1965 Honda S600 Convertible, nice

Offered for sale for the first time ever is this one-owner. 1965 Honda S600 roadster. Titled as a 1966. this car was my wife's high-school graduation present from her father. a Honda motorcycle dealer in the BC Lower Mainland. She used it until we moved east for work at the end of 1970. by which time most of the accumulated mileage had been run up. It sat on blocks in a heated warehouse from 1971 to 1985. when we moved back to the west coast. Part of the first group of S600s imported to western Canada. it has spent its whole life in southwestern BC except for one trip to Montreal. The total mileage of just over 50. 00 is genuine. The car has a current title with BC Collector plates.

 This is a clean. complete car that you could take to a local show without embarrassment (we do). but the reserve reflects the fact that it is not a complete restoration and has one engine issue that should be simple for a better mechanic to solve.

 The original colour was ivory white with red upholstery. The car was delivered without floor carpets and without fender mirrors and remains that way. Over a late 1960s weekend. when my wife was out of town. a couple of her brothers decided the car would look sexier in Chrysler's colour evening orchid. I've done my best to obliterate that incident. whose only traces remain in a few paint spots on the lower driver's side door card. The paint was returned to white in 1986. when some of the chrome was replated. More parts were replated in 2002. but nothing is chrome that was not chromed by the factory. This car is about as correct as any you will find.

 The car received a partial restoration in 1993. The original engine was rebuilt with first oversize pistons and new O-rings to the base of the liners. Various other engine parts. seals and gaskets were replaced. The clutch friction disk was relined.

 There is a custom dual exhaust from behind the collector. with a non-standard muffler and no resonators. It sounds sporting but not loud. I believe a carefully made. OE-like replacement in stainless is available.

 The exhaust gas now shows traces of oil. The chain guide rollers should probably be replaced and new rollers will be supplied with the car. The engine idles well at 7-800 rpm and pulls cleanly to my self-imposed rev limit of 7. 00. at which point it has. in theory. another 2. 00 to go. Its big issue is that it overheats at idle. the result. I believe. of feeble water circulation despite a pump rebuild. The clutch rattles with the pedal depressed. a running issue with these cars related to the fingers on the clutch plate. which most owners do nothing about.

 The body received a quality. bare-metal re-spray in 1993 from a group that continues to turn out restorations for Pebble Beach. Any rusty areas were cut out and properly replaced. The inside of the doors and the wheel wells was re-sealed. The base coat. clear coat paint has held up well and the only chips or scratches I see are on the inside door sill. In the 20 years since it was painted. I've had rust issues in only two small areas. one about the size of a quarter and the other about the size of a dime. The first is at the edge of the hood on the top of the left front fender. and the second is at the leading edge of the trunk. These two areas are shown in the close-up photos. The hood badge is black instead of red. a personal choice.

 The seats were re-upholstered in red vinyl in the correct pattern in 1993. They remain in excellent condition.

 In 1996. the nut on the end of the gearbox output shaft came loose. locking the gearbox (a not uncommon problem with these cars). A complete used replacement gearbox was installed with thread locker on the output shaft nut. It works well. though the synchro rings are not as good as in the original. The S600 has no synchro on first. requiring either a complete stop or double-clutching to engage it while moving. but second is sufficiently low to pull away from a crawl in most circumstances.

 The convertible top was replaced with a new one in the correct pattern in 2009. It is in excellent condition and the plastic windows are unscratched. The windshield header is scratched (visible with the top down) and the top tightening tapes inside are presentable but soiled.

 This car still brings a smile to my face every time I get behind the wheel. Its rarity on the road provides a cachet that's impossible to beat at the price. A fun car in town. it is not a good car for trips because the final drive ratio gives slightly over 10 mph per thousand rpm. The engine is like a fine watch. a showcase of technology unequalled in the mid-1960s: aluminum head. block and gearbox casing with a casting quality much finer than in certain Italian cars of the period. four carburetors. double overhead cams. a built-up crankshaft running in roller bearings. forged aluminum pistons. and a tuned. spaghetti-tube exhaust header and collector. all stock.  

 It was serviced by the Honda network until it went into storage in 1970. I took it over when it came out of storage in 1985 and have maintained it since. Reproductions of the parts and service manuals will be supplied to the purchaser together with some documentation.

 We're planning to downsize over the next year and have one car too many. After a period of discussion. we're reluctantly offering this one. You could be its first-ever purchaser.

 Exterior:

There are no missing parts. The bodywork is very straight. The paint is in excellent condition for its age; aside from the areas mentioned above I don't see any chips. scratches or defects. The colour is very close to original. The body seams at the rocker panels and to the front cowls and fenders have been left unfilled. as original. The glass is original and in good condition without chips or scratches. The headlight rims were replated in 1986 but now show light oxidation spots. The windshield trim. the trunk hinges and the fuel filler cap are all original and want re-plating. The hubcaps are damaged; my wife says they add character and has consistently refused to let me replace them. There is surface corrosion in a few areas on the top centre of the rear bumper. the result of a mistake during the 2002 plating process; this bumper wants refinishing. The 155x13 slim whitewall tires are period-correct. though one size wider than original. and in good condition on the original steel wheels. All the hard-to-find stainless and chrome trim and badges are present and correct. The four tubular jacking points are solid and will lift the car without deforming.

 The car will be supplied with its original convertible boot and tonneau cover. both in good condition.

 Interior:

There are no missing parts. The upholstery is in good to excellent condition. The rear compartment tray is in good condition. The original black carpeting over the console is good. The optional leatherette armrest is just OK but intact. The ashtray in the armrest has a loose lid. a frozen hinge and the inside has surface rust. The dash pad. as almost any original would be. is cracked. The wood steering wheel shows its unrestored patina but is in good condition. The red-line segment on the tach is sun-faded. The driver's side floor mat. an original vinyl item but a replacement. is starting to break at the heel pad but is still quite presentable. The passenger side mat. also a replacement. is in good condition. The signal-seeking radio is present and working. Original keys will be supplied for the gas cap and telescoping antenna. The ignition switch is not original—the result of an attempted theft—but I have refused to pay the silly prices asked for a used replacement. The heater controls work. The handbrake lever is OK but would benefit from replating. The brake pedal rubber is split on one side. The door rubbers are functional but not pretty. The four seat belt storage snaps are present and work. though we hardly ever use them.

 Under the hood:

The good news is that it's clean. working and almost all correct. The nearly new battery even has the now-rare clear plastic cover in good condition. However. the paint on the firewall and inner fenders is dull. The washer pump is present but inoperative. The top radiator hose is incorrect. There is light surface rust to the top of the mounting shelf for the clutch and brake masters. There is a non-standard hole with a filler plug under the data plate on the firewall. the access point for a dead-wheel drive rally odometer cable (not supplied!).

 The electrical wiring has not been messed with. though a couple of light sockets have been rewired and. here and there. a section of wire has been replaced. All the electrics work with two exceptions: the windshield washer pump. which. since the car doesn't go out in the rain. we have not needed. and the turn signal indicator on the dash. which does work sometimes but probably has a poor connector. I'm too inflexible now to crawl under the dash to check.

 The car has the optional primer switch for its impulse-operated fuel pump. a useful accessory if the car is left sitting for more than a week as it allows the float bowls to be refilled without cranking the engine. The ignition retains contact points in its distributor. which is driven off the nose of the intake camshaft. The distributor has replacement wires and does not have its original rubber boot. which I found a nuisance.

 Trunk:

The interior is clean and in good but not show condition. The trunk mat is torn. The original jack and handle are present but there is no toolkit. The spare tire is probably the same age as the car.

 Brakes. Suspension:

The S600 has finned aluminum drums with steel liners at all four corners.   The brakes work well for the period but the rears should be relined soon. The front wheel cylinders have been re-sleeved in brass and the flexible front brake lines are Ortmann replacements only a year old. The rest of the brake lines are original. The clutch and brake masters were rebuilt last year with new seals and boots from Ortmann. The right side chain-case is slowly weeping oil. enough to make it messy but not enough to concern me. Over the last few years I've replaced most. if not all. of the bushings and rubber parts in the suspension. The front shocks are Monroe. adequate but not brilliant. and the rears are height and rebound adjustable coil-overs from Sherwood Garage. The car handles well and has no body rattles but does have the choppy ride characteristic of short-wheelbase cars. There is no cowl-shake on normal roads.

Want to buy this car?