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 Isuzu Wasp - anyone else have one?  

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Buzzbox
  • Buzzbox
  • Standard User
  • Member No.: 25,186
  • Joined: 25-May 05
  • Posts: 206
  • From: Australia
Post #1 post 23rd June 2010 - 08:48 PM
hey guys.

was out fixing a tractor tyre for a bloke just outside of warwick a few months ago (as you do in the stix) and decided to have a look around the farm while i was waiting for the tyre to fill up with air. the bloke i was doing the tyre for was a mate from up the road so he wasnt too worried about me wandering around the place. after a few minutes of looking around the old sheds, i saw the roof of some sort of ute hiding under about 5 foot of grass. i made my way down and cleared the area a bit, stood back, had a closer look, then stood back again. for anyone that has never seen an isuzu wasp before, you might have the same symptoms. after closer inspection i noticed that pretty much everything that came original with the car was there, including the old 2 cog wind up jack and winder! although the seat covers were pretty much non existent, the overall condition of the ute wasnt too bad, considering i have seen some absolute shitheaps. i asked my mate what his plans were for it, and he gave it to me straight: if you want it take it i pushed it over there with the forklift cause it was in my way! so long story short i now own a 1966 isuzu wasp which i paid 10 bucks in fuel to pick it up. so if anyone else has any more light to shed on my situation, as i know literally nothing about it, please let me know.
cheers
brendan
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ca18s13
Post #2


is this you??

8-ball
Post #3

http://www.nextautos.com/etc/vintage-literature-isuzu-wasp

they actually seem pretty cool i want 1 now instead of my mightyboy

7urg3m
Post #4

go to Ozgemini.com.. a few people in there own them a select few... plus links to wasp related sites.

if you find a fellow user under the name IZUO69 im sure he has a couple still on the road

Buzzbox
Post #5

wow that didnt take long! i had originally just had plans to get it going and flog it around the paddock, but having second thoughts now. a few people have mentioned that they are pretty uncommon.....so might be the next project!

Buzzbox
Post #6

ca18s13 no that isnt me, where i found mine you would have only been able to see my head above the grass =)

nferno
Post #7

Taken from wikipedia-

QUOTE
The Isuzu Bellett was a subcompact car manufactured by Isuzu Motors Ltd. in Japan from 1963 to 1973. It was an in-house designed replacement for the Hillman Minx, assembled previously by Isuzu under a license agreement. The name "Bellett" was supposedly to represent "a smaller Bellel".
The car was available as a 4-door or 2-door sedan, a rare 2-door station wagon, called the Bellett Express, and an even rarer 2-door pickup truck known as the Isuzu Wasp. After General Motors acquired a stake in Isuzu, the Bellett was replaced by GM's "global" T-car, initially called Isuzu Bellett Gemini and later simply Isuzu Gemini, which technically had little to do with its predecessor. A total of 170,737 of original Belletts were manufactured.


Some good links
http://www.bellett.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=51
http://www.bellett.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=101
http://japanesenostalgiccar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1023
Buzzbox
Post #8

one noticeable difference with mine compared to most i have seen lately is that mine is a styleside, most seem to be trayback.

nferno
Post #9

QUOTE (Buzzbox @ Jun 23 2010, 09:52 PM) *
one noticeable difference with mine compared to most i have seen lately is that mine is a styleside, most seem to be trayback.

A lot of old utes get the tray back treatment after a lifetime of work duties takes its toll on the style side.

pepperoni
Post #10

clean it up and then see what u can dop into it, sr20, rb, or b16? would be fun and would get the most attention if you go to meets and cruises, will probably cost a bit though.

7urg3m
Post #11

you my friend may have found a lil bit of gold on wheels, hope to see it restored, just not enuff of the old cars on the road anymore.

Buzzbox
Post #12

true that, alongside the wasp i have a 1974 KE35 corolla coupe as well. most people (mainly the missus) thinks the wasp looks like snot....but unlike most im an ideas man =) speaking of engine conversions, i heard that piazza motors are a close fit with gemini's? not sure how different they would be though

7urg3m
Post #13

should be a direct fit champ.

im currently doing a G series motor Forged bottom end. should be good for 550hp. should be enuff for 4 wasps.
Buzzbox
Post #14

probably a few more than that mate. the petrol 1.2's came out 61hp factory

7urg3m
Post #15

115 hp would be awesome in a wasps. (last line in my SIG)


should be able to pull a few stumps out with it hehe.
you have still yet to figure out what you are gonna use it for... correct eg. to register or not to register..

just put a g180 or g200 heaps torquey when coupled with a weber and a few other minor things and good for 7000rpm all day long.

i didnt see if you put a year down cuz it mite be before that threshold for emissions regulations, so all it needs is a crankcase vent. (lil DRIFT filter haha)

ca18s13
Post #16

QUOTE (Buzzbox @ Jun 23 2010, 10:28 PM) *
ca18s13 no that isnt me, where i found mine you would have only been able to see my head above the grass =)

haha i figured, i just found that pic on google, thought it was funny seemed as you described it smile.gif.... good luck with it... i think it is a very unique car man dont thrash it... if thats what you got it for i think you should sell it to someone who might appreciate it smile.gif peace

blkluxy73
Post #17

like a smaller version of the stout...gotta love a good styley build up!!!

lucky85
Post #18

Good find bro!
I would restore it and keep it oldschool in the donk department.
G200 with a decent cam and twin webbers would give it plenty of poke and still have the old school sound.
Piazza motors bolt in, but have you seen the prices these days? Seen motor and box package go on ebay for $4500 2 weeks ago.
anyhoo good luck with it.

Buzzbox
Post #19

yeah i dont think i will be flogging it around the paddock anymore! a bigger motor wouldnt go astray though, and as luck would have it the missus's dad is a gemini whizz, which would help! will have to post some pics up at some stage. funnily enough my one actually looks in better nick than that one in the picture at the top. i just love the style of these little things. and the dash would look awesome redone too. although as one bloke posted in one of the links above, they arent very roomy. and being 180cm tall, might need to consider some different seats!

Bellett64
Post #20

QUOTE (Buzzbox @ Jun 24 2010, 02:06 PM) *
yeah i dont think i will be flogging it around the paddock anymore! a bigger motor wouldnt go astray though, and as luck would have it the missus's dad is a gemini whizz, which would help! will have to post some pics up at some stage. funnily enough my one actually looks in better nick than that one in the picture at the top. i just love the style of these little things. and the dash would look awesome redone too. although as one bloke posted in one of the links above, they arent very roomy. and being 180cm tall, might need to consider some different seats!



Hey Buzzbox what you have there is an ultra-rare 1964 Isuzu Wasp.

There were 122 brought into Australia, all in one batch. Apparently it took a while to sell them all (about 3 years), possibly due to the fact that only 4'6" tall Japanese people were comfortable in them!

Of those 122, only about 40 percent were stylesides; the rest were traybacks.

You, me and IZU069 from some other forums all own stylesides. There's also a guy who has fitted one with a 3.8l V8 Commodore engine!

Join our forum at www.bellett.net/forums ! (Wasp is essentially a Bellett ute, although they share few actual parts...!)

And save it! Not many have been restoed (mine is original with about 998,000 miles on it... so it could do with one, but it still drives)...

Cheers,


Dave

Buzzbox
Post #21

awesome! sounds like i might have a keeper on my hands! from memory mine is showing about 62 thousand miles on the clock, but i am not sure how many times it has been turned round! would definetely be keen to join the group mate, never thought i would have owned anything that was so rare!

bassninja
Post #22

drop a 1jz in it man, just whatever you do dont keep the 1.3L

Buzzbox
Post #23

good luck fitting a 2j in it mate, dont know how old mate fitted a 3.8 in, would have been a mission.

Buzzbox
Post #24

http://www.bellett.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=965

this is the one i picked up. not bad considering it has been sitting for over 10 years with one of the doors wide open! the interior paid dearly due to the elements though.

luke316
Post #25

I have a complete Piazza motor in my gem with box that im pulling out to sell if u interested comes with another motor and crap loads of parts give me a buzz on 0404187436 if ya interested

Buzzbox
Post #26

i will let ya know mate, all depends on which way i want to go with it. boost would b nice though!

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