Grizz’s OCD Awesome ASTRO Van 🚙 Megane SCENIC 1.5dci 🚙 MX5 JEEP For Sale.🚨 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 USA Road Trip

[jim89]

2 hours ago, grizz said:

Being a 22 year old girl has its perks. 
 

But a 22 year old car less so. 
 

Certainly pretty in lurid green, but lacquer peeling is not. 
 

So I decided to try putting some lipstick on a pig before you send it to auction as my friend Stas in Siberia said. 
 

Last pic shows what I had to work with. 
Multiple colours. 
Bet you are glad I never went full commando  on this job. 
 

Removing under bonnet sound deadening to get to  the screenwash nozzle and wiping down the hood/bonnet I also used the centreline of the car to work from because the lines of the front end curve in multiple directions. 

A bit of string stuck down to calculate how wide the black vinyl needed to be to cover the damage. 94mm 

Then added some luminosity and bracketed it all in more black pinstripes. 
 

I am also not doing the roof and tailgate because of the complexity of curves and lines. 
 

I think I am happy with the result. 
 

Certainly better than a load of flaking clear lacquer. 
 

Looking forward to using it as a daily. 
 

Video later. Maybe. 

Bit worried about the firelighters 'fess 😮

Can you run the dayglo stripes down the bumper maybe?

&, forgive me, but is it straight on the car?

[grizz]

13 minutes ago, jim89 said:

Bit worried about the firelighters 'fess 😮

Can you run the dayglo stripes down the bumper maybe?

&, forgive me, but is it straight on the car?

My priority was to cover just the peel

I used the badge and measuring the rear of the hood, used the centre line, not the visual draw outwards. So optical illusion says the line is drawing inward to the centre of the cab. 
 

The objective is covering the damage. 
 

Achieved. 

[grizz]

Commented elsewhere by @wuvvum earlier about my problem solving 😉
 

So when I got the car, I detailed all the paint. 
 

At 3 minutes into the video. 
 

 

I had looked around for alternatives. 

Repaint in green…..

Complete bonnet wrap…..

Something French 🇫🇷 ?? 

Custom printed stripe with frog…..

Leave it alone……

 

I worked from the centre line of the bonnet to get to the start of the damaged paint   
Being an egg shaped car means the stripe will always look squiff from some angles  

Using the materials that were on hand turned out to be a simple affordable solution  for me and would be easier to live with than the faded damaged paint while I daily the car. 

 

 

[grizz]

Actually starting to look forward to driving this GTi

 

 

[jim89]

32 minutes ago, grizz said:

Actually starting to look forward to driving this GTi

 

 

0-60 around 8 secs, top down, that could be good fun 👍🏻

[grizz]

Vinyl stripe applied to cover lacquer peel on hood/bonnet.
 

Do use FORWARD  function if you lose the will to live  

 

 

First beer of the year. 

I was digging in the garden earlier so this was quite pleasant. 
 

 

 

[grizz]

Dog psychologist to the Snoopy Phone please. 

 

 

Just randomly wondering what it is that makes this Terrier and maybe others run around in circles or squares or triangles or rhombus patterns. 

 

Loves a ball and favourite is fetching and dropping off to be thrown again and again balls. Loves the game stepped up with 5 different balls that all react differently. 

 

Video goes on a bit but this is a different ball that talks for a bit. Heavy at probably 500-900 grams. 

 

She is a silent dog 98% of the time. But this ball makes her bark and run around more. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Any explanation or ideas on firstly the running in circles, done with all her balls and other toys. 

 

Secondly the barking at this one toy.  

 

Go on………. 

 

Try explaining. 

[grizz]

Feedback elsewhere confirmed my own suspicions. 
 

Terriers were bred for vermin hunting. 
 

So the prey drive is very high. Especially in this one.  So she is probably showing off her kill. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

This dog has never brought anything but joy. 

Happiest rescue dog I’ve ever seen.

Typical COVID dog.

Third floor, in a cage, never walked outside etc.

Got Parvo less than two weeks after Sally got her. £1400 over a weekend in vets hospital later…..

The best money ever spent.

Probably a year old here. 

Loves water. 

https://youtube.com/shorts/9HFwyDXhhhQ?si=Y3Mffi2r614n_Pew

And a bit more fun. 

https://youtu.be/vKa0XIJu624?si=s8TAh_9FMa6GJbiP

 

[grizz]

 

Right. 

 

Photobucket is still not working. 

 

I tried Google for answers but no info why its been dead for weeks. 

 

 

 

So a few small stories all dumped in one report. 

 

Summertime is going to be here and gone in the blink of an eye. 

 

George my adopted cat has probably been here about 2-3 years and certainly is the king of his domain. 

Yet he persists in marking things, including the interior of the garage. 

On Monday I opened the garage and he shot straight in and went to mark the sheet that covered the V8 engine. I roared at him so he kept his distance the rest of the day till about 2.00pm when he came asking for food. 

 

He is not a killer like Mollie was but does like to stalk.  

 

And of course being a cat…… cardboard box mes and shopping bags are his kryptonite. 

 

 

 

[grizz]

 

Another one for @gman007  

 

See what you started here now. 

 

I know there are people who love or loathe a bootfair. 

 

Last year I vowed to stay away from them because they were just junk sales in a field. Mostly cheap, pink plastic toys from China. And the fight to see anything against the masses of unruly, rude, and frustrating Eastern Bloc people who speak no or limited English and think every item is worth only £2.00 regardless made me lose the will to live. 

 

I went again on Sunday. 

 

In the Astro. 

 

Found loads of random things including a 5 for £2.00 motherlode/motherload of Hotwheels and other small toys. 

 

I buy some for my own perverse random pleasure but look out for others like VW aircooled Beetles, beach buggies and busses for @craigrk plus some even more random ones for other people. 

 

It becomes more therapeutic than you might imagine. 

 

I also found a great new, unused yellow plastic recliner chair for picnic, back yard of the Astro van for £2.00, a coffee mug and a Cobra car for my lodger for £1.00 another veteran poppy mug for a good friend at 70p as is often the case, unused. 

 

I got myself an Auger bit, unused, for £2.00 to use when I start stringing together the 6 railroad sleepers or ties in the garden. 

 

Pics posted randomly. 

 

Flaming Hotrod is for mate Ricky who’s car features in this video. 

 

https://youtu.be/Tu9fuJCx8dI?si=L-g84QqMgCV3NkWs

 

 

More random stuff in a bit. 

 

 

 

 

.

 

 

[grizz]

Last few. 
 

Grumpy lodgers dream car is a Cobra 

[grizz]

Last few. 
 

Grumpy lodgers dream car is a Cobra 

[mercedade]

3 hours ago, grizz said:

unruly, rude, and frustrating Eastern Bloc people who speak no or limited English and think every item is worth only £2.00

 

3 hours ago, grizz said:

Found loads of random things including a 5 for £2.00 motherlode/motherload of Hotwheels

 

3 hours ago, grizz said:

I also found... for £2.00, 

 

3 hours ago, grizz said:

....£2.00 

 

[grizz]

11 minutes ago, mercedade said:

 

 

 

 

 

Well spotted. 
 

You made me really chuckle here. 
 

And of course I pay the prices asked or just walk away. Especially when I get told it’s worth £50 on eBay. 
 

I once did reply over my shoulder to a lady that she best put it on eBay then. 

[grizz]

 

Lots of small random jobs happening here st the moment. 

 

Been preparing parts of the garden for making the soil that comes out of the ground work disappear including rejigging some garden beds and using railway sleepers or ties to raise beds.  

 

There is a part of the garden known as “The Secret Garden” partly because it completely obscures my garage and workshop area chaos, and also because animals, cats, foxes, birds etc can disappear into it. 

 

So I am extending it to creat more space to hide some more soil. 

 

Currently the grass and soil removed to have the sleeper a flat surface is being used elsewhere to raise parts of the lawn and hopefully reduce the chances of falling off the small floor in front of the BBQ. 

 

While digging down a bit more, I hit what seemed to be a rock, but turned out to be metal.  

 

A rusty relic.  

 

I would love to know when this cobblers last/anvil landed here. And why. 

 

So once i had made good my work, I also cleaned up the last. 

 

Video of the process. 

 

https://youtu.be/2O_r5uMfHMw?si=giTMZvwd2R3NyvvE

 

After cleaning up I made some amazingly good beef meatballs wrapped in some smoked bacon. 

 

 

Of course George continues to observe his space and marks it when I am not around. 

 

 

I also pruned my fruit trees and cut down the weeds out back that were as much as 8-10 foot tall. 

 

More random stuff later. 

 

[grizz]

One of those days. 
Got loads done. 
And more to do

But I drove two cars  

Astro - ALWAYS A GRIN LIKE A DRUG CRAZED PENGUIN  

Rezin Rockit- SILLY BRILLIANT CAR I BUILT.   MORE CRAZY GRINNING  

 

Then got home, reversed the MX5 powered Rezin Rockit Jeep onto the sidewalk, of course it bottomed out, ripping my pristine lawn  Coz it’s lowered  like an MX5  FOR SALE sign on screen.

Pulled the 206 forward after adding a 1/4 tank of fuel. Weird car this  I have not bonded with it, yet I know how good it is going to be. Looking forward to taxing it on the 1st and using it as a daily alongside the Astro.

 

some random pics as reward for your reading this entry.

 

 

 

[grizz]

 

And another set of wheels rolled up my driveway this week. 

 

Saw this advertised this week. 

 

Stolen and recovered with being set alight along the way. 

 

But we love a challenge ehhh. 

 

Once again new wheels ran up my driveway this week. 

 

 

But I only found them. 

 

My mate Craig, 204 miles from here has a large property that is uncomfortably but perfectly far enough away from the main road down a private lane. This means wheelie bins, bin bags etc need to be taken there on bin days. 

His neighbour has a horse school, horses, horse manure to collect, and another neighbour has a bonfire pile in one of his paddocks where everyone takes their garden refuse that they cannot turn into compost. 

 

So……….

 

A few lawn tractors, trailers etc are always about. 

 

But this was always the dream.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

More about the process later. 

 

 

.

 

[666jjp]

mini me 😁

[bezzabsa]

have you tried finding a top for the MX5/Jeep ??

[grizz]

18 minutes ago, bezzabsa said:

have you tried finding a top for the MX5/Jeep ??

I built it. 
I modified it 

It will not get a roof from me. 

[grizz]

3 hours ago, bezzabsa said:

have you tried finding a top for the MX5/Jeep ??

Just to clarify. 
 

I cut off the original screen, fitted a Landrover screen. 
 

The roll bar I made myself, to be an aesthetic thing, slanted back to go with the look. 
 

Form over Function. 
 

Death before dishonour. 
 

 

[grizz]

So the next day dawned…. Coz the sun arose. 

 

Lifted the buggy up

 

Stole the ugly mismatched wheels off it. 

 

Cleaned them. 

 

Painted the backs copper metallic. 

 

Let the air out, masked the front with pizza boxes. 

 

Had given Craig a choice between Green, Purple and Burgundy. 

 

Burgundy it was. 

 

Painted the wheels. 

 

Also painted the nuts, hubs black. 

 

Refitted the wheels.  

 

 

Yup….. That would do. 

[grizz]

Then painted the other side. 
 

Refitted the wheels. 
 

Happy. 

[grizz]

Headed home in my awesome van tonight. Had to stop.
Honestly never taken as many pictures of one car. But I do love this van.

[Westbay]

Yup, lovely machine ...

[GlenAnderson]

I spot another Comet belt drive system. Let me know what the number is on the belt. If you’re really lucky it’ll be the same as the two wrong belts that I bought for the Canta. 

[grizz]

22 hours ago, Westbay said:

Yup, lovely machine ...

Thank you Tony. 
 

Not perfect. 
 

But awesome for a 34 year old. 
 

And keeps me smiling. 

[grizz]

Evolution 

[jim89]

34 minutes ago, grizz said:

Evolution 

"Scene!"

[grizz]

1 hour ago, jim89 said:

"Scene!"

Once I hand over the keys……..

 

Not my problem.