Grizz’s Purgatory, Rezin Rockit 🚀 SUMMERTIME FUN 18/09/23

Yeah, it's a points/identity thing, not a physically possible/impossible one. 

The car is, currently, registered quite legally as an Eagle kit. Regardless of what has changed, regulations wise, in the 30-odd years since it was built, it was 100% legal at the time it was put together and registered. That means the original specification of Cortina running gear and Eagle chassis is what it needs to retain all the points for identity under the system we have today. As a kit car built from an older donor, and registered in 92 on a Q plate, it's also exempt from the emissions regulations applicable to new cars at that time, so it would still pass an MoT without a cat or fuel injection. It's a bit of a shame that whoever built it originally didn't take the necessary steps to retain the donor car's date of manufacture (keeping receipts etc and having documented/plausible proof that the donor parts all came from one vehicle), because then it would have been given a new age-related number that matched the donor, which would almost certaily be more than 40 years old now and thus tax and MoT exempt. Maybe it was built from more than one Cortina, a written off one, or bits bought piecemeal from breakers. We'll never know.

Anyway. Back to today.

You get five points for an unmodified chassis. - in this case the Eagle kit one.
Two points for the suspension - Cortina front and rear.
Two points for the steering - a Cortina rack.
Two points for the axles - Cortina front and rear (and they both have to be unmodified, you can't modify one and keep one point, it's all or nothing, same as the suspension).
Two points for the gearbox - I assume it was originally a Cortina 4-speed.
One point for the engine - again, I'm assuming it was likely a 1.6 Pinto from a Cortina.

There's fourteen points in total and you need to retain a minimum of eight of them to keep the Eagle's identity, five of which must come from an original and unmodified chassis.

Now, we know that the system will allow a certain latitude for strengthening and bracing, and as long as the revisions are not too radical you're unlikely to run into any problems, but I would personally think that the necessary reworking to use the MX-5 subframes complete would be way more than you'd get away with. Even if they weren't, you're losing three points by fitting the Mazda engine and box. If you use the subframes too then you'll lose the two points for the suspension, the two for the axles and the two for the steering - leqaving you with five dubious ones for the chassis, that even if they weren't dubious they're not enough; so you're going to be well into IVA territory and, even if you argue that it's a single-donor build (the MX-5), and you put it through IVA, it's not only got to pass that, it's got to be built to pass emissions regulations for the 2000 - X plate Mazda, not the 1977 (or whatever) Cortina that died in 1992 to be reborn as a Rezin Rocket. 

Keeping the existing running gear the standard Cortina design, and the modifications basic and discrete (lowered springs, revised mounts), and simply replacing the engine and gearbox retains a healthy and undisputable eleven points that pretty much nobody can argue with.

Absolutely agree.

Known him for a long time.

Generous and kind to a fault, really lives the true values of kindness and Karma in my opinion.




Gotcha, makes a load of sense.

Agreed there mate.

It is too easy to screw up and end with a worthless paperweight.

The TüV tests are tough, and here we get a certain amount of leeway, but I would not mess with the law.

Also, voided insurance could be a real problem.

So, on with reporting the rest of yesterdays work.

I really went at a reasonably slow pace, deliberately as it is great actually visiting with friends and getting stuff done, rather than the usual flat out pace to just get a job done.

Fil is great company and comes up with some great ideas, like the voices in my head.

After all, he named the S10 as Rumblegrizzkin.

So the first job that needed doing and needed two sets of hands, was to remove the body table we put the Jeep body on two weeks ago.

Lift rear, fit taller box under floor to then free rear of table, lift front, fit a pair of axle stands either side, and a 2x4 on them, put body down, slide table out.

Easy Peasy.

So while I did some other stuff like gathering tools, finding coach screws, Fill cut the four legs off the table.



Then drill pilot holes for the,wheels, zip in the coach screws with Mr Rattle gun.



Once the rolling table was done, we got the body back onto it, tried it out with the two steering trolley wheels in,front, moved it about to test……



Then things got silly just before we went in for some coffee and toast.

Fil fetched Glen’s spare glassless screen frame and we grabbed a broomstick, the RX8 drivers seat…..….. oh, and some wheels and hey presto.



Got in, cautiously



Steering wheel needs to be lower and a touch further away from the driver.



Then Fil got a turn to sit in the drivers seat, and we tilted the screen back a bit, as the plan was to cut it shorter and fit new glass, but this may work, depending on how the ex-56 Chevy roll cage/hoop from Paul Y may force my hand on the aesthetics department if I cannot tilt it back to follow the body/B-pillar, screen and seat line.






Next job was to get the canvas ready for the sand blasting of the frame, and then moving the frame onto the axle stands, on there.

Planning.



Once placed, the wheels came out again.



Tally-Ho Mo-Fo’s !!!




And finally ready to start blasting as soon as the air dies in the morning.



Wish me luck with the compressor and enough air volume.

... an observation for you.

I've noticed that when I've had the roof down, Volvo, MGB, passengers automatically reach for the windscreen surround to lever themselves out or take their weight getting in ... just a thought to consider when designing the windscreen mounts etc ...

People do this in my SLK. Irritates the nads off me!! 

Hey Thörsten,

I totally understand your frustration with my progress, I used to feel that way, but I waited a bit longer and the feeling went away.

The truck is patient for me to return.

I do hope this project satisfies me and allows me to return and get started and complete the build of the C10.


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You won’t need a cat for the MoT I shouldn’t think. The original pinto setup wouldn’t have had one. Fitting one isn’t a big deal though, and will obviously work with the original ecu/wiring etc.

You might find it more than a little antisocial though. I had a de-cat pipe fitted to my 1.6 Mk1 MX-5 for a very brief period and it was waaaaay too loud. Suck it and see, but if you don’t have a cat, then you might want a small silencer in its place.

Personally, I'd get as big a silencer as possible in the middle section (straight through/perforated tube type) and then a silencer at the rear to tune the sound output to your preference.

MOT used to be "emits a noise like a standard exhaust in average condition" but its been a while since I've swotted up on that part of the manual