My 1966 Bellett 1500 sedan

[Bellett_EST]

Hi everybody!

This is my story about the only Bellett in Estonia, which I bought about a month ago.

The car is 1966 Bellett 1500 sedan. It was brought to Estonia from Finland about 25 year ago and suprisingly seems to be in quite original condition, though not perfect. Paintwork has been done by a blind man, there are signs of minor accidents on the front panel and rear left fender. The car hasn't been in traffic since last century, most of the time it has been stored in a dry barn, but for two years it has been outside.

So far, I haven't found much rust, the only hole is under the steeringwheel, right beside the high beam switch.

My plan is to get it running as it is, preserve its condition and maybe some time later try to give it a full restoration.


Some pics of the car when I bought it:









Main issues I have detected, random order:
1) there were almost no lights - solved by now, everything besides turn signals work now
2) Wipers didn't work. - for now I have detected that the motor is OK, only the shaft is stuck. Flooded it with penetration oil, should be OK soon.
3) One rear light is broken. Works, but the lens is broken. Pic above. Needs to be replaced.
4) Some rubber parts of suspension are full of cracks. Need to be replaced.
5) There is a hole in the floor besides the high beam switch. Needs some welding.
6) There is no muffler. It had only fire pipe, but it also broke off. Some welding and contriving to do.
7) Interior is in bad shape. Front seats are broken, upholstery on doors is home made, from pillars its missing. Probably will replace front seats.
8) Engine runs but smokes badly. Probably from oil rings or valve guides. Need to measure cilinder pressure, and then decide what to do.
9) Ignition key is broken. It's in one piece and works, but it's bent and will break eventually. Pic above. If I can't find a suitable blank key, I would need to replace ignition switch.
10) One of the high beam headlights is replaced with some russian one. Need to find original part.

This list is not complete, I'm sure there will be more problems soon.


Broken taillight
[/quote]

Broken key




Despite all the problems, I am really satisfied with the car, the condition is much better than I expected. Lot of work to do, but I believe nothing unachievable.



To be continued...

[Bellett_EST]

Today I finally got the wipers running. 5 hours of work, but now they work. The left shaft was so stuck, that it took really quite a time with a large hammer to get it loose.

But once again I must say that I am completely amazed about the simplicity of that car. The engineering has been perfect. I would never have believed thad you could just remove all the wiper mechanics (with the frame) from behind the dashboard by just unleashing 10 bolts. There is no European car you could do that.

My last hobby car was a VW Golf (mk1), pretty simple car also, but it can't be compared with the Bellett. On a Golf, to get something, you need to dismount half of the car, because everything is connected to everything (like in a female brain), you cant just take one part away. On a Bellett, you just need to think a bit, try to get a closer look, and everything can be done.

And compared to Russian cars (I have few of those too), working on a Bellett is like a dream - you can do it without wearing hockey gloves.
In Russia, they have a special engineer in every department to make sure that beside every bolt and nut there is a sharp corner. You can't even check the oil or add washer liquid without getting bloody nuckles.



But as a conclusion for the long evening in the garage I can say - electrics are almost done. New blinker relay, and everything should work.

[redback]

Good work.

Welcome to our Bellett Family.

[Bellett_EST]

Another long evening in the garage.

At the moment, the work goes like this:






Some questions have also turned out: Does anyone have a good picture of the bottom. My Bellett has no muffler, not even remains. So I would like to know how does the original look like, so I could build a new one from aftermarket parts.

Another one: Wher is the filling hole of the gearbox?


So far so good, the bottom looks OK, especially for a half-century-old Japanese car. There is some damage on the left front fender, but I'll deal with it later. At the moment the main goal is to get it running ASAP, latest in the beginning of february. Some rust protection and maintenance would do the thing I hope.

[Glenn]

Another long evening in the garage.

At the moment, the work goes like this:






Some questions have also turned out: Does anyone have a good picture of the bottom. My Bellett has no muffler, not even remains. So I would like to know how does the original look like, so I could build a new one from aftermarket parts.

Another one: Wher is the filling hole of the gearbox?


So far so good, the bottom looks OK, especially for a half-century-old Japanese car. There is some damage on the left front fender, but I'll deal with it later. At the moment the main goal is to get it running ASAP, latest in the beginning of february. Some rust protection and maintenance would do the thing I hope.

A picture of my sedan exhaust is here but note it has the rear GT twin pipes (standard on a Sport model) . http://bellett.net/forums/viewtopic.php ... &start=140 This is the original central muffler on this car by the way. The central muffler on a Bellett is a bit unusual in that it fits up under the rear seat area. Very difficult to find an off the shelf muffler to fit up so high and allow the pipes room to fit, so most i think use a short standard muffler hanging a little lower.

The 'filler' hole on the gear box is on the side. Its the same plug you remove to check for the level. You should fill to the bottom edge of that hole.

Be VERY careful when lifting the car up like this and relying on that single piece of wood. I would add a couple more pieces on each end of the car, for safety.

[BULLITT]

Here is the original with the old style muffler which can be. Replaced with something easier cheers dave

[Bellett_EST]

Thanks for the chart, but a photo would be much better. Does anyone have?

You don't need to worry about the safety, the car is actually a bit over the balance line, so It won't fall back on wheels without a good push. The wood piece is put in place just for safety, It actually doesn't carry any weight.

I figured it out myself, that the gearbox filling hole should be on the side, but how to fill it? There seem to be no room on the sides of the GB.

[PR91]

[Bellett_EST]

May I ask, what is the cause of this reaction?

[bambam72]

Firstly, I'm very impressed with the new model 1 post hoist made in Estonia these days. Nice work.
I have taken some photos that may help. I have been told the muffler might not be original as mine
is round & the book shows it as being squared on the edges. Hope these Help

Graham

[Bellett_EST]

Thanks for the pics, now I have much better overview of the pipes. There is just a plain pipe from front to the under-back-seat pot? No resonator in the middle?

Those racks I use to turn the car sideways are good. Simple but effective. It's much better to work with the bottom when the car is turned like this, I hate to work upwards. If you have a large jack, you can turn the car by yourself without having to worry about flipping over. Getting it back down is a bit more difficult, the easiest way is to use some help of 3-4 friends

[Stickman]

I have a set of pivoting frames a bit like what you have.
Mine is made with old rims that are welded to a pivot on a base stand. You just bolt them on like normal wheels then I have a winch to lift the car up and over like yours. Mine has an arm welded to the rim just past the balance point so that it doesn't flip right over either. Then a couple of big steel pins go in to stop it from coming down again. I leave the winch attached too

[Bellett_EST]

I have a set of pivoting frames a bit like what you have.
Mine is made with old rims that are welded to a pivot on a base stand. You just bolt them on like normal wheels then I have a winch to lift the car up and over like yours. Mine has an arm welded to the rim just past the balance point so that it doesn't flip right over either. Then a couple of big steel pins go in to stop it from coming down again. I leave the winch attached too

Mine are bit simpler, no winch and no locking pins. But the basic idea is the same. I'll take a picture when I get the car back on the ground.

[Bellett_EST]

Great success!

Muffler almost done. Hopefully by the end of next week I will be ready to put the car back on wheels. Never enough time to spend in the garage.

[BULLITT]

looking good

[Bellett_EST]

This week has been quite busy, hadn't managed to visit the garage before today. Few hours work, and I can say the exhaust is complete.

Hopefully tomorrow I can cover the bottom with mastic and then bring the car back on wheels.

[dave]

Wow I've only just seen this post.

I love how these cars keep appearing in the most random of countries!

Do you know where the car came from? Was it sold new in Estonia or surrounds, or has it been imported from place where they were known to sell like Sweden or Denmark?

Body looks good!


Cheers,

Dave

[Bellett_EST]

Do you know where the car came from? Was it sold new in Estonia or surrounds, or has it been imported from place where they were known to sell like Sweden or Denmark?

Thanks!

The car was definitely not sold new in Estonia, as we were under soviet occupation. Only soviet cars were available then.

I am not sure, but I think I was brought from Finland in early '90-s. There are quite many of them in Finland, and they used to bring all kinds of old cars from Finland these days. It actually seems that they have them in Finland more than in Sweden, though they had some kind of racing series for Belletts in the '80s.

[dave]

Ah that makes sense.

Yes we have someone who joined called Belletts In Sweden who said that there were not many sold; his father owned the dealership and they now own two of the three that remain, or something like that.

It's amazing where these things keep popping up though; we've had people from Indonesia, Malaysia, South Africa, USA, Russia (Vladivostok specifically) and the UK, just to name a few I remember. I can't tell you which of those countries definitely had them new; I suspect a few went to South Africa, but again it's just mad where these things pop up!

The Indonesian guy was looking for a Unicab, which is like a Wasp-based Jeep (Wasp is a Bellett pickup, essentially) and he found a super-rare Bellett wagon for sale in the steamy jungle! The Malaysian fella owned a GT with random tail lights and he's since sold that and bought a sedan, I think.

One gentleman in the USA has a Japanese-spec two-door 1300cc sedan and there are a couple of guys with Japanese-spec Bellett GTs. I've also spoken to a guy in Washington state (or perhaps Oregon) who has a pair of Canadian-market Bellett sedans, where they were assembled by CMI.

There are two people in the UK with them; one has restored his into a period race-car, replicating the car that Bruce McLaren (the New Zealander who went on to form the McLaren F1 team) raced in the British touring cars and the other is a Scottish man who brought one back from New Zealand with him when he was travelling. Unsure why or how, but he fell in love with the car and shipped it back home!

Anyway, there are probably plenty more stories; ah yes there's a guy in Peru who posts pictures of his car constantly on Facebook; it's such a nice little early model sedan in LHD like your own, I never get sick of seeing it!

You mention your car may be from Finland; I think i have a brochure from Finland with a car with huge ISUZU mudflaps identical to yours, so that may just fit the bill. I think it's even the same colour...who knows if it's the same car! I will try to dig out the brochure and show you what I mean.

Cheers man thanks for joining the forum!


Dave

[Bellett_EST]

Yes we have someone who joined called Belletts In Sweden who said that there were not many sold; his father owned the dealership and they now own two of the three that remain, or something like that.

A few weeks ago also one Swedish guy joined the forum. He has similar teardrop sedan as mine. And also a barn find, just like mine.

You mention your car may be from Finland; I think i have a brochure from Finland with a car with huge ISUZU mudflaps identical to yours, so that may just fit the bill. I think it's even the same colour...who knows if it's the same car! I will try to dig out the brochure and show you what I mean.

Dave

The blue on my car isn't original color. It has been white or light beige. I believe it has been painted blue in Estonia, and the paintjob is actually awful.
There is also a lot of brown under the car, could it be the original base color?

The car has had some bad days, but someone has made quite an effort to keep it alive. At some point the body has been really bad, because the left front jack socket is badly bent. It has been welded and is solid now, but it wasn't straightened before welding. There are some other marks of welding in the bottom, but it's quite solid now. The rust protection has been really good. If I go for full restoration, I will need both front fenders and the rear left. Doors and trunk are quite OK, hood is not so good but can be used. Both bumpers are damaged, rear panel under the bumber is damaged but can be restored. Front panel needs to be replaced. The grille is OK, but the parts round the headlights are bit rusty.