S600 Coupe Off frame restoration
 

We too have caught the Honda S600 bug. We saw this car advertised locally and was pleased to see how original and complete it still is. Apart from the poor paint and body repairs, all the bits are there in various states of disrepair.
Our intention is to do a body off frame restoration, starting with the chassis and running gear before tackling the body work. We will rebuild the original engine and have absolutely no intention of changing it. We welcome advice here concerning this magnificent mechanical masterpiece of its time.

Re: S600 Coupe Off frame restoration
 

One word of advice I can provide: PICS!!! :-D

Re: S600 Coupe Off frame restoration
 

It looks very complete and i'm loving the colour. Let the fun begin I say :P

Re: S600 Coupe Off frame restoration
 

that is awesome.. beautiful car man. good luck. i wish to obtain an S some day..

Re: S600 Coupe Off frame restoration
 

Nice, where would I be able to find one of these? Looked on ebay and didn't find anything.

Re: S600 Coupe Off frame restoration
 

Nice restoration candidate, best of luck with it.

Am I reading you VIN correctly, AS285C-1001536? If so, that makes your car the 4th to the last S600 coupe made in 1965 (AS285C-1001539 was the last S600 65 coupe, your car was probably made in late December of 1965.)

Also, PB-31 blue is a rare color (although it looks like your car was repainted at least once in it's life, the original color is closer to what can be seen in your engine bay).

We hope to see updates soon.

Re: S600 Coupe Off frame restoration
 

Very cool, welcome!

Re: S600 Coupe Off frame restoration
 

keep the thread updated with loads of pictures

hopefully you wont need any body panels but if you do then these UK guys may be able to help

http://www.radfordpanel.co.uk/s800.htm

Re: S600 Coupe Off frame restoration
 

Awesome project you got there. Keep us updated with lots of pictures :D

Re: S600 Coupe Off frame restoration
 

i bow down to your knowledge.. that is all.

Re: S600 Coupe Off frame restoration
 

Happy New Year to everyone. I've been away camping for the last 5 days and was pleased to see some posts here on my return.

ZTLOHMAK- your S600 thread inspired me to give it a go- well done!

E-AT ME - the car is in need of some serious work and could hardly be described as beautiful at this time but I hope to rectify that over the coming months/years.

4DRMAFIA- You need to look on Ebay every week and all over the world. They come up occasionally. I've seen 3 in Austarlia in the last 6 months.

SMITHENHIVEN- yes that is the correct VIN and I shall match the original PB-31 Blue when we get that far. What do you Know about engine numbers? This car has the original matching engine. Did the move go OK?

JDMDA7- Thank you for your kind welcome.

BOZWELL- I've added that body panel link to my Favorites S600 folder. Thank you. Been following your thead too.

83 CVCC- More pictures when I get to do some disassembly.

Make 2009 a bloody good one guys.

Re: S600 Coupe Off frame restoration
 

I'm glad you found my thread a source of inspiration, and I'm sure that your thread will do the same for many more people! I will be following your thread for updates!

Re: S600 Coupe Off frame restoration
 

I don't know a whole lot about engine numbers, except for what I've learned after trying to buy parts for mine. See I've got a very early 1964 S600 with original engine and it has a 5 digit engine number. For sake of argument, mine is basically a "bored out" S500 engine, and shares very little with the later seven digit 1965-6 "updated" engines such as yours.

You have the advantage of being able to upgrade your water pump to that of an S800, it's a larger pump with increased cooling capacity (can't do that with my engine, the water flow passages don't line up). Also, assuming your engine will need rebuilt, you can easily buy a complete gasket and seal kit from Japan (or Germany).

I think it's a plus that you have the original numbers matching engine, do you know if it's ever been rebuild previously? If it's still factory sealed, that's an even bigger plus; then a simple rebuild is probably all it will take to get that engine running again.

I'm still in the process of moving, I'll get back to you about that manual as soon as I'm finished unpacking.

Re: S600 Coupe Off frame restoration
 

may i ask how much you paid for this? im in the US and would LOVE to get my hands on one for restoration.

Re: S600 Coupe Off frame restoration
 

subscribed

Re: S600 Coupe Off frame restoration
 

That looks like a great restoration project. I do not believe I have ever seen an S600 Coupe, I was expecting the little 2 cylinder air cooled 600 that was sold here in the USA. I hope you continue to post pictures as the restoration progresses.

Re: S600 Coupe Off frame restoration
 

We have decided to run a series of preliminary engine checks and then try starting the engine while it is still in the car, so we know what to look for during the engine rebuild process. The previous owner said they had it running about 4 years ago (maybe). If everything checks out OK, I will post a video of us attempting to fire it up. We know our way around a normal engine, but we welcome any tips dealing with this not so normal buzz box.

Re: S600 Coupe Off frame restoration
 

How does the engine feel when you hand crank it? Have you done a compression/leak test on it? If not, I would recommend doing so before firing it. Also, you should at a minimum check the condition of the water pump before firing the engine. It may be seized, and you don't want to run the engine if it's not working properly. You'll also want to pay special attention to the starter clutch. I'd sugest taking it off before starting, and inspect the springs/rollers to insure they're in proper working condition. If the starter clutch is working properly (and assuming the carbs are somewhat tuned) by the time you turn the key and let it go, your s600 should be running (there really is no "cranking over" an S-car to get it running).

Re: S600 Coupe Off frame restoration
 

11k rpm back in the 60's !

Re: S600 Coupe Off frame restoration
 

I agree with Smithenhiven. I had a problem with my starter clutch, where it would just spin when you turned the key. The problem was one of the seals was leaking a small amount of oil, causing the rollers not to grip. Once it had new seals and was all clean it fired up first turn of the key. This was mentioned earlier in the thread by smithenhiven, water pump upgrades are avaliable from Michael Ortmann from Germany.

Do you have a workshop manual and parts manual?

Re: S600 Coupe Off frame restoration
 

No real progress since last post. I got some slightly better doors from a guy that also has a workshop manual and a parts manual that I should be able to make a copy of some time. I would also like to get them on CD/DVD. We removed the starter motor for a look and it seems OK. Been busy at work with little time to play.

Re: S600 Coupe Off frame restoration
 

I have made a skate to raise the car and to roll it around easy in the shed. I have removed the brakes to get them cleaned up and to get a better look at the chain drive and suspension. Done nothing more on the engine checks.

Re: S600 Coupe Off frame restoration
 

Thank god for an original restoration! I'm getting a bit tired of these yahoos trying to cram motorswaps into these beautiful cars

Re: S600 Coupe Off frame restoration
 

i think it is great too but i take offence to you calling me a Yahoo. you don't know me.

plus i have loads of spares which are going to others which will help them to restore or keep running standard cars. do you have a problem with that!



anyway back on topic. that is the first picture of the rear chain drive i have seen . do you intend to strip them down fully BMS250FORD (sorry, don't know your name). i'll be interested to see what they look like inside :)

Re: S600 Coupe Off frame restoration
 

I have spent days scanning a very poor copy of a workshop manual. I have cropped the edges and enhanced the images, reordered pages and eventualy, reprinted a half decent copy now.

I have decided to remove the body from the chassis following the manual step by step. So far the manual seems quite good and things are coming apart surprisingly well considering the age of the bits.

Once the body is off I will start work on the running gear. I will be stripping the chain drives and replacing bearings and chains if required and will post pics.

I am missing a couple of pages from my manual. If someone has a complete copy and could email me images I would be very greatful.
You may recognise the manual edition from the page image I have attached. I have no covers or other method of identifing the manual.
It only referes to the roadster not the coupe. I'll let you know what pages I need.