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long bonnet 
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Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2008 7:12 am
Posts: 194
Location: Brisbane
Car(s): 1968 Bellett GT
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which bellett model came out with the long bonnet? and year?


Wed Sep 16, 2009 1:10 am
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Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2008 9:15 am
Posts: 1991
Car(s): 1965 Wasp, 1966 Bellett, 1967 Bellett, 1969 Florian, 1973 Bellett GTR, 1976 Buick Opel by Isuzu, 1978 Gemini van
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Someone will probably know better than me, but all Belletts had the long bonnet until about 1970.

The 1969's had the long tail lights and black grille (some of these were produced late 1968 as 2ldohc's sedan was first rego'ed 1968) and these had the long bonnet. Then in about 1970 they put the shorter bonnet on with the filler panels, plus the flow-thru ventilation vents on the sides. There were probably some other differences, but that's the main thing.

In Australia, long bonnets probably account for about 99% of all the Belletts going around!

If someone's got more info, and someone probably has, then they should also share the info!

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Wed Sep 16, 2009 3:11 pm
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Joined: Wed Sep 24, 2008 10:05 am
Posts: 543
Location: 12,450 miles away from the Big Warehouse in Melbourne
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They seem to have changed from long hood to short hood about September of 1969, right about the same time the GTR was introduced.

One of the GTR equipment identification features is the shorter hood. The G161S engined GTs, which were introduced at the same time as the GTR, continued to have the long hood for a little while. They may have continued to use the long hoods on the GTs until they ran out of stock, and started using the short hoods on the GTRs from the start.
But, a few people have said that the first half dozen or dozen GTRs had the long hood as well. It isn't clear if they were production mock ups or studies, converted cars for testing, or if they just didn't have the short hoods in time when cars started rolling off the line.

This is about the same time they changed from the round front turn signals to the three sided wide front turn signals. But they don't seem to change everything at one time and on one date, they sort of transition as they run out of each individual part.

Oddly, fiberglass and carbon fiber short hoods and matching cowl fill panels are available, but long hoods are not. Probably because the shorter hood is associated with the GTR or because people tend to modify the later cars.


Wed Sep 16, 2009 4:24 pm
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Joined: Thu Feb 05, 2009 11:36 am
Posts: 579
Car(s): 68gt coupe , 98 toyota prado
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hi regarding to the long bonnet to my knoledge and a few bellett nuts in tassie they didnt make along bonnet ? you ould think they would all be the same ? why would they make them different ? cheers rod


Fri Sep 18, 2009 10:34 pm
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Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2008 9:15 am
Posts: 1991
Car(s): 1965 Wasp, 1966 Bellett, 1967 Bellett, 1969 Florian, 1973 Bellett GTR, 1976 Buick Opel by Isuzu, 1978 Gemini van
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The long-bonnet cars have their windscreen wiper bases bunched close together on that vent in the middle straight under the windscreen.

On other cars, normally the up-sweep of the wipers finishes in front of the driver, usually parallel to the driver's A-pillar. But you may have noticed that Bellett wipers go the 'wrong' way, sweeping away from the driver and leaving a stack of unwiped windscreen in front of you!!

I don't know about elsewhere, but certainly the Australian press was critical of this.

The shorter bonnet and filler panels meant that the wipers could be positioned in the 'normal' way, like a 'normal' car!

Plus sometimes manufacturers like to change stuff so it looks like they're doing something productive...

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Fri Sep 18, 2009 11:29 pm
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