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How to get a set of NOS Wasp hubcaps in 20 easy steps.... 
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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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Needless to say, this has been edited down from last time.

1) Drive through a small country town off the highway with a closed up Holden dealership and peer in through the window.

2) Ensure to wet yourself with excitement when you see the two hubcaps on the wall inside.

3) Go home and think about how you will get them for two months.

4) Buy a trailer off eBay

5) Buy an Isuzu Unicab via private sources.

6) Drive to Yarrawonga to pick up said trailer, drive to Murchison to pick up said Unicab, then to Wallan to drop it off at 65Bellett's place.

7) Drive to Richmond to see your sister.

8) Drive to Philip Island. Bring beer.

9) Get rowdy with PR91, 2lDOHC and a few other punters. Please ensure that four-out-of-five Bellett.net moderaters are nowhere near a computer for at least three days.

10) Watch awesome historic racing cars; the buzzy RX2s jousting with each other in the 'under 3.0 litre class' (I think) were the pick for excitement, but seeing the R32 GTRs face off against the old VL Walkinshaws was also a grand thing to behold.

11) Receive a phone call from GToo who says, "Uh, yeah, uh, hi Dave. Uh, someone's put some stuff on Bellett.net that, uh, is... well fairly explicit". In response, tell Ross 2lDOHC, who then rings Antus, who removes said post.

12) THERE IS NO NUMBER 12! Nothing to see here. Move along. There was never a number 12. What you talkin' 'bout Willis? I didn't see nothing.

13) Leave Philip Island, drive to Wallan to pick up the trailer and Unicab, then drive home to Adelaide.

14) Stop in said town off the highway to show Ross the dealership.

15) Speak to someone in Thrifty Link hardware across the road, who just gives you the owner's name and address, no questions asked.

16) Visit the owner and explain that you really would like to buy the hubcaps coz this weird half-finished jeep on your trailer uses the same hubcaps and you have a ute at home that uses them as well. Impress him with your knowledge by stating that they are probably Isuzu KB hubcaps as the Wasp wasn't sold through Holden and while the Chevrolet LUV was, it has a Chev badge embossed on it. Careful inspection of an Isuzu KB brochure will reveal they essentially returned to Wasp hubcaps in about 1978, but only for a short time until the Holden Rodeo came out.

17) Try not to fall over when he offers to give you the hubcaps in exchange for getting a second-hand fridge off his trailer for him.

18) Get a tour of the dealership, get mildly disappointed when the only other Isuzu items he still has in stock are diesel oil filters and the bottom half of a seat belt for a Rodeo, but bask in your own smugness when you find that the hubcaps say "KB" on texta on the back of them.

19) Walk out with a huge grin having met a nice guy who was happy to share his former glories with you. He had some cool stories about when he was dealer principle of the place, including a meeting with Isuzu when Holden wanted to discontinue the WB 1-tonner. He said "Look guys, what we need is a car that is exactly the same as what we've already got; sedan comfort, 1-tonne capacity and big motors." They said...."Hmm, it will take around 10 years from start to finish to design that". So we got the Rodeo, which was truck comfort and handling an a reliable but slow package!

20) Blast to the border, sucking down gas at 22l/100k's at 110-120km/h coz you want to get home before midnight.

21) Get home before midnight having bought a car and a trailer, gotten drunk and hungover, watched cars racing, had lunch with Colin Bond, Harry Firth, Kevin Bartlett, Jimmy Richards and Sir Jack Brabham (at seperate tables, not making eye contact with the hairy man who schemed his way in to the VIP lunch), caught up with some mates and finally, got two NOS Wasp hubcaps for the price of lifting a fridge off a trailer and $250 worth of LPG!

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Fri Apr 30, 2010 10:35 pm
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Joined: Fri Apr 02, 2010 10:34 am
Posts: 221
Location: Qld
Car(s): isuzu wasp;
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At least you can say that your weekends are never boring ;)


Sat May 01, 2010 10:28 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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Yeah you'd think that, but we had about 10 weekends' worth of events in one weekend! I would have been happy to spread that out a bit further and take it easy!

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Tue May 04, 2010 12:52 pm
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Joined: Tue Oct 28, 2008 12:17 pm
Posts: 2611
Location: Rye Park, N.S.W.
Car(s): Doris, AuntyMary, Shrek, Jimmy; GT, Wasp, Flo & Sed unrestos; 65 Elf; 82 Rodeo, 60 TX550, 72 Sport, & a Sigma.
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dave wrote:

5) Buy an Isuzu Unicab via private sources.


Please explaaaaaain! I need details, with pictures. And show me where you've put it!

Please.
Thanks & cheers, Matt.

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Tue May 04, 2010 1:12 pm
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Joined: Tue Sep 16, 2008 11:54 am
Posts: 2543
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didn't you know about the uni matt?

now THAT particular car is a story to itself!


Tue May 04, 2010 1:20 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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Yeah I threw that in there to see if anyone was awake.

Was going to keep it quiet and then just rock up at the Nationals with it, but it would be the Nationals 2014 probably so the cat would definitely be out of the bag by then.

65Bellett Gavin used to own the car and sold it on eBay about 6-7 years ago for about $300.00. It did not go to an Isuzu-centric household and the new owner mentioned something about putting Suzuki running gear in there and converting it to a 4WD.

I spoke to Gav a while back and asked him if he know how to get in touch with the buyer. He provided the eBay username of the guy and I looked him up. It was still active, so I sent him a message via eBay and he responded!

He advised he'd fixed pretty much all the rust except for the windscreen surround. He'd rebuilt the suspension, which I note also included painting all the rubbers.... and he'd had it running with some random carby he found in the shed but the Isuzu running gear was all intact.

Given the amount of rust that was in it, it's surprising it was saved. Some people that knew it from Gav's ownership (PR91, toomanybelletts among others) said it was rooted seven ways from Sunday with rust.

Apparently... and I am yet to confirm this, despite having sat through about four hours of footage so far.... that it was used by David Wenham as Diver Dan in Seachange on the ABC. Pending confirmation on that little chestnut.

So we secured the car for a loftier price than it was bought for, however with more than enough rust repairs done. And now it's sleeping in my spare garage awaiting my attention. Just got to tidy up the GT, fix the Wasp and get my early sedan on the road.... so yeah. Nationals 2014 here we come!

Cheers,

Dave

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Wed May 05, 2010 6:36 am
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Joined: Tue Oct 28, 2008 12:17 pm
Posts: 2611
Location: Rye Park, N.S.W.
Car(s): Doris, AuntyMary, Shrek, Jimmy; GT, Wasp, Flo & Sed unrestos; 65 Elf; 82 Rodeo, 60 TX550, 72 Sport, & a Sigma.
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Talk about "collect the whole set", I've never even seen one other than on here. Good work Dave, & I'm glad it wasn't molested.
Ah, SPARE garage. Handy! I'd like one of them!
Cheers & thanks for telling. Matt.

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Sun May 09, 2010 11:26 am
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