Laverda Man Finally Admits to Going Commando

hi mark,looks like the spacer is missing from the top gearbox bolt,thats why the plate has pulled in

Mark, what do you mean about having the swing arm solid against the plates? You have the cradle out and the swing arm is still attached? Lots of times the spindle that goes through the swing arm and the cradle is rusted like crazy and it takes a lot of beating or a hydraulic press to get it out. You may have to work on it with some acetone and brake fluid to loosen it up. There are brass bushings in the swing arm, but the spindle is steel and the cradle is steel and if it was not taken care of, it rusted tight. Oversize spindles are available so the cradle can be reamed out and reconditioned. Spindle item 21 here http://www.oldbritts.com/1971_g10.html The cradle is not shown.

Yes, your cradle/gearbox is missing the spacer. Item 34 here. http://www.oldbritts.com/1971_g5.html It goes inside the cradle next to the G.B. It happens a lot, people leave it out and wonder what that washer is for. Trouble is too it throws the gearbox out of being straight and sometimes even wears a hole in the primary from the swing arm spindle end.

Dave
69S

Love this ressurection from Nigeria stuff where life is cheap as an old rusty Nort. Now you get to be violent yourself with a sledgehammer to the end of the swingarm pin ! Just think about the missing Nigerian King fortune and how many internet suckers get scammed regularly when you swing it down on the pin and you will find the extra energy needed ! Remove the gearbox , then the pin locator bolt in the center of pin cradle tube, then the end caps that cover up the pin,then soak everything in wd 40 including pouring it into the locator bolt hole, soak for a few decades (or a couple days) and smack that sucker out after supporting that cradle with a fine teak log or two. Wiggle swingarm at earliest opportunity to get more penetrant in there ,you will not have to transport home the pin. Saw a T.V. show following most of World's stolen s.u.v.'s getting re-registered there for their new lives !

I can not conceive removing cradle with swing arm attached from real Commando frame. Is this another Nigerian scam? I have broke hand bones and broken metal from fussed in place swing arm spindle that still moved up and down fine. First one done by a puller using car shock mount bolt nipped up till threads almost sheared and then sledge and drift for a number of days to get it apart. It bend the swing arm enough even a famous Norton chassis man could not get it to pass a spindle again.

Second Combat spindle did not budge at all when applying same dramatic forces to it, hardened drift mushrooming and sledge head getting dented in 20 min test. I knew better by then a lost cause of not enough oil in spindle rust swollen and lipped edges, so gas torched swing arm off then took to bull dozer shop where it took 32, 000 pounds of hydraulic press to start spindle then force lowered to only 18,000 PSI to push it all the way out and save the cradle, which had to be custom steel blocked not to bend up like yours.

I'd consider a frozen cradle and swing arm a lost cause - but imaginary issue - as it had to be apart to remove out of frame - so what gives, you cut up frame?

Am not sure what you mean hobot:
I removed the complete engine and box and swing arm by myself. . . . .
How I did it:
I loosened off the engine bolts from the rear plates and the front Isolastic. Obviously top bolts and carbs were removed. Engine head and barrels remained in place.
I got an old car tyre (without rim) and laid by side of the frame, beside the engine.
I carefully pushed the frame over and the engine rested on the car tyre.
I took the bolts out and lifted the frame off and back to vertical - Simple one man operation as the engine stayed laid on the tyre.
The gearbox came up with the frame and i just took the centre stand/battery tray and air filter housing off and then turned gearbox and swing arm 90 degrees and it came out through the area of the frame where the engine would have been. There was no issue doing this whole operation single handedly.
There is absolutely no need whatsoever to cut the frame and from my personal experience this is a simple one-man operation.

DogT said:

Mark, what do you mean about having the swing arm solid against the plates? You have the cradle out and the swing arm is still attached? Lots of times the spindle that goes through the swing arm and the cradle is rusted like crazy and it takes a lot of beating or a hydraulic press to get it out. You may have to work on it with some acetone and brake fluid to loosen it up. There are brass bushings in the swing arm, but the spindle is steel and the cradle is steel and if it was not taken care of, it rusted tight. Oversize spindles are available so the cradle can be reamed out and reconditioned. Spindle item 21 here http://www.oldbritts.com/1971_g10.html The cradle is not shown.

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Thanks Dave. Will leave it soak until my next trip, and then take it home to get it pressed out in Wales. Am afraid of doing some damage myself, so maybe a press is the better option as it really is 'solid' with no vertical movement whatsoever.

Yes, your cradle/gearbox is missing the spacer. Item 34 here. http://www.oldbritts.com/1971_g5.html It goes inside the cradle next to the G.B. It happens a lot, people leave it out and wonder what that washer is for. Trouble is too it throws the gearbox out of being straight and sometimes even wears a hole in the primary from the swing arm spindle end.

Click to expand...

Thanks for that. It is so interesting building up, getting advice and correcting the history of the bodges people have made to this Norton over the years.

OK Mark you have educated my beyond my expectations on how to remove cradle with swing arm attached. Old tires are handy for a bunch of uses, to mechanics.
I've a 750 apart now and will check out your procedure, but may not work in this case as a rear bottom frame brace has been added. I envy your ability in the conditions to work around. Hope you can get the spindle out w/o injury.
I've put engine in/out a few ways, favorite is with cradle attached to cases then just slip in the two isolastic long bolts.

One sad issue with many old Cdo's is bent shafts crank to gear box. Most, in my opinion is from a too tight a primary chain when cold that gets severely tight once hot. Only takes once. They still run but wears bearing bores and bushes out way faster. I mention this to possibly save some suitcase carry as shafts or crank could be sent off for correction on their own. Might be worth while to strike up a relation with a good vendor-builder near your new home to receive and store till you are ready for them.

Africa is one to the few continents I've missed out on, appreciate your reviews of your local and honed skills to deal with it. Many motorcycle faster/cheaper and less maintenance but about none make you feel so good to be around or on.
Thanks for saving another one for the future.

Yeah hobot ur right. Improvisation is the order of the day over here.

I have just stacked all the parts I am not taking home this trip in the dry in my friends doghouse;




Where I am sure they will be lovingly protected by these two characters:





And am off to snowy Wales tomorrow (with 40 kg of Norton Commando bits in 2 suitcases) for a much longed for break- I so miss home- but this Norton has given me a much needed after work focus here. Will be a real shock going from 100% humidity at 30deg C to, I am told minus 5 with a lightweight jacket and short sleeve shirts. Should be fun waiting for the train home at the other end.

ciao for now

marknorton said:

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Seeing that photo makes me think your Mk2A Commando's frame could perhaps be an interim model, and not an actual Mk3 item after all, as the left side shock gusset plates do not appear to be correct for a Mk3 frame.

That is odd L.A.B. . The larger gusset plate on the Mk111 should of course be on the outside on the drive side of the machine as it acts as the hinge mount. This is different from the timing side where the large gusset is on the inside as a mount for the lock.

This frame has both large gusset plates mounted on the inside edge of the tube with the smaller (earlier style) plates both on the outside.

You don't suppose do you, that when NVT were first producing the MkIIIs, a batch of frames was made with the plates mounted wrongly and therefore unsuitable for hinged seats so rather than modify them, they used them up on the last 2As ?

79x100 said:

You don't suppose do you, that when NVT were first producing the MkIIIs, a batch of frames was made with the plates mounted wrongly and therefore unsuitable for hinged seats so rather than modify them, they used them up on the last 2As ?

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Or...they had simply used up their stock of Mk2 frame inner gusset plates, and used "Mk3" plates on the last of the Mk2A frames and because there was no need for the extended L/H plate to be fixed on the outside-they put them on the inside?

I picked up a frame, the one i'm using, date code puts it mid 75, looks just like this one.

bwolfie said:

I picked up a frame, the one i'm using, date code puts it mid 75, looks just like this one.

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Look carefully at the gusset plates of that frame, are the two extended gusset plates on the inside, or is the left hand extended plate on the outside?

This is how I would expect to see the plates fixed on a Mk3 frame.

That's how mine looks

Mark you have an epic tale in the making for us to savor a long time. My first complete soup to nuts project took me 5 years suffering learning curve and saving up d/t unexpected major faults. And mine was a fine runner at the time, just leaked all over the place. I know about 750's now but was a slow jerky process I often thought I'd never finish. But its the only machine I really like to get intimate with.

Safe Journey and don't catch a chill
Steve hobot - handle never capitalized.
Arkansas Ozarks Dixieland.

79x100 said:

That is odd L.A.B. . The larger gusset plate on the Mk111 should of course be on the outside on the drive side of the machine as it acts as the hinge mount. This is different from the timing side where the large gusset is on the inside as a mount for the lock.

This frame has both large gusset plates mounted on the inside edge of the tube with the smaller (earlier style) plates both on the outside.

You don't suppose do you, that when NVT were first producing the MkIIIs, a batch of frames was made with the plates mounted wrongly and therefore unsuitable for hinged seats so rather than modify them, they used them up on the last 2As ?

Click to expand...

The pictures I have to hand of the plates:



and Frame being cleaned:



Its amazing the detail you guys know on these machines and thanks for all your input. It is all fascinationg.

marknorton said:

Its amazing the detail you guys know on these machines and thanks for all your input. It is all fascinationg.

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It's not amazing Mark, it's all rather sad really :roll:

What it all means is that although your frame looks at first glance as if it could take a hinged MkIII seat, it couldn't without some modification (but you weren't going down that route anyway, were you ? - It means yet more expense and complication just to have a seat with a sharp tang that falls down on the back of your hand when you're dipping the oil. ) Trust me, I'm an expert ! :shock:

Mark, congratulations on your purchase; it looks like an exciting project. I note your comment that you have “minimal mechanical knowledge”. I fell into that category when I rebuilt my bike (1970 Roadster) a couple of years ago – and I still do. As I read your posts I wondered if I had gained any experience as a novice that I could usefully pass on to you. Probably not a lot. There are many members of this forum who have much better knowledge and expertise than me. But despite that I proffer a few “idiots guide” observations – and choices - a bit of a case of the blind leading the partially blind. One thing that I have learned is that there are a bunch of choices for you to make; and it is probably easier to make them earlier in the process than later.
I welcome corrections to the mistakes and half truths that I will make below:

• You have already dismantled it. That was the easy bit. The hard bit is remembering where everything went; and in what order. If you haven’t taken sufficient photos and notes (it all seems obvious as you take it apart) the Andover Norton exploded diagrams (on their website) are very useful; I also used both a factory manual and a Haynes manual. I think that there is a factory manual on this site? There is somewhere on the net. I hope you don’t misplace too much in your transcontinental carriage. Take photos and notes on everything. At least cameras in phones make it easy.

• Other really good resources include the Old Britts site (I didn’t discover that until after completion of mine) and Captain Norton’s Notes. There are also a bunch of other great suppliers; in North America (for instance CNW and British Cycle Supply Co) but I suspect that you don’t need to go beyond the UK unless you want to purchase some aftermarket trick products such as those offered by Old Britts; CNW, or the US lightweight pistons and rods on offer. I bought Roy Bacon’s book and a book on restoring bikes; they both had their uses; but the Bacon book was fairly general and this site has very specific info.

• What tools do you need? I acquired as I went; you probably have a clutch dismantler already; torque wrench; vernier calliper I was surprised how much I used that; -; a C spanner for the exhaust – I bought one from Norvil; it is a bit primitive –; spanners and screwdrivers; drifts; - it is very useful to have a drift that is slim enough to go through the isolastics and swingarm and use as temporary axles. I recall someone saying that the fasteners on the frame are generally UNF( or UNC – I don’t really know the difference – if there is one); the fasteners on the engine are often whitworth (I understand that whitworth thread is courser and therefore better in aluminium; amongst other things.

• Paint or powdercoat? I powdercoated the frame and engine mounts but didn’t discover the warnings on the Old Britts site until after completion. I scratched my frame with a torque wrench, and couldn’t touch it up with paint. When I broke the petcock I spilled petrol onto the powdercoat which damaged it (I was able to put a transfer over that one). If I were doing it again, I might consider painting to keep thickness down and ensure ease of touch up.

• Replace fasteners or refurbish? I polished a lot of my fasteners; and of course they have all rusted. I am now replacing a lot with stainless, so instead of being a good mechanic and doing the job once, I have done it several times. In the long run I would have been better off to have replaced them early; but I found it difficult to get a local supplier and at the time it seemed expensive and difficult to order each one individually by part number. I am not aware that anyone supplies fasteners in “job lots” (although CNW do for the z plates); perhaps it might be worth forming a relationship with one of the UK people and seeing if that is possible. The site http://stainlessbits.com/link12a.html - is really useful it has a list of fasteners identified by part number; so that you can go to a local supplier and get the right fastener.

• Remember that stainless is weaker and needs to have lubricant or equivilent to stop the nut and bolt from welding together. Chroming may weaken fasteners so apparently nickel plating is the go – see posts on this site. If I were doing it again I would investigate the feasibility of home plating of fasteners and other small parts – as DogT has done; I hate to admit how many thousands of dollars I have spent on chrome…
•
How much do you repair and how much do you refurbish or just leave? Reading some of the posts here I am amazed at how well some parts can be refurbished. I do observe that the cost of refurbishment – say chroming rims and exhausts – can make the exercise marginal. Given my inexperience I found it difficult to determine what was worn out and what wasn’t; I probably erred on replacing more than might have been needed; If I were doing it again now I might post pictures on this site and seek advice.

• Do you remain with stock, or “improve”? The choices are stunning, and the amount you can spend almost limitless. If you are having to replace parts, the dilemma becomes greater, as the incremental increase in cost for improvement is not that great; but of course the cumulative effect can be epic. Do you go for a belt drive, which takes away a major source of oil leaks, as well as apparently making the clutch lighter to operate? If you have to replace your existing sprockets and primary chain it might be worth while. If you have to replace the drive chain and sprockets do you move to a modern sealed chain – which requires matching sprockets – like the one offered by CNW? Do you stick with existing suspension or update the front springs to progressive or get a Lansdowne or Covenant kit? If you need to replace or rechrome the top nuts on the forks, that cost can be put into the cost of a Lansdowne kit (incidentally trainspotters – the name Lansdowne is the middle name of Mr Norton). Do you replace stock steering head bearings with taper bearings (I bought mine from British Spares in NZ; and discovered that they are fractionally wider than the original roller bearing, with the consequence that my expensive new replacement steering head lock doesn’t now work –it is too high)? Do you put in a second gearbox adjuster? (I didn’t – I kept and polished the original; it is now the rustiest piece on the bike…).

• What do you do with electrics? What ignition system? How much of the electrical system do you update? How much will you use your lights? I am told that using the headlight for more than about 2 hours will flatten the battery; and if you have Boyer ignition you will need 9 volts to start it. So do you replace the alternator with a beefier one? Do you fit a modern rectifier and do away with the zenor diode system? www.norbsa02.freeuk.com might be educational.
• Upgrade brakes?

• How much of the mechanics do you do yourself? I had my engine and gearbox rebuilt. It cost a fortune. But I know it was expertly done, and I am far from confident that I would not have made a mess and had something explode – as it was I did not torque the bolt connecting the engine sprocket properly; with the consequence that it came off during a test run and exploded through the primary cover… Remember the layshaft is a potential death trap; as apparently is the rear brake lever; I have a Norvil spring to stop the lever from falling into the ground if the brake cable snaps.

• Do you alter the breather? There are heaps of posts about this. My beautiful engine has small oil leaks at the connection to the rev counter cable and at the tappet cover; I have bought one of the Yamaha XS after market breathers which hopefully will assist; but if you are rebuilding the engine a breather in the crankcase might be the go. Grandpaul on this site can probably supply one.

• If you have to upgrade isolastics do you go for a Norvil one or a Hemmings one; different designs and features? Do you stick with the stock headsteady or go with a Norvil one or a Dave Taylor from RGM, or one of the Colorado or Old Britts ones? I got Norvil; but I think that RGM is cheaper and it has got good reviews here, and I understand is easier to adjust.. Do you use the flash things that Hobot talks about and which I don’t understand (something links? - can anyone enlighten me?)

• Do you stay with a stock engine or really go for it with stunning stuff from the likes of Maney or the American lightweight pistons and rods, and if you have to substantially rebuild it do you go for a bigger barrel like Maney and Norvil offer? Is your crankshaft stuffed and if so do you go for a one piece?

• What sort of jack or lift do you use? I bought a Chinese bike jack and that was ok; but a proper lift would be pure luxury and save your back (I used half of my wife’s old yoga mat to sit and lie on). Also a mechanic’s stool with wheels and somewhere to put tools and all the nuts and bolts would have been great.

Mark it is going to be a really great project; and is definitely doable. If things don’t go fit or go right, pause and think again. You are probably missing something, but it is very easy to miss the obvious. One of my biggest issues was organisation; I was forever looking for the tool or part that I had put down 5 minutes earlier. Lay things out in order and check. If you have adequate room to do things that is great. I look forward to reviewing your progress. Good luck and thanks for the reports to date.

Lots of good advice right there ^.... If you're like me and a few others on here you'll probably end up doing everything 2 or 3 times because you did them in the wrong order. :lol: :lol: :lol: That's probably the main thing I've learned.

Chris T said:

Mark, congratulations on your purchase; it looks like an exciting project. I note your comment that you have “minimal mechanical knowledge”. I fell into that category when I rebuilt my bike (1970 Roadster) a couple of years ago – and I still do. As I read your posts I wondered if I had gained any experience as a novice that I could usefully pass on to you. Probably not a lot. There are many members of this forum who have much better knowledge and expertise than me. But despite that I proffer a few “idiots guide” observations – and choices - a bit of a case of the blind leading the partially blind. One thing that I have learned is that there are a bunch of choices for you to make; and it is probably easier to make them earlier in the process than later.

Click to expand...

All advice gratefully received and helps me make the correct decisions, and obviously will save me time and money.

I welcome corrections to the mistakes and half truths that I will make below:

• You have already dismantled it. That was the easy bit. The hard bit is remembering where everything went; and in what order. If you haven’t taken sufficient photos and notes (it all seems obvious as you take it apart) the Andover Norton exploded diagrams (on their website) are very useful; I also used both a factory manual and a Haynes manual. I think that there is a factory manual on this site? There is somewhere on the net. I hope you don’t misplace too much in your transcontinental carriage. Take photos and notes on everything. At least cameras in phones make it easy.

Click to expand...

Yes this has to be the most photographe3d Commando in history. I have left almost all the heavy items that cannot be reused, such as battery, tyres, wheels (not hubs) etc. even the smallest items are in clear ziplock bags and labelled.
Even though I have the components the next big job is trying to ascertain what is original ( down to washer level) and what is PO bodges over the years.

• Other really good resources include the Old Britts site (I didn’t discover that until after completion of mine) and Captain Norton’s Notes. There are also a bunch of other great suppliers; in North America (for instance CNW and British Cycle Supply Co) but I suspect that you don’t need to go beyond the UK unless you want to purchase some aftermarket trick products such as those offered by Old Britts; CNW, or the US lightweight pistons and rods on offer. I bought Roy Bacon’s book and a book on restoring bikes; they both had their uses; but the Bacon book was fairly general and this site has very specific info.

Click to expand...

Yes I have read up on both sites and used Old Britts article on disassembly of the bike. It was very useful.

• What tools do you need? I acquired as I went; you probably have a clutch dismantler already; torque wrench; vernier calliper I was surprised how much I used that; -; a C spanner for the exhaust – I bought one from Norvil; it is a bit primitive –; spanners and screwdrivers; drifts; - it is very useful to have a drift that is slim enough to go through the isolastics and swingarm and use as temporary axles. I recall someone saying that the fasteners on the frame are generally UNF( or UNC – I don’t really know the difference – if there is one); the fasteners on the engine are often whitworth (I understand that whitworth thread is courser and therefore better in aluminium; amongst other things.

Click to expand...

What I really could do with is a complete quantified list of every nut bolt and washer on the frame. If I cannot get this then I guess that will be my winter mini project over Christmas. I would have thought there is one out there though, just cant find it anywhere. Has anyone any ideas?

• Paint or powdercoat? I powdercoated the frame and engine mounts but didn’t discover the warnings on the Old Britts site until after completion. I scratched my frame with a torque wrench, and couldn’t touch it up with paint. When I broke the petcock I spilled petrol onto the powdercoat which damaged it (I was able to put a transfer over that one). If I were doing it again, I might consider painting to keep thickness down and ensure ease of touch up.

Click to expand...

Yes I agree. Am going to paint frame and PC components

• Replace fasteners or refurbish? I polished a lot of my fasteners; and of course they have all rusted. I am now replacing a lot with stainless, so instead of being a good mechanic and doing the job once, I have done it several times. In the long run I would have been better off to have replaced them early; but I found it difficult to get a local supplier and at the time it seemed expensive and difficult to order each one individually by part number. I am not aware that anyone supplies fasteners in “job lots” (although CNW do for the z plates); perhaps it might be worth forming a relationship with one of the UK people and seeing if that is possible. The site http://stainlessbits.com/link12a.html - is really useful it has a list of fasteners identified by part number; so that you can go to a local supplier and get the right fastener.

Click to expand...

Getting a job lot would be awesome, as I intend to change a lot, and personally plate the more unique fasteners, such as the primary case spacer

• Remember that stainless is weaker and needs to have lubricant or equivilent to stop the nut and bolt from welding together. Chroming may weaken fasteners so apparently nickel plating is the go – see posts on this site. If I were doing it again I would investigate the feasibility of home plating of fasteners and other small parts – as DogT has done; I hate to admit how many thousands of dollars I have spent on chrome…

Click to expand...

•
Yup tell me about it. My bill for the components I have brought back by UK chrome company is 548 UKP ( around USD 800) Had to swallow hard when I heard the price I must admit. Anyway they are highly recommended and I will make a before and after posting online when I get the components back

How much do you repair and how much do you refurbish or just leave? Reading some of the posts here I am amazed at how well some parts can be refurbished. I do observe that the cost of refurbishment – say chroming rims and exhausts – can make the exercise marginal. Given my inexperience I found it difficult to determine what was worn out and what wasn’t; I probably erred on replacing more than might have been needed; If I were doing it again now I might post pictures on this site and seek advice.

Click to expand...

Yes, as will I probably as I would like the machine at a very high standard

• Do you remain with stock, or “improve”? The choices are stunning, and the amount you can spend almost limitless. If you are having to replace parts, the dilemma becomes greater, as the incremental increase in cost for improvement is not that great; but of course the cumulative effect can be epic. Do you go for a belt drive, which takes away a major source of oil leaks, as well as apparently making the clutch lighter to operate? If you have to replace your existing sprockets and primary chain it might be worth while. If you have to replace the drive chain and sprockets do you move to a modern sealed chain – which requires matching sprockets – like the one offered by CNW? Do you stick with existing suspension or update the front springs to progressive or get a Lansdowne or Covenant kit? If you need to replace or rechrome the top nuts on the forks, that cost can be put into the cost of a Lansdowne kit (incidentally trainspotters – the name Lansdowne is the middle name of Mr Norton). Do you replace stock steering head bearings with taper bearings (I bought mine from British Spares in NZ; and discovered that they are fractionally wider than the original roller bearing, with the consequence that my expensive new replacement steering head lock doesn’t now work –it is too high)? Do you put in a second gearbox adjuster? (I didn’t – I kept and polished the original; it is now the rustiest piece on the bike…).

Click to expand...

Stock, I will only use the bike for less than 1000 miles per year and so will tolerate the original design foibles.

• What do you do with electrics? What ignition system? How much of the electrical system do you update? How much will you use your lights? I am told that using the headlight for more than about 2 hours will flatten the battery; and if you have Boyer ignition you will need 9 volts to start it. So do you replace the alternator with a beefier one? Do you fit a modern rectifier and do away with the zenor diode system? http://www.norbsa02.freeuk.com might be educational.
• Upgrade brakes?

• How much of the mechanics do you do yourself? I had my engine and gearbox rebuilt. It cost a fortune. But I know it was expertly done, and I am far from confident that I would not have made a mess and had something explode – as it was I did not torque the bolt connecting the engine sprocket properly; with the consequence that it came off during a test run and exploded through the primary cover… Remember the layshaft is a potential death trap; as apparently is the rear brake lever; I have a Norvil spring to stop the lever from falling into the ground if the brake cable snaps.

Click to expand...

Am getting engine revbuilt I think. I intend to purchase Hemmings DVD on engine rebuilds and then will make up my mind

• Do you alter the breather? There are heaps of posts about this. My beautiful engine has small oil leaks at the connection to the rev counter cable and at the tappet cover; I have bought one of the Yamaha XS after market breathers which hopefully will assist; but if you are rebuilding the engine a breather in the crankcase might be the go. Grandpaul on this site can probably supply one.

Click to expand...

[/quote]
Havent thought about this one. Must look into it in detail.

• If you have to upgrade isolastics do you go for a Norvil one or a Hemmings one; different designs and features? Do you stick with the stock headsteady or go with a Norvil one or a Dave Taylor from RGM, or one of the Colorado or Old Britts ones? I got Norvil; but I think that RGM is cheaper and it has got good reviews here, and I understand is easier to adjust.. Do you use the flash things that Hobot talks about and which I don’t understand (something links? - can anyone enlighten me?)

• Do you stay with a stock engine or really go for it with stunning stuff from the likes of Maney or the American lightweight pistons and rods, and if you have to substantially rebuild it do you go for a bigger barrel like Maney and Norvil offer? Is your crankshaft stuffed and if so do you go for a one piece?

Click to expand...

Engine to stay stock

• What sort of jack or lift do you use? I bought a Chinese bike jack and that was ok; but a proper lift would be pure luxury and save your back (I used half of my wife’s old yoga mat to sit and lie on). Also a mechanic’s stool with wheels and somewhere to put tools and all the nuts and bolts would have been great.

Click to expand...

Am looking to get a stand fabricated as the design on the Old Britts website. Anyone got a dimensioned drawing at all?

Mark it is going to be a really great project; and is definitely doable. If things don’t go fit or go right, pause and think again. You are probably missing something, but it is very easy to miss the obvious. One of my biggest issues was organisation; I was forever looking for the tool or part that I had put down 5 minutes earlier. Lay things out in order and check. If you have adequate room to do things that is great. I look forward to reviewing your progress. Good luck and thanks for the reports to date.

Click to expand...

Yeah, and I am enjoying planning the way forward, but as this is a 3-4 year project, dictated by finances, I think my wallet will often be the decider on what to do next!!!