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

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by LT7A

Good work, and a way to keep at it with the lighting gremlins. I am chasing through the circuiting myself for what might be a dead fuel pump. the wheels came out beautifully, and it looks like your center caps did as well. It's cool that you were able to find the wheels that you liked and got them refinished so nicely. That's the kind of detail that will make you turn around and look at your truck as you walk away from it in a car park or as we say parking lot.

I hate electrics, there is nothing to see.

Yet it can be broken or working.

And you are right about looking back at a car.

This truck is that sort of car for me.







So today I saw this, loved it.



I have a chassis stashed away. One day for sure.

Also got a message from Robert who has sold n]me an original airbag steering wheel.

And a picture of the parcel he has made up.



At about 13,30 the doorbell rang.

Wooohooo.......


Tyres.





Loaded.





Gues what next?/

[Grizz1963]

Got to go back to Friday.

When the wheels were being machined.

A few pics and a short video to add to the information about the process.

Being milled.

Click video link.

https://youtu.be/M1Lr_CGuZBE



Followed by more machine polishing.



So today I gave the new lodger a ride to the station after meeting number 3, also stopping to drop off the new tyres to be fitted and balanced by Kerbed Wheels

I was talking to Thomas about the wheels on the Rezin Rockit and before I even left, the first tyre was fitted and balance.

Big grin, this guy really loves his job.



So I left the wheels and tyres to be fitted while I went to buy some food and drop the lodger at the station as he was headed home to Wales.

I also bought some chocolate as a desktop thank you for the guys, beers would not be appropriate



When I got back, the wheels were waiting and another chat about mate Bills wheels in Scotland, which he wants them to do when he has settled in his new home.

We loaded the wheels and I headed back home, big grin on my face.



Unpacked the food and was caught out by evening creeping in on me.

So nothing fitted, I also need to order some new chrome wheel nuts.

Thanks for checking in and thanks to those of you commenting.

Much appreciated.

[Grizz1963]

[quote author="@kevins" source="/post/2661562/thread" timestamp="1614077045"]They are going to look great, when is the big reveal?[/quote]


Well....


More pics later as a tease.


I actually was on the driveway at 07.00 today, before starting work.


Have fitted and photographed two on the truck.


Some new wheel nuts needed, and centre caps to be figured out as the front hub centres protrude by about 70mm or so.



And more importantly, before selling off the Cragars.........




A SERIOUS BURNOUT VIDEO NEEDS TO BE MADE.



I really wish I had someone with a drone camera to film overhead and then it could be turned into a very short, well edited video with two or three angles being filmed.



The tame stunt driver would have to be @pauly as he knows how to rip the assssss out of assphalt



Remember this???


Paul came to fetch a work bench, note all the furniture on the rear.


HOOLIGAN SUPREME


https://youtu.be/ucVmsET4BFw


Bonus.


https://youtu.be/G1YSoQ5r3_Y


And Pete in his C10


https://youtu.be/dHyB08wmJm8

[Grizz1963]

Man in a brown van rang the doorbell.


I was made happy.





Thanks to Robert Pilgrim for selling me an original airbag leather covered steering wheel for the truck, as a standby to replace the Grant wheel fitted, originally wanted to replace it, but have got used to it now.
So it will be stashed along with some other original parts just to keep the truck as original as possible.
At £40.00 for the steering plus airbag charge, he did me a massive favour, and courier was £15.00 so a total of £55.00



Also included in the parcel was an intact top cowl for the radiator as mine is in bits, including riveted pieces to keep it together. Chuffed to bits to be able to repair this.

When my battery started to fail, I replaced it, and on removing the old unit, I realised the tray was filled with holes.
Again, Robert found me one on his outward bound steel scrap pile. FOC
This needs to be media blasted and then primed and painted.

Most importantly.......

Alongside the new wheels I bought, there were no wheel nuts.

And these trucks use a specialised wheel nut to go with the centre caps.

Look at the detail. 20 vital parts.



So threads on the outside as well,.



The plastic caps screw onto the wheel nuts, holding the centre caps in place.








Sold the 5 Cragars to a good friend last night for his 80’s Dayvan build.

Tyres, as mentioned before were great as far as tread is concerned.

Rears are good for burnouts...... @pauly is on standby.



And fronts, not really good for a jolly to the coast, are they.



Today I wanted to tint the side glass, but between the weather and the day job, all I got done was to give the stuck a decent wash, and it does like to be clean and shiny.

While washing, I noticed the exhaust tailpipe........... made me wonder if this is all one system, recalling the video @pauly made the day I departed in it.





https://youtu.be/ZppLk-f7nBs


Also did another small job today.

More later.

[Grizz1963]

Little jobs

Little jobs

All get done, eventually.

Some sooner than others.

This one is a pain in the butt, because of the amount of dismantling needed to get it done, not quote the same as popping a new toilet roll on, though I believe even that is a struggle for some.

So Rob sent me these bits.



And the battery tray, though a lot better than mine, still needed work.

Rough as a badgers bum.



So I thought about it.

Wire wheel, or blast it, except my blasting cabinet is 80 miles from here with Craig as he is cleaning small bits for his sons Mk1 Golf Rabbit Cabriolet

So plan B ?

Take a chance and run down to the industrial estate to Kerbed Wheels to ask Thomas how much t do it. “Leave it here, come back tomorrow” was his reply.

So yesterday at about 4.30 I ran down there again to find he had blasted it for me, Cost? No charge, because he had done it after they shut down shop on Wednesday evening.

Pleased with that.

Loads of pitting from all the rust, I guess the are cheaply made parts and are also exposed to weather and having a concave shape, water may stay there a bit longer and drive the rusting process. Add to that, cheap mass produced paint, and you certainly have a recipe for disaster in the long term.


Result.



By the time I got home it was 5.30 so I decided to get the etch primer out and my heat gun.

Warmed the piece up, primed it one side, dried it and turned over, repeat.



Then on to three coats of satin black, again lighter than usual, but dried with help inbetween.

First coat down.



And then three coats later, it looks glossy, is actually dry, but it is a high impact wheel paint, so surprised me with the final finish.

The pitting is very obvious now as well, but does not bother me, as it is an improvement, and will be going down under the battery.

As an add in, I will add some strips of rubber (maybe old inner tube material) to absorb some of the movement when the battery is bolted down.



Little jobs indeed.

[Grizz1963]

Great advice from @jamesd1972 to add a coat of underbody protection in stead of a lump of rubber thats liable to hold water in place and promote rust.

So during a work meeting, I went and painted it quickly.



While doing another little job today, I also crawled under the truck to take a look at the exhaust system.

Seems we have a lot more Magnaflow stainless parts under the truck.

Someone in the past spent a lot of money on this truck.

I guess I am also doing the same, spending chunks of money on seeing it right as my long list of fixes continues to grow,



I continue to be pleased with the truck and what it is proving to be.

The extras and upgraded parts on the truck when added up are approaching 60% of the price I paid, crazy man maths.

[Grizz1963]

More haste, less progress.

I wanted to do the side glass windows tint today.

FAIL FAIL FAIL.......

I was not patient enough to wait for Saturday till Sally could help me by holding the films one side.

So I cut a piece to size



Then I laid it out on the film on the outside of the door, remembering to place it so that once cut to shape, it could be stuck to the inside of the glass.



Then proceeded to removing the backing film, and using water (should have been soapy water) to place it, out in the sunshine with a very gentle breeze.......

Guess what.....??

Massive failure here. As the wind twisted it, alongside static pulling it about.

So I removed it.

Laying what was left of it, once removed, on the counter top, in order to copy it.





Thought I could copy a second one, then called over the hedge for Mickey to come hold one side........

And cut a copy of the failed item.

BUGGGERRRRRRRRR !!!


Cut it about 8mm short.


Close up.





So I removed and binned number two


So the outcome of the window tinting was good though, and this is the before ad after pcs.


Soon to be corrected.










Ordered some more film tonight after work, £10.99 wasted on education I guess.


Maybe I can fit the battery tray and radiator cowl over the weekend.


Little jobs we said.

[Grizz1963]

2004 Chevy Silverado truck came in for a gas tank strap to Dennis’ body shop





Looking good.

Hardly abused.



And of course, bed off to repair said straps.





Anyone looking for a 5.3 LS with only 144k miles on it.

[Grizz1963]

Some days start good.

Today started a lot earlier than I wanted, but hey ho...... sleep when we are dead ehhh.



So had breakfast then drew the truck down to the shop.



Battery out.

Wonder why these trays rust so badly.......?

Water access is easy from the front.

And putting a rubber mat under the battery, not ideal I would think.



Holes and probably more out of sight.



Old n new(er)



Battery back in.

Then removed the radiator cowl.

Old vs Replacement



While in there, I also noticed the new radiator that I had been told by the lady who owned the truck before, had been fitted.



I also dismantled the underside of the dash to look at the fog light switch..... completely broken, possibly kicked at some point.

So I just put it all back together. I will fix it another day.

It was time to head out to the shops for food etc.

Silly grin, and a distinct difference in response since I cleaned up the air filter and breathing system.

Headed home, Sally chuckled and said I looked really happy, which I was.

I have to keep reminding myself not to drive like an idiot, but it feels and sounds so nice.

She somehow sneaked a pic in while I was driving.





It was a good day.

[68Timber]

I thought the center caps turned out great. Are they not nice enough to use with the refinished wheels? I'm sure you know, but those plastic lug nut covers are fairly cheap if yours don't clean up as well as you'd like.

Great progress and pics.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by 68Timber

I thought the center caps turned out great. Are they not nice enough to use with the refinished wheels? I'm sure you know, but those plastic lug nut covers are fairly cheap if yours don't clean up as well as you'd like.

Great progress and pics.

Evening John,

Yes, the caps are cheap, even once shipped and taxed by the queen, with the price pretty much doubling. I only have 11 of them, so will pretty certainly buy a full set if none come up for sale over here.

The centre caps are good enough vs the $140 they will cost to land a set of 4

And I am happy to use them.





My SKY internet and WiFi was down for 24 hrs, and where I live, my mobile signal is 2 bars on 3G and intermittently 1 bar of 4G

So a struggle to work from home.

However, by 08.00 I got onto this.........





Then late afternoon, well, just after 4.00pm I got out the Poorboys wheel wax.

The stuff is sooo frugal.

You hardly use any.

I did both the fronts and rears of the wheels.






Once it dries, after 10 plus minutes, you buff it all off with a micro fibre cloth.





Hard to believe it makes a difference, and I tried to feel if it felt any smoother, no idea.

But happy to believe that it will aid maintenance.



Once I was done, looking at how little of this stuff I had used, and that is on both sides, I was amazed at just how frugal it is.

At £14.00 delivered for the tub, I suspect one could expect to do another 50 wheels or more.



Another step closer to fitting.

[68Timber]

10-4. I forgot about the wheel wax, I was trying to figure out why you hadn't put them on the truck yet. They look great.

[LT7A]

The wheels look just right on your truck. Good work.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by LT7A

The wheels look just right on your truck. Good work.

Thanks mate.

Very happy with them.

[Grizz1963]

This week has been slow for the truck progress.

Went for a walk.



Postie came as I got home.



Damaged.

So declined to receive parcel.

Took pics and sent to seller, he has not replied.

Let’s hope he does reply and replace as eBay sent a message email to say I had received my item.




Lodger continues to be a real problem.

Scruffy, dirty, disorganised, drunk, and this morning overslept by 2 hrs, then called in sick.

I see tears, and they will not be mine.

I will be brutal.



However, good news last night from Andy in Tulsa, Oklahoma with the first print section of the RUMBLEGRIZZKIN name that he will be using in casting me a set of new side badges for the truck.

Short video of the magic happening.

https://youtu.be/OvNAUGEaFlk


Result.




I am sure the weekend will throw up some jobs to do.

It is Friday.

[Grizz1963]

A rare thing happened yesterday.

Sally came over by 08.30 for tea and toast and to spend some time, I rarely go to her place, as there are no toys, and she prefers to come here..

So we had brekkie together, the watched some recorded telly, and by 12.00 she went home to see her grandson and son, also to allow me to get outside as by then I was feeling very guilty.

I was chuffed though, that I had managed to sit and do nothing for a few hours.

She is a sneaky photographer and waited for me to start looking for a hole in the trucks bulkhead.





I had two small jobs to do.

Replace the switch on the rear fog light with a metal item and ensure it still worked.

So out with the very broken old red unit. In with the new.

Happy.



Next job after finding a small man made hole in the bulkhead was to thread a wire through there.

That was a mistake, as I ended up removing it, and enlarging the hole with a step drill, and then running two wires in there, finding them snaking in from under the dash.

I also used some flat 3 core household wire to thread through the face of the dash, so that I could connect it to the two wires and then pull them up through the dash.

These modern cars are so compactly made, and even the threading of wires are a bit more complex as there is so much under the dash, blocking access.

Still, got it through and then got the wires back up out the front.





Next job inside was to drill a hole to take the new metal push button for the Klaxon horn.

I hate damaging the cars plastics, and mad as it may seem, I will keep an eye out for a replacement piece to stash with all the other unused parts.

Mate Kevin who is moving house soon, also popped around for a looksee, couple of mugs of tea and a chat.



Once the internal jobs were done, I needed to find a live to draw current from.

As earning was easy via the mounting bolt, and the pigs tail out the horn.



And once fitted, happy with the tidiness achieved.



I forgot to take pics of the completed switches before dark. So good morning.





.

[Grizz1963]

Went to get milk and bread in the truck earlier.

Stopped and checked in on friend Kevin,who,is building the Deusenberg replica.

It is now in paint.

Thought a few random pics up at his place were in order.

Thames river and Essex, when’re the truck was from in the background.



Few more pics.

Kevin’s pond.



Daffodil,time,with the end of winter approaching.





Looking toward the sunset.





Pity about the pole, just struggled to compose more 6han that.



Looks like the weekend is over.

.

[68Timber]

Great pics. The truck is looking great. I like that switch, it's my go-to for aux lights. Those last forever. I saw the gas pedal nearby in one of the pics, is it going in this truck?

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by 68Timber

Great pics. The truck is looking great. I like that switch, it's my go-to for aux lights. Those last forever. I saw the gas pedal nearby in one of the pics, is it going in this truck?

Morning John,
Thanks for the posting.

Regarding the switch, I. Ever cease to be amazed that with a difference of a dollar or two between bad and good quality, why people continue to use the cheap, nasty options.

Gas pedal will go on, sitting at the kitchen back door, it needs firstly reinforcing around the mounting holes, and then drilling and tapping for the fitting straps as they are lightweight.

I actually have three of them, all cast as Grizz.

The one is for the C10 when it eventually is done.

And the other is mis-cast, missing some toes, and will go into a “Ratrod” type build.






Got a question on another forum from a friend.

Surprised he missed it for so long.

Originally Posted by sparkplug

Pic of arial topper in detail please :rob

You can't keep additions like this from us and expect we won't notice

Originally Posted by Grizz

Appropriate?

Originally Posted by sparkplug

Love it

This seems to be a continuation of this.

The Blazer that was not a project, actually had a load of baseball gear in the back for display purposes

[Grizz1963]

Decided to spend some cash on the truck

After the effort and cost put into the wheels, I did not manage to find another 9 used caps needed, and to be honest, new will be a lot nicer.

Interesting, as always the cost of a purchase in the USA doubles by the time it lands here.

So $19.99 became $41.00 on my driveway.



Original GM parts are even more costly before taxes and shipping.



Sally’s sons car got hit in November in a non-fault accident etc.

The repair was massively delayed and he was unhappy with the finish, so I offered to see if I could trim back some of the runs in the clear (Ended up shaving them back with a sharp blade then hand buffing followed by machine) and also a load of Matt finish, orange peel and overspray.

Masked as much of the black parts as I could get to, then spent 2 hrs at it after washing and drying the side.








Not easy to see, but it both looked and felt a lot better after all the runs with the DA Mop and G3 Compound.



And all that was left when he left was a big grin, and a white stripe.



Now when wants to buy a mop, going halves wit his brother.

Did I create a monster?

[LT7A]

Good work on dialing in Sally's son's car. Too bad they applied the clear coat, or lacquer, with a brush and roller. Good for him to find out that you can fix things like that. I have watched friends live with flaws like that on cars for the entire duration of their ownership. I help when they let me but more often than not shake my head that they leave it that way. Not that my rides are anywhere near perfect. But a little attention to detail makes a big difference and is rewarding. I like the pictures of the truck out and about. Particularly in front of the stately old three story house, probably of stone. There is an elegance in the simplicity.

[Grizz1963]

Originally Posted by LT7A

Good work on dialing in Sally's son's car. Too bad they applied the clear coat, or lacquer, with a brush and roller. Good for him to find out that you can fix things like that. I have watched friends live with flaws like that on cars for the entire duration of their ownership. I help when they let me but more often than not shake my head that they leave it that way. Not that my rides are anywhere near perfect. ut a little attention to detail makes a big difference and is rewarding. I like the pictures of the truck out and about. Particularly in front of the stately old three story house, probably of stone. There is an elegance in the simplicity.

LOL.... It is sally who knows I am prepared to give things a go.
Just cannot believe that there is much I cannot do or give a go.
Just took a bit of effort and forcing myself to go slow.
You are right though..... people who live with flaws screw with my head.
Truck out was a nice ride.
And yes, all the homes around here are brick built.

[Grizz1963]

Amazon delivered today.

Lug nut covers ordered on the 8th, extra postage paid for delivery by 12th so delivery by 10th........ great.

Opened and unpacked after completing some online work.



Can you see anything wrong?

Yup.

Ordered 22mm or 7/8” caps, but delivery was 25mm or 1” items.



Delivered items



Ordered items.



GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

So onto Amazon Helpdesk for 40 minutes, AI vs Man

Eventually get told they will refund my account, collect the items and no, they cannot resend the correct items.

It is an Amazon “Seller” whatever that means when you are passing the buck.

So I have messaged the seller (Chinese like on EBay) and asked if the can supply the correct item.

Fingers crossed.


I actually only needed 9 of these caps.

[Grizz1963]

May have had a little accident today.

Flip Flop slipped.......

Oooops




Practice run for the real thing.

[Grizz1963]

With the list of tasks actually getting shorter and some of the things left to do, only dependant of shipping, couriers and also finding a drone and pilot.....

I took some time to go drive and waste fossil fuels to day, Sally was off to see her eldest son and grandson so I could be ultra random.

Eventually only liked two pics.

More another day.








Tomorrow, who knows, maybe some smoke.