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

[Grizz1963]

So last night I went out in the truck to the 6 Bells pub in Cliffe for a car meeting.

A load of very different stuff, older, newer, traditional, not so traditional…..

Noisy Harleys ridden by crippled geriatrics trying to grasp that last handful of youthful pleasure. And making me look the other way while they rev up their overly loud, expensive steeds, tottering about trying to park them for all to admire.
These are absolutely beautiful machines, don’t get me wrong, and I have ridden since age 13.

Click link for photos.


https://forum.retro-rides.org/thread...m-retro-loaded






Today was hot, unpleasantly hot, even the dog was not impressed.





Quick after work job.

Buckle for the crotch strap.

And then bolted into the frame as well.





Tight, but adjustable fit

.

Done.



Weekend has arrived.

[Grizz1963]

Ahhhh, MOT man says you need to see where you just came from.

Combined a set of old and new mirrors.



Needs tidying up.



Better



4 of these made as only one original.



Ready




Tight fit, call the octopus.



Arms on.



Done.



Looks so wiiiiide now.





Central rear view mirror also contemplated.

Chevy mirror from my stash.



But then found this one.

Sucker



Job done.



Spent the rest of the day with Sally.

Walked the dog.

Saw my next resto project. Right there in the Thames, Essex in the background.



And took her out for dinner.

Happy life.

[Grizz1963]

Had an interesting question about the mirrors on another forum…….

From someone with a scatty memory. Asking why fit these mirrors.


Original fitment.


I just added new mirrors as one glass was broken.

[Grizz1963]

Thanks to @peteh1969 for making up the badges.

Fitted them early on today.

Details.





Followed by……….

Passenger “Anti-Submarine” strap.

Unbolted and raised the seat base.

Remember this was the drivers seat before.

@nickwheeler had just arrived and suggested I make the brace stronger than what was fitted as standard.

So……..



Measured and cut a new 3mm steel brace.

Also made a new buckle to go with it.



Bolted in.



And fitted.



Fits too.

Fully adjustable.





.

[Grizz1963]

So while I carried on with the second seat harness mount, @nickwheeler took a look at the wipers that came last week.

Very quickly realising they would be needing some adjustment on every level.


1. Mounting plate and Rivnuts to the frame.

2. Shorter arms, a lot shorter (think headlight arms)

3. Shorter wipers. 8” or 200mm as those supplied are 300mm


So we carried on working side by side at more of these small necessary jobs.


First mounting plate made up.

Even the small screws needed replacing from the magic tub with slightly longer ones.






Tried out.

Looks good.



Yes, that works.



Bolted up, spacing works.



Both sides done.



Another couple of small jobs included getting the passenger footwell firewall kickplate carpeted. Looking plush in there now.

And finding where I had hidden these bonnet/hood catches……

Making up some backing plates and finding small nuts and screws to attach them to fenders and hood.



Attached.



And finally, stepping away

Wipers and arms too long, need something shorter.

Bonnet catches in place.



A short day unfortunately, as the rear light units were not delivered on Friday or Saturday as promised by Ebay.

Busy week ahead.

Have a good one all.

[Grizz1963]

A day off work always sounds like a great idea.

Especially when you choose to be off.

But when you do not, and feel a bit rubbish, it is still a good thing. Right?



But there is always stuff to do.

Yesterday I checked the cells in the battery that came with the car, intending to put it on charge.

Cells were all dry, took 1.5 litres to fill, no wonder it was so light.

I hate duff, tired or dead batteries, so time for a new one.

John the lodger picked up a new battery on the way home from his favourite battery shop. Cost £55.00



While trying the front wiring, the original airbag (disconnected) steering wheel would not activate the horn, may need some magic or new alternative.

https://youtu.be/EThky5GcbH4

But I also looked at alternatives.

Eunos wheel.

Mot pretty.



Fits but needs a working horn push.



A spare, fitting centre boss, but no wheel or horn push.



And the wheel I really do prefer for looks.

But the centre boss is a differently splined unit.



So many options…….

Do I blend two steering wheels to make up one that fits?

Or stick with Mr Ugly.

Suspect Ugly it is.

For now.

[Grizz1963]

Went to look for some specific diameter pipe for the Rezin Rockit.

Failed.

But found this hammer in the dirt.

My first thought is slate roofers hammer.

Possibly quite old, and from before the modern ones seen now.

@dez is a bit of a hammer guy, so may know.

Anyone else got a clue?







Thanks.

[Grizz1963]

Spectacularly rubbish night. 12 hours in bed, maybe 5 slept in total.

Bored to hell by 9.30 so went to the garage and stood and stared at things.

Liking what I see, but bored within 10 minutes.

So I found a lazy, slow job to do.



Fix the dash a bit, original design was in a different direction…… leaving gaps.

Created template.



Found some wood and tools.





More shaping after making a second one, yes, V1.0 was not quite right.



More materials.



Looks like a fit.



Glue, fit, pressure.



Done trimming back.



Vinyl next I guess.



Knackered, from doing nothing.

Came indoors.

[Grizz1963]

Well.

Covid certainly slows me down.

But I struggle to sit still, and indoors is a killer.

After a slow walk around the bootfair, which netted exactly zero, I had breakfast, sat around a while, then went to the garage.

Gathered some bits of metal.



Measured, cut to.size, drilled etc.





Drilled and tapped the rear support



Glue.



Result.





Solid stick welds.



Painted.



Result.





Tell you what.

That screen is a load more solid and stable now.

It was good, now it is better.

[Grizz1963]

Shortest report ever.

Thanks to Covid.

3 holes drilled, 3 P-Clips fitted to brake lines.



I gave up, and came in to,sleep,2.5 hours.

Nasty stuff.

[Grizz1963]

Back to work.

Bit of yard work done.

This part of the carport build is 18 months overdue.



This was where it was headed.



Think an extension of my Sinclair Oil corporation colours, first started on the framework of the carport.

Red on Green.



Painting.



Green.



Add some blue and red.



And that was it for tonight, give the Hammerite 24/48 hours to dry.



Next stop, fitting, fixing and signwriting.

Or something like that.

[Grizz1963]

PART TWO.

FLIP OVER, PAINT WHITE.

Reflective rear end.



Should reflect.



That is very RED, really RED.

Second coat.



Now to try leave it alone a few days to dry through.

Weekend is here.

First beer opened.

[LT7A]

I'm sorry to hear about your covid. That's bad news no matter how you look at it. Glad you are able to move around at some level. Here's an excerpt from one of your posts above:

Came to a decision yesterday.

My car, my build, my visualisation, my way,

Advice always appreciated.

This type of claim/disclaimer is happening with much more frequency in your thread including the middle finger decal. Being a long time follower, I'm wondering if there are things that are driving it? You are a guy doing an unusual project in the way that he wants it to be done and those repeated assertions actually interrupt the flow of a cool thread. Maybe you are answering criticism you're getting from posting elsewhere? Whatever the case, you asked for advice and I'll tell you what I think, but not specifics about what you're building.

This is your thread, and your vehicle, so build it however you want. Don't justify it, just do it. You are much more likely to get enjoyment out of doing this thread if you are looking to keep people interested, rather than looking for their approval. And if you don't want opinions, don't ask for them. If you want everyone to like it then build a Camaro or a Mustang. But even then, people will take issue with how you do it. And if you get opinions you don't want, just ignore them. But if you do ask for opinions, then treat them as valid, don't discount them because they didn't reinforce what you actually wanted to do. And once again, if you know what you actually want to do, then do it and don't ask for opinions. I think you know by now that you're very much an individual. We all are if we will let ourselves be. If you wanted to build something to fit in, you wouldn't have started this project. So build it how you want it. And people can follow along if they're interested. And don't take offense to my direct language, as I stated at the beginning, this is just my opinion. You asked for advice and I gave mine because it's starting to sound like you're busy tending critics and not having fun.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by LT7A

I'm sorry to hear about your covid. That's bad news no matter how you look at it. Glad you are able to move around at some level. Here's an excerpt from one of your posts above:



This type of claim/disclaimer is happening with much more frequency in your thread including the middle finger decal. Being a long time follower, I'm wondering if there are things that are driving it? You are a guy doing an unusual project in the way that he wants it to be done and those repeated assertions actually interrupt the flow of a cool thread. Maybe you are answering criticism you're getting from posting elsewhere? Whatever the case, you asked for advice and I'll tell you what I think, but not specifics about what you're building.

This is your thread, and your vehicle, so build it however you want. Don't justify it, just do it. You are much more likely to get enjoyment out of doing this thread if you are looking to keep people interested, rather than looking for their approval. And if you don't want opinions, don't ask for them. If you want everyone to like it then build a Camaro or a Mustang. But even then, people will take issue with how you do it. And if you get opinions you don't want, just ignore them. But if you do ask for opinions, then treat them as valid, don't discount them because they didn't reinforce what you actually wanted to do. And once again, if you know what you actually want to do, then do it and don't ask for opinions. I think you know by now that you're very much an individual. We all are if we will let ourselves be. If you wanted to build something to fit in, you wouldn't have started this project. So build it how you want it. And people can follow along if they're interested. And don't take offense to my direct language, as I stated at the beginning, this is just my opinion. You asked for advice and I gave mine because it's starting to sound like you're busy tending critics and not having fun.

100% agreed.

Thanks for taking the time to write.

You are right, and maybe a small confession from me, I often copy and paste to the 8 forums I write on, and some are more critical, aggressive etc than others.

I really like your comments about building unique vs building another popular model.

Advice is always appreciated, as I certainly do not always see the reality or threat when putting ideas together.

[Grizz1963]

Slim pickings at the bootfair today.

New garden sprayer £1 (I stood on the old one)
Pack of 50 @ 1mm cutting discs
£20 Candle tray for American artist friend £2
2 superhero Mugs 10p each
Good Scissors 50p each
Batman Multitool £1

[LT7A]

For some reason this struck me funny:

New garden sprayer £1 (I stood on the old one)

You get some pretty good deals at those boot fairs.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by LT7A

For some reason this struck me funny:



You get some pretty good deals at those boot fairs.

Eyes wide open……

[Grizz1963]

Sunday afternoon and @nickwheeler laying down on the job.



But the rear lights and splash guards were fitted, changed the screw in bracket to two pairs of Studs in order to make seating and tightening a lot easier.

Ultimately, the wiring ended up entering high and on the opposite side, so original access now surplus.

Should make a huge difference to splatter and keeping things clean out back.



Late afternoon photo when wrapping up for the first time (Nick likes to find more small jobs that need to be done)

Lenses back on for the first time in a while.



One of the jobs that kinda stalled was to get some automotive carpet in behind the pedals and onto the firewall, to cover the high density foam I previously added.

I was not going to buy a roll of carpet just to use a 500x500 piece.

So I rummaged in the bits of carpet from the original floor and found it……..

The original piece.


Bucket of fairy liquid, washed followed by three rinses and set out to dry, it was a hot day.

Edited and cut to fit as footwell dimensions have changed slightly.

Brutal contact adhesive and fitted.



Next small job I needed to do, which had waited for the carpeting to get completed was a left side footrest.

I had desperately wanted to use the one GRIZZ footrest that Andy in Oklahoma had cast for me.

Only problem it turns out, was it was a right foot, so only good for an accelerator pedal.

So I went to plan B which has laid in the wings for years.

Can you tell what it is yet? ( I used to have a coffin shaped one too, gave it to,someone)





Some planning, finding a long enough bolt to go through the floors etc.

Remove the carpet before drilling, as you know what happens if you don’t.



Job done.

Nick holding the i side down while I tightened up the Nyloc underneath as my arms would never reach.

Really happy with the result.



While I played with these cosmetic finishes, Nick continued to make up magical wiring harnesses, extending non extended, 10mm cut off wires etc to give us a pair of these……

Working.



In the mean time again while he was measuring up the handbrake for missing parts that need custom making, I did some woodwork, after finding some solid Oak.

Supports for the front indicators and marker lights to rest on when fitted.

The new lights are slimmer by 20mm than the originals, so some filling in will need to be done.

Part one.





Remember the small jobs Nick keeps finding after closing time?

Back to the pedal box and clutch pedal.

A 3mm change is needed to make things work more smoothly.

No way we are adjusting the firewall etc.

So out came this guy.

Watch this space.



Weekend over.


Thanks for checking in.

[bennylava]

I can tell from that pic, there will soon be a birth.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by bennylava

I can tell from that pic, there will soon be a birth.

LOL.

I really hope so buddy, I really am ready for it to happen.

[Grizz1963]

Made a small handle last night from some climbing rope I had stashed away.

Started with a hangmans noose to create the handle and locking it in place.

John the lodger was down here too.

Celebrating their team “My Left Foot” coming 4th out of 70 teams at the Red Bull Soapbox race on Sunday.

Certainly does not fit the bill for “disabled”

He is always game for doing stuff, the riskier the better.















Mocked up.

I am sure a passenger, if I have any, will appreciate it.



Walking back from the house after fetching us a drink, I noticed again how much I like this profile, and though the camera loses some of it, just how low this thing came out.



Washed the webbing and hung it out to dry as the Ebay seller is certainly a d!ck who wont replace the incorrect order he sent.

[Grizz1963]

Finished the pump and hose tonight.

I think I do like that.



Completely useless bit of furniture that looks better than it functions.

[Grizz1963]

Always said I was not going to do this job.

Getting it done by a refurbishment specialist would be £300.00 or more.

But 5 plus hours of therapy, cleaning, prepping, masking repeatedly, followed by two cans of a louder Gold than was on there, and two large cans of Satin Black to cover the rear inside bands and front hub faces, re-inflating, detailing the axle hubs and drums in black made me very happy, despite the very hot day out there.

Rears cleaned, prepped and painted.



Front side masked.



Painted



Before and after.



Painting



Both Golds done.



Black centres prepped, masked



And a pic of them before and after paint.







So different from where I started.


Side



Rear



Front



Low-ish.




Closed shop, showered by 3.30 as too hot really to have fun.

Cold Beer time I think.

[Grizz1963]

Bit of a story on this one.

Bonnie the rescue dog loves water.

On Sunday it was really hot and Sally put out a washing up bowl filled with water for her. Twice.
Played it dry both times.

https://youtu.be/hLiilwSEKd8

So I said a Little Tikes kids sandpit/splash pool would be ideal.

Tonight after work I stopped in the village to get bread and then headed home.

Saw a skip. Full. And on top was the lid.

U-Turn and knock on the door, ask if I can have it, body was there too.

Loaded.



Unpack

Mucky



Price Check

Thank You



Pressure Cleaner

Plus Rag and Amonia cleaner.

Result



Off to Sally

Greeted with a WTF ? (Where That Found)

Water + Dog added.



Toys brought into pool by Bonnie.



I think you can call that a result.

Half an hour and she has not got out of it. Still playing.

[Grizz1963]

Dry summer.

Hot days, relative to monsoon weather, has made the yield of wild fruit less than usual as @kevins and I both realised.

So this year my fruit collection was in three different places.

Near the vets was good for about 1.5kg and one of Sally, Bonnie and my walks has a few trees, of which only three had any accessible, usable fruit, it gave about 2.5kg as well, so I had 4kg by Saturday afternoon, stashed in the fridge.

Perfect dog walking paths.

Finding the fruiting trees becomes a game too.





Sunday I went looking about 7 miles from home on the isle of grain down the road my electrician lodger goes to,work, I recalled there was fruit when he came here last year……



Booooom as @pauly says.

Jackpot.



Of course I had to share with this girl, I thought she was a boy……..



Friendly.

https://youtu.be/qZoM5jUZAsE

About 6 varieties of plums all told in my collection that made up 12kg raw with stones.



Back home I cleaned them all, and weighed up the lot.

8kg from the trees in the lane, of course minus what the horses had.

So a total of 12kg in fruit.

I went to the village and bought 10kg of sugar as I use less than the traditional 1 to 1 mix of fruit, sugar and a cup of water per kilogram.

Split the lot into 2 and 4 kilo and cooked them in two pots, with the stones in.





MISTAKE.

But I got the stones out when halfway through.

Will do the second 6kg tonight after work.

And will remove all the stones before cooking, another spectacularly shiite job, but has to be done.

By 8.00pm I had bottled and cleaned up the kitchen.

RESULT.






Part two tonight then.