SiRge Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Discussion: //oldschool.co.nz/index.php?/topic/49007-sirges-1969ish-honda-n360/ So I've finally embarked on my own journey of owning a classic car. Been wanting to do something in the much simpler world without luxury items such as retractable seat belts (Who really needs them anyways?) So a few months ago with my partner after we picked up our '81 Leyland Mini (Unsure if will do build thread for this too), decided to go to a place called Horopito. I'd heard of it before and people have told me there's just lots of old cars and potentially some pretty cool finds. While we were there I found some new wheels for the daily and also spotted this hidden little white Honda N360. Before I left I expressed some interest and they said they'd be happy to sell. Cool. After another couple months and a few phone calls I arranged for myself and a mate to go up with a couple trailers and pick up this little beast (A couple trailers required as they said I could have the free wreck that they had on site too). Headed up last week and stayed at brother-in-laws's place overnight for the long trip on Saturday. Couple photos the cars loaded up with the N360's Sorry potato photos below, think I smudged my phone camera lense. After an exciting trip home with not a fault in the world, such a lucky trip. We off load the car onto my driveway and I shoot off to drop the hire trailer off. Dropped it off at 4.30 (Y) Bang on time, couldn't have done it better (Only had hire trailer for 24 hours). Put a tarp over the wreck as there's holes in the roof and left it for the night. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiRge Posted June 30, 2015 Author Share Posted June 30, 2015 Woke up Sunday and started washing the good one. Doesn't look too bad already, bit of rust spots but the cancer is actually really good for a ~43 year old car Before washing 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiRge Posted June 30, 2015 Author Share Posted June 30, 2015 During washing - Potato picture, but you can see the before and after colour Finally had a clean for now, bit worried about the amount of white paint that came off with the wash, possibly repaint at some point :S But it's actually pretty good under the dirt so extremely happy with that! 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiRge Posted June 30, 2015 Author Share Posted June 30, 2015 Amazing sticker on the back! All snug ready for a night under a cover 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiRge Posted June 30, 2015 Author Share Posted June 30, 2015 Even more snug in the garage 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiRge Posted July 7, 2015 Author Share Posted July 7, 2015 Picked up owner manual and workshop manual. Nice that I can have a matching collection for me and future owners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post SiRge Posted July 12, 2015 Author Popular Post Share Posted July 12, 2015 Alright, started the removal of spare parts from the wreck with a couple mates Pretty much pulled: - all glass - doors - dash - fuse box - tail gate - all wiring looms (Must be about 12 wires total!) - front bumper - steering rack and ends Then we did the head lining... it was a system where the whole head lining was pressed into the top skin of the roof and had some reinforcement bars holding it in place. Of course these things are designed to go in not out we though what a genious way would be to open the top the roof like a tin can.... So after we removed the head lining it looked pretty ugly so we just decided it's probably best to make this wreck into a convertible. I am horrified in how easy it was to chop through the pilars with a hack saw. Literally about 15-20 strokes and I was through. If I'm ever in an accident it's been nice knowing all of you. Peeling all of the skins The new convertible N360 Just picture to show minimal remaining in engine bay now Next time we're taking the windscreen frame off and then flipping car 180 degrees (Or maybe just on its side) and removing the remaining stuff like subframes, petrol tank, suspension, hubs. Hopefully only a day left then we can start cracking into the good one and see what we're dealing with! 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiRge Posted July 19, 2015 Author Share Posted July 19, 2015 Another reasonably uneventful update, but with a lolable picture. Nathan and I took out all the rest of the salvageable gear in the wreck (We litterally picked it up and tipped it on it's side...) Sprayed all of the things with ROST OFF, had a can of coke and banter then removed all of the bolt with no snappage. Then we flipped it back on the ground and proceeded to put a flipped space saver in the wheel arch to show of how amazing it could look on 15s. Sadly at this height the body is on the wheel so this height is unobtainable without some major surgery but would look pretty dman cool! Oh and before I forget, moved the n360 over to in front of the mini (Not seen in this photo) so I can get my other car back in the garage. Fitting 3 cars in a double garage like a boss. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiRge Posted August 16, 2015 Author Share Posted August 16, 2015 Tried to start the gay little thing lol. Friend Nathan came around, we started the day off with some creamy blue cheese on crackers and cup of tea, really to set the mood good. Made some pork rib dry rub in preparation for a bbq after the lundy 500 in a couple weeks then got down to business. Replaced oil, plugs, fuel (Jesus the fuel, it resembled coke when we drained the old stuff out!). Found this car has an electric petrol pump, sounds like a very small bilge pump lol. Enough about that, inspected the points, connected a battery up, tried to turn it over. *Clunk*. Unsure what I was thinking to be honest. Hmmm. Lets try 14 times more to see if it was just an off chance. *clunk*, nope. Still poked. Rocked the car back and forth, tried again, nothing. Another friend josh came over as he's an electrical genius, cleaned a few earth, ran some tests over the car for voltage etc. Tested relays, seem fine. Manually spin the motor over a few rototions with a spanner, still nothing. That sad moment you have to figure out how a Motor-Generator works. The silly thing doesn't have a starter motor, it has a motor and generator in 1. When you apply juice to the motor it spins and start the motor, but as it's spinning it generates power, so when the car continues to run, the motor's spinning and generating power. Oh Honda, you produce some innovative hunks of crap, but it's still very cool. Well next time I'll be taking electrical stuff apart and looking a bit like this while doing it as I really have no idea. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiRge Posted September 7, 2015 Author Share Posted September 7, 2015 Another pictureless update as the car hasnt moved But since the last update I have: (With help with a friend or 2) - Chain timing was out, during the process of turning the motor over once we had filled it with all new fluids, friend (Or me, unsure now) turned engine backwards and skipped the chain as the hydrolic pressure went to nothing on the tensioner. Instead of taking head off and organising new H/G to get it back in timing, I only had to turn it backwards another 2 skips of the timing chain (Held the cam at TDC with vice grips and rotated motor back like 1/8 of a turn in the end to then be timed correctly again) (Sorry Scott and Jared ) So it's now timed up as best as I can see ... hopefully. - Next onto the carb I have cleaned it out various time with carb cleaner, removed the jets, made sure they flowed well (Carb cleaner is aerosol so punch a bit of grim out or all of the things), unfortunately there's a wee bit of old fuel jelly in there and I'm not entire sure if it's completely out of the passages. It doesnt seem to dissolve in the carb cleaner too well, but we did only find it in the float. Float is now filling up, carb is now giving us fuel, unsure how much fuel still. Might pay to say I have the 2nd gen carb here, so looks the same as the Z600/N600 carb. - Starter motor we had to drown the bushes in CRC to get dirt loose enough for their springs to work, smoked a little bit when we first had it cranking over too But she's all fine and dandy now, cranks over like new! - For the points we've adjusted the brush in there so it's a more suitable distance from the lube. Wasn't any rust or dirt in there so I'm hoping it all looks ok. The spark seems to be firing on both plugs (Replaced them too), unsure on the spark timing yet however, I can't see why someone would change it though? - We've done a compression test dry when it was first timed up, had 60psi equal over both cylinders. So hopefully that means there aren't any bent valves in there, but maybe the valves are seating 100%. We've lubed the bores up since and we're going to do another compression test and also find a leakdown tester to use as well. So next thing to do is probably lube up the bores some more, and then do another compression check, other than that, I'm out of ideas now. Help? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiRge Posted September 8, 2015 Author Share Posted September 8, 2015 Goat you beautiful man you. She runs finally. Spark issue in the end, condenser is poked, joe happened to have one rolling around his flatmates starlet. Rangi mod installed and she fired up pretty much first pop. Grin was ear to ear. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiRge Posted September 8, 2015 Author Share Posted September 8, 2015 It's not much, but it is a running video 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiRge Posted October 2, 2015 Author Share Posted October 2, 2015 Got it idling. And bonus points, it moved under it's own steam about 10cm (We're in a pretty tight garage!) But after warming it up completely, few things to note: still potentially a missfire in there somewhere, running rich, still only has 85psi compression (Should have 160) Guess a rebuild is in order. 2016 perhaps I can figure something out. Before I rebuild however, I'll probably do some Italian tuning. Maybe try that sea foam stuff or whatever its called? I needs someone to either bring me a leak-down tester or help me feeler gauge the valves to see if the issue exists there. In other news, found out you can bore the sleeves on these bad boys and run EB1 Civic pistons, giving us ~400cc, newer/easier to find piston rings. May give me that 3hp I need to beat the Mrs' Mini in a micro-car drag race Next on the list is to put it up on stands and pull all the brakes off and rebuild. Then when that's done I can bring her outside and hoon (See: "Go fucking slow") down the road. Excitement level 4. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiRge Posted April 21, 2016 Author Share Posted April 21, 2016 Side mission. Went to Japan casually. Visited tuner shop for n360s in Osaka. Got me a head gasket. Woo. Couple oil filters, n360 1:24 model. This place is amazing. Will post pictures when I'm home 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post SiRge Posted June 29, 2016 Author Popular Post Share Posted June 29, 2016 Pics as sorta promised... well these are just a few from my Coke Club visit (the tuner shop). Still looking through relevant stuff for N360. Will be putting together my model soon too that I picked up from Japan, pics to come too. Been a year since buying it, feel sad I havent done a lot, soon tho bby, soon. Cleaning out garage more and more to get back into it so I may require you beautiful peoples help for how to old car things.Hoping to get the brake components removed and cleaned etc this year. A visit to ABC is soon i think CokeClubs race car, custom suspension, flares etc. Pretty damn cool Me cutting deals with the owner Takashi. View from upstairs office Stepvan that makes me all sorts of wet The workshop The workshop sign 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiRge Posted August 21, 2016 Author Share Posted August 21, 2016 Bought an NZ new N600. '73 has a bit more rust and some retard took the gas cap off so no doubt the gas tank is fucked. Came with newly chromed bumpers and grill etc so thats pretty cool (Y) Picked up some SSR Mesh (welded 3 pieced, but I'm 95% sure the centre is reversable.... but I cant seem to get the centre out...) (Thanks to Alex @ Moonlight Racing to organising buying from Yahoo) Aaaand finally, removed the hubs from the first one to get all the soft lines pads and cylinders reproduced/relined through ABC, sandblast all the parts, dip the parts in zinc phosphate, powdercoat them, then will get them back on the car. The hard lines on this car is setup so shit, there's a single line that goes out to the drivers wheel, which then leads back to the passenger wheel, which then leads back to the passenger rear wheel, then leads to drivers rear wheel... Have a friend with reel of brake line and benders/flare tools so maybe 1 day I'll make proper split lines, but then again, I could leave it for the 600... 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post SiRge Posted May 20, 2018 Author Popular Post Share Posted May 20, 2018 Things recently happened as I remember them: 1) Wife gave birth to future slave labour option 2) Donated above green N600, finally out of the garage weekend just been. Hopefully the new owner will give it another lease for life. 3) N360 got it's brakes all redone, new rubber lines, new pads, master cylinder rebuilt, everything lubed up and nice. Still have sponginess in pedal, need a vac bleeder I reckon 4) N360 took a little visit to Honda Wellington dealership as part of a promo. Car got a decent wash, polish etc. Now that garage is a little more empty, not that I have any time still, I still have a few things I can work on, still need to find door and window rubber seals and bleed brakes etc. I suppose might have to wait for Spring at this rate... 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post SiRge Posted June 8, 2020 Author Popular Post Share Posted June 8, 2020 Things recently happened as I remember them: 1) Another devil spawn produced 2) CRX bought, dismantled, found epic cancer that had shit repairs on the firewall (See: Actually held together by bog). Not mad just disappointed 3) Tried to put the CRX's B series into N360, that took ages, tried to cut the least as possible so I could change direction if needed. It does fit, but the cost is the hubs would have to be moved out quite some way, and thus the car would be about a foot wider than factory. Cool, but not something I want to do this time round. 4) Bought a Honda Jazz to try transfer everything over, which was always plan A, but when a B series presents itself for almost no money, you give it a go Said Jaaaazzzz. Been in a frontal, but still does skids (Y) 21 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiRge Posted February 19 Author Share Posted February 19 Cut cut cut 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post SiRge Posted February 19 Author Popular Post Share Posted February 19 New wheels (13x5 from CA Accord) 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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