Hondamatic

[Don B Laughton]

Your engine number is certainly early, but I am not so sure about the chassis number.  The '67-'68 winter test cars had front drum brakes...had wheels bolted to the rim of the brake drum instead of the hub....can't remember if they had a sway bar....certainly did not have a brake booster...(my N/L360-N600 parts list does not show the sway bar or the booster...It does show the two shift cables.  Still with your engine number it most likely a prototype, so anything is possible as far as the entire car is concerned...for example for the extra $ they might have given it a little nicer interior.
It has been more than 40 years but as I recall one of the N600 A/Ts was yellow the other may have been white...but not red.
For me, it was an exciting time.  I never knew what project I would be assigned from day to day.  I wrote the first customer satisfaction survey..it was conducted in Hawaii.  Went to the San Francisco auto show with the sales manager adn the head of our advertising agency.  Wrote service bulletins, edited various manuals (some day I will have to tell you about the introduction in one of the owner's manuals...give you a hint, they like my sentence and they liked their sen
On Tuesday, February 4, 2014 10:58 AM, Bill wrote:
[ Attachment(s) from Bill included below]
Hi Don;
    We have talked before, and Yes, these cars are different.  There was a 7 inch length of bamboo taped to the locking bar on the passenger door I believe to stiffen it a bit.  The engine compartment vents at the bottom of the windshield are 3 sets instead of the two sets on the production N600's.  The rear brake drums are smaller, the hard ware for the front disc brake axels are different, the brake booster is mounted to the rear of the left front head light body/frame just to name a few.  These among a number of other issues are why my car has been in restoration since 1995.   Slowly things are coming together, although a number of items need to be made/fabricated or restored to keep it a test vehicle and not another Honda 600 Sedan.
    I have included pictures of the Hondamatic American Honda has in their collection which is believed to be the only known production Hondamatic AA600.
Bill

[Bill]

Hi Don;
This car has the early booster but only has two mounting bolts on the back of it.  I believe the reason for mounting it behind the front headlight is because the spare tire is still in the engine compartment. The serrated washer behind the front axel bolt is the same as that used for the drum brakes.  So calipers and knuckles look to be made for this car.
You are correct there is no sway bar only torsion bar on each knuckle and bolted forward to the frame.  The dual master brake cylinder is a side-by-side unit having two cylinders two push rods with a bar between the two rods to be activated by the brake peddle.  It is the same unit used on the S800.
Another told me that all the two cable engine/transmission units were used in testing, and only the single cable A/T was put into production on the A600.  Which has been my experience in searching for other owners and parts.  And because it is a two-cable unit the shift quadrant on the column is also different.
I have a parts load out for the first Honda 600 dealers (AKA Motorcycle shops) and it has no Hondamatic parts listed.  I used this as part of the information given to Honda of America when asking for documentation on the car.  As for the color, this car is red and when it was stripped to bare metal it was all red.  It also has the door locks in the door like the Coupe with blank buttons in the exterior door handles.  It also has no front side markers and has the early oval backup lights.  The rear quarter vents are stamped in the body and not clip on plastic covers.
Getting it back to the original test vehicle configuration is taking time.
But it will get there eventually.
Bill

[Mark P Hatten]

I for one am enjoying the Honda Automatic differences and your vast knowledge Bill
The 2014 National Microcar Show is at www.gpnwmme.com and is sponsored by www.mphspecialties.com
To: 2cylinderhondas@yahoogroups.com; anzhonda600owners@yahoogroups.com

[Bill]

Don;
    As a test vehicle the engine was changed a number of times the current unit that was in the car when I purchased it is N600E - 5000491.
From:
Bill [mailto:billmyong@...] Sent:
Tuesday, February 04, 2014 10:31 PM To:
'2cylinderhondas@yahoogroups.com'; 'anzhonda600owners@yahoogroups.com' Subject:
RE: [2cylinderhondas] RE:
[anzhonda600owners] Hondamatic
Hi Don;
This car has the early booster but only has two mounting bolts on the back of it.  I believe the reason for mounting it behind the front headlight is because the spare tire is still in the engine compartment. The serrated washer behind the front axel bolt is the same as that used for the drum brakes.  So calipers and knuckles look to be made for this car.
You are correct there is no sway bar only torsion bar on each knuckle and bolted forward to the frame.  The dual master brake cylinder is a side-by-side unit having two cylinders two push rods with a bar between the two rods to be activated by the brake peddle.  It is the same unit used on the S800.
Another told me that all the two cable engine/transmission units were used in testing, and only the single cable A/T was put into production on the A600.  Which has been my experience in searching for other owners and parts.  And because it is a two-cable unit the shift quadrant on the column is also different.
I have a parts load out for the first Honda 600 dealers (AKA Motorcycle shops) and it has no Hondamatic parts listed.  I used this as part of the information given to Honda of America when asking for documentation on the car.  As for the color, this car is red and when it was stripped to bare metal it was all red.  It also has the door locks in the door like the Coupe with blank buttons in the exterior door handles.  It also has no front side markers and has the early oval backup lights.  The rear quarter vents are stamped in the body and not clip on plastic covers.
Getting it back to the original test vehicle configuration is taking time.
But it will get there eventually.
Bill

[Don B Laughton]

The information you were given is correct, no automatic parts were ever sent to any U.S. dealer.  The body and its equipment are certainly consistant with the winter test group.  (There should be strips of white tape on the instrument or cabin wire harness.  On these strips you should find the date of manufacture for the harness, giving an idea of when it and the car were made.  I do not know of anyone other than Honda who ever used a parallel brake master cylinder on a production car.  When looking at the S800M, I thought they used it because there wasn't enough room for a tandem unit.  The problem being, if one side fails, the stroke on the other side may be compromised.
On Wednesday, February 5, 2014 8:46 AM, Bill wrote:
[ Attachment(s) from Bill included below]
Don;
    As a test vehicle the engine was changed a number of times the current unit that was in the car when I purchased it is N600E - 5000491.
From:
Bill [mailto:billmyong@...] Sent:
Tuesday, February 04, 2014 10:31 PM To:
'2cylinderhondas@yahoogroups.com'; 'anzhonda600owners@yahoogroups.com' Subject:
RE: [2cylinderhondas] RE:
[anzhonda600owners] Hondamatic
Hi Don;
This car has the early booster but only has two mounting bolts on the back of it.  I believe the reason for mounting it behind the front headlight is because the spare tire is still in the engine compartment. The serrated washer behind the front axel bolt is the same as that used for the drum brakes.  So calipers and knuckles look to be made for this car.
You are correct there is no sway bar only torsion bar on each knuckle and bolted forward to the frame.  The dual master brake cylinder is a side-by-side unit having two cylinders two push rods with a bar between the two rods to be activated by the brake peddle.  It is the same unit used on the S800.
Another told me that all the two cable engine/transmission units were used in testing, and only the single cable A/T was put into production on the A600.  Which has been my experience in searching for other owners and parts.  And because it is a two-cable unit the shift quadrant on the column is also different.
I have a parts load out for the first Honda 600 dealers (AKA Motorcycle shops) and it has no Hondamatic parts listed.  I used this as part of the information given to Honda of America when asking for documentation on the car.  As for the color, this car is red and when it was stripped to bare metal it was all red.  It also has the door locks in the door like the Coupe with blank buttons in the exterior door handles.  It also has no front side markers and has the early oval backup lights.  The rear quarter vents are stamped in the body and not clip on plastic covers.
Getting it back to the original test vehicle configuration is taking time.
But it will get there eventually.
Bill

[mmcquay555]

Bill,
I'm intrigued by the tale about the N600 Hondamatic in a junkyard in Arkansas.
I live in Oklahoma and occasionally make trips to/through Arkansas.
If you have a clue where the junkyard might be, I could possibly investigate.  I love trying to track down stuff like that.
I have no interest in having something as difficult to find parts for as a Hondamatic would be, but I hate to see anything like that go to waste or get crushed or rust into the ground, so I'd be interested in helping you find it.

[Bill]

Hi Mike;
I have no idea where it is, nor do I have any facts that it is in Arkansas, that is what I was told.  If you find anything please let me know.
Bill

[mmcquay555]

Any change you could forward the original emails and pictures to me?  (if you still have them)
There might be some location clue in a picture or an email header somewhere.
Slim chance, but it's at least something to go on.