Basket Case Project - What Have I Gotten Myself Into?

grandpaul said:

Remember on the drive sprocket - "Righty loosey"

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Check out the tool used to remove the heating element in an electric water heater. Got one years ago for a plumbing project and by accident and happenstance found that it fit the sprocket nut. Still I would dismantle the gearbox and use a proper impact socket while you are at it replace the lay shaft bearing with a SKF NJ203-C3 roller bearing.

You project is looking good.
John in Texas

I finally got my bottom end apart. I used two large screws with their heads filed flat to pry the pinion gear up (saw the trick mentioned here) enough to get a regular puller behind it so I could get it off the rest of the way.

I cleaned up my timing side a bit:


But I can't get the crank shaft and off the drive side of the case


What is this wear pattern on the cam shaft?

Don't know if it's just me, but the above 3 attachments appear as large black boxes...

grandpaul said:

Don't know if it's just me, but the above 3 attachments appear as large black boxes...

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Hmmm...they look right to me...I wonder what I did wrong in linking the images?

I did manage to get the drive side case off after holding a block of wood on the outside of the case and hitting it with a rubber mallet. The outside race of the bearing stayed in the case but the rest is still on the crank shaft.

Outer race still in drive side case:


Bearings is still on drive side of the crank shaft:


Is there any reason the bearing would have slipped right off the timing side of the crank shaft when I pulled the cases apart?

wrecks said:

I did manage to get the drive side case off after holding a block of wood on the outside of the case and hitting it with a rubber mallet. The outside race of the bearing stayed in the case but the rest is still on the crank shaft.

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They're probably the original bearings, so for that year, are a two-piece drive-side roller bearing (with the rollers held captive on the inner race) and a single-piece timing-side ball bearing as shown in your photos.

With a little heat applied to the case around the roller bearing, the inner part (and crank) possibly would have slid out with little or no resistance. By knocking the bearing apart, there's a possibility the rollers could have marked the outer race. If, however, you intend to replace the D/S bearing with the later NJ306E roller (which is often referred to as 'Superblend') then it hardly matters.

wrecks said:

Is there any reason the bearing would have slipped right off the timing side of the crank shaft when I pulled the cases apart?

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Although the crank was perhaps a slightly looser fit in the timing-side bearing than might be expected, the inner bearing race is located tight against the crank once the oil pump worm gear (via crank pinion, triangular washer and lipped washer) is tightened, so nothing to worry about.
Do you intend to replace the T/S ball bearing with the later NJ306E roller bearing?

https://andover-norton.co.uk/en/sho...shaft-bearing-d12-32-nm17822-nm17824-06-2114-

L.A.B. said:

Do you intend to replace the T/S ball bearing with the later NJ306E roller bearing?

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Yes, the primary reason I took it down this far was to replace both the T/S and D/S bearings with the "Superblend" type bearings. Thanks for the explanations above - I always appreciate your input!

You will likely need a bearing splitter/puller to extract the inner bits from the crank.

I heat the cases to 250F in my oven for 15 minutes, then simply drop the case half open side down on the front porch and the outers just fall out. If not, drop 'em once or twice more and they SHOULD fall out. Otherwise, I weld a long bolt across the race, then tap it out from the outside with a hammer.

Heat up the cases even hotter and the mains outers will simply drop out. May have to smack the case on wood. Wood is very helpful with Norton work.

I finally got back into the basement and took the conrods off. I've labeled them drive and timing side but I'm curious if it matters when I reassemble?


Do I need to polish up the area of the rod under the shells?




Not really sure what to look for but the crankshaft journals appear smooth and clean with no scoring:


Do I need to worry about the corrosion shown below on the drive side of shaft, or can I just polish and clean it up?

The rods should have tiny punch marks on the front faces, near the cap joints. Yes, it matters.

Rod journals on the crank look very nice, but they should be checked with a micrometer. the underside of the shells will have the part number with a "dash" umber if they are undersized or oversized (over not likely)

The corrosion on the crank nose needs to be carefully polished out to the point that the components still slide on with a snug fit, and are not "sloppy".

My camshaft has the same markings. The shiny parts are where the lifter blocks contact the CS. I believe, the dark spots are where there has been no contact with the blocks. The CS will need to be measured for wear, but it looks just like mine with the same wear pattern. Experienced members may have more to say. Happy wrenching.

Torontonian said:

Heat up the cases even hotter and the mains outers will simply drop out. May have to smack the case on wood. Wood is very helpful with Norton work.

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"Aye, where's me stick?"