1964/65 Isuzu Bellel

[TBOU]

I wanted to create a proper page in the proper forum for an overview of my car. Some of this can be found in my other post, but some is not.

I will edit and post replies as needed.

Model: PSD-10

History of this car:
Dealership: Roger Sagner's Motor Mart, 726 SE 6th Ave, Portland, Oregon

Original owner: Jeanne Perry of Heppner, Oregon - bought February 23, 1965

2nd known owner: ??? ??? (have the info out of town) - owned it in 1985, when it was last on the road - not sure when he bought it.

3rd known owner: Boyd Crumpacker of Friday Harbor, Washington - not sure when he bought it. I usually make copies or pictures of the old titles, but can't find this one.

4th known owner: myself - bought summer, 2009

ADSCN0253.jpg (766.83 KiB) Viewed 31420 times

Ebay Picture7.JPG (99.01 KiB) Viewed 31420 times

The dent in the driver's door came from getting an inept car hauler to pick it up. Luckily, the window winding mechanism wasn't damaged.

AIMG_5518.jpg (488.99 KiB) Viewed 31420 times

I've never seen a Bellel with air conditioning -- although I can't imagine anything that would make the car even slower. =) I mostly drove mine in Hawaii where I grew up, but also drove it a little in Colorado -- one time I was going over I-70 towards the Eisenhower tunnel (11,013 feet elevation) and got passed by a Diesel Mercedes of similar age billowing black smoke. The girl driving it waved at me and had a huge grin on her face like she'd couldn't believe she was passing someone... =)

AIMG_8007.jpg (420.88 KiB) Viewed 31420 times

The requisite picture of it's notable taillights...

Ebay Picture6.JPG (96.69 KiB) Viewed 31420 times

The relatively busy engine bay. If you look at the top right, on the firewall, you can see the number 64. I believe, if I remember Alan correctly, that this means the car was actually made in 64. I'm not sure it matters. All of the early Bellels seems identical to me, aside from engine options and right/left steering.

AIMG_6234.jpg (431.97 KiB) Viewed 31420 times

[TBOU]

I saw that I duplicated some pictures from my older post. These are new.

The spare wheel, with original paint, has a fairly interesting pattern of holes and flanges.

AIMG_8664.jpg (450.84 KiB) Viewed 31418 times

[dave]

I was just showing a mate at work this post... I was saying, "I'm so glad this guy joined our forum!".

He's got a Mark 1 Ford Cortina, so I'm sure he thinks I'm insane.

It's a pleasure seeing pictures of your car and the factory black is totally awesome.

Man, what's with that wheel? 5-nut hubs, which I'm sure no other Isuzu car has had (the Bellett is 4 & the Wasp/Chev LUV/Rodeo is 6-nut!)... and the nubs that hold the hubcaps on are not evenly spaced! I'm sure that doesn't really matter, but it's WEIRD!

Awesome man, keep us informed!

Also, I got an email the other day with some vehicle 'facts'. It was one of those forwards that's been going around for years and I'm sure that half the facts are wrong, but it did state that the Scripps-Booth Model C was the first car to place the horn button in the centre of the steering wheel and also said it was the first car to have electric door latches!

I know sometimes these forwards are all wrong... but at least I knew what a Scripps-Booth was! Not the most catchy name ever devised, though....

[TBOU]

Thanks man. That's a big compliment!

I can't figure out the wheel, to us in US 5 lugs is normal, my hubcaps clip/attach to the outer part of the rim. So, I'm not really sure what those flanges and things do.

Ford Cortinas are interesting, but not many made it here. Where I'm at, in Ohio, not much of anything interesting made it. The coastal states seemed to get the interesting imports.

Scripps-Booth actually had a lot of first:

1. First V8 made in Detroit - in the Bi-Autogo
2. First horn button on the steering wheel
3. First car to come with a spare tire
4. First car to come with electric door locks.

Scripps Booth Registry

SB was mostly an assembled car, I'm not sure they ever made their own engine besides the V8 in the Bi-Autogo. However, the C was relatively 'pure' and made before GM took over, I think the C had a Chevrolet I-4. Interestingly that body could be had with a V8, made by Ferro, I think it was the D or G. I imagine that car was pretty fast, especially for back then. Around the time the C was made GM was buying the company and James Scripps-Booth was leaving in frustration. After that he switched back and forth from painting nudes to trying to start another car company.

My SB is a Six-39, essentially an Oakland 34-B; when mine was made they were phasing out the last of the SB qualities. My car has the German Vee style radiator, but in 1920 they moved to a flat front radiator and the last bit that looked like SB was gone. Kind of sad that after making 20-50,000 cars there are only 50-100 left, interestingly a lot of them are in Australia.

I need to scan up some brochures I have for the SB and the Isuzu, some of both are rather out there. Here's a few relatively normal ones...

[dave]

Hahahahahahahahahahaaaa!!!

Obviously the Scripps-Booth was the vehicle of choice for Abraham Lincoln.

Who... you know... died 52 years before this vehicle was built. But whatever.

I love old advertising. Perhaps the copywriters were guzzling vintage Coke-with-actual-coke in it when they came up with that.

[insomniacgarage]

NICE Bellel. Don't know if there's a Paintless Dent Repair worker in your area, but I'm thinking they could fix that door nicely.

[TBOU]

I'm still looking to the body repairs; the SB (and a vacation to China) has taken the bulk of my time lately. I have a local body shop I want to get to know. The Bellel would be a good place to start before I bring my GTO (which needs more body work) there.

Incidentally, and more interesting, Kerry and his wife AnneMarie paid us and our Bellel a visit yesterday on their tour of America and we gave them a tour of our town. We had a little disconnect on July 4, we weren't in town but they were (they might have started one side of my family on organizing a family reunion, but that's another story); it turned into a great visit on Saturday which started with the Bellel

AIMG_5723.jpg (442.34 KiB) Viewed 31172 times

then a good example of American Chinese food (http://www.jadeeastportsmouthohio.com/)
then a drive by the original home of the Detroit Lions NFL team and the Portsmouth Ohio Floodwall Muralshttp://www.portsmouthohiomurals.com/
a quick stop by the Portsmouth Brewery http://www.portsmouthohbrewing.com/

AIMG_5725.jpg (444.14 KiB) Viewed 31172 times

and ended with my Scripps-Booth.

All together it made for a great day and we look forward to seeing them again.

[Early GT]

Wow Kerry and Anne-Marie!
You pop up in all the great places. This is becoming like a Dots and Dashes trip USA now
Looks like you are having fun.

Cheers, Lewis

[Stickman]

Awesome!
Some more great photo's of the Bellett/Bellel family tour of the USA.
Smiles all round

[dave]

Hahahahah I was just looking at the pic of the Bellel up on blocks (admiring it's lines and imaging that, up on blocks, it's probably not much slower than it is OFF blocks.

And I looked at the guy in the photo and thought "Geez that guy looks like Kerry".

Duhhh.

[TBOU]

Kerry and Anne Marie have better pictures than I do, but this one is good.