1970/71 Honda Z600 | Jay Leno's Garage

[@danielfox3003]

Jay is probably one of the few celebrities who could diagnose the problem so quick. A true car guy.

[@NashPotatoesOutdoorShow]

So cool of Jay to have this father & son on his show...they will cherish this moment forever!!

[@CarbageMan]

I love that Jay is a real car guy who participates in his own repair and maintenance.

[@GTSCarLife]

"It's the gas cap". Jay Leno, more than just another pretty face!

[@obs_community9517]

Stretching it saying pretty lol

[@flatpedalswinmedals7274]

You talking about his old face or his new one?

[@LymanPhillips]

LOL!

[@tuberNunya]

Jay is the fount of all car knowledge. I just love him. He makes me laugh and he teaches me too.

[@phil4986]

Jay really is a car guru. Nailed that gas cap right off the cuff. I would have though a clogged fuel filter or thanks to the horrors of ethanol in our gas ....rust in the gas tank. Fun video. An outstanding Little Honda that deserves a very long , well loved life. It is clear ,in the Woodruff family , this little Honda has found a loving home. A really nice car. Thanks , Mr. Leno , for showing us this little Honda Jewel of a car.

[@thejunkman]

VERY common on motorcycles. Its just an experience thing. That kid will remember that till the end of his days.

[@STho205]

Agreed. I was stuttering up a mountain road on my Honda bike. Opened the cap...tada solved. Same thing in a Triumph TR4 years ago where a replacement wasn't vented. Funny thing about ethanol. Living on the Gulf we got water in our gas years before ethanol was a thing, and my 1st car..a 70 Maverick got a rusty gas tank constantly clogging the fuel filter requiring tank replacement. Vented tanks got water in them long before corn squeezings were added.

[@phil4986]

@Figment You ever seen how ethanol gas gums up a carbuerator? Or how ethanol gas left in a gas tank separates and puts water and therefore rust in a gas tank? Ethanol gas can be very destructive on vehicles never meant to run it. I use Stabilo red in my lawn mowers to keep them from gumming up and shutting down and that has been a godsend. If I ever buy a carbuerated motorcycle or car, I will use that in those gas tanks as well. Ideally buying non ethanol gas would be preferable but I am not driving 20 miles one way to get it.

[@600miles]

600 GURU was my license plate for years in CA :-) The DMV lady questioned me if I really wanted that when I applied lol

[@Dennis-lx9mo]

@@phil4986 I have never really had the problems you describe using e10 gasoline. My biggest issue is "modern" gas evaporates way faster than gasoline in the past, mainly due to the fact that more lighter ends (pentane and hexanes) are added to the gas and boil off at atmospheric pressure. All new cars have pressurized gas tanks so this does not happen as in a vent gas tank. BTW, non-ethanol gas also has more lighter end than in the past so the same problems occur with both.

[@n3roc]

That’s what I like about Leno’s Garage videos. They are real. No cutting out the part where the engine was bucking.

[@TheBoggieknight]

I love the appreciation of all things cars on his show. Hes a car enthusiast not a car snob. Great video. My first car when I was a teenager was an 84 Honda Accord 5spd manual and that car ran forever. Love Hondas to this day at 51

[@jeremyb4493]

Growing up as a kid in Texas and often helping my dad with his locksmith work around the Texas A&M campus in the in the mid 80s- early 90s, I saw so many 70s and 80s Hondas, Toyotas (some with those odd turtleshell looking hubcaps) and Mazdas. In fact, at 16, I had saved $1500 and bought a well maintained 1985 Mazda 626 5 speed 2.0 with a carb from a meticulous engineer. I drove it till nearly 400,000 miles and then gave it to my youngest brother who promptly wrecked it.

[@curbozerboomer1773]

In those days, Toyota ruled for a few years, as being the only truly reliable Japanese cars...But Honda caught up with them, by the early 80s, and nowadays it is a toss-up between the two for reliability honors.

[@frankalabart1512]

@@curbozerboomer1773 I think that Subaru and Mazda have taken over from Toyota and Honda, but what do I know?

[@fishhuntadventure]

@@frankalabart1512 suburu sucks Mazda and Suzuki probably have the reliability medal. But then we can’t get Suzuki anymore…

[@richardprice5978]

@@frankalabart1512 but subi's and Mazda did make fun car's i considered ordering a brand new RX-8 but instead ended up a 60's/70's charger/challenger owner this 1970 Honda with a rotary and a 6-speed i might had opened up to but as is nope not for me it's a box of bee's,wrong flavour for me guess at hart im not a Honda guy at all if this is pure raw Honda mindset also interestedly my air-conditioning/automatic-transmission ( 200-600 dollar upgrade for one checked off box ) option RPO code costs more in 1970 USD thin the hole car at 100$ so now days usd ruffly under 5K usd

[@WillN2Go1]

I really wanted one of these when I was in high school. It really changed the 'car discussion' with my parents, instead of a rapid 'We can't afford it, get a job,' this car got them to slow down and really address the issue: 'It's too small, it's a death trap! Are you out of your mind?....' It really brought us together as a family....

[@cruiser6260]

You didn't know they cared until they said you shouldn't buy a Honda

[@chucklesthered2338]

Back in the day... when I was in high school we would go out and smoke cigs in a large patch of woods during our lunch period. A senior that we didn't like had just gotten one of these cars so we came up with a devious plan. He always parked it in the same place so it was easy pickings. A bunch of us picked up his car, carried it across the school driveway and into the woods. We set it down between two trees with the front end up against one tree and the rear against another. Somehow we got away with it and never got in trouble for it. He had trouble finding enough people to help him get the car out. We laughed for years about that incident. By watching this video I now know the name of that car.

[@glyph241]

Thanks for fighting the fight, my parents got me an Accord ‘96 for my first car!

[@matthewstavrowsky2393]

😂

[@rogerdodrill4733]

@@chucklesthered2338 did you bend the fenders & bumpers when u picked it up?

[@jackmehoff1840]

goes to show Jay is all about the cars, that gas cap solution is one of the most underrated diagnostics of any youtube car channel

[@FixingWithFriends]

When you have a lot of cars from the ages, you're going to pick up some unique observations on common failures. (across the years, manufacturers, and models).

[@WalkiTalki]

Great point!!! I own an 01 dodge dakota and I drove it for a year with horrible cold start problems. Guess what it was. Luckily I was broke until a friend told me to buy a new cap. I would have spent hundreds to try and fix it. Back then the new dealer gas cap was just under twenty dollars. And five years ago it failed again and Stant made a replacement for 5.99 an it is still working today. Over a hundred years of gas powered cars being sold it is the most common to this day.

[@rt2255]

Drive old cars you figure this stuff out. Young folks would have been changing filters pumps etc lol

[@DonziGT230]

That was a reasonable guess of what the problem could be, but unless they took another run up a hill they wouldn't know if it was the cap or something else.

[@genesimons8368]

The concentration on Jay's face as he deduced the situation and solved the problem was awesome to see.

[@phil4986]

When I was growing up, a friend of mine's father had a tiny white boxy Civic hatchback just a little bigger then this car. It was bright white and had the painted silver rims with chrome trim rings on it. When his dad gave to him, my friend would polish that car every weekend. Man, that little Honda looked great ,ran like a swiss watch and got him almost fifty miles per gallon. And it ran damn fast too for a little runabout. I will never forget that little white Honda sitting in his driveway , shining in the sun , after my friend polished her up. Just a fantastic little slice of automobile perfection.

[@robertjonas6216]

Nice memories

[@curbozerboomer1773]

The sheer smallness of such vehicles still makes me shy away from ever buying a small car now, with all the big trucks and SUVs on the road....it is a shame, as driving a small car is a lot of fun, better for the environment , etc.@@robertjonas6216

[@confuseatronica]

yeah, like the first CVCCs that came out right after this one! - they were so much bigger than this but still so tiny compared to something like a 1985 Civic.

[@usaturnuranus]

Lo those many years ago a girl I knew got one of these as her first car. We "men" of a certain age were all muscle car crazy and everything we talked about was "Three quarter cams, four bolt mains, Isky manifolds, Hooker headers, Holley four barrels, glass packs, yada, yada". Then my friend Gail shows up in one of these and we were baffled. Gail and three of us lug heads went over to an empty parking lot down the street and she wound that tiny buzz bomb up and did unbelievably tight high speed circles around a light post, we were hanging on for dear life expecting to end up with the wheels on top but that thing was awesome. Those tiny roller skate tires just dug in and took the abuse without drama. It was quite a revelation to us later when she popped the hood and it looked like a riding lawnmower engine! Man I would love to own one of these today.

[@bhaggen]

Soichiro Honda was the Ferdinand Porsche of Japan. He patented his piston ring design and became the sole supplier to Toyota that made industrial equipment up until WWII. In 1964, he entered F1 with a car and 3L V-12 engine of his own design driven by John Surtees. I'm presently restoring a CB350 Four "Soichiro", the last bike he had designed before he retired.

[@fishhuntadventure]

Interesting bikes. I have two CB350F bikes in need of restoring, and one runner. They don’t have much of a following somehow and I was fortunate to find them. I only have one set of their signature downpipes- what a bizarre 70s look they were

[@stephenpettinger1]

Those 350 4’s sound awesome with 4 cone engineering mufflers!

[@purebloodheretic4682]

My Dad had a CB350f it had Beautiful Original Exhausts that Sounded Awesome! Goodluck with the Resto!👍🇦🇺😁

[@PrimoStracciatella]

Honda built the SOHC 2 valve CB350 twin from 68 - 73, it produced 36 hp at 10,500 rpm. My first bike was a 1974 Honda CB360 twin which made 34 hp at 9,500 rpm.

[@matthewgallant3622]

He was definitely the Ferdinand Porsche of Japan, with his similar development of a “peoples car” and his innovations in motorsports.

[@StevePittinger]

I like that they didn't cut out the malfunction. Jay really knows his stuff to be able to diagnose and suggest a fix while driving. I'm no fan of Hondas, but it's nice to see Jay take as much interest in the old as he does the new.

[@DK-gy7ll]

That was fun to watch. As someone who used to drive old cars roadside diagnostics was something I became quite familiar with.

[@TassieLorenzo]

Why wouldn't you be fan of Hondas? I don't think there is anything better than Motoharu Kurosawa taking the NSX-R around the Honda proving grounds on the course based on the Nurburging. Total connection between man and machine, total confidence in the vehicle. He drives the S2000 around the actual Nurburgring and even the lowly 1.6L VTEC Civic Type R just as hard for that matter! The NSX-R is not a fast sportscar by modern standards (though not significantly slower than a comparable Porsche 964 RS of the time), but it's just such a well-engineered machine. Then the motorcycles -- nothing flashy like an Italian bike, but the fit-for-purpose nature of them from the smallest scooter to the biggest Gold Wing speaks for itself.

[@tenhoandersson]

i think it might be his opinion or something like that@@TassieLorenzo

[@brenturquhart7090]

Right there Jay proves to the whole world that he indeed is a real car guy.

[@keithmcfarlin3267]

Love how Jay reviews and appreciates ALL cars, not just the exotics.

[@patriley9449]

I remember these as a young man. In 1970 I traded my 58 VW for a Datsun 1200. It had all of 69 horsepower, but was a great step up from the 36 hp VW. The Datsun was tiny, but it was very much larger than these first Hondas. They were so cool.

[@terrencebiggane8648]

I was 13 in 1970 when I saw this car, along with the N600, at the NY Auto Show at the Coliseum. I remember getting the brochure and showing it to my friends in Study Hall. Thank you Jay for another great video.

[@curbozerboomer1773]

There was also offered, a sedan version of this car...seating for four, I think! These cars made the mini-coopers pf the day look big!

[@g.n.b.3351]

I bought one of these new (and I still have it). Mine was the "sedan" rather than the coupe. H.P. is 36, which is 1hp/cubic inch. According to period road tests, zero to 60 was equal to the 1/4 mile time, around 23 seconds. The crankshaft is roller bearing, pressed together like the contemporary Honda motorcycles. Jay is correct that the engine borrowed the Honda motorcycle tech of the era but it was not from any motorcycle Honda made at the time. Honda's largest twin cylinder motorcycle then was the 450, and it was a twin cam, these cars used a single overhead cam. These of course needed a differential as they drove both from wheels through halfshafts. The whole engine, trans and diff were lubed with the same engine oil. They were wholly unsuited to American interstate driving conditions. But I enjoyed mine all the same. Had to work on it a lot. Learned a lot from the variety of problems I had to solve.

[@hereitbe]

Had to work on it a lot is right! I drove the coupe from 1977 to 1983 and replaced the fuel pump, timing chain, crank bearing, throttle linkage, etc, etc all at different times. Fun car though.

[@bryanwarm2471]

Yes, the sedan looked like a little wagon and I think better looking than the coupe.

[@LouT1501]

We didn't do much freeway driving with any of ours although the speed limits had just dropped to that dreaded 55 mph federal limit.

[@curbozerboomer1773]

So glad that you told the truth about the hp rating on this car...the old man blurted out "65hp", and Jay skillfully ignored his silly, half-baked remark....typical car dealer--did not even know what the product details were that he was selling...notice how rudely he admonished Jay, saying "It's not for sale!"..an old fool.

[@darrenit7498]

@@curbozerboomer1773 haha yeah I was thinking the same thing. No chance that has 65 hp.

[@browngreen933]

One of the coolest modern cars that Jay has ever featured. I'd buy one tomorrow.

[@zilinskas91]

Jay is the most down to earth celebrity I've ever seen.

[@777jones]

He has been following an admirable value system for a long time. Young people could learn a lot from him.

[@curbozerboomer1773]

Indeed...but also was a ruthless businessman when it came to dealing with his TV competitors!

[@ethanedwards7557]

He was really down to earth when he stabbed Conan in the back. 🙄

[@tredogzs]

LOL, outside of the tonight show u mean

[@andygriffiths9916]

I am from UK I only know him as a KZbin car guy ( I had heard his name but that’s all really ) He doesn’t at all seem like a famous person, apart from his collection that is. 😆

[@waltermebius4642]

This edition has to be one of my favorites. The father and son project is always a positive thing for parents to do with their kids. Today, they go to a dealer and buy a newer vehicle and send them on their way. I spent allot of time in my folks garage and a some real fun with both my mom and dad. Some other videos Jay has done are the young father building a hot rod out of a Model T on a budget. Keep finding material like these and we will all be better dads.

[@1991pony]

I lost a stop light drag race to one of these while riding my Yamaha YSR 50 many years ago. I don't think the Honda driver knew she was racing.

[@daver.7135]

Rented one of these while on vacation in Honolulu in 1972. Got it up to an indicated 80 mph on a downhill stretch of the "Interstate" back then. That stretch of road is now known as H2 on a red white & blue shield sign, because it doesn't really "Inter" with any other state.

[@rsgabrys3080]

@@daver.7135 ------------------- right , commonly known as ' intrastate ' roadway ......he mea iki....

[@etme1000]

I hear you. My Yamaha PSR sucks at racing, as well.

[@shanetyler9391]

This is pretty cool 😎 Japanese classics are the new classic cars lol. This is the grandfather to the EG hatch pretty amazing cars!

[@samholdsworth420]

You should write jokes for Jay

[@WalkiTalki]

16:46 Beautiful!!! I had a '73,rust brown and needed someone to hold their hand over the carb to start and it never sounded like this one. I forget the size of the engine but when it ran I got about between 40 and 50mpg. The carburetor was bigger than the motor. It was so warn out when I had it I put a two barrel from some other car on it, maybe even a motorcycle. I don't remember what brand it was. If you floored it and shifted when the engine stopped accelerating,3000 rpm'ish, it was almost as fast as the new Dodge Omni that came out in 78. The dodge was twice the size and some had A/C. What I loved about my honda was if I was alone and the battery died I could leave it in first gear and push start it by myself as long as it wasn't up hill. Prius has nothing over the 70s hondas! If it wasn't for rust they would be the best cars ever made.

[@Rogge73]

That father and son sure are some genuine and nice guys! 😊 oh and Jay too of course

[@wagonmaster1974]

I had a '71 version of this car. Yellow, no options except mirror[s]. Was $1,895 NEW! Scooted along pretty well for an itty bitty engine. Could park about anywhere. Got close to 40 mpg/42 HP, as I recall. I don't recall mine being that loud, though. Loved that little car!

[@rogerdodrill4733]

His muffler was shot

[@tonyoliver2330]

Jay Leno should do a series where there are guessing the problem and solution to some of his cars like this. It’s amazing he figured out it was just the gas cap

[@nedmarc]

They should also do a series that features those who spout what they believe is true about automotive history versus well researched history

[@rbslammed6163]

It’s called movie Magic

[@danielraymadden]

Jay is the car whisperer.....he listens to cars they talk to him he speaks their language....cars tattle on their owners when they meet Jay....fun episode....Honda and Toyota set the standard for automobiles...practical affordable reliable....cars have a soul....they love to be loved....the more you love them the better they run.....you better listen when they talk or you will be walking....

[@OYisit]

This one reminded me of the show on the Honda super cub and Jay was more informed about the bike than the guests were.

[@MyLifeThai371]

That's amazing that they are still making the 100 mpg Honda Supercub Scooters today. To bad the price is so expensive. $3800. The brand new Honda Wave is more common is Asia, because they only cost like $1400.

[@MrWolfSnack]

Most people on his show are KZbinrs or influencers and they buy the car for way too much money from the internet and then think they can milk the car for money and that's about it. Then they sell it and do it again with the next car. They do not care or want to care about the history of the car.

[@noelmintern6133]

I remember when these were released in Australia;..there was a news paper ad' back then that said the Honda Z600 could drive from Melbourne to Sydney and back for ten dollars in fuel. Admittedly fuel was cheaper back then but a round trip from Melbourne to Sydney and back was over a thousand miles. Really impressive.

[@greghunicutt9856]

Wow. I forget how expansive it is. Sydney to Perth must be a gazillion miles.

[@blairo15]

What about the one on the Australian movie Malcolm! 👍 It split in half and they could ride it like a motor bike! Haha

[@martinloney6322]

Except Australia only got the Z360

[@terryboehler5752]

Bought one after Marine boot camp. 1972. Tulsa Oklahoma. 600 coupe, astrali mags, 20x800 /10 tires. Orange. Looked like a roller skate. Black fender flairs. Drove it to first duty station, Jacksonville Florida for school, then to MCAS El Toro in southern California. In Jacksonville, a couple of Navy guys picked up the rear end and said "haha, you ain't going anywhere". Revved it up, dumped the clutch, hello front wheel drive🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Rogge73]

Oh the memories ❤ my mother bought one new in Stockholm 1977, she then drove it on her own down to Portugal and where stationed there as a stewardess, lots of happy memories of that little silver Civic❤ We called it Snoopy.

[@rogerdodrill4733]

This car is not civic

[@garytorresani8846]

I owned one of these 600 coupes in 1971. Lots of fun to drive, orange in color. Now have a Honda Fit . Another great car.

[@BlairAir]

The Fit is a perfect successor to what Honda was best at. They never used a gram of extra material that did not contribute to function. The rear shoes on my 1977 Civic were the size of my thumb and forefinger making a "C" shape. Bought a 4 speed with 3rd missing for $50 "to get me through a few months on a new job" - 3 years later I sold it for $50 because it would NOT die.

[@donsailing1356]

Interesting…… I owned a ‘72 Sedan in ‘73……. and today, my wife owns a Fit. I guess we like small cars…… although the Fit is gigantic in comparison!

[@sharkyfish3492]

What a nice young man, just having a good time with Jay shooting car talk. So down to earth this was. The little issue was perfect, showed old school VS new school, sometimes old school is better

[@rt2255]

Just remove cap burn some gas and keep on trucking.

[@johnmcdonald1647]

My sisters best friend in high school had a Honda Z in bright yellow same model as this. What a great episode brings back wonderful memories thanks Jay.

[@Jason.cbr1000rr]

Was she hot? Your sister and her best friend

[@guytansbariva2295]

It gets 60 MPG! That's better than many hybrids these days. I had an 86 Honda CRX that got 54 MPG, not bad, and it was a cool stylish car for the time.

[@jamesbrown3352]

These really only got about 35 mpg.

[@confuseatronica]

those were interesting- I almost got one new as a grad present but the insurance was so expensive even for the CRX-HE model (?) i ended up getting a hatchback instead. I think where I was, it got bad vibes from the CRX-SI so even the little engine ones were treated like sportscars by the insurance co

[@recnepsgnitnarb6530]

Jay nailed it. I really like these kind of episodes than the supercars. I remember seeing these small Japanese cars all over the place when I was a kid. My dad bought a Datsun B210 brand new in 1975 and that car never let us down. I was kind of sad to see him sell it many many years later.

[@scottslotterbeck3796]

they got great mileage

[@curbozerboomer1773]

@@scottslotterbeck3796 But the body was made of very thin steel on those Japanese vehicles, and very subject to rust...that is why those earlier models are very rare now.

[@ADPTraining]

Wow, block gas cap had to happen right then, fantastic. Great show video...

[@josephconsoli4128]

Fun little car that you just don't see these days. I remember, as a kid, laughing at these cars. Compared to a Chevelle, Camaro, and so forth, these made you cringe! The older people would say "you'll never get parts for them" and they'll cost a fortune to maintain. Now they're so nostalgic. Love to have one! Father and son are very nice people. You can see the pride the father has in his son.

[@bhaggen]

I used to smoke these things with my Bug back in the day. Saw one recently at a car show; powered by a Hayabusa motor

[@richardwarfield7386]

Saw one just a few days ago. still amazed on the size of the car.

[@richardprice5978]

@@bhaggen i ended up a 60's challenger/charger owner but id get a 1970 convertible super bug before buying a 1970 Honda 600 ( box of 🐝no thanks ) as it line's up with my taste better fun to finding out about the past and what regular people thought about it and also fun to play the what if game of new car in my case dodge vs honda vs VW for 1970

[@dr.mantistoboggan4746]

@@bhaggen bragging about that? wtf?

[@chrisbraid2907]

Honda Japan can still supply parts…

[@danieldudeable]

Leno is such a pro! All car guys that wrench will understand. *Identifying a problem and diagnosing the car on the fly. * Not stopping in the middle of the road but coasting into an empty open spot. * Providing the solution and giving exact instructions to fix, bravo!

[@matthewdavenport2490]

I love this video, thank you again Jay for exploring more little-seen automotive history. Jay is a pure car guy and he brings joy to my day every time I watch one of his videos--his enthusiasm for all things automotive is infectious. And I'll note that it took more than 9 minutes for him to mention his McLaren P1 this time.

[@daver.7135]

Jay mentioned the Honda CVCC engine, which in 1973 met the stricter 1975 emissions standards. What he didn't mention was that after the lobbyists from Detroit testified that they couldn't meet the 1975 standards, that same congressional committee brought in some people from Honda to tell their story. They had taken a V8 engine from a 1973 Chevrolet and built up a pair of CVCC heads for it. That engine with the CVCC heads met the 1975 emission standards, and put out more power and got better gas mileage than a stock 1973 Chevy.

[@mctavish199]

You noticed too! He clearly loves his P1; I wonder if there's anything that remind him of it!

[@EdilbertoAriasRolon]

9 minutes... new record? Greetings from Asunción Paraguay

[@cicada5001]

I put 80k on my $300 orange coupe back in the day doing courier work. Sold it after replacing a CV axle on the road, 2 engine rebuilds, and ready for a third. Only weak spot was the cam chain tensioner. Loved driving it.

[@wingsounds13]

Makes me nostalgic for my little AZ-600. Mine was blue too. Lots of fun to drive, I referred to mine as my street legal go-cart, so him calling it a go-cart was familiar.

[@gregorious_funk]

I bought one of those collapsible lug nut wrenches at a truck stop, they absolutely still make those

[@jackwestwood8283]

I bought one new. Two things: One I remember the tool kit having a screw driver, pliers, and a L type lug wrench in a small plastic pouch. Two they made a sedan/station wagon at the same time. Brings back fond memories.

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

Yeah, that wheel wrench is not OEM. Why would Honda provide a lug wrench with multiple sized lugs? They wouldn't and they didn't. These guys don't seem to know much about their car and I'm not convinced much, if any, father-son restoration took place.

[@BubbaSmurft]

@@OMGWTFLOLSMH 2nd that. Opposed? Ney. Carried.

[@4Kandlez]

@@OMGWTFLOLSMH No one claimed a restoration took place, if you read the description it says they freshened up the car meaning they worked on it together to make sure it was mechanically sound and repaired or replaced any parts that needed it

[@Bbbuddy]

That’s a recent Amazon lug wrench.

[@MrPaige222]

@@OMGWTFLOLSMH 100 percent agreed. The old man had already told 3 lies and was afraid to get called out, so he made his son take the ride. This was a wallet restoration.

[@1stanich]

This was my 1st car. This was what got me started as a mechanic. I could drop the engine in 45 minutes. I rebuilt many of these cars at a very young age. There wasn’t anything that I didn’t know about the coup or the sedan

[@jaybee9708]

Love this episode--father-son project, original, unrestored old Honda. The salesman dad is enthusiastic but doesn't know his product terribly well--the z600 in 1970 got about 40 mpg on a really good day, and produced about 36 hp. And it got to 60 in less than 20 seconds. But what a cool project and fantastic to see a father-son relationship like this.

[@curbozerboomer1773]

I thought the old dad was off-base a little.

I loved this era of small efficient cars. I had a 66 VW bug. One of my all time lifelong favorite cars. My brother had a 1972 Toyota Carina.

[@damondent1932]

Brought back memories my dad had one it was a 72 color green loved that little car great on gas and was fun to drive. My Dad was a cop and had to commute to Hartford Ct. It was how I learned to drive standard shift. I remember the AM only radio. So glad you had this on your show Jay.

[@itsme-notyou]

What a blessing for this father and son to work together on the project. My father passed when I was 8yo. We never had this experience.

[@Jorge-Tamacas]

Jay is really a car guy! He didn't took too long to figure out what the fail was. This is a cute little, good for city driving

[@garyseaton4619]

What a great little car. A friend in high school had one of these. His was a nice yellow with the black interior. I was the shortest passenger, so I got the back seat. It wasn't very fast with three people in the car. He found a large black wind-up key and mounted it on the top at the rear with a tiny electric motor, so it looked like it was winding down as you drove the car. Those were some fun times.

[@brendanflegle3326]

Fixed it on the road. The good ol days. Good job Jay

[@complaintdesk4626]

I have a 1972 z600. 47,000 miles. In Canada. I bought it in San Jose, CA.

[@jonh901271]

My mother bought a new, mid 70s version of the Civic. She drove it until she died in 1998. My sister's husband drove it another 15 years before finally selling it. What an amazing car.

[@Alan-z7i6t]

I owned one in green - a lot of fun.

[@tatsuokumagai1941]

My uncle's first car in 1972 in Japan but 360CC. Great memories.

[@1stanich]

My 1st car that I learned as a mechanic

[@SvenQ45]

The Z360 is way cooler than the 600. 😀

[@antonmealy168]

Yep 600 WAS Honda's big block, built for torque so it didn't rev like the twin carburetor 360's.

[@philenns6797]

I had the boxy looking one. What a blast of a car ... 35 hp, 75 mph tops, 10" racing tires, the brakes simply wouldn't fail. I recall passing 3 cars coming down Highway 1 on a tight outside loop without a problem. The last car, a Mustang, gunned it to outpace me but couldn't keep on track. What a joy of a car!

[@andrewdunbar828]

One of my favourite quirky cars since the '80s when I found a couple in a local junkyard. Later I befriended an American guy in the car swapmeet scene in Australia who was a former Automotive stylist and had a couple at his house. But I've never driven one, ridden in one, or seen any video about one. Awesome to finally see something!

[@ralphbuschman3364]

Oh my gosh, that Coupe/ 600 was awesome, when i owned 1 in the early 80's.

[@russellscott5199]

Had one of these for a couple of years. I am fairly tall so I had to reweld the seat in order to fit in it. The stick shift on the dash and the two-cylinder engine made it a quirky car that got a lot of looks and conversation starter. Had to ring it out to drive the freeway. Sold it because the novelty wore off.

[@Sylvaadem]

Hello, fan!* Thanks for the love ❤️ and support. 🥳 🎉🎊🍾you have been randomly selected as a prize winner, send me a direct messages on my above telegram to acknowledge your gift 🎁

[@jennsray]

I was born in 72. My Dad got one when I was a baby. It was a '72. He sold it to me when I was 16. So many great memories in it! Would load my girlfriend's up in it and when they would pile out people would make comments about it being a clown car! I was driving it in Phoenix, and grown men would yell at me to get that roller skate off the road! During monsoon season 1 year it rained so hard, water accumulated super fast on the road because Phoenix has no drainage. I literally started floating off the road in my car!!!! Lol I wish I could attach the picture I have of myself after graduation with my car in the background! Thanks for sharing the video! Such warm fuzzies!!! ❤❤❤❤❤

[@kevinhiggler2896]

Genius Jay! I was sitting here thinking "No way it's just the gas cap". I feel silly now. Good lesson in old car problems.

[@kevinhiggler2896]

So, can you put a pin in it to unblock the pin hole, or buy a new gas cap?

[@MrWolfSnack]

You can clean it in a degreaser and some tiny wire or even putting it in a ultrasonic cleaner with degreaser. What happened is the gas cap being stuck closed wasn't letting air into the tank to push the fuel into the engine, so the engine created a vacuum bubble in the fuel rails which conked out the motor. By driving with the fuel cap off for a few miles you will introduce tons of air into the tank which should flush out the air bubbles in the lines and recirculate the fuel around. @@kevinhiggler2896

[@michaelglinski3809]

My favorite part about this car is that (as I understand it) the 1976 Goldwing I own has 4 carburetors that are essentially identical to the one used on this. When Honda designed the bike they got their automotive division to do the engine, and the carbs were just lifted off the shelf. They're a bit overly-complicated for use on a bike, but work just fine if you set them up right.

[@stephencivic1989]

I love Hondas. It's interesting to see an early one still getting from point A to point B.

[@chrisjohnson4165]

I had one of these when I was a young mechanic in the UK, working at a Mitsubishi / BMC dealer. It needed a new exhaust, so they let me look through all the obsolete BMC parts in a shed behind the garage. I found lots of old Wolseley parts and made a great sounding system. The bodies rusted quite badly in the English weather, but I welded it all up. They were so much better than the basic Mini of the time - it was a hatchback, had more power, and they were reliable too. Check out the roof binacle as well, it had 2 little map reading lights.

[@b2tall239]

I remember seeing these as a kid in the early '70s. Even as an 8 yr old I thought "Wow....that's a small car!"

[@curbozerboomer1773]

Jay thought those wheels were 13 inch--I think they were much smaller!...10" in the beginning, and 12" for the first "real" Civics that showed up after these teeny cars...12 inch tires were not uncommon on small cars back then, my 1990 Ford Festiva had 12" tires, and I remember having a little trouble searching for a more upscale tires when replacing the originals.

[@gryfandjane]

Back when these cars were first introduced in the US, my Dad took my brother and me to a Honda dealership, and we took one of these for a test drive. Same color as this one… it was huge fun, and I’d love to drive one today.

[@GoFindGuy]

Back in the mid-80s my cycle parts manager at the Honda shop had a Honda 600 car and a 1981 Honda CBX motorcycle. I used to tell him there can’t be too many people driving a 2 cylinder car and a 6 cylinder bike. RIP, Ralph.

[@pfossful]

Honda CBX was a beast

[@christopherstube9473]

This was the first car i ever bought. I raced it for autocrossing in class 6b of SCCA. It was really fun to drive on the highway , but if you the oil get warm, you needed to cool it off before you restarted it. It used the same oil for the transmission and engine and cam chain tensioner so if the oil thinned out, the cam chain would jump and the valves would play patty cake with the pistons. So it needed about 50 weight or 70 weight oil to keep it happy. But you could time it with just a piece of wire and a bulb after you set the opening of the points. I seem to remember it had a blazing 36 horsepower, but it cornered better than a porche targa, so if they made the course tight with lots of slaloms and right angle turns it could hold its own against the VWs and other denizens of class 6b. My children were small when i had it and the back seats were just right to keep them safe. I could reach across the car and open any window from the drivers seat and also pull up the antenna on the roof so it was a real intimate experience with my family.

[@leegoddard2618]

True mechanic on fly, Jay. 😁👍

[@PorkusMaximii]

You could see the gears turning in his head as he thought about the problem.

[@xXturbo86Xx]

One could learn a LOT about cars from Jay. He certainly knows his stuff. Especially when it comes to old cars.

[@BigGmantis]

Jay, thanks for all you do!! Love all of your content.

[@neilfurby555]

Jay is just genuinely interested, no theatrics or false enthusiasm. Interesting and entertaining, a great combination.

[@CalvinHikes]

If we'd just be allowed to build light cars such as this, the gas mileage problem would never have been a problem. Nor reliability. But they wanted all. Safety, Gas mileage, Power, Comfort.

[@curbozerboomer1773]

@@JOHNDANIEL1 Want Safety?...vote Democrat!

[@analogidc1394]

@@curbozerboomer1773 Bull

[@-SupraMari0-]

Top 3 of the Jay car videos. Broke down the problem in seconds.

[@zekelucente9702]

I had an uncle that bought one of these new and I remember the family not being too amused by it. I loved the stick shift that came out from under the dash.

[@puncturetip]

These have 10" tires, not 13. I had an orange one and a yellow one back in the early 70's. I loved those cars. Thanks for the memories.

[@jesseballard4753]

Jay never ceases to amaze me

[@twoeightythreez]

Its amazing listening to how well built it is, the sound all the latches make. Not tinny like a datsun, not overbuilt like a 70s American car, but just precise af, solid without any additional mass, like a swiss watch of cars. Such a pleasure to watch.

[@albertolugo1477]

great video Jay, What I like about your forum is that you cover everything from very expensive cars to very common cars. You know cars so well. You diagnosed the problem very quickly. THANKYOU for this great site and sharing it with all of us.

[@teksal13]

I bought a Honda Coupe in 1972, orange. Loved it. I was 19 yrs old and sold coke bottles for gas.

[@JasonAkrami1]

Wonderful Car. Beautiful Bond between Father & Son. Very Sweet of Dad giving the honor to his Son to Drive with Jay. 😊 🚙

[@curbozerboomer1773]

Honestly, I sensed that the old man was resentful of Jay, and therefor did not care to go with him.

[@MrPaige222]

@@curbozerboomer1773 Both these guys are full of crap. Neither one had anything to do with ANYTHING mechanical on this car. It was a phone call and wallet restoration. The old guy knew better than to keep lying to Jay. And the son's lack of knowledge was nauseating. Beautiful car, though.

[@rogerdodrill4733]

He knew 2 fat guys w36 HP. Would make car really slow

[@chriswedgworth]

I had a 1972 Honda sedan it had 10 inch wheels and disc brakes on the steer axle. Also it was a 2 cylinder 600cc engine

[@paistebob3163]

This has become my favorite episode of Jay's garage.. this is probably the most wholesome family show on the internet I feel like this could have been right out of the '60s. The elephant in the room after learning about the mileage of this vehicle is if they can make a Honda get 60 miles MPG on the highway in 1970 how in the world can't they at least match that now? And this is not even a hybrid...?

[@arty8255]

That tiny engine was adequate for city driving, only, having been built for Japanese conditions.

[@curbozerboomer1773]

@@arty8255 People simply do not care that much about mpg, at least in the USA....most smaller vehicles get at least 30mpg, which seems to be OK with most consumers...we like our options, power, etc.

[@jerryrobbins7256]

It was the weight of the car that helped it get 60 mpg, the car did not weigh very much and the tiny engine just did not have the clearances to make it use much gas.

[@MrPaige222]

@@jerryrobbins7256 The problem is that the old fart is LYING. I owned one for almost 10 years. Got 45mpg. No more, no less. And it was perfectly tuned. It was 37 horsepower. Front disc brakes. The SEDAN had drums in all 4 corners. And there's no way that the muffler is stock on that car.

[@fortheloveofnoise]

The double edged sword of less polluting engine tech usually equates to loss on MPH as well...well at least with all the restrictions today.....plus being so lightweight and low powered helped.

[@rustybearden1800]

When I was a teenager a co worker had this exact same car and he used to give me a ride home from work at a local restaurant a couple of times a week - I'm 5'8" barefoot now and was probably 5'2"🙊 then and it felt like a clown car. Revved like a motorcycle engine and very spartan interior but my friend LOVED this car - he drove it on a week long cross country trip from California to come to South Carolina. Crazy to see these again.

[@SleeperHonda]

LOL, what a cool dad. I would totally let my dad ride with Jay though. What an Honor. Thanks for this content you guys!

[@curbozerboomer1773]

Not really cool...pompous and not informed.

[@SleeperHonda]

@@curbozerboomer1773 Real pompous in an old Honda. Lol.

[@BartholomewCounty]

I had a Honda 600 Coupe in 1973, it was orange. It was a 1972 model with 20k miles on it. I bought it in Texas for $1500 shortly after I got married and joined the Air Force. I got 50 MPG with it and one time while driving between Denver and Indianapolis I was drafting an 18 wheeler that was going 95 mph. Couldn't quite hit a hundred. It was zippy, handled well and was just a little bundle of fun.

[@TheBandit7613]

35 hp is not going 95 mph.

[@Iowa599]

Nice catch, Jay! "There was no pressure when I pulled the cap." That does tell you that there was a vacuum that required force to open, and that kid didn't even know why he was pulling the cap. You were smooth enough that I bet most people don't catch it, especially since modern EFI systems pull a vacuum on the tank. ( I'm ASE certified as a Professional Tech, and they don't ask questions about carburetors, anymore! )

[@Tomxman]

I have my Z600 since 1974 It has 10 inch wheels from disc brakes rear drum brakes. 36 hp. The crankshafts has roller bearings which last about 60,000 miles it’s transmission is combined in the oil sump by a chain drive. Oil pressure for the OH cam is splash pump usually 40-42 mph in combined driving but over 50 was possible on the freeway. Most the cars had exhaust issues with the heat exchanger for inside heater

[@DaBossk]

You should have been the guest in this video! The guests were embarrassingly uninformed

[@austinado16]

I'm a little surprised at how little any of them know about the car. 13" wheels? 65hp? CVCC engine? Can't open the hood? 4wheel drum brakes? Couldn't find correct seat upholstery fabric? I'm sorry for being so harsh. I purchased a sedan as my first car in high school, in '79. They are a copy of the British Mini, but 6" taller, and 6" narrower. The twin cylinder engine is just a modded version of their motorcycle engine, and what killed most of these, were the defective crankshaft bearings. They all failed at the same mileage, and if you purchased a new crankshaft ($350 in 1979), and rebuilt the engine, you would get another X number of miles before the crank bearings would fail again. Top, comfortable, cruising speed, was 55mph. Above that and the engine was just screaming. They were very noisy inside, both due to the air cooled engine, and the massive belt driven cooling fan, located between the engine and the firewall. They also had failing charging systems, because a wire epoxied into the massive flywheel (which was the generator) would fry. The cure was to change the wiring and ad an external voltage regulator from a Chrysler product. There was a Russian guy in the Los Angeles area at the time, who was making pick up trucks out of the sedans, and selling mag wheels (from Mini's) and sunroofs, and the conversion kits to salvage the failed charging systems. He had a whole little Honda 600 club thing going on. So just to be clear, they had front disc brakes, a 2 cylinder 30-something hp engine, not a CVCC engine, 10" wheels and tires, and got 50mpg. The seats were just black vinyl with pressed basket weave center sections, like you'd find in anything else of the era, including VW Beetles, snowmobiles, etc. I had mine from '79 to '94/'95ish, and after my engine failed, I put a water cooled 1275cc engine and transmission out of a Mini in it.

[@tuffguy428]

What's your point?

[@rubeclayton8233]

Jay Nailed The Problem Right Away... He Has Plenty Of Experience.. And, He Does Own A Auto Shop ... Awesome Video.!!

[@600miles]

38 MPG, 6000 RPM redline, 35 HP, 75 MPH is redline, Power front disc brakes stock, 10" wheels. Love the '71 AZ600s. Vented gas tank, unvented cap. Hey Tim - back me here -

[@BobbyJ2002]

I went to high school with a guy that owned one of these. A silver one. This brings back memories.

[@billdirlam744]

Back in the summer of 1973 I was traveling north on I-15 at about 75 miles per hour (the speed limit back then) when a Honda car similar looking to the Z600 passed me like I was standing still. My guess is that it was the bigger engined Honda Z800 as mentioned by Jay Leno in the video. Pretty impressive speed for a car with an 800cc engine.

[@jamesbrown3352]

These really are cool cars. Jay has a Honda sports car (an S600). The engine in Jay's car (S600) is a water-cooled 4 cylinder. The Honda Z600 in this video is an air-cooled 2 cylinder engine. Unfortunately, the owner in this video wasn't very knowledgeable about this car.

[@DaBossk]

@@jamesbrown3352 yeah that kid didn't know jack about it! Lame. The 60hp 60mpg 4 wheel drum brake z600 😆

[@claudiodiez55]

When I was around 12 years I saw the Honda 600 at the Chicago Ammpitheatre and feel in love with it the Original KEI Car.

[@joeblow1942]

I knew a guy back then that had a Honda 600 (non Z version) and he replaced the stock carburetor with a Mikuni carburetor and I swear that thing had twice the power.

[@robertyoung1777]

It’s wonderful to see unmodified cars. Great car and conversation!

[@bruceallen6016]

Jay's a pretty sharp guy when it comes to automotive. He diagnosed and remedied the problem. 😉

[@kevinwilson9589]

I remember seeing one of these around town in the early 70's. It was red, white and blue, and had custom dual exhaust sidepipes that went along each side of the car, maybe 4 inches of road clearance. I wish Honda would bring these back, It would be so much fun to drive around town and no less safe than riding a motorcycle.