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

[Grizz1963]

I do hate pointless meaningless Teams meetings that leave you reaching for your mobile phone

After all, what is £30.00 when you are gathering parts for kart no2

So my meeting had me message the seller 17miles away.

When I got there it turns out we have a ton of stuff in common, except he is a DI in the Police.

So we chatted for 45 minutes before I loaded this machine that has been stood for 10 years, outside.




DM is a brand of the Flymo company.



So when I got home, ‘I left it in the car and carried on with the day job.

Later I took it out, cleaned it up a bit and then checked the oil, well…… black tar more accurately, added some fuel after checking the sparkplug that may have seen better days too.





Added fresh oil after draining the tiny bit of gloop from the crankcase.




Of course I then tried to get it started, the tines seem to want to turn every time I pulled the rip cord……

So I removed the tines/hooky things and tried to start it.

Failed, pushed it under the carport and came indoors.

So I still beed to go back to it and take a look and a tug or,two.

We may still,end up with a boat anchor or a little runner.


.

[Grizz1963]

Back to the Suspension bushes.


The company whose bushes I previously posted up has already pisssed me off as they do not reply to emails, even a simple request, after I emailed an enquiry on Friday last week.

People like that do not deserve my business as they probably see customer service as something other companies do.

So kind of back to starting out looking for a supplier who is prepared to deal with someone who is not an F1 team, or weekend warrior racer.

I had a suggestion for SuperPro bushes on Rods n Sods and looking for a supplier found someone supplying the brand about 15 miles from here.

Comments elsewhere.

[font color="e619a4"]Go to super pro web site and buy once buy quality, the images should give you an idea of what goes where, all bushes are marked up so you know where they go, ive fitted plenty of these bushes to landrover over the years, very forgiving and nearly impossible to damage when fitting.

if you can't get the rear anti roll bar bushes have someone with a lathe makes them for you. to be honest those ones never gave any problems like the fronts on cortina's. i can honestly say i've never ever had to replace them for an mot and i've had/worked on hundreds of them over time.
re the kit you list, it's all pretty self explanatory where they go once you have them in hand and offer them up. also as it'll be a toy not a daily driver i wouldn't worry too much about them wearing prematurely either.
neil.[/font]



Also, last night when I got back from work in Lewisham a parcel was propped up against my kitchen door.

My replacement leading trailing arm



Needs a good clean, Knotwheel at the ready……. And primer plus Hammerite

Probably by the weekend.

[Grizz1963]

[quote author="@kevins" source="/post/2697599/thread" timestamp="1631697969"]If the rubber ones are not badly cracked I would re-use everything except the top ones in the axle which as above I would replace with estate ones, it's going to be so light comparred to the cortina that the standard ones are probably a bit on the stiff side even.[/quote]


Went against advice……

Have ordered a set of polybushes, rather than original style rubber items.

£131.00 delivered.

From what I could see, the rubber bushes will total up to a bigger cost than polyurethane.

If lucky, delivery on Friday or Saturday.

And then the dismantling, step by step and bush replacement one at a time, depending on how easily I get to remove the old ones.

Fingers crossed.

[Grizz1963]

So I had planned on using one of the two arms bought to replace the welded up one.

So before work this morning at 07.00 I went down to the garage, pulled out the grinder and knot wheel.



Then today when ordering the bushes I realised that there are three different sizes on each end, making for a load of permutations.

So when I checked, the one end was 50mm and the new ones were 43mm but the ones fitted were 47mm so I would need to replace both arms in order to keep things uniform

Sp after work tonight I had to go do no 2 as well.



Not too bad.



Then painted them and left them hanging to dry overnight and for the next few days.



Followed by mowing the lawn.

Lets hope the bushes all come out without giving me a hernia.

[Grizz1963]

Got this to use from a friend today.



Mr Grinder on standby.

Bigger question now is how to establish whether this shock is dead.

And then, what to replace it with if the spring loses a full coil.




Advice as always, appreciated.

[Grizz1963]

[quote author="@glenanderson" source="/post/2697773/thread" timestamp="1631809091"]Put one end of the shock in the vice, so it’s vertical. Hold the other end and try to pull it out and push it back in again quickly. If there’s a reasonable amount of resistance, then they’re worth refitting providing they compress enough to still work with the shorter spring.

If they have no resistance, or they’re too long, then hang fire on ordering any new shocks until the car is reassembled and at its final running height and weight before you fork out for replacements. [/quote]


Well, I nearly kinda screwed up there, makes sense waiting to see final riding height…..

Was going to order a standard set to go with the ONE COIL sacrificed.

These seem to have had it, one is rusted in place pretty much, one collapses to become a dumpy.



Almost weekend, counting down.

Soon.

[Grizz1963]

Using the truck in the morning to deliver some blasting media for @pauly and also some random junk for @craigrk

Thought I would cut the flooring mate Fil dropped of before.





Once the sun warms it up a bit, it should be useable.

Looking forward to driving it again.

[Grizz1963]

So the postie delivered nothing today.

But the DPD courier made my day.





And laid out.

I do hope that I will be able to figure out what goes where.



After work I went down to the garage, decided that the gusseting was probably the more important job to get started on.

Pulled the chassis out after pushing the wheels and suspension bits out the way.



Using CAD the job was not that awkward at all.





After some cutting, shaping, grinding, I was happy.

I had also tested out my stick welder, which is part of the MIG welder that has stopped working.

The 3mm plate I have used for the gussets are probably thicker than the tubing of the frame, so the stick welder should be perfect to create deep, heavy welds.

In the morning I will use a flap wheel to grind back the primer and any residual rust etc in the spots `I need to weld.

All my gussets are ready and waiting on the chassis for the welder.



Hope it all welds and works easily.


.

[Grizz1963]

Horse trading….?

Horse play?

Horse power?





Let’s see what this looks like in the tub later.

.

[Grizz1963]

Went to collect the roll bar for the Rezin Rockit along the motorway, 25 miles from here.

Trading done.

@pauly on his way to the next stop…… Leatherhead, then back to Essex by lunchtime.



This truck continues to work and make me grin

Small jobs, big jobs, all the same.




Clean up the roll cage later and see if it fits.

After welding gussets.

[Grizz1963]

Half a field today.

Slim pickings.

Screwdriver 50p
Old pump 50p
Stool £4.00
Bird nest 50p
Leggings £1.00 each
Nylock nuts n bolts £3.00 the lot




Todays technical question……

What do the numbers on these signify?



Thanks.

[Grizz1963]

Bought a few random bolts and Nyloc nuts this morning, £3.00 the lot, so replace some of the bolts on the car, may be that they are too big or thick to be honest, but then they can be added to the Quality Street tin of random fasteners.





Responses already received on application.

[quote author="@grizz" source="/post/2698096/thread" timestamp="1632044050"][quote author="@johnthesparky" source="/post/2698087/thread" timestamp="1632042539"]Not a straightforward answer to that I think. Mostly suspension uses 10.9 and 12.9 normally. This is stronger along the bolt but weaker in shear.
This is the tricky bit for me, as when I think suspension I imagine all the extra weird forces when you go through a pothole and up a kerb that would potentially add a shear force to it.

That’s why personally, because I don’t know better and am too lazy to work anything out, I’d match the original grade (but I think it would have been imperial? So the grades are different too, grade 5 and 7 normally I believe) my reasoning is that if it’s still on the road after 20 or 30 years it probably was about right. Other bolts will work but what happens when they actually fail

[/quote][quote timestamp="1632043687" source="/post/2698093/thread" author="@westbay"]No, bumpers, engine brackets (not engine mounts), seats but not seat belts, 'low' stress items ...

10.9 , steering, brakes, suspension, basically anything with a high stress rate ...[/quote]
Thanks guys.



So I restarted the Knotwheel of death….

Got spiked a couple of times, hey-ho.

It really cleaned up the welds nicely, removing flux etc too.

Plus removing all the burned, heat damaged primer.



Sacrilegious



Done, and very pleased with the finish.



Next up was a bit of playing around with @pauly ‘s roll bar from his Chevy.


Seat in place for perspective, as well as the screen.

It is clearly too wide as it is to be floor mounted, but will be once modified.

It will go 220mm don below the sill and also backwards, in line with the “B-Pillar” with a slight tilt backwards so you can get in and out of the seat without being a contortionist.

Make sense?

The top of the roll bar should be about 100mm (plus its own thickness)above the seats headrest once all are bolted down, and at the same height as the top of the windscreen.

Pics are just a basic mock up.







Last thing I checked yesterday was the width of the steel wheels planned for this car.

At 9” side to side, what is the minimum width one would start looking at, though that is not the objective.

And I certainly do not want a load of stretch like the tyres currently fitted to them.

I quite like a bit of chunky width.






Still got to decide what to do today, Sally is about to bead home, 2 miles down the road to work in her garden and cook Uncle Bobs dinners for the next couple of days.



.

[Grizz1963]

So today I took a break, doing nothing.

Well, almost nothing.

Guilt took over eventually, so I went to the garage and moved the chassis deeper into the carport, and moved the front end in next to it, and then the rear end to the front.
Intending to start working on the bushes, removing them and refitting the new ones.

Did not happen, started to look at the roll bar again.

Then texted my friend Kevin on the farm, whom I knew has a 6.5 ton pipe bender………

He was busy rebuilding his guest house bathroom, but said “Come on over” so I loaded the bar into the truck and went over.

15 minutes later, the passenger side leg was bent to fit the space on the chassis where the original fitted.

Remember this……. Horrible monstrosity of a roll cage.



Mounting points will be used.



Quick assembly and selecting the right piece.



Pumping…….



Started at 1440mm and 1330mm was the target.

And done.



I then stayed another 45 minutes while he battled a bathroom cabinet that needed to be cut and shaped around a pipe.

Then headed home to come play and see if the fit was successful.

Tilted back, rear diagonal mocked up.

It may end up a bit more upright once the seats are fitted.



Still needs to be squared up once the base plate is cut off and rewelded.

[LT7A]

I haven't been on a while. Lots of cool stuff to see. You've made great progress on the chassis of the RR. Great job getting it clean and into a heavy duty primer. A lot of work, no doubt. But nice to know that you saved it from the elements and have preserved it in a way to last for a long time.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by LT7A

I haven't been on a while. Lots of cool stuff to see. You've made great progress on the chassis of the RR. Great job getting it clean and into a heavy duty primer. A lot of work, no doubt. But nice to know that you saved it from the elements and have preserved it in a way to last for a long time.

Thank you, it was a helluva lot of work and time.

I am hoping that I do it justice.

And also trying to future proof it all.



[quote author="@bricol" source="/post/2698304/thread" timestamp="1632151626"][quote source="/post/2697881/thread" author="@grizz" timestamp="1631884038"]I do not understand the technical terms highlighted in orange.


"Bump" - suspension travel upwards from normal ride height - think of it as when you go over a "bump".

"Droop" - suspension travel downwards form normal ride height - if you jack a car up on the chassis, it takes a bit to get the wheel off the ground as the suspension "droops".   

Rule of thumb seems to be 2/3 of travel (minimum of 2" ish ) is in bump, with a 1/3 of travel in droop for a road going car.

My trials special will have considerably more of each
[/quote][/quote]

Cannot remember who asked about the bump stops now.


So I went and fitted the adapter, spacer and a wheel tonight after dinner

Shows the bump stop, and I think it is missed, or is it.



Looks OK from here.



I am hoping that when it is all loaded up with engine and gearbox fitted in there, that the geometry stays good.

Not a lot planned this week.

I am, hoping to get @paulf over, with his hydraulic press to make life easier.

Here’s to hoping.

[Grizz1963]

Popped over to @nickwheeler this afternoon, 10 miles from here, he lives a couple of houses from where Joy used to live.

A quick pickup turned into a two hour chat.

Amazing how many skilled, knowledgeable people are out there when you allow yourself to meet them. Nick seems to have an encyclopaedic knowledge of things automotive and more….

Perfect way to spend a few hours.

Book he offered me should be a perfect guide in this build.



I also worked on the seats and roll bar for a bit before dark.

Hope to get the roll bar welded tomorrow.

[Grizz1963]

Another quick after work session, though I was kinda gutted I could not strike an arc or two, as I am in a two day national online meeting that I cannot walk out of at all.

So after work I went and took a quick look which turned into two hours of measure, fit, cut, move about.

I recovered the passenger seat from the C10 cab and put it in the tub as well.

Roll bar as it stood.



Both seats, and screen with roll bar.





Mocking up is the easy part of course.

I think thats how I want it, seats will be back 3-4 inches at least. Fixed.



Once I got to the look I wanted, I copied the angle of the roll bar onto a pizza box with a Sharpie, CAD at it’s best.



And proceeded to transfer measurements onto the paving outside the garage, using the water drain as a straight edge……..

And cut both ends as long as possible..

VERY HAPPY at this point.





I am adding new mounting plates that have been rotated slightly to the floor, that will then sandwich the body to the chassis.



I also trimmed the outside corners as the body tub has a slight curve at the bottom where it had been moulded, thus preventing any issues later.

I will be mounting and setting the roll bar at the correct angle and position using ductape, broomsticks and small children before tacking the base plates to it, followed by a decent penetrating weld.

Fresh hardware and a diagonal rear brace, modified to suit should give me the look I am after.

Then the search for suitable safety belts or harnesses will be on, that can be used with the RX8 seats




If things go well, I may try find some time tonight after work for the welding up, before cooking dinner for Sally and I .

Fingers crossed.

[Grizz1963]

[quote author="@misteralz" source="/post/2698563/thread" timestamp="1632296454"]I love that roll bar. It's aggressively selfish![/quote]


Absolutely, it should fit in with the whole WTF ? Attitude of the car, slightly Antisocial Thuggery in motion.

I am already thinking of putting a LED high-tight brake light into the top junction as well, possibly with an override switch, allowing me to find and fit a strobe type that goes into F1 cars when raced in the rain.



GREAT RESULT……


The company gave us an hour off for “Wellness Wednesday” time to add to lunch to do whatever we want, as long as it is not work.


I guess I am headed out to quickly do some prep, cleaning some of the chrome off the base of the roll bar and welding it to the plates.


Fingers crossed it is a quick n easy job.

[Grizz1963]

DIRTY

DIRTY

DIRTY

And a load of rust.

As this comes apart bit by bit it seems a lot of this is original 70’s Cortina.

First stop was this one.



I did not realise for a while that I cound unbolt the other end.

Inappropriate tools abound.







Then the arms and their bushes that seem bushed.



A ton of cleaning up followed.

Wire brushed all parts.



Less and less to it.





Why a split pin, Nyloc and bolt retainer?



Bushes go there.

How the hell?



Anti Roll Bar gets new bushes both ends



So thats where we got last night. Still so much more to do.

I am also replacing all Nylocs and bolts as I go along.

Later team.

[Grizz1963]

Yesterday and today were and will be very busy.

Today is my first face to face team meeting with the whole team in 18 months, as our company is super conscientious about staff safety and social distancing etc.

I also managed to find a service station after passing 8 with zero fuel yesterday, and that included a 25 mile round trip to be allowed to buy £30.00 worth of diesel.


Amazing how the profiteering is openly happening.


£1.56 or $2.10 per liter at a Shell station on Bluebell Hill


I am sure some will say I should not complain and be thankful that I managed to find some fuel.


I did some Rezin Rockit “work” as well, stopping at a nearby Nuts n Bolts guy who has reinforced my belief in people.

He will sell two washers and single nut if that is what you need, and at the price of what that item is worth as a portion of the pack.

Hopefully the weekend which has a LOT OF RAIN and WIND forecast, will also allow me some time to get to the build, as it is Sally’s weekend off at work, and I feel the need to spend some good quality time with her as well.


Yesterdays purchases……..



Looking forward to seeing them back on the front end.

[Grizz1963]

Remember my friend on the nearby farm whonwas building a Rolls Royce based, Jaguar engined Deusenberg replica.

He was really driven to get it out and running before winter.

Got this video from him on Sunday.

https://youtu.be/lBQyUQN34oY



I would say that equates to success.

Silent runner.

[Grizz1963]

Seems the truck has started to attract attention.

George is from two houses down.

Loves catnip.

I iz a dealer







So, do I chase him away, and stop him visiting the truck, or encourage him

I do like animals of course 😉

Nice boy.

[Grizz1963]

After several extended laughter filled and teeth gritting exchanges with @pauly he sent me a picture to explain what has to be done next.

Create a simple threaded bar spring compressor in order to release the springs safely and rebush the upper and lower control arms.

After knocking out the lower Ball Joint.

It was different when I did the Blazer springs and bushes…… jack up, pressure off, remove. Done.




Fingers crossed that I have fingers left to cross once I get this done after work tonight.

It seems a good time to start thinking of fitting some strip lights up in the carport roof right now too.

And plan for heating etc.

Winter’s a-coming.

[Grizz1963]

Seems Photobucket feels I am loading too many photos for the contract I have.

So it is not loading my photos.

At the tariff I pay as it is, I am not going to have them extort another $xxx or whatever it is out of me. They get about $xxx/year from me.

As far as I know I am on the intermediate tariff which equates 25000 photos.

But for now it seems pics are on hold

[Grizz1963]

Took the Mercedes Benz spring compressors back to Kevin this afternoon.

Progress continues with his build.

This was two weeks ago.

https://youtu.be/lBQyUQN34oY

One of my favourite parts to this build is probably these stone guards.

Kevin had never bashed metal, so he taught himself and made a pair of them for the car.



Adding the detail pieces now, it is certainly starting to look like a classy car.



Hope to see him get it fully on the road.

Sooooon.