ok, u all know me.... some too well, but very, very few know my nephew Mitchell, so i thought i'd intro him.
he has just joined as "MitchMcD", and is keen on getting his 1st car.... at only 11yo!

some background.... i'm proud of him, coz he has saved and saved his pocketmoney for ages, and really wants to learn his way around a car. he said to his mum (my lil sis) that he wants to get something soon to fix up so it's ready for him to drive on his "L"s, it can't have a computer coz he can't work on a car like that, and something different to everyone else has....
he looked at pics of my Wasp, but when he found out how rare they are, he said "hey, i like uncle Brett's Belletts mum....!

personally, i think it's vital to the future of the Bellett that we, as the "old guys", get the kids involved in our cars, and encourage them to have a go with the spanners and whatever else.
the reason is simple.... sure, i think we all know the Bellett isn't the most collected car in the wider classic car community, and as we all will "fall off the perch" one day, we need to ensure that our legacy lives on, and that our cars are passed on to those that will truly care for them when we can't.
it's funny tho, i had never thought of what my dad did years ago when i was a kid, letting me do things on cars and learning as i went, then helping me with my 1st car at 15yo.... until recently, and as Mitch wants to be involved, and more importantly, is keen to learn things, i feel i should help him as much as possible too.

so everyone please welcome young Mitchell and we'll let you know how we go in the hunt for a suitable car for him to play with.... and yes, as those that know me well will realise, there are some irons in the fire already!!

ohh, btw.... yes, belinda (my 9yo daughter for those that don't know) is car mad too, but she's a "girly girl" when it suits her, and getting greasy under a car doesn't appeal to her very much, although she likes to help sometimes and loves to go for a run in the cars i own.... but she's already claimed my GT when i'm gone, to the point of already saying "it's MY GT dad, NOT your's...!"

Welcome Mitchell
You could get a car that is a lot worse than a Bellett & a mentor worse than uncle Brett
GO FOR IT MITCHELL
Good luck with your future projects
Ken

As far as B tell her to get her own honey smacks

Hats off to ya Mitch' and welcome. So comforting to hear not all youth are loosing the desire to have hands on and do things in real time these days. A credit to you nurturing this in our kids Brett, when it's all to easy for them to get distracted and loose the essential focuses in life.

B.

many thanks for welcoming Mitch into our world Ken and Bruno.

K, i dunno mate.... u've seen me in an 'influenced state', so am i really a good mentor..??
and Be has me right where she wants me, like all daughters do with their dads.... but she luvs 'her' GT, so i can't complain at all, coz it's life after me is safe.
B, i reckon it's something we should all do, especially with our "own" kids. and after all, it ain't that hard, and some what better way of keeping a family bond than rolling around under a Bellett and getting covered in 40 years of crap!!

and BTW.... 99% got him one already.... had a looky at it on saturday with him, but "shhhhhhhhh" until it's in the shed.... to say he's excited is an understatement!!

Cheers Mitch, It's great to know you appreciate Belletts. You have generations of experience available, and more in the BCCV, so you can't go wrong!
It wasn't 'till I was 16 that I had my first Bellett, but with 3 brothers with Bellett experience I was able to catch up pretty easily. I remember when something needed fixing, Dad would say "Just start unbolting things & come and get me if you get stuck." Doing is the best way of learning.
My daughter Milli has allready claimed the 'Barn Find' 'cause it is a bench seat which means she can take 5 friends with her. Every now & then she askes when it's getting fixed up. I figure she is 9, so I've got a couple of years yet.
I look forward to your first posts, Mitch.
Cheers mate.
~ Hey Monn, is THAT why the collection is streaching, to match all those kids!! Good thinking!
Matt.

Welcome Mitch!

Cars are infectious our young friend and once they're in your blood your stuck with them for life.
You can't go too wrong though if you've been infected by the Bellett bug.
No one on this forum has ever shown any adverse side effects - YET!

Welcome again and have fun

Stickman

Hey Mitch, welcome to the Bellett community!!
We all suffer from the same sickness, it is called "Bellett Addiction", it is infectious, but not fatal, so enjoy, you have lots of friends out here who are ALWAYS willing to help you with your Addiction!!!
DM.

Hi everyone. I think I must have caught the addiction to Belletts from Pa and Uncle Brett. I'm glad there's no rash. But I did get a greasy smell when I looked at it and I know Pa and Uncle Brett have had that smell before. Maybe they just need a shower .
I really loved the Bellett when I saw it and all my friends at school are excited. But some are jealous. My principal Mr Gay loves cars and he's really excited that I'm buying a car. He was so excited that he called me in to his office at playtime and we looked up Belletts on Google images. The day before that happened I was late out of school because he wanted to talk about it. Mum wondered where I was that day!
I can't wait to start working on it. Thaks for all the messages and compliments. If I have any questions about Belletts I know the right people to ask!
From Mitch

ok everyone, here it is with the young fella!

pics from it's location where found, and will be picked up this tuesday.
we'll all have a play around with it then, clean it up to see how it looks, and i'll post some more then.

and i reckon he's done very well for himself with what he's paid!!
better than what i did for my 1st one.... little bugger!





i've already helped him out with some bits and pieces, like a set of wheels to start with.
mitch's got his plan and ideas underway for it, and from what he's told me, it'll be a really nice car.
bit different to everyone else's too, which is always a good thing.

i'll see if he'll let me tell you about it next week after we've picked it up.
cheers!

Welcome to the forum.
Well done with the Bellett.
Looking forward to seeing what is in store.

Cheers
Rob

congratulations! nice to see another one saved. Cant wait to see what you have in store for it! nice to know it will be different to every other one!

Great find,looks good condition welcome aboard the passion must be getting passed down.could you be the youngest Bellett owner Gerry

That ones a keeper!

so is Mitch looks happy enough

alrighty....
being a public holiday in melbourne today, we picked up mitch's sedan!
is a very late 68 sedan (not 68.5/69 model. just before them).
got it running, quick spin around the block, and trailered it back to my factory, where the fun began!

cleaning, washing, degreasing, cleaning, cleaning..... changed the wheels.... cleaning again.... some fresh fuel, new plugs, a quick tune.... another spin around the factories. he well and truly got his hands dirty!!
it's a damn good starting point for the young fella, and like all 40-odd year old cars, just needs some good "front to back TLC" and it'll be a nice little thing.
will get a few mods that we do these days to make them a more useable thing it today's world, but nothing too extreme.

here's some pics after our mucking around with it today.
came up pretty well with a good clean, and the wheels made all the difference too.

enjoy!

Well done guys. and welcome to the forum Mitch
I think you have found yourself a great car to start your journey
And they are so easy to work on and learn about

Sure helps that Uncle Brett has a little bit of knowledge as well



She looks like a real keeper...

Chris

geoff and chris....
definitly a keeper! mitch said today that he'll keep this one forever.
awesome, and what a story in years to come....
"i've had this car since i was 11yo....!!"

Wheels look great, Thumbs up from me!

And I LOVE the tennis ball - Seriously!


Stickman

Hi again. I'm really tired from everything I've done today. It was a lot of fun especially when I got to drive it around the carpark at the factory! Don't tell anyone that I'm only 11! I'm looking forward to going back there.