There's definitely an uncanny link between doing stuff with computers, and liking cars. The deeper down the computing rabbit-hole someone goes, the older their cars get.
Haha, I think you may be right on that one! It does feel a little weird to be working on a car that was built 10 years before I was born, but interestingly, this one isn't even the oldest in the collection!
Fossil-fuelled cars are the motoring equivalent of vacuum tubes, when you think about it. Old and obsolete, but still interesting and functional. You're spot on with the advantages of taking a break from a subject to give your mind a break. We thrive on variety. Thanks for pointing out your other channel; I had no idea that it existed, and had always wondered about the cars in your garage.
The cylinder heads of Japanese cars always look so clean. Not in a dirt way but a design way. Of course they all have a symmetry about them, but I always find myself thinking “that looks tidy af” and it’s a Japanese car. I love their little 3-cylinder 1-litres from the 80s too.
I am home with the kids on Monday, usually watch your videos During lunch today's video was 💯 2 year old approved! Completely stopped everything he was doing and was transfixed for however long the straight track shots were.. very amazing film making, when you can hit your atypical audience like that it's when you know you made something special!
Thank you! Give the two year old a high five from me! I'm quite happy with how this one turned out. I wasn't sure how the skills of filming vintage electronics would translate to working on cars, but aside from a few tricky shots (like draining the oil), I actually managed to film everything without losing my rhythm for working on the car, which was a nice surprise!
Maaaan no way! I was a big fan of your (now defunct?) blog documenting the Cosmo restoration, and a number of other cool car related things. I enjoy the electronics videos, but was interested to see your older content - what a great surprise. Fantastic car and a big thumbs up for more car content, from me anyway. Edit: subscribing to Usagi Motors!
We had Belletts in Australia from the 1960s. I haven't seen one for years. We weren't fortunate enough to get the GT version. A 1.8 litre with side-drafts in a tiny thing like that !!
Okay video number three and I promise to leave you alone for the night, the brink of time music was amazing it's a shame what the TH-cam compression algorithms did to the quality though. Great to know you're a car guy as well. A little inspiration for a video I was going to make rebuilding the carbs on my 61 corvair project
Wow - a truly antique Isuzu! I had an Isuzu I-Mark RS new in 1989 and drove her for 12 years. 235K miles later, the rust killed her. The 4XE1 1.6-liter DOHC motor was fantastic and the Lotus tuning of the suspension made it wicked fun to drive. Never replaced the clutch either - lasted the life of the car. The rattles did get worse as the miles piled on though. Lol.
Thank you! Mine is actually an RHD model, although the Isuzu Bellett sedan and sports did actually exist in LHD in Canada, and Finland got a few of the GT models like mine in LHD as well. They were quite formidable in some Finnish rallies back in the day!
I always have several projects on the go at once. When I'm stuck on a build or repair, I'll go back to a program or a song I'm writing. (or vice-versa). :)
Nice Japanese classic. Too bad not very many people have enthusiasm and motivation to do the rebuilding job of the cars of yesteryear. Subbed to your other channels; a nice combination of my personal favorites.
Thank you! It's certainly getting more and more difficult to find people out there that know how to whisper to carbs, and while we may be few and far between, we won't give up on the beautiful old machines! Thanks for the sub to the other channel! I need to replace the brake master cylinder on the Healey, so I'm hoping to film that project next and make a short little video for it too!
Between the Healey, Cosmo and 117 Coupe in the background (and the two Zs in storage), I got plenty of projects to keep me busy when I need a break (some might say, too many projects, haha)!
Thank you! A good mental refresh can help you blast right through that wall that was holding you back. The tube curve tracer has made a lot of progress in the past week and I attribute it getting out in the garage and letting my brain reset itself!
You're not wrong, that nearly 70 year old scope is an absolute beast and makes an absolutely beautiful trace! Those HP engineers really knew their stuff.
Verry nice car, so classic! I really apreciate your practical and theoretical skills. We both have two hobbys to share and I really wish you were my neighbor :D Pay attention, that you don't end up getting lost in work or projects. As at some point one may resemble the other... Now in this video you look way happier and relaxed than before. Do whatever you prefer don't give anything on the klicks! I would even wait for months to see a new video from you. Again I really love this channel it is so interesting and fun to accompany your projects :)
Thank you so much! It's interesting you mention practical and theoretical, because way back in the day, I actually started university pursuing a major in Electrical Engineering, but I was young and dumb and couldn't stand that it was nearly completely theoretical and nothing in the way of practical. I changed majors and don't regret the path I ended up on in the least, but some days I do wish I had stuck it out to give me a stronger theoretical foundation for my practical stuff. But, I love working with my hands, whether it's on carburetors or vacuum tube computers! Thank you again for the awesome words!
@@UsagiElectric Don't look back on what you did not do. Obviously you are good in teaching yourself things that are not trivial. You don't need a scientific degree to understand and learn stuff. If you are interested in a certain topic you might gain even more knowledge than people who do this kind of things everyday in their job. For examlpe just few Electrical Engineers could repair a vacuumtube Oscilloscope, like you did. I'm an Engineer and taught myself PLC Programming. I wanted to understand the controlstructures of the Machines I'm working with. Now I can even better diagnose our plant than the electricians who are meant to do this kind of Work. I'm even able to repair electronic parts like cards of the PLC and measurement devices by my knowledge about electronics. Some times the electricians deem a certain part defective electronics waste and I get it going again. You have a great hobby, which just few understand and gain yourself abilitys to bring you further. You keep expanding your skills your skills in your free time. Some people go shopping, make videos about all day stuff, just try to be pretty or gamble onlinegames. A genius is allways trying to expand his mind. This is awesome and inspiring for me.
Slowly! I've got pretty much all the parts to give the motor a refresh and drop it in for good, but I still haven't sorted the ECU problem. Ultimately, I think I'm going to just have to bite the bullet and drop the cash on a Haltech or something. It keeps getting delayed as I'm just trying to keep the cars that are running... running, haha. The Bellett still needs a bit more work on the carbies, I've got some new insulators and pilot jets on the way that'll hopefully help it. The Healey needs a new brake master cylinder. The Gemini needs to get sold. The Beat needs the CV joint cleaned and a new boot put on. Then I can finally get to work on the 117 and the Cosmo!
@@UsagiElectric youll be happier with a haltech(or whichever ECU) in the long run. fiddling with the tune seems 100% like something youll enjoy learning and doing. youve got quite the list of work to do! How are parts availability on the beat? are there any OEM boots still out there? itll all get done eventually as you always do. Cant wait to see that 117 run again. No love for the gemini anymore or just too much on the plate already?
@@TrendieMan Ultimately, I'm definitely going to have to go with an aftermarket ECU because I don't have room for the original cam angle sensor. So, I'm going to have to switch to a crank angle sensor plate on the front of the engine with a pickup, which will require something like the Haltech to be able to work with that. It should be a lot of fun to get wires and setup, but it's a big spend, which is one of the reasons I've been lazy about making progress on the 117. For the Beat, I'm sure there are some boots from other Hondas that fit, I just haven't looked into it yet. It's one of those things that isn't bad yet, so I keep ignoring it, haha. The Gemini, man, I just don't drive it. If I need a 4-door, I take the LS400, if it's just me, I almost always take the Bellett. Once the 117 is going, the Gemini will just end up sitting in a corner rotting away and never getting driven. I feel bad because it's a dope car and someone out there is probably dying to get their hands on one, so it's time to let it go to that person! But a lot of things are on hold until the World calms down a bit and it's a little safer to get out and about!
@@UsagiElectric a worthwhile investment but a big one for sure. Take some measurements and I can dig around the junkyard next time I’m there. The same thing is happening to the Capp mostly due to mechanical things. Nate’s planning to buy it so right now it’s rotting in a garage. Once you’re ready to venture out again let me know, I have an 86 trooper now that I’d love to bring down to your place to show you on the way to hidden falls.
They are indeed very similar to Weber carbs, they even use the same mounting flange! These are actually Mikuni PHH 40s. They're a bit simpler to tune and maintain than Webers while still offering really excellent performance.
Yeah, sometimes the hobby can get you down. I put my astronomy hobby on hold due to the observatory needing some much needed TLC. In the time it has been on hold Elon Musk has thrown up thousands of satellites into orbit making taking pictures that much more annoying. Oh, and props for stick shift :)
Even better right hand drive. Would fit in perfect here by me, though being a pocket rocket you would have a lot of dropped GTI posers very unhappy being beaten by what they recon is a truck maker. Isuzu in general here, now the name is back in use after a decade or three of being hidden by the GM badge, mostly builds pick ups, and not really any sedans at all. Had the pick up market for many years before the GM subsumption, and now that GM divested itself of pretty much every overseas operations, it is back as a name again. GM is sinking rapidly, crap vehicles and mediocre quality, and very overpriced and feature poor compared to the Korean manufacturers, yet the same manufacturers are making vehicles that are not GM, like Daewoo, and offering a better value proposition, at a much lower price, and you can actually get service spares for them, without needing to sell a kidney.
@@SeanBZA The only GM car I ever owned when I moved to the US was a US built Saab 9000CSE after coveting one for years while living in Europe where they were designed and built. It was the worst car I have ever owned hands down. I sold the demon and bought an Acura.
Thank you! Yeah, 'ol Musky has really put quite a lot stuff up in the sky lately. One of my favorite websites of late is stuffin.space . Searching for Starlink on there really is wild, it looks like a criss crossing blanked around the planet. The 4-speed in the Bellett was really sloppy when I got it because the bushing in the shifter was absolutely obliterated. I machined a new bushing, put it in place and now it's an absolute dream to row through the gears!
@@SeanBZA It's a shame that Isuzu hasn't made a passenger car for 20+ years now, they had some really great stuff in the 60s and 70s! The first generation Isuzu Gemini fastback is a great little machine, and I would love to own one some day. I had an '84 Isuzu Impulse for a while, but they really hurt the appearance in the US with the big bumpers. The JDM/Euro spec. models have much more attractive slim bumpers. At one point in time I owned four Isuzus and miraculously, they all ran at the same time, so I snapped a picture as quick as I could, haha. i.postimg.cc/BZBmkvG2/IMAG2020.jpg I'm still holding out some hope that some day Isuzu will break away from just making commercial vehicles and come storming back onto the market with something, small, lightweight, cheap and a riot to drive!
There's definitely an uncanny link between doing stuff with computers, and liking cars.
The deeper down the computing rabbit-hole someone goes, the older their cars get.
Haha, I think you may be right on that one!
It does feel a little weird to be working on a car that was built 10 years before I was born, but interestingly, this one isn't even the oldest in the collection!
Cars are mechanical computers with tactile and auditory feedback. Whats not to love?
You get me giggling. 😊
Automobiles, electronics, and machining... renaissance man. 🙌
I sure do like working with my hands!
That's a funny looking bunny at the end!
He's big and fluffy and sometimes acts like a bunny, hopping and bouncing around!
The content, production value, and genuine personality make this a top channel for me. Amazing
Fossil-fuelled cars are the motoring equivalent of vacuum tubes, when you think about it. Old and obsolete, but still interesting and functional. You're spot on with the advantages of taking a break from a subject to give your mind a break. We thrive on variety. Thanks for pointing out your other channel; I had no idea that it existed, and had always wondered about the cars in your garage.
Immediately subscribed to Usagi Motors :-D
Thank you!
II have an extended version of this video with a garage update going up on that channel this week!
The cylinder heads of Japanese cars always look so clean. Not in a dirt way but a design way. Of course they all have a symmetry about them, but I always find myself thinking “that looks tidy af” and it’s a Japanese car. I love their little 3-cylinder 1-litres from the 80s too.
This is one of the coolest channels on youtube.
I came for the Bellett and was not dissappointed - thanks!
I am home with the kids on Monday, usually watch your videos During lunch today's video was 💯 2 year old approved! Completely stopped everything he was doing and was transfixed for however long the straight track shots were.. very amazing film making, when you can hit your atypical audience like that it's when you know you made something special!
Thank you!
Give the two year old a high five from me!
I'm quite happy with how this one turned out. I wasn't sure how the skills of filming vintage electronics would translate to working on cars, but aside from a few tricky shots (like draining the oil), I actually managed to film everything without losing my rhythm for working on the car, which was a nice surprise!
Maaaan no way! I was a big fan of your (now defunct?) blog documenting the Cosmo restoration, and a number of other cool car related things. I enjoy the electronics videos, but was interested to see your older content - what a great surprise. Fantastic car and a big thumbs up for more car content, from me anyway.
Edit: subscribing to Usagi Motors!
We had Belletts in Australia from the 1960s. I haven't seen one for years. We weren't fortunate enough to get the GT version. A 1.8 litre with side-drafts in a tiny thing like that !!
Okay video number three and I promise to leave you alone for the night, the brink of time music was amazing it's a shame what the TH-cam compression algorithms did to the quality though. Great to know you're a car guy as well. A little inspiration for a video I was going to make rebuilding the carbs on my 61 corvair project
Wow - a truly antique Isuzu! I had an Isuzu I-Mark RS new in 1989 and drove her for 12 years. 235K miles later, the rust killed her. The 4XE1 1.6-liter DOHC motor was fantastic and the Lotus tuning of the suspension made it wicked fun to drive. Never replaced the clutch either - lasted the life of the car. The rattles did get worse as the miles piled on though. Lol.
Very cool and rare car ‼️Didn’t know these even existed in LHD.
Thank you!
Mine is actually an RHD model, although the Isuzu Bellett sedan and sports did actually exist in LHD in Canada, and Finland got a few of the GT models like mine in LHD as well. They were quite formidable in some Finnish rallies back in the day!
That looks like so much fun, wish I had a private road like that! Always cool to see a fellow Texas-ite who shares my kinda nerdieness
I always have several projects on the go at once. When I'm stuck on a build or repair, I'll go back to a program or a song I'm writing. (or vice-versa). :)
It's always great to have a few projects to bounce through to prevent burnout.
Though, the trouble comes when you have too many projects!
Nice car man! I've always had a fascination with non USDM cars and this one looks pretty cool
Thank you so much! It's an absolute joy to drive, one of my all-time favorite cars!
Nice Japanese classic. Too bad not very many people have enthusiasm and motivation to do the rebuilding job of the cars of yesteryear. Subbed to your other channels; a nice combination of my personal favorites.
Thank you!
It's certainly getting more and more difficult to find people out there that know how to whisper to carbs, and while we may be few and far between, we won't give up on the beautiful old machines!
Thanks for the sub to the other channel! I need to replace the brake master cylinder on the Healey, so I'm hoping to film that project next and make a short little video for it too!
Love the formula 1 sound
Great stuff.
when you'll need another break I'll send you my sailboat' engine for a deep clean 😂
Between the Healey, Cosmo and 117 Coupe in the background (and the two Zs in storage), I got plenty of projects to keep me busy when I need a break (some might say, too many projects, haha)!
Looks like a car you might see in Wes Anderson or Quentin Tarantino movies
Nice Healey also!
Thanks!
I actually need to do a bit of work on it as well, so I'm hoping to get to work on it next weekend and hopefully film a bit about it!
Now that car sounds great! Nice brake from those "tubies". Where's the bunnies?
Thank you!
I gave the bunny a week off to relax, but she'll be back next week!
Cool set of wheels :)
I bet everyone of us needs a break sometimes. All work and no play...
Thank you!
A good mental refresh can help you blast right through that wall that was holding you back. The tube curve tracer has made a lot of progress in the past week and I attribute it getting out in the garage and letting my brain reset itself!
Your half century oscilloscope, seems to show the signal in a more stable way than the modern ones!
You're not wrong, that nearly 70 year old scope is an absolute beast and makes an absolutely beautiful trace!
Those HP engineers really knew their stuff.
Is that a Cosmo in the background?
Verry nice car, so classic!
I really apreciate your practical and theoretical skills.
We both have two hobbys to share and I really wish you were my neighbor :D
Pay attention, that you don't end up getting lost in work or projects.
As at some point one may resemble the other...
Now in this video you look way happier and relaxed than before.
Do whatever you prefer don't give anything on the klicks!
I would even wait for months to see a new video from you.
Again I really love this channel it is so interesting and fun to accompany your projects :)
Thank you so much!
It's interesting you mention practical and theoretical, because way back in the day, I actually started university pursuing a major in Electrical Engineering, but I was young and dumb and couldn't stand that it was nearly completely theoretical and nothing in the way of practical. I changed majors and don't regret the path I ended up on in the least, but some days I do wish I had stuck it out to give me a stronger theoretical foundation for my practical stuff.
But, I love working with my hands, whether it's on carburetors or vacuum tube computers!
Thank you again for the awesome words!
@@UsagiElectric Don't look back on what you did not do. Obviously you are good in teaching yourself things that are not trivial. You don't need a scientific degree to understand and learn stuff. If you are interested in a certain topic you might gain even more knowledge than people who do this kind of things everyday in their job. For examlpe just few Electrical Engineers could repair a vacuumtube Oscilloscope, like you did.
I'm an Engineer and taught myself PLC Programming. I wanted to understand the controlstructures of the Machines I'm working with. Now I can even better diagnose our plant than the electricians who are meant to do this kind of Work. I'm even able to repair electronic parts like cards of the PLC and measurement devices by my knowledge about electronics. Some times the electricians deem a certain part defective electronics waste and I get it going again.
You have a great hobby, which just few understand and gain yourself abilitys to bring you further. You keep expanding your skills your skills in your free time. Some people go shopping, make videos about all day stuff, just try to be pretty or gamble onlinegames.
A genius is allways trying to expand his mind.
This is awesome and inspiring for me.
Was bossanova secretly invented to compliment garage work, or why is this so perfect?
Carbs look like Johnny 5 !!!!!
Hahaha, you know, I never noticed that, but now that you mention, Johnny 5's head does look a bit like a side draft carb!
I have subscribed to Usagi Motors ... and would you be doing some car electronics in future?
You didn't show the cool mod you did to put the steering wheel on the wrong side. :(
I think you mean "on the *right* side"!
My pun game is strong today!
how's the 117 swap going? also good to see the cosmo has finally migrated into the shop.
Slowly!
I've got pretty much all the parts to give the motor a refresh and drop it in for good, but I still haven't sorted the ECU problem. Ultimately, I think I'm going to just have to bite the bullet and drop the cash on a Haltech or something. It keeps getting delayed as I'm just trying to keep the cars that are running... running, haha. The Bellett still needs a bit more work on the carbies, I've got some new insulators and pilot jets on the way that'll hopefully help it. The Healey needs a new brake master cylinder. The Gemini needs to get sold. The Beat needs the CV joint cleaned and a new boot put on. Then I can finally get to work on the 117 and the Cosmo!
@@UsagiElectric youll be happier with a haltech(or whichever ECU) in the long run. fiddling with the tune seems 100% like something youll enjoy learning and doing.
youve got quite the list of work to do! How are parts availability on the beat? are there any OEM boots still out there? itll all get done eventually as you always do. Cant wait to see that 117 run again.
No love for the gemini anymore or just too much on the plate already?
@@TrendieMan Ultimately, I'm definitely going to have to go with an aftermarket ECU because I don't have room for the original cam angle sensor. So, I'm going to have to switch to a crank angle sensor plate on the front of the engine with a pickup, which will require something like the Haltech to be able to work with that. It should be a lot of fun to get wires and setup, but it's a big spend, which is one of the reasons I've been lazy about making progress on the 117.
For the Beat, I'm sure there are some boots from other Hondas that fit, I just haven't looked into it yet. It's one of those things that isn't bad yet, so I keep ignoring it, haha.
The Gemini, man, I just don't drive it. If I need a 4-door, I take the LS400, if it's just me, I almost always take the Bellett. Once the 117 is going, the Gemini will just end up sitting in a corner rotting away and never getting driven. I feel bad because it's a dope car and someone out there is probably dying to get their hands on one, so it's time to let it go to that person!
But a lot of things are on hold until the World calms down a bit and it's a little safer to get out and about!
@@UsagiElectric a worthwhile investment but a big one for sure.
Take some measurements and I can dig around the junkyard next time I’m there.
The same thing is happening to the Capp mostly due to mechanical things. Nate’s planning to buy it so right now it’s rotting in a garage.
Once you’re ready to venture out again let me know, I have an 86 trooper now that I’d love to bring down to your place to show you on the way to hidden falls.
とても素敵ですね。私は日本で117クーペに乗っています。いすゞを大事にしてくれてありがとうございます。
Those look similar to the Weber 45 carbs, but I am sure they must be Japan made. Am I right?
They are indeed very similar to Weber carbs, they even use the same mounting flange!
These are actually Mikuni PHH 40s. They're a bit simpler to tune and maintain than Webers while still offering really excellent performance.
"Cattle guard!!!"
Nice
A Japanese import. Interesting carbs that looks like Webber 😊
Yeah, sometimes the hobby can get you down. I put my astronomy hobby on hold due to the observatory needing some much needed TLC. In the time it has been on hold Elon Musk has thrown up thousands of satellites into orbit making taking pictures that much more annoying. Oh, and props for stick shift :)
Even better right hand drive. Would fit in perfect here by me, though being a pocket rocket you would have a lot of dropped GTI posers very unhappy being beaten by what they recon is a truck maker. Isuzu in general here, now the name is back in use after a decade or three of being hidden by the GM badge, mostly builds pick ups, and not really any sedans at all. Had the pick up market for many years before the GM subsumption, and now that GM divested itself of pretty much every overseas operations, it is back as a name again.
GM is sinking rapidly, crap vehicles and mediocre quality, and very overpriced and feature poor compared to the Korean manufacturers, yet the same manufacturers are making vehicles that are not GM, like Daewoo, and offering a better value proposition, at a much lower price, and you can actually get service spares for them, without needing to sell a kidney.
@@SeanBZA The only GM car I ever owned when I moved to the US was a US built Saab 9000CSE after coveting one for years while living in Europe where they were designed and built. It was the worst car I have ever owned hands down. I sold the demon and bought an Acura.
Thank you!
Yeah, 'ol Musky has really put quite a lot stuff up in the sky lately. One of my favorite websites of late is stuffin.space . Searching for Starlink on there really is wild, it looks like a criss crossing blanked around the planet.
The 4-speed in the Bellett was really sloppy when I got it because the bushing in the shifter was absolutely obliterated. I machined a new bushing, put it in place and now it's an absolute dream to row through the gears!
@@SeanBZA It's a shame that Isuzu hasn't made a passenger car for 20+ years now, they had some really great stuff in the 60s and 70s! The first generation Isuzu Gemini fastback is a great little machine, and I would love to own one some day. I had an '84 Isuzu Impulse for a while, but they really hurt the appearance in the US with the big bumpers. The JDM/Euro spec. models have much more attractive slim bumpers.
At one point in time I owned four Isuzus and miraculously, they all ran at the same time, so I snapped a picture as quick as I could, haha.
i.postimg.cc/BZBmkvG2/IMAG2020.jpg
I'm still holding out some hope that some day Isuzu will break away from just making commercial vehicles and come storming back onto the market with something, small, lightweight, cheap and a riot to drive!