Gary wrote:BOGUS: are those SS Allen bolts I see attaching your manifolds to the head?

They are indeed....I can't resist bling

Geez Gary, that's nasty. I'd be tempted to pull the head and take a Dremmel wire wheel to those intake ports. Have faith though, and think of how pretty the Commando motor can be..

Merry Christmas.

Andy: cannot blame you, looks nice. My father's bike has sat for so long... well, lots of
'minor' rust spots creeping in. You know, looks good from 10' away? But there's so much I have to learn, that the 'bling' will be way down the road. Currently, I'd just like to get some miles on it, and then keep learning MORE stuff, until I eventually decide to tear her down for a complete refurbishment.

Dave: whoa! Thanks. If we knew each other better, I'd have called you a name, so you'd have known I was envious, lol's!

The stuff is nasty. Truly, I honestly believe that what everyone is witnessing is one possibility of the future with regards the fiberglass tanks. Short term stateside, long term global. That is, I see the tank sealers as a 'temporary' band-aide while a real solution is researched. I'm saving up my nickels, currently, for a steel tank. If you're in N. America, keep in mind that my locale is one of only TWO in the States that mandate something called 'Reformulated' gas, or Re-gas. This is on top of the ethynol crap they force us to use. Not sure if the re-gas/ethy mix is worse, or not, but there'll only be more additives in the future. Just makes no damned sense to me to keep spending the time and money to re-seal the damned tank every... what?! Every 3 years? 4? Maybe every 5 years (which I seriously doubt). As is, with a sealed fiberglass tank, I swear to God, I'd install a quick drain valve in the fuel lines, open her up and drain the fuel out every time I was going to let her sit for more than 2-3 days. 'Course, you readers will have to keep in mind that all this is coming from someone with a nightmare of a failed sealer story...

Think of the positive side of it all: knowing that this stuff has gone through the combustion chamber... maybe I've got a really nice, thick seal on the top of the cylinder walls which makes this Norton have the best oil seals in the world, LOSL's (lots of SAD laughs).

Andy,
on your air cleaner backing plate the top angled bracket and frame gusset are separated by a small bush type spacer.
If it was missing you would never know to look for it. I was looking very closely, my over attention to detail sometimes,
at the 1972 parts exploded view on Old Britts site under the air box and there is a reference to this tiny bush.
You definitely need it as once you start to tighten the bolt and nut you will draw the bracket back too far distorting it before it is snugged up. It also keeps the top of the air box in rack.
Mine was gone or lost so I ordered it from Old Britts and it is correct now.
It looks like a bear to sneak between the air box bracket and frame. I used a magnet to set in place and the tension between the gusset and bracket surfaces retained the bush till I could get the bolt through same and secure w/ nut.
Probably way over explained this process as my son always complains I do such but I felt it better right than wrong.
Hope this was useful.
Merry Christmas everyone
Marshal
Rider of antiquated iron.

Gary,

I was fortunate not to have any pressing need to get the bike roadworthy - I've previously got bikes on the road and progressively improved them, which is the way to go if it's the only ride, but I decided to throw all the cash at it at once and get it over with this time. Fortunately my Wife's sympathetic and let me do this!

I just need to get the paintwork done and it's more or less finished - check my build thread (which needs updating!)
850mkiia-rebuild-underway-t5086.html

Marshal - thanks for the observation - you've got a sharp eye
LAB provded me with the MkI/IIA supplement, which doesn't show the spacer, so I'm guessing it's the same spacer as used with the 'regular' airbox. I'd originally fitted the bracket behind the frame gusset because of the rolled edge facing forwards - now it makes sense as to why a spacer is needed!
I'm guessing it isn't much thicker than 1/8"?

Looking forwards to getting the festivities over wth so I can get back into the ManCave, although I am rather enjoying my son's slot-car racing set

Those shiny brown-black globules in the intake walls are the result of alcohol dissolving resin in the gas tank. I have seen this several times over at my local Norton shop - with plain fiberglass tanks and coated fiberglass and steel tanks. Two of the bikes were Nortons - a '72 Interstate and '71 Roadster - one was Triumph T150 with a coated tank (sealing done by a PO, so source was unknown), and one was a '67 BSA Spitfire with the little glass tank. I've also seen a half dozen Nortons with coated tanks and VERY iffy insides.

All of these had the same symptoms - rough running, fouling plugs, sticking slides. Only solution seems to be a steel tank and a good soaking of the affected parts in alcohol to re-dissolve the resin residue.

Either that or find alcohol-free gas