Honda Life First Generation

Production period:	1971 to 1974
Class	Motor Car
Body versions:	Combined sedan, station wagon, pickup
Engines:	Gasoline: 0.36 Liter
Length:	2995 mm
Width:	50.98 in. 1.295 mm
Height:	1340-1370 mm
Wheelbase:	81.89 in, 2.080 mm
Curb weight:	480-540 kg
Dry weight:	1,069 1b, 485 kg

The Honda Life First Generation is a small Japanese car manufacturer Honda from 1971 to 1974.

History

The Honda Life, and generally follows the established two-cylinder transverse engine, driving the front wheels layout of the 'N' series.But there some important departures from normal Honda practice.The Life is the first water cooled Honda since the demise of the S800 sports car. Once staunch believers in air cooling Honda have reverted to water cooling because of its noise suppressing ability. This was current among Japanese 360 cc car manufacturers, and all but one factory offers cars with water cooled engines in this class.

The Life engine is an in-line 354 cc two cylinder ohc unit. The camshaft is driven by a cogged belt (British Uniroyal) and is the first Japanese engine with such a belt. The engine also sports such new Honda innovations as a twin-choke compound downdraught carburetter, forward facing radiator with thermostatically controlled electric fan and a one-piece forged crankshaft with three main bearings (plain). Low and mid-speed torque is the prime design criterion for the engine, and it produces 30 bhp at a 'modest' 8000 rpm. There is also a Town version of the same engine with a lower compression ratio, 21 bhp at 6500 rpm and a milder camshaft. The Life engine incorporates an extremely elaborate dynamic balancing system which consists of twin balancer shafts carrying half moon-shaped balancers which turn counter crankshaftwise to offset the inherent unbalancing force of the in-line two cylinder engine with 3600 crank. The balancer shafts are driven by sprockets and chains.

Transmission is placed in line with the engine, or 'behind' the engine, to compress the power unit forward, so that optimum utilization of the overall length can be made. By law the overall length and width of 360 cc cars are limited to under 3000 mm. and 1300 mm. respectively. By changing to the in-line power unit layout, Honda have succeeded in reserving 82 percent of the total length for passenger and luggage accommodation. In fact the cabin length of the Life matches those of some of our 1-1.2 litre small cars, and Honda are offering four-door versions of the Life as well as the two-door saloon. The gearbox is an all-synchromesh four-speed unit with four indirect ratios. The 21 bhp Town model has a three-speed box. Honda's own automatic, much along the same design as the 'N' automatic, will be offered later. Front suspension is by MacPherson struts, and a rear dead axle on a pair of two leaf semi-elliptic springs is used at the rear. Steering is by rack and pinion, and stopping power is provided by an all drum brake system. The Life is slightly more expensive than the comparable N360.

The first generation was as three- and five-door hatchback, as a three-door station wagon, five-door Van called Step Van, and two-door pickup offered. He was powered by a 27 kW (36 hp) two-cylinder engine with 356 cc displacement with Water not air cooling for new Honda.
Honda added another model to their extensive 360 cc car range. The Honda Life, and generally follows the established two-cylinder transverse engine driving the front wheels layout of the 'N' series. But there some important departures from normal Honda practice.
The Life is the first water cooled Honda since the demise of the S800 sports car. Once staunch believers in air cooling Honda have reverted to water cooling because of its noise suppressing ability. The Life engine is an in-line 354 cc two-cylinder ohc unit. The camshaft is driven by a cogged belt The engine
also sports such new Honda innovations as a twin-choke compound downdraught carburettor, forward facing radiator with thermostatically controlled electric fan and a one-piece forged crankshaft with three main bearings (plain). Low and mid-speed torque is the prime design criterion for the engine, and it produces 30 bhp at a 'modest' 8000 rpm. There is also a Town version of the same engine with a lower compression ratio, 21 bhp at 6500 rpm and a milder camshaft. The Life engine incorporates an extremely elaborate dynamic balancing system which consists of twin balancer shafts carrying half-moon-shaped balancers which turn counter-crankshaft wise to offset the inherent unbalancing force of the in-line two-cylinder engine with 360° crank. The balancer shafts are driven by sprockets and chains.

PERFORMANCE

• Power-weight ratio: 35.6 lb/hp, 16.1 kg/hp
• Max power (DIN): 30 hp at 8,000 rpm
• Max torque (DIN): 21 1b ft, 2.9 kg m at 6,000 rpm
• Max engine rpm: 8,500; 84.3 hp/l
• Max speeds: (1st) 19 mph, 30 km/h; (2nd) 30 mph, 48 km/h: (3rd) 47 mph, 76 km/h; (4th) 71 mph, 115 km/h

Transmission is placed in line with the engine, or 'behind' the engine, much like the Fiat 128 / 127, to compress the power unit forward, so that optimum utilization of the overall length can be made.

By law the overall length and width of 360 cc cars are limited to under 3000 mm. and 1300 mm. respectively. By changing to the in-line power layout, Honda have unit succeeded in reserving 82 per cent of the total length for passenger and luggage accommodation. In fact, the cabin length of the Life matches those of some of our 1-1.2 litre small cars, and Honda offering four-door versions of the Life as well as the two-door saloon.
The gearbox is an all-synchromesh four-speed unit with four indirect ratios. The 21bhp Town model has a three-speed box. Honda's own automatic, much along the same design as the 'N' automatic.
Front suspension is by MacPherson struts, and a rear dead axle on a pair of two leaf semi-elliptic springs is used at the rear. Steering is by rack and pinion, and stopping power is provided by an all-drum brake system.
The Life is slightly more expensive than the comparable N360 also as a van and wagon models up to 1974.

PERFORMANCE: Life Touring SS 2-door Sedan

• compression ratio: 9:1
• max power (DIN): 36 hp at 9,000 rpm
• max torque (DIN): 23 1b ft. 3.2 kg m at 7,000 rpm
• max engine rpm: 10,000; 101.1 hp/l
• 2 Keihin CV horizontal carburettors,
• max speeds: (I) 21 m h, 33 km/h; (II) 33mph. 53 km/h; (III) 51 mph. 82 km/h(IV) 75 mph, 120 km/h
• power-weight ratio: 29.7 lb/hp, 13.7 kg/hp.