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

[Grizz1963]

A day in Eureka Springs, Arkansas with Clem

Quite the tourist trap.

https://youtu.be/UFfqTbenCJ4?si=7_vHwnkxRTLthUWq

[Grizz1963]

Todays car show photos, over 200 pics, in this link.


https://forum.retro-rides.org/thread...-add-photodump





A few more pics to add, and that will wrap up this 2023 trip report.




Video is a bit ahead of the timeline.


https://youtu.be/cIgJNYF0kzk?si=jLFgz0fXSHZOQoMz



Thanks for watching nd reading.

[Grizz1963]

A quick recap for those who join midway and ask questions.

The van came with a small sports steering wheel, it worked, but I was not a fan.

Without even asking, advertising or mentioning it as a priority, including when I went to the junk yard in Rogers, Arkansas, a fellow member on AstroSafari.com messaged me and asked if I would be interested in an original wheel in great condition.

My instant response was to say yes please and to worry about logistics later. (He works in shipping and PayPal can fix stuff)

In the end Tony drove his Mustang a long way from beyond St Louis, Missouri to 45 miles beyond St Louis, in the opposite direction to deliver the wheel, and a load of books and rare service manuals to Dennis’ place before Dennis could even go to meet him halfway (keep in min, shipping would be easy)

But that is often what some of us do for each other in this car hobby and other situations.

So when I got back from my trip to see Clem in Arkansas and Andy in Oklahoma, there was a pile of gifts laying on the back of the 1966 C10 NASCAR truck.





Packed and ready to head to the U.K.





Offered up against the smaller one.





Of course the job was not going to be easy……

So plan B was devised.








Allen heads all drilled off.








Leaving the centre nut to remove and the boss to pull off.

Easy, using a socket.





That was not happening.

On to the next plan.

Create a puller.

Metric vs Imperial.





Made up a puller, using bits of metal and two bolts with the right thread pattern.









New steering fitted.

And super pleased.







Drove 110 miles to a car show and both on the road and through town it feels really great.





VIDEO.

https://youtu.be/j29iQnt4Ie8?si=2upEvene58VfU2js



.

[Grizz1963]

I have pretty much completed the 2023 USA RoadTrip report on Retrorides

Hopefully it is of varying value to readers, After all, threads are more than just pictures, they should be a resource and a place to discuss things.

I never know if a basic break down of costs is of any value to anyone else.

And more importantly, if it will be the thing that makes someone realise their travel dream, or pee the same person off because they either do not have the resource, drive, ability or will power, or is that wont power to put a trip together.

I am very fortunate that my own lifestyle, life philosophy, circles of friends and living what I preach has made these trips possible, along with incredible humans like Dennis, and every other person mentioned, and not mentioned in these blogs and vlogs. So some of my travel is cheaper than you may be able to experience, but most readers will recall, I have had total strangers (the Australian couple touring UK/Europe) stay in my house, McMurphy and Patricia using it as a base, and countless others coming and going through my life. Karma has a way of lining all of these things up and making it into one continuous story.

MAYBE I SHOULD MENTION ALSO THAT I TRY TO PICK UP AS MANY TABS AS I CAN, PAYING MY OWN WAY, AND THROUGH MUTUAL RESPECT AND GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER OVER THE YEARS, THIS HAS BECOME EASIER, WHERE CLEM, DENNIS AND OTHERS ARE CONCERNED, SO I AM NOT AT ALL ON A SPONSORED HOLIDAY. PLACES LIKE FLORIDA FUN PARKS, DISNEY, ATTRACTIONS AND TOURIST CITIES ETC ADD TO COSTS VERY QUICKLY.

I prefer to travel off the beaten track and to get to know the real Americans and their world.

So a very basic break down of this trip costs, rounded up or down to the nearest £10.00 will be……

Ticket £660.00
Insurance, International driver license £140.00
Mickey Taxi, drop off, ULEZ, Parking £140.00
Heathrow breakfast £10.00
Boston sandwich £20.00
USA Fuel, Food, Alcohol, Gifts etc £1000.00

So I would say that 22 days including everything I can remember tops out at £2000.00 which means £90.00 per day.

Of course that is not really the way to do a calculation but when I do “man maths” and look at the price of a packet of cigarettes at a low average of £10.00 for 20 per day, and a few beers, or a pair of cocktails at a cheap £20.00 per visit, and a kebab and Coke rounded up to £10.00 before you have driven to town, paid up to £10.00 for parking and fuel you get to about:

Cigarettes £70.00/week
Beers £40.00/two nights
Kebab or food £30.00/week
Transport £20.00/week
EQUALS = £160.00
MONTHLY POTENTIAL = £640.00/month

I will immediately say that there are many people, who for various reasons do not spend or have the money to spend in this way, and respect to every person who fight the daily fight to make ends meet.

But for those who need a motivation, maybe this shows how easy it is to spend more than you realise.

When I went to St Louis to meet Dennis and ultimately the rest of America in 2016 for the first time, I did not want to spend the money as I always tried to thing of tomorrow and the next day.
It took a loving woman like Nicola to point out the basics to me, pointing out that Mickey next door smokes and has a few beers every day of his life, as long as he has cash in his pocket.
She also reminded me that the richest guy in the grave yard was not a particularly clever title to have, and that corpse shrouds do not come with pockets.


I really hope this entry is of value to anyone reading and considering a trip, whether it be to anywhere in America, like my road trips, or a trip to Wales in winter, when prices could be a bit lower, and a nice log fire as inviting as Route 66.



Choice is yours.

[Grizz1963]

Washed both the Astro and the S10 yesterday afternoon late.

They get dirty just standing around and if I looked at buying the S10, parked out on the sidewalk, a clean car would sell easier than one covered in a weeks worth of dust and spiders webs.

I also spoke to Dennis and he suggested going in gentle with trying to shift the paint on the glovebox lid.

Starting with brake cleaner and a coarse rag.



The ashtray can be removed and actually is made of black plastic.
I am not sure if that is the way they were originally made, and if they then were painted in the factory process to the colour of the “dog box” and other dash pieces, as the one the radio surround came from in Arkansas had brown down there.



The glove box can also be removed with three small screws on the hinge, making a possible repaint easier, and not necessitating a huge mask up of the interior.
This will also affect my decision making later today, as to what avenue to follow.



So I went at the whole thing for some time, using both elbow grease and a fair amount of brake cleaner.
The only place where the brake cleaner actually worked was the ashtray.
I never felt any change in the consistency of the clear lacquer over the 90’s graffiti at all.
Eventually giving up on that.

I will take the glovebox lid off some time today and take it to a local (7 miles) paint store and see if they can colour match the plastic on the inside of the lid and then just paint it directly over the clear, as more paint will lose the texture of the plastic, and I do not want to melt down the existing plastic by any aggressive use of strippers etc.

Final result was not encouraging.

But the ashtray is less grey.



Fingers crossed for later.

[Grizz1963]

Being made redundant has its perks {not really)

Asked the boss on Monday at our weekly team, Teams meeting what his expectations were of me, in front of the team.

His response: “Do whatever you want, however you feel”

I am still working, and going out, but not giving the constant 100% and pushing harder than most of my (still employed) colleagues.

That is just how I am.

But, if I run out of work to do by 2.00pm…….. I head home.

They can’t exactly fire me, can they.


So yesterday I managed to stop by a paint specialist to get some satin grey paint colour matched to what was left on the ashtray, which just happened to be in the car with me.

Custom filled spray can, the fan on the nozzle is perfect, and the paint overspray on my hand felt really “wet” also dried real fast at 5.00pm



A 5 minute job, and I was headed home from these guys in Medway City Industrial Estate.

Priced at under £20.00 including tax.

Highly recommend.



Back home I used a 3M scotch pad, fine-ish grade to completely scuff all the surfaces and grooves to maximise adhesion of the plastic primer (left over from a previous project) as well as really getting the colourful glovebox lid keyed up.



Followed by a decent wipe down, then masking, which was a bit of a pain due to previously using one of those plastic polishes on all the interior surfaces. Masking tape does not stick to it at all.

Plastic primer. Recommended for use on most paint types. No reactions.



Primered.

Two coats to ensure I did not miss anywhere, left to dry between coats.



Ashtray before cleaning and primer.



After two coats of satin grey paint and primer.

The texture of the plastic still clearly visible.

Really pleased with the result.



And of course the glovebox.

The whole interior was let down by this outdated art

Sometimes you just need to fix stuff.

Going from this……



To his finish is a massive change.

Again, if you look, the match is great, and it is just so much cleaner.





And stepping back.


Before.





And now.





Well, of course a video too for those who like moving pictures.


https://youtu.be/p6RydMevyyE?si=4CdEERCIxfbWv5Ar


Soon, I will run out of jobs to do for the van.


What next?

[Grizz1963]

Thanks to all those commenting on the obvious, Imfeel obliged to fix it.

After deleting the 90’s graffiti, it was obvious (was from the start really) that the parts to the left and right, through 33 years of wear and aging, could do with a colour match as well.

No idea how the plastics have gone yellow, but maybe GM had different suppliers for different pieces of trim, and as long as the exterior kinda matched….. we all know how often it does not even in new cars, it was fine for the production line.

In a commercial vehicle that was expected to do a 300k mile life in a few years, longevity was possibly less important than a “survivor” that after 33 years, still only had done 78k miles.

So as soon as I get time to disassemble these two panels, including the switches, buttons that run through them, they will be prepped and painted.







Friday, thank goodness.

Headed out to do some training at Woolwich today.

Then we can come home to play.

Later gang.

[Grizz1963]

S10 sold this morning.

Just filled the tank for buyer, and fresh MOT getting done this afternoon At 4.30.

[Grizz1963]

PS.

Video.

https://youtu.be/fauI2Wu7k2k?si=Mwp-cdQb4YkdGk62

[Grizz1963]

Swapping parking places……


With the S10 sold, to be collected once license plate is swapped etc.


Astro now truly has become Number One Child.







Van has a lot to prove.








And of course.





.


.

[Grizz1963]

Saturday morning I was out earlier than normal, as we had a BBQ invitation to friends an hour from here for 2.00pm.

Lazy jobs to do, so I started with checking out the radio in the Van.

Still not able to figure the balance control on this rocket ship,radio.

So unable to test the speakers in the rear doors.

But I did find this………

Anyone need it?



Next up, refitted the rear door retaining strap that @glenanderson had fished out.

Two handed job for sure.

Fitted though.





While out back, I did an asses,ent of the threshold, not too nice.

So a bit of paint repairing will happen .

I also measured the open section and went to order a 5 meter length of 150mm or 6 inch wide, anti-slip tape to put on the edge.

Whoever the genius put the bit on there before, clearly never loaded a van.

I will apply it o the edge and possibly fold it over the edge a bit.



At £9.00 delivered it seems a good investment or added peace of mind in preventative maintenance.



While I was on that job, I looked at the second door (opens after the first one) on the left, it is missing a trip strip of some sort

Does the van doors come with a protective strip?

Or do I have to make one up?

Answers please.



Then back to the floor……..

The rear retaining g strip for the carpeting has missed a few screws since day one, so I thought removing and replacing them all makes sense.

They are screwed through the floor.

Some came out easy……





Some needed a bit of persuading, and rather than force them, a gentle tape, followed by a more persuasive tap on a Phillips screwdriver made the rust break and then allowed me to get them out.

This really does help, as having the head break off meant that replacing the screws with fresh ones would be a ball ache for sure.



I had very short replacements , but lucky for me, neighbour Tony at no1 house who does my boiler servicing and electrical maintenance, had some in his garage.

Longer than I need, but a swift cut with a grinder will see that sorted.

Once I have prepared all the holes with some rust preventative, and cleaned the edge strop, I will refit the strip with new screws.

That should make a difference too.



At this point, I had to walk away to go shower and shave for the afternoon out.

But even small jobs need doing.

So a good day again.



I need to go shower and then pack a small bag…….

Remember Bill who did the logistics for the Rezin Rockit?

He called me on Friday, offering to come down from Scotland for a few days to help me with anything random that needs doing here.

He is a fireman, so has extended shifts on and off work.

Currently dog-sitting, he wanted to bring his dog along, but of course George would not be happy.

So I declined his offer of helping me with servicing the Astro, and sorting the sound system out.

450 miles is a long way to drive to randomly help someone (of course he gains time away as a break too)

So last night I impulsively called him at 9.30pm and asked if he has a bed for me……..

I have about 10 days vacation time too use before I stop work mid November, and had texted my boss for permission while out at the BBQ.

Anyone near Glasgow? Whitchurch, Shropshire?

Get the kettle going, send me a PM.





Life certainly is good.

[Grizz1963]

Interesting gift from mate Bill.

There you go, if it works, great, if not, bin it.

Obviuosly needs to be tested.

[Grizz1963]

Back to paint……….


It will be an ongoing theme here, for some time I suspect.


https://youtu.be/uXfRv_4nBcw?si=tC35J9Du-CIh8rxn



Funny how small things can become big things.

Sometimes a fix can lead to a second look, and reward the fixer as well.

When I first saw the Caddy on Zel’s advertisement, the one photo that made it look a bit tired (well, a few really did) was this photo……..

Posture and front wheel…. The wheel just looked tired, but my first thought was that a bit of silver would improve it.
Walking around when I went to look the first time, the rears were just as bad, in a different way.
Someone had smeared some silver over the rust scales with a brush, badly.




So once on my driveway, one of the first jobs to do was to get the wheels all looking the same.

Albeit also with a brush and Hammerite.


So I got straight to it, in fact the first job I got to, 36 hours after collecting, on the Thursday morning, even before the front Grille.



Up in the air.

Axle stands yes.



Sanded them all back, removing flagged lumps of old paint and rust.



Closer up, ready for the next step.



Trusty old Hammerite paint.

Not as good as the bad old stuff, lots of chemicals, carcinogens and poison removed now.



While I waited for the paint to dry, I also tried the Scruffy Micra’s wheels. After all, they cost me £200.00 get looking this good.

Not at all impressed, they are 14’s so the decision made to sell, and sold within an hour of listing for the asking price of £150.00 and collected next morning by 08.00

This meant the door was wide open to start looking for some other wheels to fit as well.

Of course…….. yes, a cheap runaround suddenly escalating and my wallet draining noisily like a bath in a horror movie.



Once I got over the disappointment of the copper alloy fail…….


I crawled around underneath while the van was up in the air.

I was not shocked, I was more than shocked. Zelandeth had warned that the structure underneath was in a crappy state, nothing was hidden, and even peeping under the van when in Milton Keynes was fine to my eye. Now I thought……. MOT Fail?

Flakes of rust the size of my hand waiting to drop off the rear section that had been added into the floor 21 years ago……

These conversions are clearly done at a budget.

Almost non-existent quality control and certainly no long term pride.

Like the saying “If it’s on, it’s gone”

I suspect the builders motto is “Get it done, grab the cash and run”

So another big job may lay in wait, I did not want to go prod with a screwdriver or hammer.

I also could not really figure out how the rear bumper sections will be removed if I can find an intact, undamaged one to fit.

I really do want to fit a decent one to the rear, currently it sucks to look at.







So I went to make a coffee when the paint dried.

Coffee and ginger nuts.

Life savers.

I was pleased with the result of the brush painted steel wheels.

When good enough really means good enough. A temporary fix.




Once refitted to the van I swapped it and the Chevy Astro around.

Took a pic, stood back and smiled.

Small improvements.







And of course opinions are welcome.

I had considered other colours.

Silver is just so, well, silver.

[Grizz1963]

Two small jobs done.

Due to the new to me, Caddy vans arrival, focus was lost for a bit.

So yesterday afternoon I got a couple of minutes in there.

First job, wrap up the rear carpet retainer strip refit, with new screws.

Looks loads better.





Then proceeded to mess with the piece of Mazda Bongo trim I got from Bill @oxb1l in Scotland

Wish I had the original trim, that would be better.

But we can make it up as we go along.



Just needs a dry, warmer day and some tiger seal to make fit.



Marked, cut, ground, repeatedly till it was a decent fit.



Heat gun action to reshape and get a curve into it.



Well, sun is out, now may be a good time before the next lot of rain drowns the ducks.

More small jobs to get done.


.

[Grizz1963]

Once the clouds disappeared and the skies warmed up a bit today, I went to the garage, moved the van into the sun.

Grabbed some stuff.

Prepared.



Clamped in place.

Multiple clamps because there are curves on two planes.

Left for 5 hours and removed the clamps so that I could close the doors before dark and,damp out back.






Result.

I will make up a small filler piece for the top,as well tomorrow.



Happy with this result.

Astro kissing Caddy butt.




Will try to get a better pic for perspective of their respective sizes.

Both are a bit deceptive.

.

[Grizz1963]

So we needed a fresh MOT on the van, expiry on the existing one 18 November.

So I drove down to the MOT testing station to see if this crack would be a fail.

What do you think?



Turns out, the rules have once again changed and it is not an automatic fail.

So cheekily, and optimistically I book the car/van in for a cancelled spot at 4.30, and say “See ya later” heading out to Morrisons to buy some food as I had not gone food shopping since returning from Scotland and Shropshire.

Go outside to the car park.

Brrrr, Brrrrrr. Brrrrrrr, Brrr, Brrrrr…………. Buggerrrrrrrr.

Car turns over, zero fire.

SERIOUSLY ??

So I do the usual, lock, unlock with the remote, try figure if immobiliser has died, NOPE.

Check under the hood, for any diesel dribbling out, any pipe showing a leak, the clear pipe at 3 way filter shows no bubbles.

Buggerrrrrrr.

I call @zelandeth just in case he has advice (zero blame, it is my car) luckily he pulls over in a lay-by, chats to me, talks me through the problem solving I already did, dead end. Buggerrrrrrrr.

So I try again, at which point a guy in a Japanese Garage overall comes to add his advice, opinions and double checking my checklist.

Of course we keep trying to start the basterd thing. Brrrrrrr, Brrrrrrrr, Brrrrrrr.

NOPE.

Now we are joined by two “tree surgeon” types nd their 12 year old nephew who is clearly not in school and learning the trade IYKWIM.

More advice, opinions, and a pair of knackered old pliers.

We are also joined now by a very very grubby, real mechanic…. No, a diesel mechanic named Bryan, another super nice guy, really nice.

“Do you have any quick start?”

Nope.

Deodorant?

Nope.

So mechanic no 1 disappears, while I open the scuttle to make sure nothing is under water under there.

Nope, all dry.

Buggerrrrrrr…….

Mechanic no 1 comes back from inside the test centre, toilet spray in hand.

WTF?

So we try open the air intake with said pliers which the Tree surgeons had graciously let us use.

Fail. Pliers are only good for melting down into something more useful.

So I grab an empty sample aerosol can of VW Reflex Silver that Zelandeth had tossed in the back for me to use as Sample when I went to buy paint, and said toilet refresher spray to pry open the demon clip around the air intake pipe, and mechanic no 1 pulls it off.

So back inside, ignition on, mechanic no 2 (the diesel guy) spraying toilet spray and once it almost sounds like a fire up, but no, must have imagined it.

One tin of toilet spray later, the engine compartment smells lovely, I am frowning and sweating, been there an hour already.

Buggerrrrrrr…..

One by one the witnesses disappear to do more interesting stuff, like ordering pizza over the road.

I close the door, take the key and sheepishly go indoors to cancel my 4.30pm test.

That’ll learn me to be so cocksure.

Buggerrrrrrr…….

So I go to plan C (A was me alone, B was the team) which is calling a recovery service.

Green flag take down my details, and problem explained clearly ,and say a company will contact me soon on their behalf (subcontracting at its best)
Telling them the whole story in detail, I make the fatal mistake of saying I am 1. Male, 2. Safe, 3. No dependants present.
I would regret that later, when 40 minutes later, said recovery service sub-contractor office calls me to say they understand my cars battery is flat and their guys will be there in 30 minutes.
So that will make my being there around 120 minutes.
40 minutes later, a text, stating that due to high demand their technicians are still dealing with the previous case and are delayed.
40 minutes later another text SERIOUSLY, DUE TO HIGH DEMAND technicians will be there at 5.45pm

In the mean time I had smelled other peoples pizza, asked a pair of guys sitting in the back of a Transit van with a supersized pizza each, if it was good, they confirmed this, not offering to share or anything like that.
So I walked over the street, ordered a 10” American hot.
Possibly the best, cheesiest pizza I have had in 10 years, seriously, with raw Birds Eye chillis.
They reminded me at 3.00 am just how good they were…… despite the early, rude awakening, zero regrets.
Best part of my day for sure.



So when the second delay text came through, it was about 5.45pm.

The test centre closes at 5.30 for last test.

So I was mildly pi$$€d despite the good memories of the pizza.

So I just randomly walked out and tried to start the Caddy.

Brrrrrrrrr…. Zippp, Clatterrrr Clatterrr…..; Diesel engine noises.

It’s a bloody miracle, it’s running again !!!

So I leave it running, head back indoors, into the partially closed office and reception area to say I got it started, as I get to the door, one of the testers comes walking out, we always chat when I take stuff to be tested, and he had told me the glass would not be a fail on the test.
So he says do you still want it tested?
I reply that it is now 5.50 and they need to shut shop and head home.
He replies that he will see if someone can test it for me, and that I need to just quickly go tell the receptionist to add it back to the system, and if nobody can test it, he will do it for me.

SERIOUSLY ???

So I go indoors and speak with her, citing tester no 1’s comment.

She says “No Problem, I will go see if the boss can test if for you”

FCUUUUUK NOOOOO!!

I do not want the boss testing my 21 year old, rusted box, just been dead for three hours outside, Caddy van for me.

That’s got to be a sure recipe for heartache and disaster.

Receptionist comes traipsing back in

“Yes it’s fine, the boss will test it for you, where’s the keys?”

“Inside the POO car” is my reply as the Caddy had already become known as “The Poo car” because of the registration number and its behaviour.to the test centre staff who had seen my distress all afternoon.

OK, I will tell MICHELLE.’

WTAF ??

MICHELLE ??

Seriously?

The boss, is testing my car, way out of business hours and is called Michelle.

As if my day could not get any worse.

So I expected to bearded bloke with salamander blue eye makeup, red lips, fake tits and rainbow coloured finger nails to test the Caddy.

Hello Halloween month of horrors.

Keep in mind, this Caddy had fought me even when I tried to pay for it…….

The damn demon thing hates me.


So the Caddy outside, engine running was waiting for its date with destiny, or density.





I went to pee, as I was pretty much ready to do so in my jeans.

While I was in the toilet, coincidentally, the Caddy disappeared into the test centre and up on the ramp.

With Michelle hovering underneath it, light poking up underneath it, automated testing stuff cleverly testing all the suspension parts, geometry etc.

So I asked permission from my friendly tester who had set this nightmare in motion to ask if I could take a few pics up on the ramp, for my blog, forums and YouTube channel stuff. “Let me go ask Michelle” moments later he was back and said, “Yes, Michelle said no problem, you are the last person left in the test centre” which happens to have about 9 ramps, yes, 9 lifts for testing, one of them for ultra low stuff, and also to test Pickups and high roof, long wheelbase Sprinter sized vehicles and of course motorcycles.

Some took a few pics, watching Michelle move under the Caddy.





Being the chatty guy I am, of course I walked closer up and asked permission to take a few pics underneath as well, and to inspect for myself the Rusty stuff that will need attention.

SURPRISE !!!!

Michelle, the boss, with 20 years of MOT testing experience, learned her trade from her dad, and now runs her own show, turned out to be a lovely, knowledgeable and informative lLADY.

So I took a few more pics, none of her, she is lovely.

Her comment was that, other than the welded in ramp box for the original disability use, the rest of the Caddy is in really good Nick, and has obviously been looked after, having had the right parts replaced and serviced over time.





I then left the shop floor while she carried on testing and by 6.35 the emissions test came in, PASS.

And by 6.45 I got my MOT PASS CERTIFICATE and paid for the test.

Said my thank yous to all and left.

Not switching the car off, I drove straight home and got there with the speedo showing the miles at this point.




That was a stressful day….. well, for me at least.


Massive thanks to all involved, from the tree surgeons in their rotten white Transit van, to the two mechanics and the staff at the test centre, and of course @zelandeth who took the call, and had said originally that there was no reason for it to fail a test when I bought it, and also the reason why the price was not negotiable.


Right……


Now relax…… 13 months of MOT test to use.


.

[Grizz1963]

Amazing…..

Over 150 views per 24 hours.

Not one comment.

[Grizz1963]

Rear bumper…..?

May have found one to work on 50 miles from here in the south, near Rye.

Headed there by 9.30.



Certainly better looking than the one fitted.

Some work on this one, and then pray that the re-engineered back end accepts it once the pieces of the existing bumper are removed.







More later,

Hopefully the next glass tint if the weather improves.

Friday as well.

Double bonus.

[Grizz1963]

Up early-ish to get going and head down to near Rye after being offered a “complete but needing a bit of work” rear bumper after the other guy offering a broken one turned into what seems to be a bit of a w@nker.

Looked like a great day to tint windows.

But priorities.



SatNav took me down some real narrow lanes and back roads, but makes for an interesting drive again.



Also scored some large apples from Justin’s trees, and most importantly,,a VW centre cap he had found by the roadside presented me with the ring I was looking for to keep a centre cap in place.



One of the toys that go into his camper van……



Loads of clever touches.

Like these old denim jeans, recycled to form door upholstery, and also have pockets to keep various items in.




While there, we also looked at his Baywindow bus with a home grown Subaru conversion.

Filmed for @grenade specifically.

Apparently a real pleasure out on the motorway.

https://youtu.be/L3i51XC0A3Y?si=BM98q_pQR6PrEh2z


After two hours chatting about everything from Solar to fireworks and making gunpowder, I headed out home.

Saw a small shunting loco, trainspotters will correct me.



And pulled over to get a pic of a rainbow during a break in the rain.



Back home via my local village to pick up meds and some random foodstuffs.

Unloaded back home.

Chuffed.



And laid to rest.

This made me grin again.



Got to be better than this one.

If I can remove it successfully and reinstall the new one, and then clean it up and fill the dent, or soften and push the plastic out, followed by paint and colour matching.






After a coffee and sandwich it was 3.00pm and I decided that sometimes sitting doing nothing beats going out to tint glass or do something constructive, so weekend on.

Netflix and another coffee next.

.

[Grizz1963]

Looks like I have sourced a wheel.

Just need to figure a way to get it from Hereford to Kent.



And then get a tyre on it as well.

And paint would help.

[Grizz1963]

While in Scotland, Bill and I took,Blue, his dog for a walk.

Perfect.

Also managed to go see the Falkirk Wheel.

Wikipedia says:

The Falkirk Wheel is a rotating boat lift in Tamfourhill, Falkirk, in central Scotland, connecting the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal. It reconnects the two canals for the first time since the 1930s. It opened in 2002 as part of the Millennium Link project.

The plan to regenerate central Scotland's canals and reconnect Glasgow with Edinburgh was led by British Waterways with support and funding from seven local authorities, the Scottish Enterprise Network, the European Regional Development Fund, and the Millennium Commission. Planners decided early on to create a dramatic 21st-century landmark structure to reconnect the canals, instead of simply recreating the historic lock flight.

The wheel raises boats by 24 metres (79 ft), but the Union Canal is still 11 metres (36 ft) higher than the aqueduct which meets the wheel. Boats must also pass through a pair of locks between the top of the wheel and the Union Canal. The Falkirk Wheel is the only rotating boat lift of its kind in the world, and one of two working boat lifts in the United Kingdom, the other being the Anderton Boat Lift.



Did a bit of a glued together bit of video of it turning nd lifting a longboat from one canal up to another system.


https://youtu.be/1nOVHFwgpL0?si=UnVttmjINJ6IIQFK


Time well spent, both for me and the dog.

[Grizz1963]

S10 truck Collection on Sunday.

Truck now back to its original registration number.

Astro issued with GRZ733

​So the story continues.

Friday 13th and today at 11.00 is my final redundancy “consultation” not sure what part of this is consulting, as it is more a “tell you”

It will be interesting to hear what they have to tell me.

[Grizz1963]

While I was up in Scotland visiting Bill, I managed to scavenge som plastic trim from a Mazda Bongo van he had chopped up.



Door lock and side needs trim.

This may be a plan.





Not quite a perfect fit, but a grinder, some heat gun action and we may have it looking a lot better.



During the week, while I travelled to Scotland, some anti-slip tape arrived at home.

So I removed the half-arsed attempt by some brain surgeon, leaned up many years worth of old hardened glue and proceeded to measure and cut.



Pretty messy and messed up.



Cut to length



Cut to shape.



Up close.

Liking that a lot.



Cleaned up the removable tow bar and removed the original license plate.



Fitted, with license plate in place.

Not ideal



And replaced the front license plate.

I am liking this.



Next job is to drill the holes for the retaining stip, carefully, in order to get the screws back in to hold the strip down.

Fit the rear license plate, as I had to clean up and repaint the rear plate support.

[Grizz1963]

Raining all day.

Working redundancy style…….

They can’t really fire me now, can they.

Wanted to get some rear entry action in today.

Cut, shape and see if it works to make up a blanking panel for the rear door.

The number plate recess has been tidied and the paint now dried, but rain prevents fitting.



Hoped some time over the weekend to get some stuff done.

[Grizz1963]

Time on my hands…..

Never a good thing.

Full build will be here.

too much copy and paste and my internet sucks big time, so always a struggle to load photos on every site, as my Photobucket is a PITA.

https://forum.retro-rides.org/thread...d-sliver-dream


please follow there if interested.