Hi all,

Just out of interest, since I'm a non-Bellett owner currently, I thought I'd post some info on my current major project, the Bond Equipe 2-Litre GT (aka "Bond, Duane's Bond"). These cars are rare outside of the UK, this is the only one anyone seems to know of in Australia (although there are several smaller 4-cylinder models - very different car). I found it languishing in Port Wakefield Auto Wreckers about 5 years ago...started the resto about 12-18 months ago.

The Bond Equipe 2-Litre GT was based on the Triumph Vitesse, utilising it's chassis and 6-cylinder 2-litre engine. They were made from 1967 to 1970, approximately 1,500 units all up. The unique (kind way of putting it) fastback body was designed by Trevor Fiore (of TVR Trident fame)...looks great from some angles, terrible from others. The overall package was quite nice in its day though.

As you can see, it's had a good deal of exposure - everything needs to be fixed or replaced. The worst of it appeared to be the rear damage (until I discovered the floor under the rear seat was gone), but as it's fibreglass, we can rebuild him (see latter photo). The doors have been restored, the interior off at an upholsterer who has packed it in (hoping to retrieve my stuff soon), the overdrive gearbox is in the shop, I'm almost ready to ship off chrome and anodised parts, and have replacement steel floor panels to weld in as soon as the fibreglass is done. We've still got a long way to go.

Main problem has been time, with the missus working weekends, and a little one to look after. All that will change soon, so I'll be back into the fibreglass repairs again soon. I was hoping to have this car completed for my wedding in late October - obviously that won't happen (hence my search for a restored Bellett GT), but fingers crossed for the B2B 2011...see you guys there!

Cheerio,
Duane

your a sick man lot of work there but you have got the right idea if you are a bit slow to work on it yourself at the moment send the parts away bit by bit, that way when you want them they are waiting for you.its nice when you put it together the parts are ready to bolt on.i learnt this on my first project car.If your young one is to young to ask questions is a good thing.My eight year old asked me my why do you spend so much time and money on that stupid little red car?I told him i was doing it up and he said just buy one that goes? fair comment

All resto's are big jobs.It is harder still when working on something fairly rare.Will be a nice collectible when finished and what makes it even better is that it is rare.I did a Lotus Elan Plus 2 25 years ago which taught me a lot of lessons in resto's but there is is always more to learn and wonder why I have taken on more over the years.So keep on keeping on - it is worth it in the end.
KB

that is a different car! ive never heard of one, that i can recall. i like the fact that you have decided to save something so different! cant wait to see it buzzing around!

Cheers guys, thanks for the advice and support - I'm really trying hard to stay focused with this one. I've owned 50-60 cars over my lifetime and have never completed a restoration. I'm determined to complete one before I'm 40, then plan to attack the Fiat 850 Special pictured next to the Bond (last photo) immediately afterwards.

Yes, the Bond's an oddball thing...I thought there might be a couple in Australia, but this seems to be the only one. I didn't find it as much as it found me. I was looking for Torana bits in Port Wakefield, saw the Bond and just couldn't leave it rotting up there. Thankfully I've had some great support from a bunch of Bond enthusiasts in the UK, plus it's mainly Triumph bits, so mechaical spares are pretty easy to locate. Getting it re-registered is going to be fun.

Orphanage, I've seen your 'patches' thread...now that's sick! The little guy's far to small to know what's going on lately...no doubt it'll be dad's daggy old car which he'll be embarrassed to be spotted in, but I'm not too fussed. For now, he gets a huge kick out of visiting the shed when I'm working in there.

Thanks again. Here's a pic of what it will look like when it's finished (although I want to fit some bigger wheels and slam it - wire wheels are far too twee):

awesome project duane.
good to see the more unusual things are being saved too.

i can really appreciate what you're doing, and what the others have written, from being there a few times myself. i agree with what gt prpahn says in how to go about it too.
i also found that when the project is starting to get on your nerves, you're far better to just shut the shed and walk away for a week, or more, until the enthusiasm returns, and then do a bit more, because if you end up swearing and cursing at it, you'll never get it right and will never be happy with it. in the end, if it takes 6 months, or even a year, longer than expected, then that's better than never finishing it because you ended up hating the sight of it........... just my 2c.

a mate once had a bond equipe sedan, i think............... was when he lived in malaysia
does "sedan" sound right?

good luck with it, and keep us posted mate!

cheers.
brett.

Well done Duane
You will get plenty of satisfaction doing all the hard and frustating work yourself rather than taking it
to a panel shop and saying fix it
About 85%of the work has been done on our GT'S has been bone by wife & self satisfaction great
fights & brawls (translate to discussions not so great wife wins most )

Interesting car will be great when finished keep up the good work & keep progress photo's coming
cheers ken

Thanks guys, really appreciate the support.

Ah yes, fights and brawls, frustration and walking out of the shed, filling the swear jar up to the rim, I've been there all already. I've certainly had some great 'wins' and frustrating 'losses' from my restoration experience so far, and am expecting plenty more.

I don't have the time to do everything myself, so I've been doing a lot of prep for parts before sending them to the panel shop. The only completed bodywork is the doors, which weren't a great job and may need to be done again. That's the downside of having someone else do it for you, but I'll never get it finished otherwise.

Brett, Bond made a few different cars, all of them odd, but there wasn't an official Equipe Sedan. However, who knows what goes on in the backstreets of KL! India's Triumph Herald 4-door sedans (badged Standard Gazelle's) are a good example of local specials that most people don't know about. Bond was taken over by a similar British firm, Reliant, in 1970. Relaint did sell sedans, and some oddball variants of their already odd cars in India.

Here's some pics of other Equipe models, there's a couple of the first two in Australia, no Equipe convertibles though.

i like the bright red convertible! i think red suits them, good luck with finding good tradies, i know quite a few guys that have paid to get stuff done only to get it back and being dissapointed in what has been done. look forward to seeing progress on this one.

Thanks for posting, Duane. I had wondered when I read below you're avatar. Looks good, and with Bellett-esq rear susp? It will bring a lot of intrest to the Bay to Birdwood.
Great work!
Cheers, Matt.

A few years ago when I was in India I travelled to the Auto District of New Delhi called Karol Bagh. At the time I was buying parts for my Enfield Bullet but always having Belletts on the brain I was asking around for a set of rear wheel cylinders from a Hindustan Ambassador as I knew that Morris Oxford wheel cylinders would fit a Bellett. After talking to a heap of Indian mechanics in my strong Australian accent and getting no where I finally found a guy who could work out that I was after car parts. Wanting car parts was about all I could get through to him. After 5 minutes of us both gesticulating and trying to communicate he led me down a few streets to a big warehouse. When I walked into this warehouse it was full of brand new panels, glass, bumpers all what looked like new old stock. The only parts that I really recognised were Triumph Herald flip fronts. The parts looked as though they had been there for years. For a Triumph fan that place would have been a Pandoras Box. It now makes sense that those parts were there if a Triumph Herald derivative was sold in India.

By the way I never got my rear wheel cylinders.

I really like the front end on your car to the others - looks like it will turn out nice and you will be forever telling people what it is.....

Thanks for sharing.

PS: Nothing wrong with redbacks.

@ 65bellett - Cool story...searching for bits in India would be a real adventure I'd imagine! Yes, they made a handful of Triumph Herald 2-door sedans and wagons in India, but their domestic model was a 4-door sedan marketed as the Standard Gazelle. It was unique to India. A local expert I spoke to claims they can be found still, but rarely running. As you'd have noticed over there, everything is used 20 years beyond its natural lifespan before discarded, then the scrap is treated like gold. A cache of new parts would be quite a find!

@ redback - Cheers! I've got the wrong grille on mine (home-made), but a chap from the UK sent me out the proper one (like the red convertible pictured above). The bonnet is pretty long and, being fibreglass, a little wobbly. Mine has been shaken to bits on country roads, so needs a bit of work. I'll be forever telling people it's a "Bond, Duane's Bond".

Cheers,
Duane

PS redback: I'll do my best not to harm any of your family members during restoration...as long as they stay up in the corners of my shed they'll be just fine.

Anyone know a good motor trimmer? I retrieved my bits from the upholsterer recently, have to find another one.

Also, had anyone had any good experiences with a local panel shop? Once the fibreglass is done, I want to push this baby into someone's workshop for spraying and some rust repairs...haven't got the room or the time to do it myself.

Latest developments: Overdrive rebuilt, engine gaskets purchased.

Cheers,
Duane

motor trimmer.... yes, but here in melbourne, not adelaide.
panel beater.... local to me, yes. local to u, no.
sorry.

OK, serves me right. I should clarify, I live in Adelaide...so 'local' means SA, preferrably Adelaide itself (although I have travelled to Kapunda to have work done on the car).

Overnight development; sourced a genuine fabric sunroof (in lousy condition, to match the rest of the car) to fill the hole in my roof - fingers crossed it will arrive soonish.

Cheers,
Duane

Hey Duane,

Did the fabric sunroof arrive?

Just for reference I know two good motor trimmers in Adelaide depending on your budget

Cheers,
R.

Hey! I forgot about this thread.

The sunroof will be on its way in a week, in the meanwhile I finally found some factory original seats to replace the aftermarket recliners (period Microcell) that were fitted to the car, as I at least prefer the look of the originals (plus the wooden frame the recliners were fitted to would never get past Regency Park). They're smaller and simpler too, so cheaper to re-trim.

Still looking for motor trimmer options, I am hoping to get someone on to the job early next year, any leads much appreciated (many thanks to those already provided, the more options the better).

Latest developments: Overdrive rebuilt, rear screen rubber seal and locking strip purchased, gearbox complete next week.

Deviated and bought some Fiat parts during the week too.

Hi Duane

Good luck with it. I've found that rare things are real head-turners and you'll know your car inside out when it's finished.
Anyone can have the latest model SSSS/WRY/XTHO whatever but not everyone can have a Bond Equipe GT.

Dare I say that the rear quarter photo you posted makes it look a bit like a.... .........Morris Marina Coupe?

I'll duck for cover now.

Yeah, it looks like a lot of things, all very different depending on the angle. As for the Morris Marina comparison, it gets worse...scroll to the bottom of this link!

http://web.ukonline.co.uk/nick.wothersp ... 0Litre.htm

No wonder they canned it!

It certainly will be fun once its complete, but the length of the job is what's driving me to look for a car that's already finished (hence my wanted ad for a GT). The deadlines just fall over, year after year...I guess anyone who's done a resto knows the story.