1966 Honda S600 Frame off restoration...

Found on Honda-Tech of all places, 12 pages of goodness, lots of pics and videos. Not mine, but very interesting none the less.

Great read, very interesting to see the suspension and chain-drive up close.

Neat car. I would like to see the frame they are taking the body off. Just being picky

iceracer wrote: Neat car. I would like to see the frame they are taking the body off. Just being picky

Holy Cow! They stole their rear axle design from a Unimog!

Really? I've never seen a unimog up close, interesting. Or did unimog steal honda's design?

Damnit... yet another obscure car to add to my 'want' list.

What is the purpose of the chain drive in the rear axles? Just to get more gear reduction than can be provided by the ring and pinion?

bravenrace wrote: What is the purpose of the chain drive in the rear axles? Just to get more gear reduction than can be provided by the ring and pinion?

The rear pumpkin doesn't move. It is an IRS, but instead of the way it is done now, with CV shafts coming off the pumpkin, this one directs power out to a couple of swingarms. It's similar to the way motorcycles deliver power (which makes sense considering that Honda was a motorcycle company and this was their first foray into something with 4 wheels).

In reply to DILYSI Dave:

That makes sense. Thanks!

Wow. That's way too cool to be on h-t. "Dose it have vetech? Dose mooogan make a bodie kit 4 it?"

m4ff3w wrote:

iceracer wrote: Neat car. I would like to see the frame they are taking the body off. Just being picky

Some how I think that is not an S600.

That absolutely is an S600 frame and drivetrain. I say that having owned several and an S800. Plus I raced an S600 for about 15 years.

Sorry, I was wrong. Being a Honda I was thinking unit body. I learn things every day.

So its really not like a unimog, except that neither of the differentials are inline with the center line of the rear wheels. I didnt notice that the S600 diff was not able to move.

Ice, These were really sweet cars and bear little if no relation to what came later. At the time Honda was trying to build their reputation as an automobile manufacturer and these were very advanced for the time. The trailing design of the chain drive made for a very smooth ride for a short wheelbase. It also gave a unique characteristic of the torque raising the rear if you hammered it from rest. The motor was very similar in design to the F3 motor that Honda won a Championship with. After that, roller bearing cranks were outlawed in F3.

RossD wrote: So its really not like a unimog, except that neither of the differentials are inline with the center line of the rear wheels. I didnt notice that the S600 diff was not able to move.

Yeah, the unimog has portal axles, which, while awesome, are an entirely different beast.

Here's a Honda S800 that I saw at the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix (it was racing in the same class as my vintage Spridget). Quite fast and made keen sounds!

The S800 has some key differences from the S600. Later versions of the S800 swapped the chain drive for a conventional live axle.

That was amazing. I was hoping to see it completed by the end of the thread, but that guy got pretty anal about a lot of stuff.

I've never seen the innards of one of those engines before. It reminds me a LOT of a CB450F, except that motor had torsion bar valve springs.