A suitable project for Display-less computing

[Fred Cisin]

On Thu, 17 Dec 2015, Mike Boyle wrote:
> I would love to have a micro and all of the 70 and 80- 87 Honda Motorcycle
> parts! The old ATC's Gotta Love em!

Then you should start designing a database to keep track of the parts, and 
the ones that you have.
You will need several boxes of punched cards, a sorter (084?), and a 407.
Or, a TRS80 with two floppies is adequate (barely) to handle a reasonable 
inventory, if you want a screen. (I did that in 1979)

In your time frame, all parts should have the "new" Honda part numbers, 
which were introduced in about 1966? although some parts would still be 
labelled with the old part code numbering system, which was a 5 or 6 digit 
number.

The "new" part number system (still in use!) has multiple parts.
The first field is normally 5 digits, although sometimes also suffix 
letter(s).  Of those 5 digits, the first two are the "function number", 
followed by three digits of "component number".  That pretty much tells 
you what the part is, although not enough to get the right one for your 
vehicle.
The second field, separated by hyphens is the "product code" or "parts 
classification number", and is a three digit alphanumeric code for what 
model first used that part (NOT necessarily the model of your vehicle). 
For example, "001" was a C100 motorcycle, "500" was an S500 car (not 
imported into USA, although there are dozens of S600s in USA), "551" and 
"568" were AN600, "634" was a Civic, etc.
The third field, usually 3 digits, but often exteded with suffixes, is 2 
digits for modification number, and a digit for subcontractor.

But "standard" parts, such as nuts and bolts, will sometimes use an 
alternate numbering system.
The first field is two digits for function and 3 digits for type.
The second field is dimensions.
The optional third field is sometimes used for ISO designations.


FINDING the right part requires extensive knowledge, including historical 
of which models previously used that part, and/or massive 
cross-referencing, such as using the Honda parts books to find the part in 
an exploded view and then treat the provided number as arbitrary.
Parts books can be found.  Dealer price lists are harder to come by.

--
Grumpy Ol' Fred     		cisin at xenosoft.com
(Honda cars 1965 - 1980)