Norton Dragster and roadracer build eh!

Hobot · Jun 3, 2010

Foxy, I'd think the cast iron heavy time bomb is primary concern
to spin up, then crank end flex, then cases endurance.
Might seriously consider lightening the cast iron wheel or
get steel flywheel or have one water jet cut for smaller
OD for detectable, delectable more spunk.

Here's Peels - last of a kind from hi end ancient Nortoneer.
I got a CNC water jet data file made and plain measures on
it to reproduce.
http://rides.webshots.com/photo/1189237 ... 1179VNrYHD

hobot

skydt · May 26, 2011

hobot said:
Foxy, I'd think the cast iron heavy time bomb is primary concern
to spin up, then crank end flex, then cases endurance.
Might seriously consider lightening the cast iron wheel or
get steel flywheel or have one water jet cut for smaller
OD for detectable, delectable more spunk.

Here's Peels - last of a kind from hi end ancient Nortoneer.
I got a CNC water jet data file made and plain measures on
it to reproduce.
http://rides.webshots.com/photo/1189237 ... 1179VNrYHD

hobot

Hello Hobot. May I ask for a copy of your flywheel waterjet file, I had sent two crank assemblies out to be dynamicaly balanced and one came back cracked big time, so I have decided to do a replacement crank and try to make a steel one. any help would be appreciated.
I am back after much time in and out of hospital (getting old is a bitch) I can still drink beer just cant seem to fight my way out of the bar like I used to!! Any way back to the dragster roadracer theme. I have started over on both projects, The frame for the roadracer is basicaly the same , The dragster is however not! I lurk on this site daily and came to the conclusion to scrap the old chopper frame idea and get a full blown dragster frame built with steel help from COCO, This is under way as we speak, two more weeks and should have a rolling chassis, will put up some mockup photos with this email, Start the roadracer engine build this weekend will post as much as I can on it, I'm glad to be back at it, I'm sure some of you thought I had quit after the kids stole my last effort, but it's an ongoing thing and I feel real progress today, Included my frame builders latest project sorry it's not a Norton but sure is neat.Cheers.
Stuart

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[url=http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/834/roadracer004.jpg/] Norton Dragster and roadracer build eh!

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Hobot · May 26, 2011

Sky, you are one sick sick puppy with Commando and artist deco trike-itis brain rot!

Glad your cast iron crack pot flywheel showed up w/o expensive testing to failure.
I only have the basic graphic but I'll call water jet guy and have him either dump it to a CD or dongle or email to you. I'm not digi savvy so need instructions. PM me to verify what email or other method.

I want a dragster quicker than my P!! but too low to turn into a road racer too, all in one. I also want a plain Jane factory Combat. Once those done then only other thing I could desire in my fading years is a righteous hard tail isolastic extended frame raked out front foot forward Kind and Queen seated ape hanger fat tire engineered chopper. If you giving up on the lanky framed hard tail keep me in mind. Real choppers run springers w/o a brake ya know.
I have a craving for the half truck leaf spring hinged affair Indians sport and use to out wobble and flex 125's to short cut through turns.

I have meet two locals that told me they spent big bucks on their 70's era hard tail Norton choppers, most on the engines and they never lost a drag race by just dropping clutch @ WOT in 4th and hanging on.

skydt · May 26, 2011

Hobot mate.
skydt@sasktel.net. Appreciate the help, am using your idea of spherical attachments on the roadracer, and have been given the idea that there is lots of room behind the dragster engine for a little roots type blower, my trike friend is researching what we will need, when will this ever end, next it will be nitro methane, I can see it all now, I now know where she keeps the grocery money so we might be OK! Cheers.

Stuart

Hobot · May 27, 2011

Alrighty then Stuart I'll ping the local shop this am. Might consider letting them cut one out for you but I'm not up on the alloy to use but they maybe. They got some fancy big CNC machines too and a bargain to deal with. I used Geoff Collins -Offset Cranks in Canada to assemble Peel's welded and nitrided crank with the plate cut flywheel. I'd sure cryo temper it too as cheap aid to endurance. Peel's bolted up verison survived WOT to disappear the tach needle for hand full of seconds and bent some but did not break and ran another 2000 hard miles but with power lost from the cam lobes wiped off.

All you can really do to make more power is up the combustion pressure for torque as even if crank can stand it the cam-oil pump drive can not. Positive displacement compressors come on strong down low but don't keep making more boost power as rpms build. They also heat the mixture so intercooling may be needed. Centrifugal turbo types are not compressors but real blowers so don't heat mix as much and come on 'softly' but increase boost level non-linearly upward - along with torque pressure curve. Don't know which is best in you dragster dream machine. I had Timeserts put in All of Peel's alloy crank case and head threads plus I intend to cable tie the head down to the cradle too. Turbocharging is the biggest power adder if you can pull that off in a 2 cylinder puffer. Heck ya can even have a turbo feeding a blower for head melting combustion levels.

I quizzed a number or Commando drag racers and to a man they said 100 hp spills AMC guts out on the strip. With the bux I'm investing I want to get payback in daily use not just here and there race events.

Carbonfibre · May 27, 2011

Looks an interesting project, but wonder why the motor is so high in the frame, and why the top tube also seems very high up? Limited power on a TS drag bike means aerodynamics are extremely important, and proper chassis design is crucially important from the word go.

skydt · May 27, 2011

Thanks Hobot for the help and info, a flywheel cut already would certainly be a positive for me, I am not sure what kind of HP this engine will make when finished, I have delusions of grandeur for the valve train and mebbe piston rod combos from Jim Schmidt and am still collecting bottles and tin cans to make up the cash, I have almost all the parts to build a 920, big valve head 5mm intakes and 3mm exhausts, and Ken Kanaga pistons, everything is polished to death, I'm trying a 4s cam to start with dunstall type modyfied lifters, and I have an old Lucas ignition I will try, I have one on my 850IS and it has worked very well and no troubles. I expect to blow this thing up at some point not right away I hope! Cheers.

Stuart

skydt · May 27, 2011

Carbonfibre said:
Looks an interesting project, but wonder why the motor is so high in the frame, and why the top tube also seems very high up? Limited power on a TS drag bike means aerodynamics are extremely important, and proper chassis design is crucially important from the word go.

Carbonfibre.
The photos are of the initial mock up, the frame height is pretty close and taken from a commando frame, thats where we thought we should start. We had checked several full blown dragster frames at the local dyno shop and this is what our efforts came up with, I'm not saying this is the bee all and end all of dragster frame design but it is our first effort and things could change. The motor is sitting on a steel bracket and will definitely be lower when installed. Any dimensional help would be considered and appreciated, after all we are just a bunch of amateurs with an idea for a Norton dragster. Cheers.

Stuart

skydt · Jun 5, 2011

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Hello again.
Have the new flywheel cut and lightened and drilled for 3/8" bolts, No cracks in this one, getting ready to trial fit everything then off to the balance shop, should be able to assemble the engine by Friday I hope, Cheers.

Stuart.

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skydt · Jul 7, 2011

Often wondered where I got my motorbike enthusiasm from, thought it was just plain immaturity but mebbe not. My dad rode all over north Africa and Europe in WW2 shepperding truck convoys for the RASC. Was blown up 3 times, yes 3. Driving on the shoulder of dirt tracks in the desert, that's where all the cleared mines were dumped, you would think after #1 you would drive somewhere else, kept waking up in hospital with another slice from his hide, I've seen them all, three Triumphs totaled, being a Yorkshire lass mum was not to be out done, besides Panthers were made in Yorkshire weren't they? What a fashion statement for 1947!

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Added some of the latest photos of the Road racer project it's coming although slowly. The photo of the head shows spare RGM large intake valves and some large exhaust valves from a Ford six cylinder engine, the head for these is presently having the valve guides reangled.

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Hobot · Jul 7, 2011

Just noting your note on your genetic source of going for it.