Honda TN360
| Honda TN360 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Honda |
| Also called | Honda TNIII Honda TN-V Honda TN7 |
| Production | Nov. 1967–1977 |
| Assembly | Suzuka Plant, Suzuka, Mie, Japan |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Kei truck |
| Body style | 2-door pickup truck |
| Related |
Honda N360 Honda Life Honda Vamos |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 354 cc air-cooled SOHC I2 |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Honda T360 |
| Successor | Honda Acty |
The TN360 and its successors in the long running TN series is a cab over pickup truck from Honda, which replaced the T360 in November, 1967.
The TN360 uses an air-cooled two-cylinder 354 cc engine with a single overhead camshaft, and was adapted from the Honda CB450 motorcycle. The preceding T360 had been equipped with a very complex twin-cam four-cylinder unit, whereas this new engine (shared with the N360 sedan) was more fitted for mass production. The engine was redesigned to be mounted horizontally, residing midships beneath the load floor.
The TN360 premiered in November 1967 and remained in production unchanged until January 1970. Top speed is 100 km/h (62 mph), the same as for its predecessor. Thanks to a simpler construction, weight dropped considerably: from 610 kg (1,345 lb) for the old T360 to 500 kg (1,102 lb) for the 1967 TN360. Output remained unchanged at 30 PS (22 kW) at 8,000 rpm, but torque increased somewhat to 3.0 kg·m (29 N·m) at 5,500 rpm and everything occurred in a lower engine speed range. The engine benefited from engineering efforts achieved on the Honda 1300 four cylinder, air-cooled sedan introduced in 1969. The TN also had a considerably tighter turning circle, at 7.6 metres. The only bodywork available was as a drop-side pickup truck.
After only a few months in the market, Honda added a panel van range to the lineup in March 1968, simply a pickup with a permanently covered bed. These were available in four various configurations (with or without sliding side doors, as well as a version with a canvas roof) at a slightly higher price. Due to worse aerodynamics and slightly higher weight, top speed for the panel vans was only 95 km/h (59 mph), with a max of 90 km/h (56 mph) for the open top version. In 1969, a better equipped DeLuxe version was added to the range.
In November 1969 Honda presented an interesting variation of the TN360: the "Snowler" had removable skis mounted on the front wheels, while the rear wheels were replaced by caterpillar tracks with rubber belts. A similar version of the previous T360 had also been built, and Honda continued to target this very narrow market. The Snowler's top speed was 45 km/h (28 mph), while weight increased to a sturdy 655 kg (1,444 lb). The price was more than 55% higher than that of a regular TN360, but Honda was alone in offering a vehicle with these sorts of capabilities at such a comparatively low price. The tracks were also removable, so as to make for a useful trucklet in the summer as well.
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Wikipedia