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

[Grizz1963]

Did a quick job after work tonight.

Been a hard week tbh.

One year in the making…………

Tinted the trucks windows.


BEFORE



DURING



AFTER



TESTED WITH A LIGHT METER.

LEGAL.

DRIVERS SIDE



SCREAMING SIDE



PRETTY PLEASED TO BE HONEST.

ROLL ON THE WEEKEND.

ROCKIT WAITING.

[Grizz1963]

Moved the MX5 up to the house.

All things being equal it should be collected tonight for its trip back up to Wales with KevfromWales

Done some indoors maintenance this morning and made a wooden windowsill for the kitchen.

Next up a load of small fabrication jobs @nickwheeler put on the list he created and that we are still adding to.

Also need to find the fender supports for the Jeep if they exist.
Not sure if I removed them or if they were missing when it got here.

Bad weather and rain forecast for tomorrow.

Ready and waiting




.

[Grizz1963]

So after the indoors work and moving the MX5, I headed down to the garage.

A frw small time consuming jobs were waiting.

After unpacking al the stuff that came off the car in the first place, trying to find the fender brackcets I gve up.

Started to make some brackets, using some steel I had in my pile.



A pair needed of course.





Followed by a pair of radiator brackets, slightly more complex, but done soon enough.



Top of the radiator has rubber bungs to fit these holes.





Happy with that.



Decent remakes and functional.

Lets see what @nickwheeler has to say about them, he is the QC here.




While out there with the cutting disc, I decided to cut the numbers out too from the carcass of the donor, they will be welded onto the chassis later, just for the record.



Inbetween George the cat came down twice to check up on me.


Tomorrow I have the whole day to myself to carry on with the build.

Sally will be at work most of the day, starting at 06.00

Crappy job ehhh.

[Palf70Step]

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by Palf70Step

Progress.






After the brackets, I had another coffee.

Thanks to Nick, I drink more coffee now.

It allows me time to reflect for 10-15 minutes when progressing ideas.

Then back to the build.

Engine bay next.

It is pretty untidy.

Found some used, scrap aluminium to make a blanking plate.



Ductape, gotta love it.



Removed the heater pipes’ access, and copied the holes onto the plate.

Then got the template Nick had made last weekend and transferred it.

Drilled, jigsaw and a regular hand file to shape.



Holed.



And test fitted.



Then removed the grommet again and turned it inside out after cutting back the loom tape.

Filled with horrible gloopy black foam stuff.

Unpicked most of it.



Then drew the grommet over the lumpy bit to the next loom junction.

And it seems a perfect length to get to the firewall.

Tomorrow morning I will fit the grommet again and screw the plate into the firewall with a bit of sealant around the edges to seal it well.



At this point I made a quick escape and closed the shop so I could come in and spend a bit of time with Sally and make dinner.

She had done a 9 mile fast walk this morning with Sl in preparation for the Moon walk they are doing in May, for which she has managed to collect £700.00 so far, so she was tired and would not cook for herself.

When I came in George, the cat I do not have, had spent most of the day on my chair……..

King George?



Tonight I am waiting for KevFromWales to get here to collect the carcass of the MX5 donor.


More progress tomorrow I hope.

Tired tonight.

[Grizz1963]

So the weekend has been……

Today I had planned on doing a load of smaller tasks that would get me moving along the list that @nickwheeler had previously created as a guide.

I like lists.


Thanks Nick for creating this.



Rezin Rockit
Jobs List

I’ve broken these down into Mechanical, Electrical and Body. There will of course, be some cross-over as to what should be where.

Now that most of the major fabrication - engine and gearbox mounts, scuttle support- is done, the remaining jobs are each much smaller, but they ought to be done in a considered order so that they don’t have to be re-done. Like the old joke about how you eat an elephant: one bite at a time. Getting the car running and driving is the objective.

To that end, jobs will be tagged with a priority and difficulty rating as follows:

High Priority - large job, that will enable others to be completed, or parts sourced
Medium Priority - smaller job, with consequences
Low Priority - small job, can be done at any time

Difficult - time consuming, orneeds extra parts planned and acquired, or tools, or skills, or more hands
OK - achievable with available parts, or minimal time
Easy - quick job, needing little equipment or expenditure


Your assessment will probably differ slightly!


Mechanical

Steering Column: Fit column, make connecting shaft, make weather tight

High priority - can only fit in one place, and will affect other placements
OK difficulty - shafts need turning and welding inside sleeve

Clutch Pedal: Adapt Ford pedal to hydraulic, fit master cylinder, connect to slave

High priority- requires mods to brake brackets and bulkhead
Medium - placing is a two person job

Throttle Pedal: Fit Mx5 pedal assembly, and use casting as pad.
High priority - needs to attach to bulkhead/pedal bracing

Throttle Cable: Longer cable with Mx5 fittings required
Low priority - can’t be done until pedal is fitted
OK - needs parts sourced, but easy to do

.Propshaft: Hybrid Ford/Mazda shaft required to custom length
High priority - last big mechanical part, car won’t drive without it, might take a while
Easy - cheque book job!

Brake Master Cylinder Inspect and improve as necessary
Medium Priority - easy job, but needs doing before car is drivable
Easy job - standard part, readily available

Hydraulic Lines: make new brake & clutch lines as appropriate
Medium priority - needs pedal fitted, but best done before other parts fitted
Easy job

Radiator: Make brackets as required
High priority - mods to fan and hoses will be required
Easy job

Cooling Fan: Mx5 fan needs modifying or replacing
Medium priority
OK or easy



Cooling hoses: modify radiator, expansion and heater hoses as required
Medium - needs radiator and other parts fitted first
Easy

Engine Service: New plugs, oil, filters, cam belt etc
Low priority - not to be touched until after it’s running!!!!!!!!
Easy

Fuel system: Fit tank, fuel pump, filler, pump filter and pipes
High priority - probably the biggest single job, affects other parts
Difficult - parts choices, fitting, fabrication etc

Gear Lever: Needs extending/cranking back to suit driver
Low priority
OK

Exhaust: Make new system from downpipe back
Low/medium - needs fuel tank in place
OK

Airbox/Intake: Fit airbox and modify trunking as required
Medium priority
Easy

Rear Wheels: Sort out correct studs/nuts and fit larger tyres

Low
Easy


Electrical

Main Loom: Fit to dash support, connecting to fixed parts and mounting components as required. Route front legs through bulkhead, and along inner wings then modify to match components as necessary. Route rear section along driver’s sill.

Medium
OK

Power Loom: Connect to starter etc, route along chassis to rear, connect to fuse box & distribution block

Medium
Easy

Engine Loom:Route through bulkhead and seal. Mount ECU to dash rail.

Medium
Easy

Rear Loom: Connect to front loom, route to components, secure

Low
OK

Battery: Build and install battery box

Low
OK

Wipers: Design and install - Either OE Land Rover, generic screen mount or re-engineered through scuttle

Low - not needed for car driving
Depends on decision



Body

Roll Bar: Source and fit. Make new chassis mounts

Low priority
OK, once part is on site!

Dashboard: Design, build and install dashboard

Medium - not required for car to run
OK

Bulkhead: repair all redundant holes

Low
???? - glassfibre work

Floor: Strengthen as necessary, adapt for new Roll Bar
Low
???? - glassfibre

Gear Lever: Lever hole needs moving forward and finishing

Medium - needs doing before dashboard
Easy

Windscreen:Modify and fit

High - best done before the underdash electrical work
OK - some fabrication and fitting required

Seatbelts: Need Roll Bar in place

Low
OK



Job Order

Steering Column and Linkage

Pedals

Wiring looms, concentrating on getting the engine working

Hydraulic lines

Fuel system

Propshaft

Exhaust

Roll Bar

[Grizz1963]

After a rubbish night I was out in the garage early.

Weather forecast was for a lot of rain, so I needed to beat that, and the chill.

So I carried on with the firewall plate I had made up yesterday, and the next planned job was to cut the holes in the firewall for the two side wiring looms to come through over the fenders.

Then Nick arrived.

Coffee, chat, planning and some gift exchanges.

He also forgot the sleeve and two parts of the Ford and Mazda steering shafts last week.

Plan is to turn them both down on the lathe to fit the tube, drill some holes to weld up after getting the total length right, followed by ensuring it all will work to,wrap,the steering up.




After KevFromWales failed to materialise by 01.00 this morning, he eventually made it to my place by 1.00pm

Kev and Nick hit it off and gassed for an hour before we loaded the MX5 onto Kev’s trailer.

A few mugs of tea, cookies and Kev was off on his return trip to Wales.



Once loaded the coal roller headed out.



Then Nick and I went back to work.

Loads left to do.

[Grizz1963]

So next job you,say.

I had hoped to sneak an hour in during the week, but work just was relentless, and by the time I got home in the evenings, I could not be bothered once I had dinner and sat down for an hour with Sally.

So Sunday was earmarked for that as well.


Looms laid out roughly by @nickwheeler.

Hole saw at the ready and off we went.



With the position of the gas pedal or is it petrol pedal, or throttle…… and its backing plate, there was just enough room to drill out for the large grommet and loom plus various plugs to get through on each side.



Done.



Nasty fiberglass filed back a lot to tidy up.



Both exits ready.



Inside view.



And all three looms in place.

Loads left to do still, but progress for sure.



Nick had been at me since day one when we stripped the MX5 to add a heater to the Rockit, which I kept declining.

So this week I was looking for the throttle cable and pedal

When I decided to pull the original heater/blower out of a box of bits.

Nicks face was like a kid at Christmas, and of course between it, and the original, the Mini blower that this would have been originally, fitted like this.



I may be thankful in the long run when I drive it in November…… or March if the heater keeps my feet warmer than a penguins tail.

We had agreed to an early stop, by 5.00pm as I wanted to cook Sally a Valentines dinner (nothing that special) as she had been at work all day.

But typical Nick, and me for that matter…….

The rear lights and fuel tank loom came out to also be laid out and arranged…..

Last of the nightmare pile of wires.


We should have weighed the loom, just as a matter of interest.



After this and now well after 5.00pm we also stood discussing one of Nicks best ideas that came to him while walking around in Rochester Cathedral.


Relocating the battery from the rear into the engine bay, which then also included setting out the airbox, MAF and connecting pipe.


So a bridge needs to be built, behind the engine, over the gearbox, with a battery tray. (Mocked up roughly in the photo) as well as a bit of a riser for the airbox.





And that was how my weekend ended.

More jobs added to the list of fabrication jobs.

But both of us grinning madly as a bunch of jobs of the list are now partway done.

Monday……..

[Grizz1963]

Report tonight from Nick Wheeler.

He took the steering parts with him yesterday………


Reporting thus tonight.



Pictures aren't in any particular order:


Knocking the Mazda shafts apart because I can't get the assembly in the lathe



Knocking the Mazda shafts back together



Mazda shaft in the lathe



New shaft turned down, with the joining sleeve



Sleeve slid onto the new shaft



All 3 parts slotted together; we need to shorten the new and old ones slightly to get the right length, and weld the sleeve to both




And an explanation:

We need the joint that matches the steering column and one that matches the rack to be joined together via a longer shaft.

the new shaft and black u-joint are the standard Ford/European 9/16 23(I think)spline fittings. Sleeve is thickwall CDS that is almost 9/16 bore and about 150mm long for a strong connection. Certainly stronger than the original modified Cortina shaft that seems to be a piece of rod butt-welded in between the original ends.

The Mazda shaft doesn't use those UJ fittings, and is different at each end for some reason. 

I turned about 100mm of the new shaft down until it was a slip fit into the sleeve.

The Mazda shaft was too short to fit in the lathe with the UJ fitted. I wasn't sure how the parts were joined; the UJ is attached with a staked pin, and it turns out the two shafts are just splined inside each other which is probably for crash protection. I knocked them apart and turned some of the loose shaft down to match the new one. Then I knocked them back together with a new O-ring.

I still need to drill some cross holes into the sleeve for some belt-and-braces plug welds.

We will shorten each shaft by about 20mm, fit the relevant UJs to the column and rack and weld both shafts to the sleeve.

That will complete the steering, and allow us to fit the other components that need to go in the same area.[/quote]

[Grizz1963]

So with a few ideas bouncing around in my head, and @nickwheeler doing a CAD design, I had a few routes to go, all based on available materials in my pile.

So I made a rough cardboard replica of the battery.





Nick did this design and a few others.



So I started with a 50mm x 5mm steel strap, bent and cut to bridge the gearbox.



And made up a small frame that the battery tray fitted into.



Welding next.



Looks like a nice fit.



Mocked up with the battery in place, clamp in position.

The feet will only be welded once the rivnuts or captive nuts are drilled and fixed in.



And finally, bracket in place.


Pretty pleased with this outcome.

There may be some gusseting to be done.




Next job will be to create a stand for the airbox to create a raised platform.


Onwards…….. in the words of @pauly

[Grizz1963]

Two small reports……

Nick said:

Could I suggest 8.5mm holes in each end of the brackets, and matching 12mm in the rails? I'll provide some weld in threaded bungs, as I'm not convinced about rivnuts for this job, and we need at least two good earth points.


4 M8 threaded bungs to weld into 12mm holes in the chassis rail. We will need to drill clearance holes in the body for it to float over the bosses. These will also make for good battery and starter grounds.

I'll make some more, but tapped M6 for the light grounds at each corner. But I'm due at a ringing practice so that's a job for tomorrow.





So battery strap V2.0

Bypassed the sleeve, though I still like it.

So as @kevins said…….

Webbing.



Add some brass eyelets

And a hot punch.



Holey Moley.



Brass eyelets added.



And then a lightweight mock up.



Now we just need to wait for the vegans to object to the tightened nuts.

Just teeeeaaazzzinnng.

May still go back to the sparkly option ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️

Thursday…..

Weekend soon.

Garage time.

[Grizz1963]

Part of yesterday’s zero emissions progress was another one of @nickwheeler ‘s crafty longterm ideas.

The Mini heater box, fan and matrix from the original kit car was one speed and no more than lukewarm.

Where as it was mentioned that the MX5 heater was a furnace and also 4 speed

So dismantling to the sum of its parts, discarding 50% of the useless bulk and redesigning the blower box, exit vents and matrix positioning could lead to a win.

So while I searched for a ready made solution (think random discarded containers) Nick grabbed some pizza cardboard box, scissors and masking tape.

He won………..

Further fine tuning and fitting needed.

Also the transmission tunnel needs a hefty chunk of surgery and sculpting to allow the blower to fit under the scuttle and behind the firewall.

More added to the list of tasks.




Today the power is still out and no prospect of a repair today either. A freezer load of food to be discarded.

Not impressed with that at all.

But apparently we are not a priority.

So this morning I cleaned up the carport area after the storm yesterday.

Of course the wind and rain waited just for that point where I was done, to start all over again.

So now it is cold, wet, windy and raining outside.

But earlier on I did make it down there to remove the front wheels as I want new valves fitted that were not done when the tyres got fitted as the plan was blasting and painting.

While I was there I decided to clean up and reset the tie rod ends as the front end was way out of line.

New short term lodger John came down when he got up to see what I was up to.
He is a Trike rider and builder having a full strength V-MAX based trike. He lost a leg at at age 24 in a motorcycle accident when he was T-Boned and had a high thigh amputation.
He works as a driving instructor and has a keen mechanical eye.
Nice guy to have about too.

So an extra pair of hands to hold a twin pair of vice grips on the steering rod.

I also cleaned up the threads on both sides so the steering toe in could be fine tuned once the car is completed.



Once the threads were done and reassembled I fitted the space savers so the wheels can get taken to the tyre shop.



Military spec?

Rake.



Now sitting indoors with a drink and a fire warning my heatless, cold, dark house.

Anyone know a main grid electrical man or woman.

Get me some electricity

And internet.

[Grizz1963]

Spoke to engineers a few minutes ago.

They are trying to get permits for replacement of the pilons that went down.

Loads to do.



Hopefully by Monday afternoon.

[Grizz1963]

Morning world.

Went to bed 10.00 when fire died off.

Woken 11.30 by John the one legged lodger banging my door. Bloody house alarm outside had gone off and main control panel is in his room. No battery mains backup with power out for 18 hours.
Ended up opening masterpanel as no power on keyboard etc to try figuring it out, then going down to garage, got MX5 battery, jumper leads, some heavy cable and masking tape. Removed dead battery and joined up MX5 battery with a spectacular bodge including jumpers and bits of electrical wire, that shut up the whole lot.
So today’s job will be to find a small 12v 15ah battery and install plus reset system.

[Grizz1963]

Despite it looking romantic this was more born out of desperation.

Fire, light, warmth.



Easy dinner.




By 12.00 still no power.

But activity in the farmers fields.

Headed out in the S10 to get a new battery for the alarm system backup at Tool Station. Cost £23.00

Sally on camera duties.



Poles being planted.

Maybe we can look forward to power by tonight.

New storm forecast is called Franklin. Ooooops.



Spending time at Sallys house to get stuff charged up.

So no building time really but have stuff going on in my head.

[LT7A]

Sorry to hear of your power outage and especially of the lost food. You have made tons of good progress. Your old Blazer, the raison d'etre for the thread is looking great. Still curious why they needed it in the UK. If they were filming there, wouldn't that be part of the story and so something more British or European would make sense? Guess I'll just have to wait and see. I hope the heater ideas work out. I'll bet it will enhance your enjoyment of the vehicle. LT7A stands for less than 7 autos. People often ask me how many cars I have. One of them I co-own with my brother. At the time, I had six plus the half of the one, so less than seven. My grammar master buddy promptly informed me that it should be fewer than seven. And I ignored him. Good work on your fiberglass sled. From where I sit, it seems like things are moving quite quickly.

[Grizz1963]

Thanks fpr all the advice on generators etc.

Certainly not something I would EVER try or do.

I do not understand or trust electricity. Simple.





Power came back last night after 6.0pm……

BUT……

Now my whole downstairs of my house is dead, NO HEATING since Friday (have a power shower upstairs that works) No fridges etc.

So tried removing and refitting every plug downstairs one by one in a process of elimination

Then removed all the plugs, washing machine, drier, radios, side lamps, chargers etc and still it tripped out the mains even before I could start refitting them one by one.

So stopped there. Had a glass of sherry, put more wood on the fire.

Have to try find an electrician once I have gone through a further process of elimination today.

Next step is to remove the downstairs plug circuit breaker, in case that is gone and needs replacing, in which case it could be a simple, affordable job.

But both my lodgers are here, one is an electrician at the power station, one was an appliances type electrician 25 years ago, and we will try figure this out in the mean time.

Surely it can be fixed……..


As long as John does not trip down the stairs getting his crutches or prosthetic leg tangled in extension cables coming down.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by LT7A

Sorry to hear of your power outage and especially of the lost food. You have made tons of good progress. Your old Blazer, the raison d'etre for the thread is looking great. Still curious why they needed it in the UK. If they were filming there, wouldn't that be part of the story and so something more British or European would make sense? Guess I'll just have to wait and see. I hope the heater ideas work out. I'll bet it will enhance your enjoyment of the vehicle. LT7A stands for less than 7 autos. People often ask me how many cars I have. One of them I co-own with my brother. At the time, I had six plus the half of the one, so less than seven. My grammar master buddy promptly informed me that it should be fewer than seven. And I ignored him. Good work on your fiberglass sled. From where I sit, it seems like things are moving quite quickly.

The food ended up not getting wasted…….

My mum taught us never to open a freezer if power was out.

I checked yesterday when the power resumed and everything was frozen solid.

Love your username. Makes a ton of sense.

Seems Blazer was part of one of those immersive shows.

Regardless it looks neat.

It was a good truck with shoddy psint. Now its a good truck with shiny fillet and paint.

Still better than getting parted out.


The Fiberglass sled is moving along fast.

I pay Nick around $75/day 6hrs max for his company and brains. It was never part of any agreement but works for me as he is currently between jobs so pocket money helps.

[Grizz1963]

Plumber came at 13.00 despite his day job being a night shift.

Straight up on the job after I updated him, up the ladder and not even a cuppa tea.

Having unpacked a few cabinets to get to hidden power sources, it was a bit of a mess.



Like most of the wiring.



Ultimately he had to drop a load of the sockets to find the faults.

Loose earths, and ultimately a section that was dead, which he fixed.



Two hours later, £90.00 or $120.00 , the heating and circuits downstairs have been reinstated.

So tonight the bed will be warm, and the kettle is not balanced on a chair……..

After the electrician left, I tidied up the house.

Then shot down to the industrial estate to go look for a set of front side lights and indicators to replace the ones fitted the Rezin Rockit units.

No luck, but found out they were Lotus items, followed by @rich suggesting tractor units.

Ebay brought up a nice looking set for £22.00 delivered. Same thing with a Lotus badge is £30.00 each.





While I was on the industrial estate I got 15 meters of nylon hose to use as fuel line, and some chassis clips for mounting the fuel line and return.








Lastly, Kev sent these pics from Wales…….

The king may be dead, but it lives on in the Rezin Rockit



And off it goes to the scrapyard in the sky.



I also ordered some fuel line clips to be collected tomorrow.

@nickwheeler will hopefully be pleased too.

Progress.

[Grizz1963]

Found some nice looking front repeater and marker lights.

Prettier than what is fitted.

Will need slight fettling of the body to fit.

Tractor parts, cheap at £22.00 the pair, delivered.

Perfect.







Rain and chilly with a cold front coming in here in Kent today and toward the weekend.

Onwards as a certain @pauly says.

[Grizz1963]

Got home from work tonight, some sleet on the road.

Chilly outside for sure.

Quick coffee, then down to the garage to mess around a bit.



@nickwheeler made a template for the heater box and blower to fit under the slimline dash, in order to extend my useable season for the car.

So,I pulled out the template box, copied ot, and transferred the measurements onto a Dexian shelf.



Grinder (stop s******ing at the back)



Result.

Tidied and smoorhed.



High tech folding tools.



Progress.



Liking it so far.



Chocolates?



And folded, not yet welded.

Front slot will get cut out once welded and stable.

Great fit on the blower too.




Really pleased with this.

Once welded, I will cut some holes for the directional vents too.

Toasty ……

[Grizz1963]

Have gone down this morning to check the vents on the box.

Looks like I will have to do a slight redesign and find some slimline vents to fit, or make some narrower grilles.





Also, mate Martin, like me, is using an MX5 blower and switches in his 66 C10 truck.

It is a direct retrofit to the original airbox with no cutting etc.

The switching is either by original switch, or a multi speed switch.

VIDEO BELOW.

https://youtu.be/18tMWTUCvbY

Coming together bit by bit.

[Grizz1963]

Quick job.

New fender brackets made.



More to come.

Soon.

[Grizz1963]

Meet Molly.

No, not Mollie.

Sally’s Uncle John, older brother to UncleBob The Hoarder had her for 5 years, born on Christmas day eve.

Uncle John was walking Molly today, like he did twice every day, when he collapsed on the path and emergency services could not recover him.

So Sally brought her over to me this afternoon as she was a bit of a mess.

I love animals, as may be known, and she instantly took to me, possibly feeling secure, who knows.

I wanted to offer her a home but it looks like one of Johns daughters may take her on.

Sweet pup.

And she loved the garage, perfect match?



After Sally left, I felt a bit deflated.

So I went to the garage, found some Chinese ply to create a template with.

Measured, marked and cut………..



More measuring, arty stuff……… some cutting.



Then a big hole.



Some more fine tuning, cutting and fitting.



And close up.



And looking over my shoulder.

I think it will work, with a bit of fine tuning.



So tomorrow morning I need to play some more.

Then figure out how to tilt it up a bit, and more importantly, creating a shroud.

I really need a spare cover to cut up.

Looking forward to getting on with this in the morning


.

[LT7A]

Is there not a market for parting out that mx5? Looks like a lot of stuff on that was still in good shape.

I'm sorry to hear about Sally's uncle. It sounds like it was something that was very sudden.

Nice work on that heater box. I like the three-dimensional fold up planning.