1972 Combat Commando.

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Stopped at Farm and Fleet for tiller belts. Looked in the automotive paint section. All hell broke loose and this happened.........

Silver base
1972 Combat Commando.

1972 Combat Commando.


metallic blue and clear coat
1972 Combat Commando.

1972 Combat Commando.

1972 Combat Commando.

1972 Combat Commando.

1972 Combat Commando.


Now I can join the Fireflake blue club!!!
 
Why didn't you fill that dent in the top with some bondo? Which blue did you use, MetalSpecks?

Dave
69S
 
This is a quick paint job to hopefully get it on the road this year. I'll worry about the dents when I do the permanant paint. It's duplicolor metal specks. I spent a whopping $20 on the paint.
 
Just bought 3 x aerosol primers & 5 litres of thinners & that was £40.00!
Thinking of trying microflake black myself.
 
There are some clearcoats out there that are gas-resistant. Will you try to use some of them? Or just not worry?
 
I got a clear high heat engine enamel from duplicolor that states on the can it's fuel resistant. It is what it is. we'll see. This is just a temporary paint job until I make a final color decision.
 
I used DupliColor High performace wheel coating for clear coat and it works pretty good for me. You can't just pour fuel on it, but if you get drops like when filling, it just evaporates. Don't rub on it though. SprayMax would be the other thing, but you need a respirator for that.

Dave
69S
 
Well last night the wife and I had date night. She's been talking a while about getting a macbook. We went out to dinner, and then walked around the outdoor mall, stopped in the apple store and looked at the macbooks, decided on one, then left. Walked around more discussing her gotting it and what I wanted to get. I told her I only wanted permission for another bike. So after more talking and me convincing her to spend money on herself, she has a new macbook and I have an excuse for another norton to show up at the house. I'm calling my friend in a few minutes and arranging to pick up a 1974 850 tomorrow morning. So i'll hopefully have a stock 72 combat, a 73 850 custom, and a dunstallized 74 850 by tomorrow night. When it rains it pours!!!
 
bwolfie,

Congrats on another Norton ! Sounds like ya "got the ol' Norton disease too." Ya know, got my first Norton back in 1982 (1971 Roadster I bought for $700) ... and painted it myself with a rattle can of "Metalic Blue"; think I spent $5.00 I luved it and it looked like your color, although it did stain a bit the first time I spilled gas on it. Ugh ... Anyway, the Norton World needs more Blue ones IMO, so help make "The Three Amigos" 8) ... "The Three-Hundred Amigos" ??? or at least a few more than three anyway ...

1972 Combat Commando.
 
I'm going wed night to pick it up, if we can agree on a price. That bike will get all the dunstall pieces I have laying around. It comes with a nice burghandy painted set of tins. all steel. We'll see how it goes. My combat is going to get a silver frame to go with the blue tins. I really like that combo.
 
Once well set up Duplicolor wheel coat is impervious to gas and oil and maybe even brake fluid. It pretty hard too so takes some rubbing out to get orange peel out for that deep multilayer clear coat depth. Then wax it. Ugh, there is so much bondo on deer and THE Gravel crashed Trixie Combat that super magnets don't quite hold a tank bag on in the wind or shifting contents.

I ain't found the site of a guy that did polished Al engine covers - after testing the various spray clear coats on sample surfaces by solvents and heating and final clear appearance. Here's a discussion for a feel of it application. Its takes some time and temp to get it to set full up Hard.
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=56448.0
 
I opened up the rocker covers. The PO's story checks out. TC polished and lightened the rockers. That means inside there is more stuff done. I was told it got the whole treatment, it was opened up for main bearings. I might have to unbolt the barrel to see for myself. Pictures to follow when I get around to it this winter.
 
Well many days of tinkering here and there. This morning I finished swapping fork parts, fitted the tank and gassed it up. Rolled it outside and after learning how to use the ticklers it roared to life, again. This time there is a tank with fuel in it so it stayed running. So what does one do with a running bike, put it in gear and ride around the yard. Well the clutch is stuck, so I rolled it down the driveway and bump started it and rode around the grass. I can't wait to get this beast on the road! I'm still grinning.
 
Got the clutch unstuck. Found this...
1972 Combat Commando.

1972 Combat Commando.

1972 Combat Commando.

Yes the outer plate was backwards.
THen cleaned and assembled. Couple of kicks, the vroom vroom sound and wala the clutch works. Too bad it's raining out.

Then after the bike was warmed up and I experimented with what switches do, I found the kill switch.

I then thought " I wonder if I can hand start it?"


Answer, yes easily. I'll get my dad to hold the camera one day and i'll record it.
 
bwolfie said:
I then thought " I wonder if I can hand start it?"


Answer, yes easily. I'll get my dad to hold the camera one day and i'll record it.
Click to expand...

Without any hard evidence, I can hand start mine too :wink:

Jean
 
Here is a video I took this morning. The bike started first kick, I took it out on the road for about 1/2 mile. Wow does this thing rip. I got back to the shop and took this video. Includes 2 hand starts at the end and a lot of engine shaking in the beginning due to broken headsteady rubbers. The sound in the background is my tumbler rattling away cleaning hardware.
1972 Combat Commando.
 
bwolfie said:
Includes 2 hand starts at the end
Click to expand...

Do you have an unusual amount of upper body strength? There is NO WAY I could do this with my 750, it just has way too much compression. It takes a firm spirited kick to get it running, no half-assed whimpey one will do. My hat is off to you!

BTW, this bike looks like a great candidate for one of your new headsteadies. The one you sold me is installed and seems to be working well.

Vintage Paul
 
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