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

[Grizz1963]

This morning I was out by 7.45 to go start and finish the paint before my day job started.




Finished.



I can honestly say, I am pleased that I did not stay with the industrial grey as planned.

The white, green and red are a good, crisp combination, and once I have lights in under the roof sheets, it should work well.



Weather and delivery permitting, I plan on taking Thursday and Friday off to get this done.


In the mean time, I need to start looking at lighting options.

I will go with new materials for this one, rather than old recycled school lights or similar.

Sounds like people are getting good results with LED lights too.

[Grizz1963]

This is the carport I am about to roof.

It is 6x6 meters.

BUT.....

Let’s work on 5x5 meters, so 25 square meters to be lit up from about 2.2 plus meters up.

The floor is paved with block paving, mostly a mottled grey colour.

So, what is the concensus on what light design and size, output etc to go for?


I do not think I will light up between the front red strip and the first green, but possibly the first green and second beam which is the steel. Then more toward the rear.

Thanks for the input.

[Grizz1963]

So today started with this view.

7 contrails, one out of shot.

I would love this to be an indication of things being headed in the right direction, allowing us to do what we used to do.



At 2,00pm as one meeting came to an end, the doorbell rang.

Roof sheets and materials had landed.

Interesting experience, the driver refused to help me carry the 5.5 meter sheets onto the drive, as he was not insured, and would have to sue me if he got injured.

First time I have ever had such a ****ty experience.

As he said, he is paid to do sidewalk delivery....... not impressed.

But in the end I asked nicely after explaining there was nobody to help me move them onto the driveway, he drudgingly helped me carry them off the sidewalk.





Later on, Mickey got home from town and helped me carry them down to the garage.

One of the nice things is that the underside, being grey, is not too dark, should work well for winter work.



I after 5 weeks wait, we have sheets.

I have taken tomorrow and Friday off to get the sheets up.

So tonight it was oven grilled lamb ribs and vegetables

And just because I am off tomorrow



Roll on Thursday.

[Grizz1963]

By way of partial apology I will post up a PM received from Rasputin on another forum.

He explained in a clear, non emotive way, what they are up against.

I was aware when the driver refused to help me get the sheets off the sidewalk that he probably had rules to follow.
BUT
His attitude was filled with anger and possibly even petulance.
HOWEVER
My day job is in part working with really awkward, some rude and difficult customers and as much as some of you can fine tune a turbo, prune a Bonzai or bake a cake, my forté is managing conflicts.


Anyway, posted purely in case any of us can learn from the info below and understand our delivery driver, team etc.


Hope you won't mind a PM Grizz; no need to reply if you wish.

I deliver pallets of goods to high street stores, often through the front door early in the mornings.

Our strict instructions are to tail-lift them out of the truck onto the ground next to the tail lift, and the store staff are to take over from there, dragging pallets across uneven pavements.

But it rarely works out like that. Some of the pallets weigh roughly a ton and need a helping shove, especially up slopes and over bumps. On the other hand, at some stores it works out best for me to stay in the truck and just lower the pallets down - the store staff are waiting to take them by the time I get that far and have an easy trundle into the store, and if I were to take them off the tail-lift the delivery would take a lot longer.

So it all depends. I try to help out where I can, but it's really a case of finding the most efficient handover in each situation. I do hear a lot of stories of drivers who have got too used to standing about on the back of the truck though!

Your driver couldn't sue you of course - you only asked him, didn't order him. He would have to sue his employer for putting him in that situation, but that might mean no more job; his employer might try suing you but if you only asked for help and the driver agreed, it wouldn't be clear-cut.

Since your roof sheets are so long, the supplier would have to send a driver's mate or a truck with a hiab crane if they offered an unloading service officially, but I bet they tell their drivers not to touch the panels at all, and let the clients arrange unloading. Cost-cutting.

If there's nothing to that effect in the small print of your order, or nothing about an optional extra fee for an unloading service, then the supplier may be just fudging it and you may have scope for redress. What if you got injured because the driver would not help if he didn't? Who would be liable? Their small print might be an interesting read.

I suspect the supplier relies on the same tactic as my employer - the stores have to take the pallets in however it can be done because they need the goods. They could refuse to accept them given good grounds, but they can't ever afford to.

I could tell you a few stories - such as a store staff member whose official role was to replenish front-of-store display shelves, who broke her leg by falling backwards whilst dragging a pallet over a pothole - but I will stop there.

In your case, you clearly want the sheets and probably (as far as the supplier knows) have a team in place waiting to install them; therefore you are very unlikely to refuse to accept them just because you have to unload them. Chances are (the supplier is gambling) that your roofers will help out.

Likewise their driver is put in the same situation - you made it clear that the sheets couldn't be unloaded without his help, so in effect you were calling his bluff and suggesting that you would refuse them. So it was in his interests to help unload, even arguably at his own risk, rather than take them back. In my case, taking stuff back would involve (and has on occasion) unpalatable hour-long argumentative phone calls to the depot and/or other senior managers, designed to get me to make the delivery no matter what, and to get the store to accept it no matter what.

The only time I did take a whole delivery back was when it was loaded on a 16ft high trailer but the shopping centre had a 14'6" height limit!


PS. I did reply to Him

[Grizz1963]

Roof sheets are up, held down with 4 screws each, loads more pilot holes to drill, as the supposed self tappers, are certainly not self tapping.

Pretty obvious that they are a low quality product masquerading as something they are not.

So this has necessitated a pilot hole for every one of the 200 holes that may end up being drilled and screwed down, as I really do not ever want the wind tearing the sheets out and depositing them into Mickeys yard.

Rain stopped play an hour ago, so right now I had lunch, and am waiting for my garage clothes to dry in the tumble drier.

Still raining intermittently at the moment, and wet = slippery.

Then back out to continue with the screwings and doings.

Pics later when it gets too dark to play,.

[LT7A]

Good clean work. You're going to love having that covered space. Take extra care where you had to cantilever half a meter with your added on wood structure.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by LT7A

Good clean work. You're going to love having that covered space. Take extra care where you had to cantilever half a meter with your added on wood structure.

Absolutely.

In fact, I added two x 100mm screws into each join today.

Once the roof sheeting is on there, it should be a very solid structure, not for walking or such, but certainly enough for the roof to hang over.

[Grizz1963]

So the roofing.

After many weeks of waiting, arrived, and then today the weather was challenging, but we just carried on.

Mickey was around to help as soon as I let him know.

So the first 5.5 meter sheet was a bit of fun, getting our rhythm



Then it went a lot easier and faster.

Unfortunately the self tapping screws (report on them in a bit) do not like to self tap through the 0.7mm sheet steel of the roofing sheets.

But we carried on.



With the wind, and the length of these sheets, getting them upright, and then onto the roof was to say the least, interesting.





Progress



Mickey, as he weighs as much as a packet of matches, was bouncing around on top.

Last sheet I used was a 3.0 meter sheet in stead of the 2.7 meter ordered. As they sent two cover sheets to protect the actual order.

But it needed cutting back a bit in order to avoid damaging the roofing felt on the woodwork shed.

Grinder on.



And then, suddenly the heavens opened, soaking us both to the skin up the ladders.

You can see how it cut under the front of the roof, wind driving it in from the Essex side, not our usual wind nd rain direction.





Once we stopped, and waited for the rain to finish, I took a look from Mickey side.



And absolutely pleased with the outcome so far.



Well deserved rest, with a mug of tea and a smoke.



Called it a day for the top of the roof, more screwings and doings tomorrow when I have about 150 pilot holes to drill and screws to fit.

[Grizz1963]

So a quick post before I head out to Tool Station for supplies.

The screws supplied with the order were these.

Maybe my expectations were too high, maybe they are the wrong ones, just ask the minister of health to explain.



Screws, seem to have a cutting groove.

The seal on the washer really distorts well when it hits the sheeting, so using them in the valleys, along with a plastic sealing cap, should be a great system.

Getting them in, that’s the challenge.





Trying to drive then straight through the sheeting results in a blunting off, like they were made of putty, almost instantly.

So maybe I got it wrong.





Mate Andy, in Tulsa, Oklahoma uses these for his sheeting work on his pole barns steel structure.





And also uses the same style screws that I have.




So maybe the screws I have are for timber structures, which mine is, but they really need to be done with a pilot hole, unless someone has other advice.

Off to work I go.

[Grizz1963]

So with the roof on, despite not being securely screwed down, one of my other small needs was to address this hole.



So I went to see Stuart, Mickeys neighbour whose I knew had a pile of conservatory roofing laying out behind his place for the last three years.

Offered to buy, trade, swap him a sheet.....

Nope he said, take one, I will probably never use them.

So I dug one out of the overgrown pile.



Carried it home, broom, hosepipe and 7 minutes later.



Mickey to the rescue.

Channel





So it looks like the 2400mm by 780mm sized hole will get closed in too, keeping more weather out.


This morning I saw the car frosted over completely

It was chilly, later the day settled around 7’C which is mamangeable

Usually @PaulY does not show up before it drops below 6’C



After breakfast and a lazy start I ran down to Tool station and got two tubes of silcon based mastic for the wall seal.

As well as a roll of self adhesive flashing.



Back home by lunchtime to get back onto the roof.

[Grizz1963]

Remember Andy, the welder/manager lodger in summer, of BBQ and JD Honey fame?

He is back for three days.

Of course, like Mickey, he likes to play as well, and actually came home early from work yesterday, and while I was on the roof, drilling and screwing, and drilling and screwing, a LOT, I suddenly heard movement behind me on the ladder.....

So suddenly I had company, and in tandem the job went twice as fast.

Early selfie. Not the ideal angle to work at, but got stuff done.



Screws in, followed by hexagonal caps on them.



First two rows of six completed.



Andy posing it up.



Once capped, we cleared the roof.

Then of course with too much light left, I needed to see what the replica pump looked like where I had visualised it for years.

So we dragged it out from where it was packed at the back in the corner of the garage.

Tried different head dresses.

Note, this is STAR Gasoline, not Sinclair, so a bit of editing to come.


I will also build a 200mm tall plinth for t to stand on, and need to fit a light inside the globe if I do go with it, or a stalk for the star if that gets used, to have it about 150mm above the top of the roof.



Globe needs to be sign written



Further back.



Add in the Yeti, and you get the picture.

[Grizz1963]

Lots of indoors stuff done, including cleaning.

Managed to find a truck breaking yard, closed, where I should be able to buy or get fiberglass and resin coated plywood to use as a rear wall and weather deflector.

Imagine side off this.



Mate Darren offered his large trailer or flatbed Transit for me to use to get the potentially 16 foot by 8 foot sheet home in one piece.



Then it was up onto the roof again to add the flash and to the side where the roof sheet butts up against the garage wall.



After sticking it all down I carefully heated all of it, bit by bit with a heat gun on high as the wind was pumping and it was chilly up there.

Really sealing it all together.




Next job later on was to close this odd shaped hole with the sheet of conservatory roofing.



Cut to size after measuring it out.



Done.

Offcut used on the shed side for when rain and wind really drives hard.




Lighting to be done soon.

[Grizz1963]

Been chatting with Stas.

Corona bollox still messing with them in Siberia.

Snow has come





He was out at their rural home today, taking some furniture out there.




Cathedral of Michael the Archangel, Russian Orthodox Church.



His car needed to be cleared too.



Siberia is not a soft place.

[Grizz1963]

Small jobs and spending some quality time with Sally who is extremely tolerant of my time spent down the garage and carport.

When we laid out the roofing, it turned out that I had 800mm excess on the last sheet, so we blended that gain into the roof with overlaps.

However, I also allowed myself the luxury of a 300mm gain on the width of the roof.

Overlap.



So I added a bit more timber to the end, and this will allow for the extra guttering to be mounted.



Much better, dark green paint mixed and added.



Moved some shelving around.

More changes to come.



Also painted the sides of my garden tool cabinet, moved it about 150mm over to the left and under the roof.



Then gave the wall a coat of durable, washable paint.

And once done, this was the view over Mickeys hedge from under the carport.



This morning’s Facebook Flashback to 11 years ago.

Haynes Museum, RR’s Gathering




Mickey made a valid, funny comment last night, asking me what I am going to do when I run out of stuff to do, to keep me busy.


Who knows, life is good. We will keep busy.

[Grizz1963]

Went to visit this girl today.

Had other business to deal with, but who would not say hi to her, came charging up to rub up against me and make a fuss of me when I got there, and hung around while I worked.



I went to drop off a set of 4 Mitsubishi 4x4 wheels with winter tyres that I had been given by a friend recently.

I know Darren will use or pass them on to someone who can use them.

I also needed too get some directions to where to go find the company that strips down delivery trucks and rebuilds them in the hope to get some of the sides to use in the carport build.

Typically when I got there, Darren was as hospitable as I have become used to over the years, kettle on, guided tour and chat.

Asking about lamp shades, as I wanted a gooseneck light on the carport, so we ended up back in the workshop.



Pointing at a pile of off cuts, and a tool, he suggested I make one myself.



While Darren carried on with his day job, I played with the wheel.



Soon enough it was not straight anymore.



And result, to be cut shorter, a mounting plate to be welded on at the right angle.

Cat seemed impressed that I could give her some attention again.



Darren had given me this ally shade from his stash of treasures to use toward making the light.

I know there are better ones out there, and gave away the two I had, years ago, so will figure out how to make this one work.



Unimpressive price



So over the weekend I will make and weld up a mounting plate after cutting this pipe to length.


So after finishing as Darrens, I headed out to the truck breakers.

Owner was not there, so I spoke to one of the staff, looks like I may get lucky at some point to get some of the fibreglass ply.

I also managed to get off their pile of scrap, a truck roof mounted aero wing came home in the back of the Galaxy, 2.2 meter long, it will probably end up over the patio doors, painted white. Allowing the doors to be open when it rains.




Galaxy rocks. SPACE !!





Lastly, another scrap pile find was this cup holder and cubby hole storage unit, with keys.

Will be used in the C10, always wanted one, but not at the price the make.



Good night.



PS: Life is Great.

[Grizz1963]

After work I popped down to the garage to see if I could make a start on the carport driveway lamp.

I wanted only one on the 6 meter frontage, though two or even three crossed my mind.

Let’s start with one.

Bits laid out



Mounting plate cut, drilled and sanded.
]


Tacked down squarely.



Welded all the way around.



Checked the squareness.

Happy so far.



And a quick n dirty basic Ducktape mock up.



I think it will work.

[Grizz1963]

Having a chat with @Flingstam abouthis Toyota Deliboy and rev counters, he refered me to his newest favourite website for buying “stuff”

His thread: https://forum.retro-rides.org/thread...toyota-deliboy

I was always thinking of a silly, large Rev Counter and had one stashed bit it seems I stashed it too well of someone else now has it.

Anyway, looking around I saw this..........




I do like the look of it, but no real idea of how well they work or not.

[Grizz1963]

.


. Happy Thanksgiving all ! !


.

[Grizz1963]

Perfect, right size, 20% “Black Friday” discount........

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Solar-Gar...AAAOSwoVteV9Qc

Oooopppps.

No stock, so will revert to full price when we get stock in.

Grrrrrrr.

[Grizz1963]

May be that I have the right one.

http://redirect.viglink.com/?key=633...YAAOSwbcBd-eJZ


Hopefully I can make it work


Let’s see what happens.

[Grizz1963]

I know we have a fair amount of carnivores here, Fresh biltong, Collected yesterday.

Got some biltong from a local-ish maker/supplier (Biltong Cottage on FB) or contact me for details. She will ship as well at a cost, I tend to collect mine.

I still make my own as well, but know the cost in time and meat vs a good deal.

Bought a kilo of original and 500g of chilli which is really good.

As a personal gift, her husband gave me a bottle of Mrs Balls Chutley ( no, I am not going to try to explain that)




After painting the lamp shade, and leaving it down in the garage overnight, the next morning I found it super tacky and clearly not drying.

So I bought it indoors and have had it balanced in the small office oil radiator in the kitchen.

24 hrs later, it is now nice and dry, probably needs a n]bit more time to really dry and for the paint to go hard.



One other job that I have looked forward to has been getting the very large compressor from the garage and into its own space next to the carport.

The @pauly annex.

Lifted with my Jack, and wheeled in two wheels at a time.



Decided to paint the mount for the light red as well.

The white paint, though sold as gloss for metal, is water based, and not successful.

[Grizz1963]

So the lampshade seemed to respond well to the small heater under it.

Paint has dried to the point where it does not mark or dent, though I am sure you could scratch it off with your finger nail

So I fetched in the mounting bracket and a plank on which to place it for painting and drying, and proceeded to paint it red as well, despite planning white originally.



Done, mounted, now wait for it to dry over the next day or so.



Went to the garage agin, and fished out the last bit of the green and redid the edge of the shade, separating the red and white with a narrow band of green.

I do like that, and from the ground it should look good.



While at that, I mounted the Chevrolet sign I got from Darren a few years ago. It had lived indoors after being painted.



From a distance, up on the beam.



Nothing spectacular, but I certainly feel that I like it.

Bit of a theme coming out of here now.


.

[rgunlock]

Your cover turned out great! I'm sure you are going to enjoy having it. I love that you have a theme for it and you are nailing it!

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by rgunlock

Your cover turned out great! I'm sure you are going to enjoy having it. I love that you have a theme for it and you are nailing it!

Thank you very much.

It has certainly exceeded my expectations and already given me a load of pleasure, even just hearing the rain fall on the sheets put a grin on my face and in my heart

Using it over time will be great too.

[Grizz1963]

Right team.


LED Strip/Ribbon lighting.


Today’s technical question is around the parts needed, and effective fitting of LED ribbon lights.


I have an idea, and it needs to be done.

Using LED strip light, to look like Neon lighting from a,distance at the top of the carport structure.

Specifically the red board only, I contemplated the upright posts in red or green, but then it may end up being too Christmassy.

I seen you can but 5 meters of non waterproof strip for as little as £6.00 from,China, up to local, waterproof strip from Essex for £14.00

This excludes transformer, connectors etc. I do have a nice 12 volt transformer in the garage, waiting for a job.


So this is the red board, either on the lower edge, or even behind or just below the roof sheets, but I think behind makes more sense.





Advice,,tips, links, experience, guidance appreciated

I have not been to my local TLC electrical wholesaler yet.

Thanks.