Hey guys,
I just noticed that I never put pics up of my 'ratter' Bellett.
Sure, there are stacks of pics of it in various places on the forum; Nationals pics (was at the Adelaide Nationals), SA events, etc.
So here's a section just for it.
It's a 1966.5 model, built in approximately November 1967 if this theory here (http://www.bellett.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=685) is accurate.
It has the old-model roofline and is the 1783rd-to-last built before the roof changed over to the revised shape.
This is how the car came into my possession.
Long before Bellett.net, a fella rang me to say he had a Bellett GT shell and a spare sedan and wanted to part with them. He wanted to sell it all, but if I didn't come and get it, it would all go to the tip.
Needless to say, that would not do. So I offered him $300, which he rejected... in favour of towing it to the tip... OK...
I ended up offering him $700 which he accepted. It took me about 3 trips to and from his house at the opposite end of Adelaide just to move the parts, then two more trips; one for the GT shell and one for the daggy sedan.
Here it is on the way home:
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01 - Bellett and VY panno - 02.JPG [ 65.35 KiB | Viewed 32203 times ]
He'd repainted his sedan for his daughter to drive, but she hated it (and bought a 180SX; you can buy performance, but not taste), so it sat in his back yard for about 6-7 years, deteriorating.
His paint job wasn't overly well prepped, resulting in the fine patina you see on it now.
I was going to wreck it for parts. It had a bit of rust, but ran a nice 1600cc Florian motor and Galant disc-brake conversion. It had also had a second leaf put in the back. It sat out the front, then I even agreed to sell it for $300 less the motor, but then my Mum got sick.
Here it is sitting in my old front yard:
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02 - Isuzu Bellett - Red - 1967.jpg [ 108.75 KiB | Viewed 32203 times ]
I needed another daily driver, so I got the exhaust fixed, threw some tyres on it, then hit the road.
We took it to 2lDOHC Ross's house for the work to get it running again:
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03 - Isuzu Bellett - Rat Bellett - 02.JPG [ 40.12 KiB | Viewed 32203 times ]
My wife and I daily drove it for a few months, otherwise I would use it on days I saw Mum (which was still more than 50% of the time).
Here's a pic of it with the boot full of crap - super dumped!!!
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04 - Really dumped Isuzu Bellett - 02.JPG [ 37.74 KiB | Viewed 32203 times ]
It also managed to pop up on Google Streetview; both on South Road in my work car park (albeit not very clearly...) and here in Bagot Street, North Adelaide, outside my wife's old work address.
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06 - Google Streetview - Bellett Bagot Street.JPG [ 51.34 KiB | Viewed 32203 times ]
I did take it to a few shows, just for fun. Here it is at the first All Japan Day, complete with minilites and 2nd hand tyres.
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05 - Bellett at All Japan Day.jpg [ 65.31 KiB | Viewed 32203 times ]
I eventually removed the wide minilites and put those tyres on my GT, then put a set of stockies on the car so I could get historic rego in SA. I used the powdery re-treads that had come on 2ldohc Ross's sedan (ie the ones he felt were too dangerous to actually use!!!) and drove it around like that for a while.
I threw the keys to Gav for the 2009 Bay to Birdwood...
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07 - Isuzu Bellett - 079 - Dave's ratter driven by Gav.jpg [ 70.7 KiB | Viewed 32203 times ]
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15 - ratter Bellett from sedan.JPG [ 105.3 KiB | Viewed 32203 times ]
I was also invited to take part in a "rat shoot' for a magazine article. There, it would be joined with an awesome Toyota Lite Stout, BMW 2002, Porsche 356, VW Beetle, KE10 Toyota Corolla, 1955 Desoto Diplomat Plaza and my Wasp. Unfortunately no magazine article eventuated, but we had a fun time.
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08 - Isuzu Bellett 1500 - Dave.JPG [ 35.47 KiB | Viewed 32203 times ]
We also did the awesome annual Rock N Roll Rendezvous held up at Birdwood. Here it is next to my mate's Desoto that was in the rat shoot.
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08 - Isuzu Bellett ratter - 03.JPG [ 92.75 KiB | Viewed 32203 times ]
Using strategically cut vinyl, traced from pics I found off the Net, I managed to create this kind-of reverse-paint pin-up girl graphic, while plastic pinstriping tape placed on the car, then lifted off created the reverse pinstripes.
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10 - Isuzu Bellett ratter bonnet.JPG [ 21.54 KiB | Viewed 32203 times ]
I also added some Japanese writing on the door. Not know what to write, I put "Ginza Province Isuzu Taxi" into Google Translate, then put the result into WordArt, then sent it off to my signwriter mate, stuck it all on, peeled it off and got EXACTLY the desire effect! I overheard an old farmer musing about it at the rural Cavalcade of Cars in Kadina "Must've been some kind of Hong Kong taxi!!!" Close, old fella.
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11 - Isuzu Bellett ratter sedan - 01.jpg [ 52.36 KiB | Viewed 32203 times ]
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12 - Isuzu Bellett ratter sedan - 02.jpg [ 51.82 KiB | Viewed 32203 times ]
Eventually I put the Cooper Trendsetters I had set aside for my teardrop on the ratter; because the teardrop wasn't hitting the road anytime soon and the tyres were pushing 7 years old having had about 500 miles put under them. At the same time, I removed the chrome trims and fitted a set of meshy wire trims. Similar items were fitted to dodgy, locally-constructed Bellett Deluxes (made out of non-Deluxes) and were also a popular aftermarket thing. Especially on VW Beetles, I recall...
I guess there are really awesome aspects to the old Ratter Bellett. One, it drives, stops and handles like no Bellett should with what it has; all old crap thru it. At the risk of jinxing myself, all I've done so far is change the oil, aftermarket brake booster and.... that's all I can think of. I've probably spent less than $500 on it, tyres aside.
The other really good thing about the ratter is that it's incredibly photogenic when it wants to be. You know the story; some girls are hottt, but when you take a photo of them they look like hell, while other girls that might be construed as plain or a bit odd looking (or, let's face it, just plain fugly), might always - almost without fail, take an awesome photo.
The Ratter is a bit like that; it's not particularly pretty to look at, but once it's all Autosolled up and been treated to a wipe down with a towel, it actually looks pretty cool. Obviously. It's a Bellett.
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13 - Ratter Bellett - 01 - with Sarah.JPG [ 84.99 KiB | Viewed 32203 times ]
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14 - Ratter Bellett - 02.JPG [ 75.49 KiB | Viewed 32203 times ]
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15 - Retroscene - Isuzu Bellett 1500 ratter - 03.JPG [ 118.89 KiB | Viewed 32203 times ]
It received positive attention at an informal "Pizza'n'Cars" gathering down in Middleton too...
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16 - Isuzu Bellett ratter, Holden Gemini coupe and rods in background.JPG [ 60.72 KiB | Viewed 32203 times ]
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17 - Isuzu Bellett ratter.JPG [ 67.56 KiB | Viewed 32203 times ]
The other day, when I put my Watanabes on it. Technically that's not cool under the club rego rules, but I've just put them on until I get my new GT, plus they are an era-spec wheel. Some cars on club rego seem to get away with old-school mags in the style of the period, some don't.
Here it is at the Uraidla Classic & Hot Rod Picnic, parked next to BettyBellett Leigh's almost identical, Roman Red 1966.5 sedan!
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20 - Isuzu Belletts - Dave's ratter and Leigh's sedan - 05.JPG [ 69.44 KiB | Viewed 32203 times ]
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19 - Isuzu Belletts - Dave's ratter and Leigh's sedan - 01.JPG [ 94.22 KiB | Viewed 32203 times ]
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18 - Isuzu Belletts - Dave's ratter and Leigh's sedan - 06.JPG [ 72.06 KiB | Viewed 32203 times ]
So that's the story of the Ratter Bellett!
