He is very sad and it does show in his eyes but he has been receiving a few presents of late in expectation of an all over freshen up in the near future.
Only a few things left to get then it all begins (#1 gasket set, #2 screen rubbers, #3 ball joints and lastly #4 a new girlfriend.... wait no scrub that he's already got her )
He still gets out for a trot every few days but he doesn't venture too far from home alone


He misses Ol yella terribly which is most of the reason why he's so shmoopy

Donkey and I went for a fang down the highway on Saturday morning when all of a sudden.......

BANG! wap wap wap wap wap wap

Steering wheel nearly pulled out of my hand and we swung half way into the left lane just missing the 4b I was overtaking It felt like we were going through the sound barrier with the front end shaking and shuddering like a B-arch
In the mirror there where chunks of whitewall flapper flying everywhere.

Half of the drivers side front flapper tore off and threw the balance out by 1/2 a ton and near put us off the road at 70MPH
But all is good, I limped Donkey off the highway and pulled up out the front of a house in Bald Hills. I went and knocked on the door and a lovely young lady came out so I asked her if I could borrow a knife....... well yes I admit now that it wasn't the best way to start a conversation with a complete stranger who had the look of terror in her eye as she firmly gripped the latch on the screen door but once I explained my predicament and showed her Donkeys impairment she relaxed and gave me a knife to cut what was left of the flapper off so that we could make it back home without shaking ourselves to pieces.
Needless to say she thought Donkey was cute and wish him all the best getting home.......

I guess now I have to buy some new flappers for the cheeky bugger

Story ain't worth shit if u ain't got pics to prove or deny mate....
And I'm not talking about the flapper..... I mean the lady.

Or is that the next installment in the story, but after your hot date this weekend.....?

Couldn't afford tha chick mate... cars are cheaper and easier!

ATM mate..... I ain't so sure.
At least 1 girl is easier than multiple car headaches!

Hey Brett, I would prefer multiple cars
Donkey, you missed a big chance!!

Donkey's not having a very good week this week.
He started to get a pretty nasty clunk and wander in the steering two days ago after hitting a monster pothole (which incidentally destroyed yet another whitewall flapper)
I climbed under the front end yesterday to have a bo peep and nothing obvious at a glance but a grab and a shake of the drivers side wheel (where most of the clunk and wander seemed to be coming from) and there was clunkin' and a shakin' and a woblin' a plenty
Tierod end has a good (not good really) 3-4mm clunk in and out, lower ball joint has significantly more play than before (I do have new lowers ready to go in thanks to Dick) and who knows what else once I lift him to have a proper look and fix.

He's not a very safe mule to ride atm and my mate Dave who is one of the local RTA boys (who up till now has turned a blind eye at Donkeys "imperfections") has given me notice. Next time he sees us the rubber gloves go on and Donkey gets a THOROUGH examination with no exemptions

Hoping to get him sorted in time for our Bellett Birthday Bash, would break his heart to miss that.... and mine

Damn potholes So the state of the nations roads ain't much different up there than down here then, mate. And the Govt. were thinking of taxing motorists per km of road usage. WHAT A BUNCH OF MORONS !!

It was at the 2013 Nats when I first met Donkey and heard of his antics, I was truly worried for you as to how long those "Flappers" would hold out Also since then i was lucky to be doing only 70kph when the lower ball let loose...remembr that ? (see little blue beastie for reference).

Get Donkey's front hooves straightened and manicured before fanging it dude, or he will one day kick like Mule when you leasst expect it. Don't want you being seen to by a lovely young nurse lady, and some worse injuries to Donkey .

Blue Beastie will need the full front end treatment one day too.

B.

Well it's about time but Donkey is gettin' some lovin' again And you'd be happy to hear Broom Broom Bruno that the ball joints are done.
The lowers anyway as the tops are still sweet for now.
I will have to do the drivers side tie rod end at some stage though as it's pretty well shot.
So up went Donkey and away went the old and in went the new





I also finally removed those dang awful butt ugly hideous trailer indicators on the rear pillars too. (OOOh gotta replace that window trim )
I replaced them with some aftermarket (secondhand) Harley ones I picked up off Ebay about 12mths or so ago and fitted them just under the roof gutter.
I reckon they look much MUCH better.




Then while I was on a roll with changing things I replaced my rear indicator lenses that were badly faded and cracked with some brand spankin new clear ones I got from our good Bellett friend in Holland, Dick Klinkhamer. As I was already using amber bulbs due to the state of Donkeys old lenses I'm good to go cruizin' again!




I gave the whole front end a spattering of grease inc the steering rack and now it's fangin' time again
I love you Donkey xo

GO STICKY

Love the indicators Sticky, very much early 60's ID Citroen look. Donkey is now real a style machine

Exactly my thinkin' Mr Peril
I'd been trying for years to find some early DS Citroen wagon tail lights that have that sweeping bullet shape coming off the gutter line to use and then when I finally found some they seemed a bit too visually over powering (cause Donkey is so subtle in the visual department) so I opted for something a little less obtrusive....

I'm happy with them, but will see what a few others think on this weekends OSJCC run to Caloundra lighthouse on QLD Sunshine Coast then get a public opinion at the CMC's Monthly Pre 85 Twilight event at Ningi Takeaway Cafe on the way home.
A full days cruizin' for Donkey and me 8am-9pm

They have my nod of approval Sticko, very classy, although not standard fare, but what the heck. It wouldn't be Donkey if he weren't diffrent

Greasing old front ends is important. I find i've gotta get under there every, lets say about every 1,000 km to give it a squirt in the 8 nipples at the front. And not too much in the joints and tie rods, just 1 or 2 squirts. But about 4 or 5 in the rack on each side. It takes up the slack and keeps things moving smoothly. With a flexible nozzle grease gun I've got it down to a 10 minute procedure.

Happy (and safe) Bellett'n

Oh and nice new balls btw

Well Donkeys new little indicators got the thumbs up from Occa on the weekend as we cruized the sunny (for the most part) Sunshine Coast with some fellow OSJCC members. So if Occa gives them the tick of approval than that's good enough for me


On another note of interest though.....
I learnt something new from Donkey while I was working on him the other day.
I always thought the off white/slight green tinge colour in the engine bay was his original colour?? IT"S NOT!!

Donkey was a Roman Red

That means he has 5 coats of colour on atm... Roman Red, off White/slight green tinge, Kermit the frog green, Dark green (glossy) and finally the current brushed on rat-tastic oxidized dark green.
No wonder he has virtually no rust (only in rear passenger cnr that has been hit and bogged at some point in his life - and poorly at that)
No wonder I love Oztoffa's Roman Red tear drop so much

Wow Rare beastie Roman Red Early series (Under Cover)
5 coats, that has to be a record for a Bellett.
Just one more way Donkey is Unique!!

Josh

Hey Sticky

Roman Red!!. I seem to recall that its also a Morris Marina Colour. How lucky can you get?
YP

Nah, YP....you're thinking of that Technicolor classic 'Bitter Apricot'

Although I aspire to a bit of 'Hairy Lime'

Ooo I like the Hairy Lime too

Donkey's already had a coat of the N V Green

Donkey and I are doing a spot of house sitting again. This time for a former workmate who is bit of a petrol head.
Bruce is also one of the most incredibly mechanically minded handymen I have ever know too. He is always tinkering and salvaging old tin and mechanical bits and pieces.
Among the salvage there are sometimes bits he passes onto me......

So when he came across these 17x7 multistud rims with 215 45 17 rubber down at the local scrapers, he thought me and pulled them off a Honda Prelude that was about to be crushed into a 3'x3' cube

They are a very snug fit but they do fit without rubbing (in the rear I have 2mm clearance inside and 7mm clearance outside, front end is fine)

And this is how they look......










What do ya's reckon?

Wow Dude, no more flapp'n Donkey's got new danci'n shoes. Heeeaaaps PHAT, (but I still like the ol' guard slappers, er flappers, errr slippers ). There must be some sort of handling difference tho ?