More Norton’ing…

Another big part of the puzzle fell into place today, in the shape of an ES2 500 iron barrel, it has had a repair or two in its life, as you would expect, it is also on the top end of the bore size at 82.3, but I am looking for a late 40′s AJS piston to fit in there, but if I fail in that direction I shall have a look at getting a liner fitted, and taking it back to standard (79mm) bore size.

Roll out the Barrel

500 Barrel

I also started looking at how to fix my newly aquired Smiths tacho, which I want to fit in a jaunty old fashioned classic race style.

Tach Mount

Norton Dash

My Norton Project, Cont…

Way back in the mists of time, I bought an oil tank with a big hole in it, this one to be exact…

Oil Tank

Well said hole is now a non hole, and today it also had a nice shiney new filler cap fitted, so next stop will be the body shop for some filler and paint…

Oil Tank Fixed

And as the sun had finaly decided to join us, I thought I would grab a couple of pictures of my newly prepped head and rocker box too.

350 cylinder head & rocker cover

Cylinder Head & Rocker Box

Top End

Just need to find a barrel now then…

My Norton Clubman Project, Cont…

Did I mention I found a head and rocker assembly? No! well I have, they both need a little work, as is the way of buying parts no one else wants :laugh but fixing aint so hard if you know what to do and where to go.

First thing is to get it all clean, to see what needs fixin, so a trip over Easter to the vapour blaster soon had something I could work with. First was the rocker cover, this had a broken stud hole, and a hole through the box, looks like someone got a bit too keen with a vice while doing something, and cracked the cover. So a trip to my local alloy welder soon had it all back good as new, and for no charge too

Next is to send the head away to have valve guides and valves fitted, I may even have it ported too, I also need to open it up to accept a 500 barrel, as this head is from a late model 350. All good fun.

Here they are sitting on the bike, I just need to find a barrel now, an alloy competition barrel would be nice, but any 500 barrel would be great if I can find one.

 

Head and rockerbox

 

My Norton Project… Odds & Ends…

I picked up a couple of bits for the Norton on Saturday at the Kempton bike jumble, one of the parts was the front fork brace and mudguard support, I found
it in a box of old junk, and it cost me just £2.00 or $3.00 for the colonials out there.

So today I thought I should just check to see how it all fits together, this is not the wheel I will be using, as that is yet to be built, but it is a 21″ wheel so is right for testing.

 

Dry Fit

 

New Handle bars

 

My next job is to convert this old damaged Triumph conical hub into a Manx style single leading shoe race hub, and although it won’t be correct in every detail,
it will be close enough to give the look I am after.

 

Conical Hub

 

 

First job is to remove all the fins from the outer edge, luckily this one was already damaged in this area, this may have helped in me getting it cheaply off of the Bay..

 

Broken Fin, A good thing.

Then it will be away to be powder coated black, before I start to convert a Norton brake plate to fit…

 

 

A Little Norton Update…

I have just managed to get a nice late-model, 350cc alloy head, this will be opened up for use on the 500, with new valves etc. this will be used in combination with a BSA B50 high comp piston, and a set of custom profiled high lift cams, to give it all a little omph!
My rear wheel has been built around a 19″ flanged alloy rim, with stainless spokes, and will wear a 4-00 x 19 tyre. And today I picked up a 21″ front wheel with twin leading brake, just to get me moving while I look to find a conical front hub.
My frame is about to go into the shop to have some brackets welded on, so that I can move the brake pedal and foot rests back a piece, and fit some rear sets on the gear change side.

Today has been a Norton day again, cleaned up all the threads on the new alloy head, then I managed to get hold of a late-model rocker box assembly, and bolted that all together ready to go off to the vapour blaster this week. Then it can have the machining done to fit a 500 barrel, and a new set of racing valve
guides and valves fitted. I will also have the inlet tract polished up a bit too.

My Norton, an update..

A few people have asked me how I am coming along with the Norton project, so I thought I would take some pictures today, and give a little update…

As of now I am still pulling parts together, to build the motor, I now have a most of the bottom end, plus a barrel, and a 350cc head, that has been machined to fit a 500, I have rockers and rocker cover, oil pump (x3), cams, etc, although I would like to find some late model 16H cams, for my bike, but they are proving hard to find.
The gearbox has been rebuilt, so is ready to fit, rear wheel is away to be built, still looking for a front hub, so as you can see I am getting there slowly, but then no one said it was a race.

Norton Clubman

Norton Engine and box

Norton project

My Norton Project…

Way back in the mists of time (last year) I was given a shed find gearbox for my Norton project, covered in a white corrosion, and seized up from years of neglect, it came to me for free, in case I could use it. Well of course I can, but it took a while to get it apart, everything was solid, the bearings rusted up, and some of the outer screws had been rounded off way back in the past. But I never gave up,  I kept soaking it with penetrating oil,  heating it with a heat gun, and a lot of perseverance, and finally a couple of weeks ago I got it all apart.

So I gave the cases to my friend James, and he waved a polishing mop at them, and gave them back this week, and next week it shall be rebuilt, with new bearings etc, ready to go back in the bike. It even has the correct numbers for my frames vintage.

 

Norton Laydown box

 

Norton ES2 Gearbox

 

Velocette, Norton’s & Plungers…

Today was a good day, today was the first “build” day,  I now have a few parts, and today they started going together

I had the rear plunger rods machined, and so today I took the frame, plunger rods, springs, and covers, over to Mick’s place to get some help fitting them on the frame, Mick has a homemade spring compressor just for doing the plungers, a job that would be tough to do without the use of a spring compession tool.

Norton Plunger Suspension

 

Garden Gate Suspension

 

And when I got back home I fitted the headstock assembly with the new bearings that turned up this week. I also have the parts needed to put the Roadholder forks together, so things are moving in the right direction.

There was a nice Velocette there while I was getting the rear suspension fitted, and a Norton on the bench too.

 

Velocette 500

 

Norton Single

 

 

 

More of my Norton..

I spent a little time tarting up the frame, well I had to do something about all that red primer that had been daubed  about with what can best be described as a relish!  but a morning of spray on oven cleaner,  warm soapy water, and 400 grade wet and dry, soon had the frame ready for some paint.

And this is the result…

Paint and Polish

well that was yesterday, and my kitchen still smells of paint this morning!  so as I was going to get some pictures, I thought I should see how the new oil tank will look when repaired, painted, and fitted, sometime in the near future.

Oil Tank

I also have to find out how these tanks are hung on the frame, which probably means going to look at old Norton’s, oh well, someone has to do it

More Norton Inspiration…

I have sorted a few more Norton pictures in way of inspiration for my project,  and as it happens, I have managed to get hold of a proper Manx/Inter oil tank like the one shown here,  not as pretty, not very cheap, and not ready to fit! it will require lots of work to be made useable, but it is one of the iconic parts that make the bike look right, even if in reality it isn’t.

Norton Wheel

 

Front Wheel