Bring that Beat back... 1991 Honda Beat

[Rocket.]

Some good suggestions there for the roll bar, Zebra print might be tricky! Yellow and gold are good options which I had not thought of, will probably play it safe for now and go black to tie in with whats left of the screen pillars and front scuttle panel also the contrast against the green cover weve made to go behind the seats should look quite good I reckon.

[Rocket.]

Roll bar now in and painted black, rear cover has been cut to fit but still needs final fettling and securing.



There has been a lot 'nerding' going on between Pete and I on this project so it needs a nerd knob.



MOT atTempt next week, fingers crossed.

Edited by Rocket. on Tuesday 13th October 10:37

[Rocket.]

We have an MOT!



Also insured the car with all mods declared for £139 so not bad.

At the moment car not keen on reving much above 4k, engine feels very tight and as if being starved of fuel perhaps so more investigation needed.

[Rocket.]

Thanks all.

Few minor observations but nothing unexpected. One odd thing despite informing DVLA of change of colour to green and having new V5 to prove, it still shows up as silver in the system apparently

Things still to sort out:

Fit and paint carbon bonnet and paint rest of car.

Setup ride height and tracking etc.

Sort out running issues.

Edited by Rocket. on Thursday 22 October 11:49

[Rocket.]

Definitely will make an appearance at some car meets next year.

In the meantime we are having some running issues..

The main one being a distinct lack of power. The car starts and runs fine will rev freely but under load and in gear it is gutless. The engine as you will recall was fully stripped down, bored out slightly to accommodate new larger pistons, all shell bearings were replaced, new valve guides, head skimmed etc. We also replaced the dizzy and cap, new coil pack, ecu checked and repaired, leads, plugs, injectors tested and cleaned. With all the above we are struggling to understand why we are lacking power, perhaps a fueling issue but pump seems to work fine and fuel filter has been replaced too, so if anyone has any ideas feel free to suggest where to look next!

In pursuit of ruling out the repaired ECU a local Beat owner kindly came to us to test his ECU on our car, ours still not right with his ECU plugged in and his car goes much better.



Peter been out and about putting some miles on my car albeit very slowly.

[Rocket.]

B'stard Child said:

Is the timing correct if it's running a swing dizzy

Yes it's a swing dizzy and we have certainly improved the timing using timing gun to set it correctly but may need another go.

[Rocket.]

Thanks Olduns for posting that. We have replaced the main relay next to the ECU.

Ref timing the one issue I do have is a permanently on red engine warning light and when we tried to use the SCS bridge connector to diagnose it didnt work or flash any issues but just stayed on so not sure what to do really. I think I need to get the car to someone to help us resolve this bit first.

[Rocket.]

Carbon bonnet has arrived





Now with 4 coats of green, clear coat still to be put on and rear wings to be painted.



Another month or so and car should be finished still have some running issues to sort.

Edited by Rocket. on Saturday 21st November 21:44

[Rocket.]

Cambs_Stuart said:

That looks utterly fantastic.

Cheers. It's been out and about a bit more.

Edited by Rocket. on Monday 7th December 19:08

[Rocket.]

Rocket. said:

Cambs_Stuart said:

How's it running?

Getting there, timing was definitely out and fitted a new fuel pump now but still has the engine warning light coming on and staying on after a little while so ECU may have to go for another inspection, has already been repaired but could still be an electrical or sensor issue somewhere. You are meant to be able to bridge a connector on the ECU and then the engine warning light will flash a sequence which should tell you which sensor or fault the engine has, currently it wont do this.

[Rocket.]

DanG355 said:

Brilliant! It actually looks like a pedal car next to the huge latest small Honda. I'd be interested to know the reaction of the staff too - did they embrace it as part of their (modified) history or look at you in a way that said "get that green thing off our forecourt!!!"?

I hope the running issues are sorted soon and 2021 can be the year this wonderful thing gets enjoyed.

Unfortunately no one was around to see it so didn't get a reaction but it seemed too good an opportunity to miss!

Edited by Rocket. on Tuesday 8th December 21:24

[Rocket.]

Small update

The Beat is now back with me and the work continues slowly.






My first drive out wasn't a great success, about 1 mile from home with the Mrs as a passenger, the clutch pedal went straight to the floor and stayed there, engine was still running, car was still in gear but no drive. So as you do I went to put on the Hazard warning lights and the switch went straight through the dash Then called my son for a tow home and on the way back I made the fatal mistake of running over the tow rope which then snapped Ended up pushing the car home for last 1/4 of a mile. At that point we just pushed it into the garage and left it for a bit!




Turns out the clutch master cylinder was shot and the seals had formed a rubber paste, this was causing it to get stuck so a new one is ordered from Japan and on its way.

With the car back with me (until weather improves for final painting) I have had time to get stuck into the engine timing issue and with help of a new timing gun and moving the dizzy round one tooth I think we have it much better, best news is no more engine light, fingers crossed this is now solved.

I have also been trying to get a better fit on the Carbon bonnet, I was warned these may not fit perfectly, they weren't kidding! Anyway now more acceptable than it was. We used some Pitking quick release bonnet pins mounted on top and disconnected the original pull and latch.






With any luck and a dry day I will venture out again next week once the clutch MC is fitted and report back.

[Rocket.]

Finally got the clutch master cylinder fitted and bled so seemed rude not to go for a short drive around the country lanes where I live.

I managed a few hundred meters up the road before realising something wasn't right with the brakes, they were definitely sticking on. Went home, wheels off and had a good look. All calipers had been rebuilt so I assumed that if clutch MC seals were shot then good chance brake MC was the culprit. I slackened off the lines from the MC and the wheels turned freely again..

Next bit of trying to remove MC from the booster/servo was fun, not.... In the end after a lot of swearing, subsequent soaking with plus gas and the 'persuader' (rubber mallet) it moved just enough to get a lever in behind and here is what I found.





Leaky seals again. A new one ordered from Japan should be here in a few weeks. The Beatchetta is having a difficult birth.

Edited by Rocket. on Friday 15th January 20:04

[Rocket.]

The Rotrex Kid said:

At least you weren’t doing like 80mph when the master cylinder did that, I was when mine st itself

Not much fun that! Had one go my Lancia in the late 90's which was only about 7 years old at the time, to be fair the Beat is 30 this year.

Actually really happy to have a lockdown project and something to do at the weekends. I spent today going over all the brakes, whoever invented brake pad clips needs a kick in the wotsits.

Tomorrow will be trying to Hondabond the camcover and the sump (which doesnt have a gasket) and both are leaking. Also appears to be a water leak from thermostat area which needs investigating.

[Rocket.]

davidclayton said:

How do you rate the Gaz coilovers? Is the ride very firm or can you soften them up to stock levels of ride comfort?

I haven't really had the chance to try them properly yet but they were way too stiff out of the box so we're revalved and also lowered the spring rates. There is no adjustment on them apart from adjustable ride height. Apart from that they look well built.

[Rocket.]

Long overdue update!

Back in Feb I decided the Beat need a proper mechanic to sort out the running issues and leaks. I dropped it off mid Feb to my local guy and said the fateful words 'it's winter I'm in no rush for it...' he took it literally and I got it back today!

To be fair to him it ended up being more trouble than we 1st thought and required engine out again and some parts. Poor running was due to a stuck injector so car was only running on 2 cylinders. The leaks were multiple and required gasket sealer in many areas and there were a few bolts missing in places. On the basis it seems to have rained for most of the summer I don't feel I've missed out too much.

What I can now say is this little car is a riot to drive, to rev the little motor to about 8,000 rpm is great fun, the induction noise is epic with the open cone filter into the boot cavity with the scoop being about 1 foot away from your ear! You feel like you going twice the speed you actually are, aided by the fact that you are fully exposed to the elements. The gear change is another highlight, one of the best I have used. The brakes are also good, the upgraded vented front discs and calipers are strong but almost a bit over servoed and easy to lock up so best to be progressive with them. The car handles sweetly but needs setting up and still a bit firm for my liking so may try to soften further going forward.

First job today was fit my Momo Prototipo wheel and head out and put some miles on her, popped into see a mate who loved the car. It makes people stop, stare and smile.

Still lots to do but after 3 years and actually never having driven a Beat properly I'm pretty happy with it so far.





https://youtube.com/shorts/3h6e7T6WhbM?

Edited by Rocket. on Wednesday 1st September 22:23

[Rocket.]

Thanks all, put another 50 miles on it today but dropped the revs back as supposed to be running it in really! Still love the fact that at 50mph this car genuinely feels faster and more engaging than my Cayman did at close to double that.

[Rocket.]

Rakanisheu said:

Any updates? Also some toerag broke the aerial on my BEAT don't suppose you have yours lying around that your not using?

Sadly no real update at the moment as car has been garaged pending another engine light investigation and need painting finished. Sorry no aerial anymore (I think it was binned as also broken) or wheels for sale.

[Rocket.]

Small update engine is out again due to lack of oil pressure.

Turns out oil pump is toast, fortunately luckly to find a new one and now on the way from Japan.

Engine stripped down but everything else looks ok, so hopefully no other damage done, oil pump was the one thing I struggled to get when first rebuilding the engine, sods law

[Rocket.]

Cambs_Stuart said:

How is it to drive? Have you had the chance to do many miles in it?

Not really, oil light wasnt going out as quick as it should after cranking and had only managed about 200 miles of driving when this started to happen, also I wasn't pushing the revs on it too much at this point.

Needless to say it is quite a sensory experience and you get funny looks. With a bit of luck engine will be sorted in a month or so and should back on the road for spring and then proper running in. It does feel light on its feet though which is good.