This COAL is perhaps the best example of my ambition and optimism in choosing project cars, leading more often than not to my biting off way more than I could hope to chew. I bought this rare Honda S600 roadster on whim with the intent of making a customized rat rod style roadster out of it. I should have looked closer before committing. While I knew it was well beyond hope of a proper restoration, it turned out to be so rough that it was not even worthy as a parts car. Follow along for (another) tale of cheap project car woe.
I was traveling from Lethbridge to Calgary when I spotted some sort of vintage roadster in appalling condition. As I got closer, I was more than surprised to see it was a Honda S-series roadster. They had been sold in Canada (but not the United States) in small numbers but are very rarely encountered. I took a (too) brief look as it was sitting on private property and called the owner as I continued my drive. He complained that he just put up an online ad and was now getting calls from potential buyers all over the world. He wanted it gone and I agreed to buy it for close to scrap metal value. He would deliver a few days later.
There are two features that make the Honda S600 special: one is the motorcycle-derived 606 cc four-cylinder DOHC engine, and the other is the independent rear suspension via a sealed roller chain drive on each side. Mine was missing both these features. I knew it had an oversize rear axle in place of the original suspension, but I did not yet know how poorly it had been hacked in.
The story I got from the seller was that a young man had converted it into a sort of dragster in the late 1970s. He lived on a farm and had driven it to high school with a Chevrolet V8 and triple carburetors. A radiator had not fit, but he did without given the short distance travelled each way. I unfortunately could not verify this information as the seller would not divulge the location he found the car. I get the impression there were many more vehicles on the property that he had plans to flip.
Since my example was so hacked up, my plan was to build a 1950s or 1960s style rad rod roadster out of it using an inline four-cylinder or small V6 mated to a manual transmission and suspension lifted from a smaller vehicle. The Honda-ness had long been destroyed, but perhaps the body shell could live again.
The first step in any project is always cleaning and assessing what you have just bought. In the case of the S600, what I found was disturbing. As I sucked out layers of vegetation I was horrified to find that many body panels had been replaced with now-rotted wood. Most of the floor boards had been hacked away as had the inner door skins. The vintage go kart seat was merely placed rather than bolted down. Random bits of sheet metal had been cut away or drilled, I assume, in an attempt to cut weight. The story of it being drivable was looking rather doubtful.
In the trunk there was an old Chevrolet generator as well as a small collection of vintage “stubby” beer bottles. Once the wood chips were cleared away, another surprise beyond the lack of a trunk floor presented itself.
I will give you a moment to ponder the two image above. Yes that is a rear non-suspension. The builder, if we can generously call him that, solidly welded in a 1957 Chevrolet rear axle. In the top photo you can see some of the remnants of the mounts for the chain drive.
Up front, things were not much better. The beautifully finned aluminum front brakes were intact, but it looked like someone had at one point cobbled together a crude air ducting system out of radiator hoses and that the front shocks had been welded solid. If you do not have suspension in the back, why have any at the front?
The engine bay revealed more horrors. The inner fenders had been savaged with extremely rough cuts. The firewall had been equally mutilated for engine and transmission clearance. Here is the kicker though; beyond a bit of surface rust, the remaining body was very solid and rust free. I suspect before its Frankenstein-equse transformation, this Honda had been a rust-free car.
I welded in some new metal where the inner sills had been cut, but it all still looked pretty tragic.
To make myself feel a little better, I pulled off the nasty and crude hood blister. I’ll have to be happy enough that I bought a powertrain donor vehicle for cheap.
The Honda S600 had a torsion bar front suspension which, while intact, had been buggered with on my car. It made sense to swap over the donor’s front and rear suspension. A live rear axle conversion at the rear it would be the easiest and most straightforward swap. Given the tight confines of the front, a similar style torsion bar front suspension would be ideal. So my donor would need to be narrow, with a live rear axle, torsion bar front suspension, a modest engine and mostly importantly, a low price. I actually found a candidate which met four out of five of these criteria, but I had to compromise on width which, given the diminutive dimensions of the S600, was almost a forgone conclusion.
Here is a handy size comparison against a standard eighteen-speed bicycle.
My donor was body on frame (next week’s COAL) and so was the S600; with the Honda being in such poor condition, I decided to simply swap the donor chassis under its body. The donor chassis was chopped significantly to solve the length issue leaving a big mismatch in width. In mulling over a solution, I came up with a radical plan. I’d cut the Honda body right down the middle and weld in an extra six inches of width. It wasn’t quite as wacky as it seems since there were only a few places that would need surgery. It was surely easier than than adapting the donor suspension to fit the Honda’s frame.
About this time, I began having serious doubts about how I would register this abomination. It would require a rigorous “out of province” safety inspection as the Honda’s VIN had aged out of the system. I did not feel comfortable using the donor vehicle’s identity, although I suppose a case could have been made for it given I was using its frame. I have heard of hot rod builders receiving months and thousands of dollars worth of grief in the process of getting their creations street legal, and my hybrid creation would be even more of a challenge given it was not a traditional hot rod, nor a mildly modified vehicle.
Another dose of reality hit as I added up the cost of the custom windshield, grill and the thousands of other little details necessary to complete the procedure. I still assert it was all very doable, just not on the modest timeline and budget I envisioned. I did not want another project sitting in the garage for years waiting for ideal financial circumstances–I had already been through that with my Locost project and it was demoralizing. After much soul searching, I decided to call it quits on the S600 before I had sunk any real money into it.
The donor vehicle was parted out which netted me a modest profit, but selling the Honda proved to be more of a challenge. Now that it was cleaned up, the inside made it clear just how much of a project it would be which quite rightly scared away all punters who looked at it. It even made a poor parts car with so few good parts left, let alone the small number of S600s needing any. These little S roadsters tend to be either perfect or complete basket-cases with very few in average condition. I did not want weigh it in for scrap metal either.
Fortunately, I was contacted by a an owner of a S600 whose car had received a Mazda 12A rotary engine back in the 1980s. He fancied it as a parts car and a deal was made. I still managed to lose a modest amount on the Honda, but it balanced out with the donor vehicle profit. I do not believe I had ever been so happy to see a vehicle leave my ownership as I was then. At least I can claim to have owned a very rare Honda S600. Just don’t ask about the details!
You’ve more enthusiasm and skill than me!I’m one of the cautious types who bought a working car in good condition and kept on top of it.
After this tale, me thinks David should be following your lead. 😉
Over the past 40 years I’ve also done my share of “wreck” buying, in hopes of some cobbled together restoration. Without a doubt, you are always dollars and time ahead, to buy something turn key, all ready to rock n roll. You will spend a few more shillings up front but always less than the garage floor build.
Enthusiasm is a necessary ingredient for sure, unfortunately without money and time, the final product is always half-baked.
I’ve come unstuck.I bought a low mileage 5 year old Sunbeam Rapier automatic which was a total lemon.I didn’t know about the delicate automatic gearbox but I did learn quite a bit about mechanical,electricall and body repairs during the 3 years I owned it
Ive cobbled a few cars together out of several wrecks on occasion but I try to start with something less far gone than that Honda I prefer something semi complete that ideally runs and just needs a wreck to source parts from.
After almost 40 years of playing with cars, I have learned that the most important rule is “Be careful in selecting a project” The second most important rule is “Know when to get out”.
Yes indeed. I never should have bought this one.
It’s kind of a shame that your project didn’t come to fruition, I would have liked to have seen the end result. Also, is that a 1960 Dodge station wagon in the first pic?
This post reminds me of a couple of guys down the street from my childhood home. The couple had four (or five) sons who were about 10 or more years older than me. They were always playing with cars and occasionally I would wander down to their house to see what they were up to. Being in the midwest, it was usually a collection of Chevys, anywhere from the mid fifties to the late sixties, cheap used cars they could buy and then hot rod.
One of the brothers bought an early Triumph Spitfire and decided to yank the SBC out of his then-current Chevy sedan and drop it into this little thing. I was all of 6 or 7 years old at the time, but I was allowed to hang out with these guys (at least they weren’t actively chasing me away) and “help” them build this monstrosity. I also was kind of enamored with the Spitfire, as it was a small car and it seemed like it was one I could pilot at that age. I’m sure there was a lot of backyard engineering put into that Spitfire, probably not unlike what happened to your Honda.
Being so long ago (almost 45 years!) I really don’t have much recollection of what transpired, but I do remember that I did get to go for a ride in the finished product. I vivdly remember the one brother telling me to hold on tight to the “Jesus” bar as we were going to go really fast. And the fact that the car was really, really loud anytime the engine was running. Beyond those memories, I don’t remember much more, but I’ve always been fascinated by loud and fast cars ever since.
Keep going, David. It is a numbers game. One day you will find a gem.
I know what I am talking about, just on a smaller scale: bicycles. my projects can be hung in the rafters. Almost every year I am putting my losers on the curbside to make room for more projects.
Losers are often the better bikes with busted suspension forks, or bikes that have bent frames that I did not see when buying.
Winners that I picked up at the curbside were:
A Trek 7000, that needed air in the tires and grips for the handle bar.
A Panasonic road bike that needed tires and tubes. My Nr. 2 son is riding it for 3 years now.
A Raleigh Professional with Campagnolo components that Nr. 2 son was riding to school for 4 years before I found the Panasonic.
A bike trailer for kids that went form $0 to $75 in 3 days. It needed one inner tube.
One night someone dropped 5 bikes off at my garage drive way, probably a property owner who cleared out a few rental units. What a pleasant surprise! One of these bikes I built up for personal use with parts that were lying around. It received new smooth tires. When I was done this Giant Antelope Mountain bike sported drop down road handlebars, index shifters on the stem, Shimano 18 speeds, mtb wheels with 32 spoke count, a beautiful aluminum crank set from a woman’s bike and luggage rack. This bike was as rugged as a mountain bike and as fast as a road bike. I did RAGBRAI (Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa) with it. It got quite a few looks during this popular one week long ride. A few years later some college kid liked it so much I let it go for a relatively high price.
So if anyone wants projects with low risk to reward ratios bicycles are the way to go. My biggest problem: I can’t quit because I get calls from former buyers.
I would like to move on to 1 car project per year. I am still in the dreaming phase with this idea. David, your winter beaters are an inspiration. This Honda mess is a warning.
Savages……
I can’t even begin to imagine what this monstrosity was like when it was running back in the 1970’s……..did the seller tell you where the builder was buried and if there were any survivors? This reminds me of the time we installed a big block in a Piggly Wiggly shopping cart, we burned those little caster wheels right off man……
David, you either have the world’s most patient and understanding wife…or you are aren’t really married with kids after all. My wife is fairly indulgent in my car buying habits but I know she wouldn’t want her car to be sharing garage space with some of the creatures you’ve found along the roadside. At least you appear to have the sense to not pick up another one until the previous one is gone!
David, I am in awe of your ability to find some of the rarest cars out there and to mate them with a sunny optimism that they will soon be put right. I lost that sunny optimism long ago (while under my 61 Thunderbird, if I recall) and now prefer my old cars in full running and driving condition.
Yes, this one would have really put the “project” in project car. It is a shame that it was so hacked up to begin with. The good news, which you seem to have recognized, is that you can mark down some real rarities in the “I used to own one of . . . ” list.
When I first scrolled down to that picture of the rear axle welded to the frame rails, I immediately wanted to punch something in the face! What a shame that it wasn’t lacking that stupidity, because the body looks way straighter than many that I’ve seen.
I’m sure your wife will take zero consolation in this, but the way I see it, you at least left this poor S600 off better than it was when you got it. And I’d be proud to say that I owned one too – even if it never moved under its own power. I left a comment in the article yesterday saying that I used to see S800s occasionally (in similar condition) on eBay and always tried to trick myself into believing I could restore one on a nonexistent budget, but knew I couldn’t… so you lived both my dream and nightmare with this car!
Also, I had no idea they sold the S600 in Canada until you mentioned it. How many could possibly be left? Ten? This would’ve been such a cool car…
Wow, what a find. A shame it was so hacked up. I am known for my love of Broughams but these little Hondas were way cool!
And while it didn’t work out, what a neat car to own, even if you never got to drive it.
Could have made a nice little dragster along the lines of the old Topolinos and Anglias!
What kind of brain-dead hicks would commit such an atrocity as to hack up a rust free S800? What were they thinking (or non-thinking)?
A real shame.the would have been really solid when they started.
I know these cars are rare now, but back in the late 70’s it was just another old car. They probably had no idea if the car was rare. Even if they did know it was rare, at that time it probably wasn’t that valuable.
Makes for an interesting story, though!
Drugs, alcohol and a welding torch are a nasty combination. Good you had the foresight to quit before you really started. And you have the satisfaction of knowing the remains will contribute to keeping another S600 on the road.
Keep these great articles coming ! .
I do the same thing , buy junkers then take ’em apart and rebuild the mechanicals , I stupidly never learned to weld / do body / paint works .
-Nate
I have an old friend who has/has had several Honda S-cars, both roadster and coupe. One, I recall, was tracked down through “a friend of a friend” semi-abandoned in a back alley in old Downtown Toronto. Another memorable purchase of his was a vanload of parts and FIVE complete cars, two or three trips to Montreal for him to get all that stuff home!
The nicest one he’s had was the white S-600 roadster he completely restored. Was sold off to another enthusiast a few years back.