GRIZZ’s Chevy S10 - Random Rambling NEXT ROADTRIP 27/10/23

For a long time I have wanted to buy a metal folder, it beats two lengths of angle iron in the vice.

Which is my usual way.

And the price, new:




So how wrong could I go for £40.00 ?



One meter long, used in a Lamborghini restoration


peteh1969 finalised the rendering.

Done in three parts with links in the support bar behind, it can be printed on a 200mm bed.







Chatting with Dennis in a cold and wet St Louis, he is busy taking more of the NASCAR Truck apart for more paint and powder coating.





I also carried on with some bits on the truck, wind, rain and chilly.....

Not a lot got done, but a few choice words used.

Absolutely can see me winning tonight..... feels cool.

Was a nice thing to find.

He also gave me a 4 barrel Webber and some rebuild kits that were headed for the tip.

Nice thing is that craigrk and Paul Y also get to use it and guaranteed it will get used for others, like Mickey next door, so we don’t all need to go buy one.

I was saying to Sally that one will use it more than you think.

No, but kettle is on....

DIY on offer though.

Yesterday, between little showers and a chilly “Beast from the East” wind on the drive, down the side of the house, I started with some more of the lights and wiring.

First job was to identify what the two empty sockets on the rear lights were for, indicating or markers.

Turns out they are red side markers, so I added a pair of amber push fit bulbs in.

Also took the pair of chrome finish amber bulbs. PhilA had sent and added them to the rear as they now sit in the space the reverse/backing up lamps were before.

Wrapped them up again as the weather promised a mess.



Next job in the garage was to cut down the old amber and new clear side repeaters and mash them together to make a new unit.

I was not going to drill the buckled holes bigger and also was not going to risk losing the wires into the abyss that is the fender spaces.

White replaces black



Cut them up, ground them to shape and also skimmed the new push fit fittings to fit inside the white tubes.

Before and after.



Back to the truck and found this ........ must have been some cowboy who added the side repeaters, holes are terrible, and then the drivers side wire.......

All there was to work with,



Passenger side...... all of this.



Having cut both old and new lenses up, this what I was left with, sexy glue next.



Then the challenge of the day, rain, chilly breeze and a small electric soldering iron.

Note the two separate shrink sleeves and a large to fit over both.

Trust me when I say, first time around, I managed to seal both, in-insulated in the same large sheath.



Sealed them up in a bit of plastic each, after finding the passenger side which previously was temperamental, now completely refused to work.

Job for another day.



Next up off with the front end....... again.

Rain was not helping, and neither the chill running down the alley.

I managed to find the two lives, soldered the resistor in, incorrectly, having to remove it again.

Gave up, job for another day, screw it, indoors to warm up.



So what I should have connected was A&C but of course I did A&B because I am not too bright on electronics.



And then paulf sent me this useful,diagram, just when I got indoors.




Unfortunately the cold he cut through my 4 layers on the drive and when I went to bed at 10.30 the chicks came home to roost, causing a spasm that resulted in me taking pills and sitting upright in a chair till 01.30 when I crept up to bed, but too scared to fall asleep in case of another spasm, I eventually dozed off at about 5.30

Trust me, it is less fun than it sounds.

I do cars for a living and wiring still makes me shudder . Definitely one of those things you get or you don’t, and I certainly have to slow down and think when I tackle stuff like that.
It does take me back to when I used to see loads of import stuff; mainly Eunos and Hilux Surfs’ as they all seem to have had the uk lights added in the cheapest, nastiest, quickest way possible; the peak of this was a Surf that had had the rear fog light fitted entirely with speaker wire that they had literally just chucked under the floor mats!

A few bits done and completed today.

Those side badges that so divide.

Out in the snow.



And inside the bed, the offending holes, if only the fitter had thought it through.



And finally completed,,thanks to peteh1969 designing and craigrk printing.

Two different styles, side badges, and a grille badge.

Painting them, still to be researched.



Also completed today, side repeaters.



And the clear glue all darkened with a black Sharpie.

Should work well, once I figure the passenger light bulb out.



.

Look after yourself Rian, hope all goes well tomorrow.

Nice work on the lights, Rian, they've come up a treat.

Fingers crossed for today!

Rian,
there might be a very logical reason not to do so but why do you not push that caravan from under that nice carport and get yourself (and the pick-up) at least partly sheltered while working on it?
Thom
(who just gave up working on the Volvo Duett electrics as even with two heaters my garage will not warm up more than to 6 dgr. centigrade...).