Sunday 6 December 2015

Norton Model 18 project complete !

Well complete is a big word, but this probably as close as it gets .I,ll stick up some pics and some titles as well.I have no idea what this restoration cost and I suppose about three years of chasing parts and to be honest its a little disappointing when they are finished ,still I have other projects to start and to finish .
Typical view drive side                                                             
                                                                                                         REAR TIMING SIDE
 I kind of like these pics from an angle at the rear and looking down .This shows a second hand muffler from one of the swap meetings the new K70 Dunlop rear tyre and the old style number plate bracket this one should have the tail light centred in a projection on the right hand top corner ,if I pick up the correct one Ill swap them over .
The drive side  shows MO1 maggy this one has to be a clockwise one, hard to find for sure , well actually you just need a cam plate that is a clockwise one  ,hours of work have gone into the chain cases, they always seem to be badly knocked about, some by having a primary chain derailed inside . The old style battery cases are a bit more expensive than the later ones I got this one from the UK can't remember the company . You may notice the footrest cranks cast in bronze by Manx Classic Spares I thought they looked so good I didn't bother with the black paint  they won't rust either . 
This is the pretty side of most bikes , all that polished alloy ,what a bastard to clean ! all those nooks and crannies with split pins poking out to rip at your hands .This is the famous Dolls Head gearbox that evolved into the AMC unit by the middle fifties the gears in this box are generally the same as the later lay down box the three bearings are interchangeable with their counterpart in the last 850 Commando and I think the lay shaft fits too although I believe the later ones are stronger .The gears fitted to the AMC box have a different profile and are not compatible with the earlier ones .Pre dolls head boxes [Sturmey Archer] have gears marked EIV  the dolls head lay down have gears marked with a N8000 number that is the part number like N8043 and the AMC gears are often stamped AH also some have a lathe ring through the dogs  The exhaust was purchased from Feked in the UK its actually a 500 T part that fitted up nicely 
 FRONT END
Indian copy of Webb girders 1950's hub laced into dunlop 21 inch mudcatcher rim with stainless spokes .Just fitted a new Avon rib tyre , the mud guard was made  by Adam Higgins [THE EARLY YEARS]  who can make anything you want he's at the Ballarat and Bendigo swaps his phone number is  03 5148 3207 This guy is an artisan and very well priced .I had to extend the brake lever and make up a heap of spacers to centre the wheel in the forks .The original would have had the QD brake and hub set which is much wider ,Norton did fit a one piece hub/brake before the war but only in the Inters and some ES2's and would have been combined with a cradle frame .The the clunkers were left with the open diamond frame the tractor mudguards the square oil tanks and the wide girders
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 BACK END 
I managed to find the correct cotton reel hub a new sprocket and the correct brake plate. I pulled this alloy rim off my Commando and replaced it with a SS item ,home made chain guard mudguard stays repro rear stand from Rod [Portland ] and repro number plate bracket original lucas tail light actually still had olive drab paint on it .

HOW DO YOU ROTATE A PIC ???? 
Can't work out how to rotate this pic ,I found this transfer and thought it would look good on the tank ,I have no idea where they should be placed or on what model .The work on the tank was really an experiment because the primer /filler is a 2 pac paint .I then picked a colour that was a acrylic [Jaguar silver metalic ] then put the stickers on and put a 2 pac clear over the lot .I was expecting all sorts of trouble but it appears these products are compatible 
 RIDERS VIEW

1 comment:

  1. Steve, congrats on being 'finished'. Excellent pics and write up.I have some video of it running on YouTube. I shot it when you were still working on it, nearly a year ago actually. Video is at

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCzDcDOR8uc

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