Howdy from Texas, USA!!!!

[69bellettGT]

Hello everyone,
I assume I now possess one of the 6 known US Belletts in the United States.
I wanted to introduce myself and see if anyone had spare parts that they would be willing to ship?
Thanks for any help it is truly appreciated.

Here is a photo

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=8 ... 0505974506

[69bellettGT]

This is going to be harder to get running than I thought.

[mrflibbles]

hi mate she looks pretty good! there are plenty of helpful guys here, and im sure we would like to see more of your car>

[PR95]

Hi 69 bgt
Welcome to the forum, your GT looks in pretty good condition, what are your plans for her and what parts are you looking for?
Geoff

[69bellettGT]

Hello all thank you for the replies.

This car was brought to me yesterday from a close family friend, he asked me to help restore it and get it running again.
Currently we are looking to repaint it all one color, as the boot and engine bay are a horrible yellow color. Cover up the few rust spots and
have her as a weekend driver.

As far as parts I know currently I am in need of a front passenger side blinker cover and I am also looking for some sway bar bushings.
I have yet to try and start her, she needs a battery, fuel, fuel pump, oil and not sure what more to see if it will even turn over.

The owner says it sat in storage for 14yrs and has not been started. Any advice on this beautiful antique would be appreciated, I am looking to paint it like a GT-R.
Here are a few more pics

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=10 ... 06&theater

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=10 ... 06&theater

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=10 ... 06&theater

[degruch]

Advice? Don't paint it like a GTR. Hehe.

Looks like a sweet little GT, looks remarkably complete and original. Looking forward to seeing progress!

Cheers,
Duane

[mrflibbles]

she looks great apart from the damaged indicator, red looks good on it!

[69bellettGT]

I think we will keep the color, just have to clean up the rust spots and spray the trunk and engine bay....Still need to figure out how to start it up too lol.

[oz_toffa]

Great find. A real classic pearler.

Enjoy the Forum and all the info herein.


OZ

[RobSA]

Howdy from Australia.

Welcome to the forum.
That looks like an excellent base for a restoration.
And I agree keep the colour it looks great.

Cheers
Rob

Texas is a lot like Australia without the Spanish and tornadoes.
I miss the salsa/corn chips and green chillis with my pizzas

[dave]

Hey 69bellettGT,

This is what this forum is all about! Connecting people with Belletts because even here in Australia we're all pretty sparsely spread out.

When we forged this forum, we thought we'd end up with about 40 local, Aussie owners and that's about it. Here we are with over 200 members (not all active, but still...) and people in every corner of the globe!

Welcome aboard!

Cheers,


Dave

[PR95]

What do you mean by figure out how to start it up? Is the motor complete? Does it turn over? If it has fuel and spark should start.

[69bellettGT]

Thanks for the warm welcome and all the replies everyone, and IGT when I say it doesnt start, I mean that we have connected a new battery and get power, the starter turns/spins but does not crank the flywheel thus turn over the motor. We have new spark plugs, dist. cap and wires but it seems that the motor may be frozen/stuck.

I have rebuilt subaru motors before and am familiar with those, not so much this older antique but im sure after I try to hand turn the crank with a socket and wrench I may break it free. Any tips. the car has sat in storage for 14yrs and I just got it in my hands last week.

[yellowperil]

Welcome Texas

Nice looking "Bullett"
Keep it red. It is a scientifically proven fact that red cars are faster than those of other colours.

I red with interest your list of other cars. A pity about totalling your WRX but where I come from lots of people reckon that they are the best ones

I have never had to unfreeze a seized motor in the vehicle but I read about people taking out the plugs and squirting heaps of CRC, WD40, type spray into the cylinders and leaving it for a few days then turning it over. Apparently they experience success with this.

I'll post up some of my family's old American cars for you one day.

[69bellettGT]

Hi Yellow, thanks for the inquiry on my other vehicles, Ill post pictures soon on the other thread of the WRX. I had alot invested into that car, she was a beast!
Also thanks for the idea about freeing up my possibly seized motor, ill give it a shot.

What kind of American cars does your family have?

[lemansvk]

On the subject of freeing up stuck motors, by coincidence we have recently had a thread on that in the Hillman cars Yahoogroup. Unfortunately I can't link you to it because you have to be a member of the group to view the posts. Some of the suggestions for freeing included:

1) cocktail of one part diesel plus one pt kerosene plus one pt used sump oil all
well mixed
2) a 50/50 mix of acetone & power steering fluid - acetone as it's extremely liquid and penetrates easily, and wicks the steering fluid in with it.
3) WD 40
4) Marvel mystery oil
3) Coca Cola - not diet coke or coke zero but the original full strength recipe (this was for cars that had sat 30 years in a paddock).

All involve putting the mix in the cylinders, leaving for some time and then attempting to turn, manually (via the crank nut) rather than using the starter. A section from one of the more thoughtful/interesting posts follows:

"In 48 yrs of messing with Cits, Panhards & other stuff, I've never seen anything
seize but the pistons, which makes sense - they're where there's the least oil.
And pistons provide the greatest resistance to movement, with their large
surface area in contact with the bores. PLUS - aluminum pistons in contact
with steel and condensation moisture getting in thru open valves & the
intake/exhaust create an electrolytic chemical cell, which corrodes the aluminum
somewhat more than the steel bores. The corroding aluminum behind and on both
sides of each ring and against the steel/iron bores expands and takes up all the
clearance, plus forces the rings out against the bore . Also, rust forming on
the cyl walls creates a sandpaper-like surface which digs into the aluminum like
teeth, locking piston to bore, so it's no wonder that engines seize after time
and the right combination of storage conditions. "

My advice would be to start with one of the less radical solutions like WD 40, lots squirted into the bores and left for a week. If that doesn't free it, go to the acetone + power steering fluid recipe, again leaving for a while.

Once you have freed it you might want to lubricate the bores more and turn it over without starting it You may also want to change to oil before starting it (to remove traces of "cleaning fluid" and ensure adequate lubrication) and you should probably check the compression before running it for any length of time.

Cheers, Vic

[69bellettGT]

^Awesome thanks for the helpful tips lemansvk I have been letting the mix sit for a few days now and will try to turn the motor from the crank tonight when I get out of work.

[yellowperil]

Hi Lemanskvk

Great write up for freeing stuck motors.
hopefully I won't have to use the advice but something like this is invaluable information.

I do wonder tho' what the internals are really like if they are stuck so bad and I'm afraid I'd lose sleep worrying about the internals. but apparantly, people unstick them and they continue to go well.

Hi Texas, our Family "yank tanks" are 1938 Pontiac, specially imported new as cab chassis by my grandfather with the body made in australia and the ubiqutous T Ford - the deluxe 24 model. It's got a starter motor.

They are posted on this site somewhere in "my other cars" section. I'll sort thru the sie and give more direct information to photos shortly.

Hope you are succesfful with unseizing the motor.

[Farmer]

Hi 69BGT. Great to meet another stateside owner.
Hopefully your motor will turn easily after WD40 treatment. I had a motor turn easily after 30 years of standing, once I used this method (See "Barnfind" in 'My Bellett') Themotor now runs & idles nicely, with very little sump pressure or smoke. After ensuring it was free, I filled the sump with clean oil, put on a clean oil filter, and turned the motor a lot with the starter - plugs out. I knew it would be O.K when WD40 sprayed from the plugholes! Compression!
About your starter, could be that it is spinning without the solenoid engageing. Perhaps the solenoid is stuck & needs freeing up. If it was engageing, and the engine was stuck, then the starter wouldn't be able to spin unless it grated over the ring gear.
To free the solenoid without dismantling, press the starter button on the back of the relay (left side inner guard) in short bursts while tapping the solenoid on top of the starter with a hammer.(not TOO hard!)
Hope this is some help & that you are having FUN!
Cheers, Matt.

[yellowperil]

Hi Texas

I found a photo of our 1938 Pontiac van. Imported new as a cab chassis from USA by my grandfather and had a "Holdens" body made for it in Australia. It left the family in the late 40s and came back for a badly needed resto in the late 60s early 70s.

It is a sidevalve 6 with the very good steering and brakes that were the hallmark of Pontiacs of the era. The shockers have been upgraded and a panhard rod on the rear makes it behave a bit better than the original design.

38 Pontiac.jpg (30.34 KiB) Viewed 32468 times