motocompo – Build Threads

Project Honda City Turbo II – Exhaust, interior, FINITO!

I haven’t posted an update on Project Honda City Turbo II since late last year, so let’s take a moment to catch up with the finishing touches on this boxy 80’s cult hatch. This is a truly huge update which sees the final mechanical work completed, so the car can attend it’s debut outing, Classic Japan. If you’re a fan of odball JDM machinery, then this is the post for you, as you’ll find some other treats further down the page (hint: tiny motorbike and gullwing doors).

Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: Teardown
Part 3: Engine refresh
Part 4: Bringing the engine home
Part 5: First start

Continue reading “Project Honda City Turbo II – Exhaust, interior, FINITO!”

Project Honda City Turbo II – Introduction

A couple of friends of mine (the same guys I went to Winton with) have embarked on a joint project car. The car in question is an obscure little Honda, and it’s not a Civic. Nope, it’s even better, it’s a City Turbo II. If you’re unfamiliar with these awesome little cars, you can read up about them on the Wiki page here. All you really need to know is that it’s small, it’s turbo, and you can fit a Motocompo in the boot. The other night I popped around for a visit while Tony and Ryan were wrenching away and took some photos of the goings on. As usual, click for larger versions.

I’ve been toying with the idea of posting the progress of this build on Build-Threads.com in installments, much the same way I document my own project. What are your thoughts on this? Are you interested in another site-hosted build?

Continue reading “Project Honda City Turbo II – Introduction”

Classic Japan 2013

Yesterday in Melbourne we were gifted with a gorgeous sunny day to mark the start of summer. It also happened to be the same day as Classic Japan, a casual car show catering for Japanese cars and motorbikes that are 25 years or older. No prizes, no trophies, no egos, just a congregation of the states oldschool JDM owners and fans. It had been a while since I had driven the datto after experiencing some periodic teething problems since completing my FMIC project, so I was ecstatic to be able to have it back in action just the day before the show and enjoy a full two days of trouble-free driving. I didn’t take my camera with me, but my good friend Tony from The Motor Report was snapping away and has given me his blessing to share his images here. Click the images for full-size hi-res shots.

Continue reading “Classic Japan 2013”