datsunfreak Posted June 7, 2021 Report Share Posted June 7, 2021 6 hours ago, Duncan said: As I recall, it was very "meh" but it was around 1971, and the muscle car thing was at an all time high around that period. Muscle car or no, my gut still says it would be "meh". Hell, Tim's Smart would probably keep up with half those "muscle cars"... 😄 Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted June 7, 2021 Report Share Posted June 7, 2021 On 6/5/2021 at 9:07 PM, dimlight65 said: I thought you were pushing for the VFR! I am not at this time pushing for anything specific. I want (relative) ease of install, good power, decent price for the donor, and one that has good parts availability (like the older Hondas don't have)... Quote Link to comment
Lockleaf Posted June 7, 2021 Report Share Posted June 7, 2021 Goldwing 4 cylinder with uneven length headers so you get some Subaru sounding goodness! 2 Quote Link to comment
dimlight65 Posted June 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, Lockleaf said: Goldwing 4 cylinder with uneven length headers so you get some Subaru sounding goodness! Believe it or not, that setup is too long! The transmission sits totally behind the engine (much like in a car, think to come of it) and would require much more trans tunnel modification. Or the steering rack is in the way. I don't remember but we had a good reason to not consider the Goldwing. Edited June 8, 2021 by dimlight65 Changed "motor" to "setup" 1 Quote Link to comment
dimlight65 Posted June 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2021 2 hours ago, datsunfreak said: I am not at this time pushing for anything specific. I want (relative) ease of install, good power, decent price for the donor, and one that has good parts availability (like the older Hondas don't have)... Ah, I overstand now. We will make discussing later. Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted June 8, 2021 Report Share Posted June 8, 2021 2 hours ago, Lockleaf said: Goldwing 4 cylinder with uneven length headers so you get some Subaru sounding goodness! 25 minutes ago, dimlight65 said: Believe it or not, that setup is too long! The transmission sits totally behind the engine (much like in a car, think to come of it) and would require much more trans tunnel modification. Or the steering rack is in the way. I don't remember but we had a good reason to not consider the Goldwing. The engine is too long, the transmission is where the driver's feet go, and the starter is where the steering rack needs to live. Tim has thus far not mentioned this story, so I will "out" him here... 😁 TIm has for a long time made mention of wanting an N600, and really I am just now realizing, he wanted this N600 specifically. Since it has never been for sale until recently, about 10 years ago I found a decent N600 for sale and I bought it and gave it to him for his birthday. We obviously wanted to swap it too, and as fate would have it I owned a Goldwing at the time (1977 GL1000 "naked"). One of my friends on the GL1000 forum located in northeast Dallas had a wrecked '77 GL1000 with a good engine. We thought that would be a good donor, so we trucked it over to his place and bought the wrecked bike. After getting it back to the shop we realized it was too big in almost every dimension and would required much chopping of the car, so that idea was shelved. That N600 was eventually sold to make way for other projects, possibly with the hope that one day this N600 would be for sale... 2 Quote Link to comment
Lockleaf Posted June 8, 2021 Report Share Posted June 8, 2021 Hahaha. Ridiculously small car for a goldwing engine to be that much too big. Awesome. 2 Quote Link to comment
dimlight65 Posted June 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2021 19 hours ago, datsunfreak said: TIm has for a long time made mention of wanting an N600, and really I am just now realizing, he wanted this N600 specifically. That's supposed to be the "Both. Both is good" meme, if it didn't show up. 1 Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted June 8, 2021 Report Share Posted June 8, 2021 22 hours ago, Lockleaf said: Goldwing 4 cylinder with uneven length headers so you get some Subaru sounding goodness! Side note, for future reference,,, 23 hours ago, datsunfreak said: I want (relative) ease of install, good power, decent price for the donor, and one that has good parts availability (like the older Hondas don't have)... You can't buy jack shit for an old school Goldwing motor. The only thing available is carb kits and a handful of gaskets. Quote Link to comment
Lockleaf Posted June 8, 2021 Report Share Posted June 8, 2021 53 minutes ago, datsunfreak said: You can't buy jack shit for an old school Goldwing motor. The only thing available is carb kits and a handful of gaskets. Interesting. I hadn't realized that the parts bin had gotten that empty. My buddy built a naked 1100 about 5 years back and it didn't seem absurdly difficult to locate the stuff he needed, but I may just be altering the past to better fit my current needs 😄. I've told him repeatedly we should build some unequal length headers for it because I really want to see if it will make the Subaru pop. However, he hates that sound (including hating the Saabaru 92x wagon I daily drive) so he refuses to get on board with my amazing idea. Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted June 9, 2021 Report Share Posted June 9, 2021 15 hours ago, Lockleaf said: Interesting. I hadn't realized that the parts bin had gotten that empty. Yeah, I just giggle when people with vintage Japanese cars bitch about low parts availability. They don't know the real struggle... 😄 Also, to anyone wanting us to keep the stock engine, guess what other vintage Honda engine you can't get parts to rebuild... 😋 Quote Link to comment
Lockleaf Posted June 9, 2021 Report Share Posted June 9, 2021 I've mostly played with 80s Japanese bikes, and a few fairly common bikes. I've got an XS11 halfway built that I need to finish and sell off. I've had a 71 cl350 for many years with a bad engine. I'm too cheap to rebuild that engine, but that bike is still popular enough (thanks to the cafe movement a few years back) that I can get most the parts for it. what are you guys going to do for reverse? Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted June 9, 2021 Report Share Posted June 9, 2021 4 hours ago, Lockleaf said: what are you guys going to do for reverse? 1100 pound car, and Fort Worth isn't very flat... 😁 1 Quote Link to comment
dimlight65 Posted June 15, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 15, 2021 I have been debating whether or not I was going to say this for the last several days. I, obviously, decided to do so. My mother passed away last Wednesday. We buried her Saturday. I'm ok, but it looks like I'm going to have to move and sell the house. I suggested that the smart thing to do with the N600 would be to sell it as a basket case while it still has all of it's potential "rebuild it back to stock" parts and such. My sister put her foot down and said, "No way! You have been chasing that car for forty years. DO NOT make a decision until the first of the year." So, I'm going to continue to sit on it until the Chickenhawk is "finished" at the very least. And having said all of that, John sent me a Craigslist ad today for a 1987 Honda Accord for $800.00! I'm attempting to secure "financing" for that as a potential donor. Stay tuned. Also, thank you in advance for any condolences. I know me, I won't reply to them all, so I'm probably not going to reply to any. No offence is intended. 1 Quote Link to comment
Racer X 69 Posted June 15, 2021 Report Share Posted June 15, 2021 30 minutes ago, dimlight65 said: I have been debating whether or not I was going to say this for the last several days. I, obviously, decided to do so. My mother passed away last Wednesday. We buried her Saturday. I'm ok, but it looks like I'm going to have to move and sell the house. I suggested that the smart thing to do with the N600 would be to sell it as a basket case while it still has all of it's potential "rebuild it back to stock" parts and such. My sister put her foot down and said, "No way! You have been chasing that car for forty years. DO NOT make a decision until the first of the year." So, I'm going to continue to sit on it until the Chickenhawk is "finished" at the very least. And having said all of that, John sent me a Craigslist ad today for a 1987 Honda Accord for $800.00! I'm attempting to secure "financing" for that as a potential donor. Stay tuned. Also, thank you in advance for any condolences. I know me, I won't reply to them all, so I'm probably not going to reply to any. No offence is intended. Quote Link to comment
Lockleaf Posted June 15, 2021 Report Share Posted June 15, 2021 I'm very sorry for your loss. Your sister is right, avoid making any sudden big decisions for a few months. My very first car, the reason i fell in love with working on cars (and with car forums) was an 88 Accord sedan. Champagne gold with tan mousefur interior. T boned across the passenger side doors. I drive it with plexiglas windows taped in to the smashed up wedged shut passenger doors for 6 months. Friends had to climb across the drivers side to ride with me. I sold that car when i bought my first Nissan, a 1990 240sx hatch that i still own. I have fond memories of those accords. Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted June 15, 2021 Report Share Posted June 15, 2021 5 hours ago, Lockleaf said: My very first car, the reason i fell in love with working on cars (and with car forums) was an 88 Accord sedan. Champagne gold with tan mousefur interior. My sister's first car was an '88 LX-i, champagne gold, but maroon interior. She loved it. I am actually currently on my 4th Accord I like them so much. Of course, if we buy this one, it is so it can get dismembered. 😄 Looks like the one for sale is also a 2.0L LX-i, and those were not slow. Put that engine in something 500~ pounds lighter and it has real rocketship potential... 1 Quote Link to comment
dimlight65 Posted June 17, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2021 We didn't jump on the Accord fast enough and it sold. It's probably for the best. We're really not ready to have any temptations sitting around distracting us from the cars in line ahead of this. 2 Quote Link to comment
thisismatt Posted June 17, 2021 Report Share Posted June 17, 2021 (edited) My vote is EV with a Tyco 9.6V drivetrain Edit: I hadn't read through the entire thread. Sorry about your mom 😥 Edited June 17, 2021 by thisismatt 1 Quote Link to comment
dimlight65 Posted June 17, 2021 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2021 There are two things working against electric. 1) batteries still suck. Oh, they're getting better, but as far as energy storage goes, they really do suck. And B) we're not comfortable with the sheer amount of "learning curve" there is with electric. Basically, we don't know what we don't know with regards to electric conversion, so we're going to "Puss Out" on that avenue. 1 2 Quote Link to comment
Lockleaf Posted June 18, 2021 Report Share Posted June 18, 2021 89 Honda Accord Lxi https://classifieds.ksl.com/listing/64177136 You boys feel like a roadtrip to utah? 😁 1 Quote Link to comment
dimlight65 Posted July 1, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2021 To those of you following my other projects on this wasteland called Ratsun... no, I'm NOT going to post a link to the "Go-Fast" goodies we installed on the Smart today. Also, I am NOT a liar! Ok,yes I am. 1 Quote Link to comment
dimlight65 Posted July 22, 2021 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2021 Ok, as of this second in time, I'm leaning back towards the bike motor. Pros: F1 sound Lots of horsepower F1 sound Insane (for me at least) redline which gives it... F1 sound Cons: Not a plethora of torque (still way more than the stock 2 cylinder, but...) Tiny alternator No reverse gear Quote Link to comment
Racer X 69 Posted July 22, 2021 Report Share Posted July 22, 2021 (edited) 9 hours ago, dimlight65 said: No reverse gear Reversing box? Or, use the starter motor like a Gold Wing? Edited July 22, 2021 by Racer X 69 Quote Link to comment
Lockleaf Posted July 22, 2021 Report Share Posted July 22, 2021 Many snowmobiles have durable and simple reverse gearboxes built in to them since the 90s. Those would be a good option to pair with a bike motor in a small car. Yamaha specifically I know has them. Quote Link to comment
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