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

[Grizz1963]

Right

Good news.

Thanks for all the support from those who knew I was made redundant.

I get to keep my job. Thankfully.

Guess another excuse not to progress too fast on projects.

[Grizz1963]

Wheel nuts for Scruffy came in the post.


I am not sure they really should be called “chromed”

The finish is shoddy, and if they survive one season without falling apart on the chrome aspect, I will be surprised.





Still, we have wheel nuts, so the alloys can be attached, once it passes MOT.

[Grizz1963]

Remember the LACE PAINT idea?


Well, Poundland delivered.

May be a better option, or a fail, but at £2.00 each. These Halloween spiders web tablecloth’s could work better than the planned old lace curtains.

We will see when the time comes to lay them down.



Weekend is here.

Stuff to do.

[Grizz1963]

@nickwheeler popped in today for a coffee, a chat and to have a dig (around) Looks like there is a lot more to be done here.


And yes, it will get done.








Not much else done today.

Cut the grass, finished up the small trailer I got on Tuesday.

[Grizz1963]

Had a clever little plan.

But it failed (probably)

Bought a cheap 4x3 foot trailer from a deceased estate.

Sight unseen.

Collected it.










Should have gone to Spec Savers or another optician.

Still……….

Committed.

[Grizz1963]

Realised back home, after Mickey helped me collect it, that typically, the tires/tyres were dry rotted and needed replacing.

Got them off, ordered two new ones, slightly wider with lower profile, near enough the same.

£70.00 fitted, with new valves and old ones disposed of.



Removed the rear panel and light board as I wanted it removable for the proposed coming tasks.

Then used a trusty skateboard to move the wheel-less body up the driveway.

Pressure cleaner and some serious attention saw me get to know all the flaws.





Left to dry for 48 hours.

Then had some time to knock together a slip on frame.





Done.



After work Thursday evening I found some old black paint in my stash (mistake) and painted the underside of the floor, all the steel and mudguards and wooden sides with this enamel paint. On the wood just to act as a sealer in case another colour came into play.








Now some of you may know this, but @nickwheeler thinks that I am a whizzz with a brush and pot of paint.

So the last drops of green in a tin, made it onto the wheels.

Still need a pair of random hubcaps for them.

Green stripe.



But that was not enough, so I dug out some red Hammerite as well.

Better.



Friday I took a day off work to do things like shopping, coffee and lunch with Sally.

She very rarely asks me for anything, and even this was forced on her.

We had a good day.

Before she came over I painted all the white panels, again, more wood protection than aesthetics



Reassembled the tailgate, lights, and fitted the wheels yesterday morning.






I think I am happy with that.


Seems the original reason for buying it, will not be happening.


Still, I have a neat trailer for a few hours work.

[Grizz1963]

This morning I got going early and got the Micra up in the air.



Laid out the first job.



Prepping some of the parts and surfaces needed to reinstate the exhaust system.

Cleaned up, drilled out the studs to enable the use of nuts and bolts.



While crawling around I took a decent look at what the four corners looked like.

Not inspired.









Still……..

I felt up to the challenge.

When @nickwheeler arrived with his welder we got straight to getting the bolts welded onto the catalytic converter





Once I reintroduced the downpipe and had the Lambda sensor refitted that Nick had removed from its plug, the rest of the refitting, including some clear silicone on the gaskets and contact surfaces (clear silicone does not degenerate with excess heat) it looked good.

Nick tried the start up and I could feel there was no leak or blowby.

Perfect, just bloody awesome.



Looking great.




That was a good way to start the day.

Coffee next.





.

[Grizz1963]

Once we assessed the rust damage, and what was needing attention….. including a lot of screwdriver poking, mashing and banging, it was time to make a few test bits up.

Once you go to complex folds, there is a better or worserer sequence in which to fold the metal in preparation for welding in.

Even a Z-fold with unequal sides has a sequence.



Tappy Tappy and away we go.



I took the wheels off as well, as it clears up space to work and get tools in.

And of course mounting the car as high as possible helps too.



Drivers seat removed, carpets and side panels out the way, rather safe than run for a fire extinguisher.



Going to the passenger side, more SPECTACULAR BODGERY became evident.

Bits of plate siliconed and then seam sealed over rust.

Impressive MOT you passed there mate.

And a lot more on both sides became evident as we proceeded.



So making two outer sill plates and everything else in a 600mm or 24 inch length became the plan of action.

Starting on the drivers side.



Then I climbed in with the grinder and Knotwheel of truth (TM @pauly) exposing as much healthy metal as I could, creating two existing reference points on the underside where plates joined.

Making sure these points are absolutely pristine, means the welder just does exactly what you ask of it.

After cutting some back, before cleaning.





Nick climbed in with the welder, fixing the first Z-folded plate at the ends, then carefully welded it all together down the inner seam

Fitting and finesse first.



Prepped for inside puddle welds.



Weld next.



After this, the outer plate was prepared for a load of puddle welds.

And welded on.

Patiently, with the use of multiple vise grips to prevent misplacing or distortion.



Once fully welded it was left to cool off.



At which point I got onto the welds, grinding them back to a decent finish.



At this point it was 18.30 so we stopped welding, things seem to take a touch longer when you start to chase previous mistakes, bodges and have to custom fit things.

Part 2 of side 1 was to create a plate, again multi-contoured for the back section of the repair, looks easy, but a few aspects to considder.



I made a CAD that works as a mirror, so both sides are created at the same time.



Cut them out of the 1mm plate and started the shaping, which Nick completed with a hammer and dolly shaper on the vice.

Ready



I will carry on with the welding as I get time after work this week

The preparation is what takes the most time.

And this is not an MOT bodge to squeeze another year or two from a car.

Have a good week.

[Grizz1963]

Got home from work and cooked dinner quickly, easy to heat up later

Then headed to the garage.

Unpacked tools.

I wanted to complete the rest of the drivers side rear arch repair.



So I continued shaping the plate for starters.



Offered up.



Welded in three pieces to make up a total repair.

The used some seam sealer to tidy up the joins after grinding the welds back.



Happy with that.



Passenger side next, and then underseal for both sides once I mask the sills off to prevent overspray.

Need to hope the weather plays along.

Getting chilly already.

[Grizz1963]

Part 2.


Unfortunately, the welder stopped feeding wire just when I wanted to infill the gaps.


Job for another day.


The passenger side was an even worse bodge, aluminium plate glued in over holes etc.


So I cut back to good metal brutally and started by making a new inner panel to be a foundation.











Staggering……





New back foundation.





Hole got to be a lot bigger.











More shaping due before I started welding it in.






Decent puddle welds along the bottom edge, and tacks along the top.

At which point the welder stopped feeding the wire.

I am sure it may just be a tension setting.

But I had enough and decided it was time to come in, my eyes were tired and spotlight was messing with my vision.





I packed away tools, which sometimes is the right thing to do.

And collected the excess material that had been removed so far to make it good.


Currently we have this.


Last MOT pass.





Bit more to do, then I will be happy.

[Grizz1963]

Got home after work and rechecked the welder, spool, feed etc, then pulled some of the wire out the tip……. Manually.

Sorted.

So I started where I left off last night, completing the welds as much as I could be bothered.



Miles from concourse but plenty strong enough imho.

Followed by some seam sealer








So, hopefully the next MOT will be a decent pass.

Not quite as good as the last one after it failed on the points below.



Bedtime.

[Grizz1963]

Quick easy job today.

Undersealed the sills, first the inner part and wheel arch.





Then masked off the complete sill.



Body covered.



Result.



Happy so far.

More to come in a bit for the binge watchers.

.

[Grizz1963]

So after doing the sills, I refitted the wheels, got it on the floor, refitted the floor mat and seats

Then washed it as it was a bit grubby.

While cleaning it I found the rear wiper was dead, and needed replacing, so ran into the local village to grab a replacement.



Motor factors is adjacent a fish and chip shop.

That smell is irresistible, especially the smell of vinegar as well.

So I treated myself.



I hate eating in my car and as a rule do not allow it, a lesson learned 30 years ago.

But the smell got me to cheat.

Pensioners portion is a massive pile of chips and a smaller size piece of Cod.

All for £3.50 which to me is still a bargain.



After my fishy dinner, I checked up the car’s ULEZ status.

This is another London Stealth Tax.

If you read what you are paying £14.00 per day to cross a certain road boundary. (I actually drive outside the zone going to one of my hospitals, down the South Circular and technically inside coming back.

Anyway…….

The Micra is Exempt from that coat, so saves an owner £280.00 or more per month.




Crazy Crazy this whole stealth taxation system.


.

[Grizz1963]

Forgot to add these.

No more pics now.

I hope.





Other side.





Next stop, insure and get to the MOT station.

[Grizz1963]

Got home early from work by 3.15

Shuffled some cars around before even getting out of my work clothes.

Took the Micra up to the farm road for a quick test run, makes it a whole 1.5km test run, not even a mile.

Really nice little car to be honest. Feels deceptively bigger than its size implies.

It started to rain softly, but I hit the brakes at 40mph a few times……

Decent lock up on the left rear.

I do hope that it is a bit better on the rollers at the test at 4.00pm tomorrow afternoon.



Back home I parked everything up.

Makes my driveway look like a South London Car salesman’s home.



I hope it is all good tomorrow.

[Grizz1963]

4 hours insurance bought.

That is EXPENSIVE

But all I need.

Next option was £110.00 for a month vs £300.00 for a year.



Ready to Rock n Roll.

[Grizz1963]

When one solution creates another problem.


Pumped all the tyres up this morning and took the Micra for a drive, suddenly the brakes worked perfectly, steering is straight.


Unequal tyre pressures clearly affect performance, reminder there.


Got home and thought I would drop both electric windows.


Drivers side, perfect behaviour.


Passengers side……. Worked last week. Today……. FCK FCK FCK ! Partially opened, then managed to get it closed,,sounds like the glass has jumped the rail.


Any experience or advice on short notice? No, crushing is not an option.

[Grizz1963]

MOT Pass.

Comment from tester was that it is a very clean car for 21 years and 130k miles or 210000km

Now of course, having kept my job and company car it will be surplus.



All up in the air.



Result.

Also no advisories, which is cool.



AND MY 4 HOURS OF INSURANCE JUST EXPIRED.

Perfect.

[Grizz1963]

Of course being as it was bought to use when I lost my company car with the redundancy, and everything now back to “normal” it has become surplus to my requirements.

So it needs to go back into the market, ULEZ exemption should appeal to some as well.



And a flashback, held back initially.


https://youtu.be/7byzFRXrABs


Looks a lot better now.

Still a 21 year old with it’s fair share of damage and scruffiness.

Someone will hopefully find it useful.

[Grizz1963]

Well.

Certainly was not part of the master plan.

I bought this to be able to get into and out of the London ULEZ ZONE for interviews and any potential jobs when I was made redundant.

ULEZ Zone is £300.00/month alone.

Of course I got re-employed, given a new title, small increase and got to keep my company car.

So now suddenly I have a surplus car, along with the S10 and soon (we hope) the Rezin Rockit, just too many wheels.

So I put it on the sidewalk this morning, incase a passerby sees and is interested in it.

Far from perfect, but beats riding a Halfords bicycle to work for some.







I feel somewhat guilty toward the car as I had some silly plans for it.

But it may be best to just sell it as it stands.

[Grizz1963]

More story when it happens.


https://youtu.be/KnBVCyN_bCA



.

[Grizz1963]

Mate Craig sent a pic this morning at 06.00 when he was about to leave after filling his tow vehicle.



Yesterday he ran 40 miles into Wales to collect this little “gift” and 210 miles coming down to me today, then 35 to load a bunch of industrial shelving, back here again…… followed by a Turkish dinner tonight and headed home early tomorrow morning.

That is a bit of a trip.

[Grizz1963]

Well……

Some friends do love to spend your money for you.

So when Serendipity smiled upon the planets and @craigrk sent me this Marketplace ad for another dubious item I coveted for a long time, while it lined up with the purchase of a load of serious industrial racking and shelving from “Deleted Profile”, plus collecting a load of American and bootfair stuff from my place, I had to take a look.

1994 Westwood 1012 - £100

The actual description read:

Westwood 1012 ride on mower/yard tractor 12.5hp Briggs and Stratton Engine £100


Photos as posted in the ad.

Yup, confidence inspired, so I said to Craig how far from his home, keeping in mind he is 205 miles from here.

Oh, not far, about half an hour, just into Wales.

Perfect.

BUY AND COLLECT IF YOU CAN PLEASE.

That was Tuesday morning..

Sellers reply to Craig: SORRY, SOLD, Collection this afternoon.

Boll0x


Photos from the ad


.











Craig was in London for work by this time, till Thursday evening.

Late afternoon he texted to say seller messaged to say “available again”

No, there are no alarm bells here….l move along.

So I repeated……. Yes please, buy and collect it.

Seller agreed to Craig collecting Friday night after work.


I was excited……. At least the odds of me getting something was better than winning the lottery.


So I patiently waited.


Yeaaahhh Right.

[Grizz1963]

So, while Craig made some major business decisions and transactions in the Big Smoke and ate meals worth a small African countries GDP and shared his views…..



I did my day job, got a great email from my agency (about money) and got inquisitive and impatient about this thing I was hoping to buy.

So I messaged Emma, the seller to ask for some better photos.

I was being hopeful here, and did not identify myself as the actual finacier…..

So promptly I got these……







Followed by these.







Much better than the ones in the ad, you will agree.

They confirmed to me mainly that it seemed intact, the body was in really good condition for a 28 year old tractor.

Also, very importantly, in fact most important, that it was a steel bodied tractor.

I have been offered very kindly before, a complete, running lawn tractor by a very good man, but declined because it was modern plastic bodied one.

In retrospect of course, one could make up some body, or add a Dodgem body over it with some supports.

I forwarded the pics to Craig, without explanation and he assumed that I had pulled them off the internet.

When I told him on Thursday that it was the actual tractor, he was pretty chuffed for me.

I had hoped that the small trailer I recently tidied up and put new tyres on, would fit it, but it is longer and wider, so I have popped it onto FB marketplace for a trade or for sale, in order to get something a bit bigger or ideally a flatbed chassis that will take the tractor and on decent sized wheels like the 14” this one has fitted. Behind the Rezin Rockit.

[Grizz1963]

Somewhat more daring than I am right now, but I love it.

https://youtu.be/g7qEdK_hpks

Looks like fun.

All on Wheel Horse tractors though, it seems.