dohc

Hey Guys, I know this thread is waaaay dead, but I thought I jump in and mention a new forum at www.bellett.net that would answer any Isuzu Bellett related questions The guys on there are quite knowledgeable about all things Bellett although the site is very new at the moment. Cheers, DOHC.

Holey Cow! Those brakes look awesome!

Hi all! Just checking back in after a bit of an absence... I used to be a regular poster on this site about 5 years ago when I worked a lot of night shift but as my jobs changed I wasn't able to post nearly as much! I've noticed a few familiar people still around the traps while I've been reading the site over the years and now finally I'm in a position to no only post again but start my Zed project! I'm building up a 1973 240Z that has been sitting in my shed for the full 5 years, and I'm now thinking that a Wangan Midnight replica would be good fun I've seen a few in the gallery and I'm getting keen to get started. Someone is going to have to tell me how the 'Devil Zed' holds together with a twin turbo 3 litre stroker in it! Crazy. At the same time as building up my Wangan replica I've started co authoring a car enthusiast site for another classic Japanese car that most people haven't heard of. The Isuzu Bellett, predecessor to the Isuzu/GM Impulse/Gemini/Chevette. Can anyone comment if these cars made it to the States at all? Most of the literature and build numbers are in Japanese and there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to the build spec, dates, import numbers, anything! And what we can find is in Japanese! I think 17,000 sedans were brought to Australia, about 1000 coupes, and 120 utes. South America got some, and possibly Mexico... Anyway, if you want more info on the humble Bellett swing past our site at www.bellett.net which will be coming soon, or www.bellett.net/forums. We are updating it daily with brochures and other info so check back and you might learn some useless facts to dazzle at dinner parties :ogre: It would be great if our little site gained the popularity of this one (great work Mike and other moderators!) but I don't think the humble Bellett has quite the following or pedigree that the Zed has. Happy motoring all and I look forward to posting again and remaking old acquaintances Cheers, DOHC

Hi guys, I haven't posted on the Zed forums for a while as I've been working on another project, a 1968 Isuzu Bellett Deluxe sedan. On this note a new website (www.bellett.net) is opening soon and a forum has opened, based in Australia at www.bellett.net/forums and caters for all the Bellett needs of the country... Funnily enough the need is not great but as this is another Japanese classic and a contemporary to the Datsun Fairlady I thought I would post here for interest sake. Anyway, drop through and have a look. We are adding brochures, history and technical info everyday as the site grows. We are also keen on other Japanese cars of the day and under the 'Events' section car shows all over Australia will be listed, and possibly the world as we grow. Come along say hi and if your in Oz we might catch up on the roads somewhere Cheers, Ross

Yep AutoCAD does .dwg files but that PDF looks very cool. Keep up the good work Thanks!

Thanks texasz, I was able to get to it from your link although V8-240z's still won't work for me? I'm using Firefox so that may be messing it up? Cheers, Ross.

Just thought I'd add the fuel prices for country Australia into the mix.... At the moment for the 'high' octane stuff I'm paying up to $1.30 per litre... not gallon, litre... I've got an RX7 as well as the Zed and man is it a killer! Regular is around the $1.20 or so.... DOHC.

Maybe, Maybe..... Do you have any pics of it? I'm down in Adelaide so it's a bit difficult to swing past for a quick look... R.:classic:

Well I've adjusted the clutch, first too high (almost off the top) then back to perfectly halfway and..... it still won't down change to second. It is heaps better to get into first, but still crunches on an up change to second and won't go back into second unless the rev's are up pretty hight to match..... Damn, are we all out of adjustment idea's now, because I know I am? Ta. R.

It's amazing how long those old oil filled shock's are lasting isn't it? My 2 + 2 still had the original's in her and now has good gas ones at the back. I've just refilled the oil (20w motorbike for oil) for the front and it's as firm as I need it! Cheap replacement for the front: $20 for the back: $250..... Has anyone else tried refilling the oil shock cartridges?? Ross.

Thanks again 2many, something else to keep me busy and swearing tomorrow morning :stupid: Lets see if this will save me spending big bucks getting the trans rebuilt...... Can only hope so :tapemouth R.

Hey All, That's a good point 2Many, I haven't checked the clutch adjustment itself... It never occured to me as one day it was fine then after a hard drive though the hills it crunched and died. Hmmmmm, I'll have to give that a shot though, is the adjustment under the dash somewhere? I know it's not at the slave as I've looked at that a few times now. Also, where is everyone's actual clutch point? (ie the point at which the clutch engages the flywheel.) Mines about a centimetre (1/4") of the floor... Does this sound too low? R.

Well, bled the clutch today and didn't get a single bubble of air out of it! Looks like I'll need to brush up on my double de clutching to get me by :stupid:

I'm getting quite good now too, although it is a hell of a pain in the butt.... I might try bleeding the clutch tomorrow, see if it makes a difference.... Could make all the difference :classic: or none at all:tapemouth I'll keep you posted Ross.

Damn. Thought so, but hoped not :stupid: After the Tuner I'm off to the Trans people.... Anyone have any idea on price for a full trans recon? Ta.

Arrrgggghhhh. This car is driving me crazy. I've finally got the brakes to an acceptable level and started to drive my Zed again only to (I think) destroy syncro on second gear. I've got a 5-speed gearbox (the B type I think it's called?) that has always been fairly tight on all the gears, but never enough to worry about until now. When I make a quick change up from first to second I get a little crunch, nothing major and I always thought it meant the syncro was going. Now however I can't change down from third unless I match the revs. ie it needs to be reving at around 4500 to get it in. If I try and change any other way it makes a sound similar to trying to put it into reverse while travelling..... Is this definately the synromesh on second? I want to be sure before I fork out to get someone look at it? Cheers, Ross.

Hey Kats, Thanks again for this invaluable information and please don't be sorry that you 'only' have the data for '69 and '70! It's more than we've seen before! Cheers, Ross.

....and the money goes to 2Many. I re-bled the master and it put out clean fluid for a couple of pumps then coughed and spluttered and put out a stack of air. Must have been caught up in there somewhere. Thanks for the advice to check that again, I thought the once would be enough... Apparently not Well, after all of that I now know how to replace the vacuum servo and master cylinder and I'm very good at bleeding brakes Thanks again all. Ross.

Hey 2Many I did do the master first but I'm never sure how much I need to run through it? I've also replaced the master that was bubbling on every push of the pedal with a known working unit and then bled it but that's where I'm having trouble.... I've only ever had to bleed a couple of other cars (and never the Zed) I'm not sure how long it should take to flush any air out of the back circuit, etc? Good thought though, I'll make sure I do that properly.... Once I get home and get some sleep, it's 7am here and I'm starting to go stir crazy.... Ross.

Well, the update on this one is that I still can't find the problem..... I've replaced the master cylinder and vacuum servo unit (thanks Z Kid) and I've cured one problem that I noticed when I went back to it: air bubbles in the master cylinder brake fluid. I'm fairly certain that the old Master Cylinder was stuffed or at least on the way out cause when I pulled it apart it was full of black crap. However I've now bled it all and I'm still not able to get a firm pedal and the 'Brake' light is now coming on on the dash..... I believe this light means that one of the brake circuits (front or back) has lost pressure...... Any thoughts? I'm going to head home tomorrow and bleed them again for good measure, make sure that I'm not missing anything but after that...? Any ideas would be good, I'm going mad here R.

Ha Ha! Yeah it might just be the other way around Damn I must be tired or something! R.

Out on the track the Zed drift's around a couple of 100+kph(160+mph) corners like nothing else. The IRS works hard ... The extra weight of the 2+2 makes it interesting though, as does the rubbish tyres that I'm using Makes me smile just thinking about it R.

I thought my prayers had been answered for a second! I'm looking for something to race in the Classic Adelaide, Targa Tassie, East Cost Classic and eventually the Targa NZ. I thought I'd found it but this car has the opposite problem to most I find. It's had too much done to it to qualify! I'd love to buy it and race anyway but that's just tooooo much to play with. R.

IMHO they also handle a bit better (longer wheel base and all)

Pity she's auto, but nice buy! My 2 + 2 was probably that colour once, now it's primarily primer... and rust. Between Z Kid and myself we've got all the 2 + 2 parts you need including a lovely set of flat top carbs... If you need parts or the like :classic: Cheers, Ross.