut for the long weekend.

Job for another day then.

Got back by 11.00 and in the garage by 11.15, coffees in hand as Nick had already started and opened the shop.

Time consumers continue to consume more time than anticipated.

So I carried on tidying phase one of the “upholstery”

Clearing holes, padding the kick panels and inner side panels with the ever patient Nick guiding and explaining the finer intricacies of scrim foam, which it turns out, is super sensitive to pressure, irregularity and even the contact adhesive before it fully dries.



Using a strip of the vinyl I used to to create the right tolerances for switchgear and panel fit.

Thanks Nick for the warning and advice on that, disaster avoided, again.



The dash will get a second coat of scrim foam this week, in order to make it plush once covered.

Interestingly, the seller is out of stock of black vinyl.

When I tried to buy another meter of black it showed no stock.

Grrrrrrr.