Need a tool?

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RoadScholar

RoadScholar

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I have pretty much finished the assembly of a '73 750 engine where I have one of the new AN 850 style barrels; all was going good until I got to the rear 3/8-26 nut that fits up near the carbs. I couldn't find a tool that would grab it; there isn't enough room to fit a wrench and not enough depth to mount a socket.

I could see making a tool by cutting down a socket, boxing the non-business end and welding a handle to the socket, but I have some time and would prefer to purchase an existing tool.

I figure that there must be some number of individuals in this forum that have installed the new AN barrel to their 750s, if so what did you do to tighten this pesky fastener?
 
And ya thought ya only needed to know how twist things on and off. There is a required special S bent thin wall end wrench to ease your fastener fouling available from your favorite struggling Norton numbered parts vendors.
 
RoadScholar said:
I have pretty much finished the assembly of a '73 750 engine where I have one of the new AN 850 style barrels; all was going good until I got to the rear 3/8-26 nut that fits up near the carbs. I couldn't find a tool that would grab it; there isn't enough room to fit a wrench and not enough depth to mount a socket.

I could see making a tool by cutting down a socket, boxing the non-business end and welding a handle to the socket, but I have some time and would prefer to purchase an existing tool.

I figure that there must be some number of individuals in this forum that have installed the new AN barrel to their 750s, if so what did you do to tighten this pesky fastener?
Click to expand...


Some old Blue Point brand spanner have very thin walls, and will easily fit on the OEM 850 barrels. If the size of the new Andover barrels is the same, then I would hunt down that wrench. Here's a URL of one on eBay in Great Britain, for example:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Rare-Blue-Point-Point-Ring-Spanner-1-4w-x-5-16w-bluepoint-02/253516744803


I have acquired a few of these wrenches, and if you are unable to source something I could lend you one.


The wrench Hobot may be referring to may be this, which definitely has thicker box walls than some of the Blue Point tools:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Norton-750...Tool-atlas-p11-dominator-500-650/182930189662


A photo (if possible) of the new barrel could be informative for future purchasers of the new Andover barrel. The photo on the Andover website of the 850 engine barrel is insufficient to illustrate your problem.



And lastly, I should ask, you are talking about the nut in the back of the barrel, that threads on hanging upside down, right? You wrote 3/8-26, and I am not very familiar/knowledgeable with the nomenclature of bolt thread, pitch, etc, especially with the weirdness that the Whitworth system introduces.


Just call/text me if you need the wrench. four, two, five, four, eight, six, six, zero, four, zero - Robert



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Even the finest crooked 1/4-3/16 W end wrench is further improved by judicious bench ginding a bit thinner so this becomes the most used/effective tool on cylinder and head and others. I could not fine online image but its head smacker delighter to see its wisdom. May be too late all sold out by now though.
 
Or buy the CNW waisted head bolt kit. The nuts use a 7/16- 12 point wrench which will easily clear and your head gasket will love you for it.

PS -I do not make a nickel selling a head bolt kit for CNW.
 
hobot said:
Even the finest crooked 1/4-3/16 W end wrench is further improved by judicious bench ginding a bit thinner so this becomes the most used/effective tool on cylinder and head and others. I could not fine online image but its head smacker delighter to see its wisdom. May be too late all sold out by now though.
Click to expand...



No grinding required with some of the old Blue Point box spanners. From the factory they are already alarmingly thin.




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Robert_Norton said:
No grinding required with some of the old Blue Point box spanners. From the factory they are already alarmingly thin.




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Click to expand...
Andover Norton sell the tool you are looking for 13.1660, if you look at their site, shop, tools, scroll down the list for a photo of it, then you can decide if it’s the tool you are looking for.
ATB
John
 
comnoz said:
Or buy the CNW waisted head bolt kit. The nuts use a 7/16- 12 point wrench which will easily clear and your head gasket will love you for it.
Click to expand...

BIG TIME plus one on Jim’s point.

When I first got my Norton I could not belive the rag tag bunch of box spanner’s and such like required just for the head. There is NO WONDER folk struggle with head torque and gasket issues!

The cNw kit allows you to use proper sockets. It makes removing, fitting and torquing the head bolts a pleasure!
 
Fast Eddie said:
The cNw kit allows you to use proper sockets. It makes removing, fitting and torquing the head bolts a pleasure!
Click to expand...
The only problem with the cNw kit is that it is so nice to look at that it is tempting to frame them and hang them on the wall.
 
That’s true.

And, it could change the way you look at the rest of your bike !
 
Hobot: I had the tool you refer to many years ago, but lost it in one of my many post college moves; I never missed it because I could always get in there with a combination box/open spanner. The same tool I have been using for years, now, won't fit.

Jim/others: I have Matt's waisted head fastening set, but when the head was refreshed by Jim the wasted fastening kit wasn't available, so the three downward facing studs, whose bores were inserted, present 3/8-26 threads to the external fasteners.

Robert: That's a mighty generous offer, sincere thanks! I would prefer to create/purchase a solution so that the tool will be available the next time I run into the same situation, which will be during the many re-torquing efforts during the first 500/1000 miles.

Jim: When you did the work on my cylinder head you installed inserts for the three downward facing studs, are the threads in the inserts compatible with the studs that accept Matt's ARP fasteners?
 
I have a 5/16BS snapon WOEX100 combination, Elora 1/4W [HASHTAG]#205[/HASHTAG] combination, Gordon Tool 1/4W combination.
Having worked on norton twins 1951-1975, I found first with the atlas' that the wrench I used on the command did not fit.
I had to grind the Gordon box wall down to approx .055" from the typical .105" wall. It is now my tool for norton engine work.
Obviously Norton factory machining evolved.
The fact that AN has changed the factory specs is not surprising. AN makes genuine AN parts and they brag/boast about it.
Don't be confused about marketing jingoizms. I buy parts from anyone/everyone and it ALL needs to be scrutinized.
Except Norton NOS, nothing IMO is "norton"
 
RoadScholar said:
Jim: When you did the work on my cylinder head you installed inserts for the three downward facing studs, are the threads in the inserts compatible with the studs that accept Matt's ARP fasteners?
Click to expand...

No, not unless it was requested. But they could be re-done.

Or 3 studs can be made with 3/8-20 on one end and 3/8-24 on the other.
 
Jim/others: I have Matt's waisted head fastening set said:
Jim will thread his stud repair kit for what ever thaerd size you want, but i think the best (and most common) choice is 3/8 x16 (UNC), the end that sticks out should be a 3/8x 24 (UNF) i did the ARP fastener kit on the head and bought ARP nuts locally. the ARP12 point nuts are 7/16" size and i use a short ratchet extension to get in their to tighten them
Need a tool?
Click to expand...
 
I still have a ground down ring spanner for the back bolt and a box spanned driven into a half inch drive socket for a torque wrench. Sorted these in the 70's!
 
Make the 3-studs or have Jim do it and use your CNW nuts!
 
I can have a local shop make me the new studs with 3/8-20 on one end and 3/8-24 on the other; this would allow me to complete the CNW head fastening kit the way Matt lays it out, thanks Jim for the suggestion. I am still concerned about the lack of room around the fastener and have imagined, in a worst case, that I'll need to dismount the barrel and grind out additional space, which seems so stone age, but if that's what it ends up taking, then so be it.

I did find a relatively local source for 3/8-26 12 point nuts and ordered some this morning. These will permit the use of a smaller wrench and should do the trick, I'll know shortly after UPS arrives tomorrow.

I'm trying to get 2 bikes to shows in late May and another in early June. One thing I learned about estimating time for Brit bike projects is to be generous, then double the projected time; I don't want to end up like one of those reality TV shows where deadlines and anxiety seem to rule the day...
 
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