Oil in frame Mk III Norton

Nice bike but to keep it that way you must support properly all the flexible hoses, including the brake pipes, (before you ride it) and the wire braid will not be good to the paint.​
 
brianmccroskey said:
I know that Seely of England had race frame and of course the oil in frame Triumphs came out in 1971.
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Seeley did not use oil in the frame technology. However, the Rickman Brothers did, for off-road, road race and street type frames.

I have an original Rickman frame with Norton engine. It is one of the very few that still has oil in the frame and is used for road racing, most have been converted to use an oil tank.
 
SteveA said:
Seeley did not use oil in the frame technology. However, the Rickman Brothers did, for off-road, road race and street type frames.

I have an original Rickman frame with Norton engine. It is one of the very few that still has oil in the frame and is used for road racing, most have been converted to use an oil tank.
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One advantage of an oil tank is the ease at which they can be cleaned out
Unlike the bsa and triumph unit singles that are very difficult to clean
And are regarded by some as way of keeping record of the last two or three blow ups !!!
 
baz said:
One advantage of an oil tank is the ease at which they can be cleaned out
Unlike the bsa and triumph unit singles that are very difficult to clean
And are regarded by some as way of keeping record of the last two or three blow ups !!!
Click to expand...
That is exactly why people change it out. Normally after a blow up! Having a filter in the return line helps, but with a read valve breather, not all of the oil goes back to the tank via the pump!

I had my frame cleaned internally after I bought it (back) and had it repaired. Since then have pumped paraffin through it for periods when the engine has been out, so since I have been racing it this time around (since 2015).

I prefer to keep it as original, but if I had a replacement frame built, I would probably feel it was time to go to a separate tank. I'm 70 in December, so probably won't!

I would probably also need a new exhaust since my current one runs through the area a tank would be mounted.
 

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hybridracer said:
Nice bike but to keep it that way you must support properly all the flexible hoses, including the brake pipes, (before you ride it) and the wire braid will not be good to the paint.​
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Or anything else its not supposed to touch. The stainless braiding will saw through metal pipes, brackets, frame tubes etc as the stainless is harder than mild steel. Hope you didn't pay more for it than a well sorted standard Mk3 If you did, you've been had.
 
dobba99 said:
Or anything else its not supposed to touch. The stainless braiding will saw through metal pipes, brackets, frame tubes etc as the stainless is harder than mild steel. Hope you didn't pay more for it than a well sorted standard Mk3 If you did, you've been had.
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It is possible to sheath braided lines in clear or coloured tubing. My front brake line has this.
 
Interesting rear sets. I can't read the brand characters, but I have a feeling I've seen them before. Does anyone recognize them? I don't think there were many manufacturers who made them for Mk3s.

Ken
 
brianmccroskey said:
Thank you for your expertise. What would you recommend in the way of supporting the hoses?
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The aim is to prevent the hoses from flapping around, which can damage the connection to the end fittings, or other parts they may hit including other hoses, or be damaged by rubbing on the tyre. they should be restrained near the end fittings and ideally in the middle of long runs (this is difficult to judge without being there) without putting undue stress on the hose (this is largely a matter of feel). In the case of the hoses going to the swinging arm, there is the added complication of them having to flex as the arm moves.
Cable ties will move, may damage the paint and are not aesthetically pleasing.
Use 'P' clips, either plastic or rubber covered metal ones. to fit to the hose and supporting frame tube. They should should be the correct size recommended for the diameter of hose or frame tube i.e. not loose or they won't work. If there is no suitable frame tube nearby to clip to you may need to fabricate a bracket which could be a bent 12swg steel rod or a shaped plate to attach to a suitable existing frame lug etc.
I realize that this is far easier for me to say than for you to do, sorry.
 
I'd be looking for this type of fitting to route your oil lines...my 2 cents
 

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Regarding cleaning sludge out, my '850 MKII tank had a pretty thick layer at bottom of tank when I checked it shortly after acquiring bike 6 yrs ago. Was too thick to draw out with an engine oil suction gizmo. This is a bike with an OEM oil filter, so build up was just from sitting yrs unused etc. Can't imagine what that would be like to have to clean from an oil in frame setup. How do the mid-'70s Triumph OIF bikes deal with this? No oil filters in those, correct?
 
Tornado said:
Regarding cleaning sludge out, my '850 MKII tank had a pretty thick layer at bottom of tank when I checked it shortly after acquiring bike 6 yrs ago. Was too thick to draw out with an engine oil suction gizmo. This is a bike with an OEM oil filter, so build up was just from sitting yrs unused etc. Can't imagine what that would be like to have to clean from an oil in frame setup. How do the mid-'70s Triumph OIF bikes deal with this? No oil filters in those, correct?
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There's a big fine mesh filter in the sump of the frame
 
Tornado said:
Can't imagine what that would be like to have to clean from an oil in frame setup. How do the mid-'70s Triumph OIF bikes deal with this? No oil filters in those, correct?
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A gauze mesh strainer as mentioned, plus the bottom of the large diameter reservoir tube is a plate that can be removed for cleaning.

There are also various paper filter conversion kits that replace the gauze strainer (with a BSA B25, Mercedes, etc, filter) .
Oil in frame Mk III Norton
 
L.A.B. said:
A gauze mesh strainer as mentioned, plus the bottom of the large diameter reservoir tube is a plate that can be removed for cleaning.

There are also various paper filter conversion kits that replace the gauze strainer (with a BSA B25, Mercedes, etc, filter) .
Oil in frame Mk III Norton
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Is there a specificed cleaning interval for the frame innards or just a standard filter/mesh cleaning interval? I guess if this cover plate is at lowest point of the frame oil reservoir, should be OK. Having oil pooled in low points away from drainage points would be bad.
 
Tornado said:
Is there a specificed cleaning interval for the frame innards or just a standard filter/mesh cleaning interval?
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The Triumph service interval for dropping the plate and cleaning the strainer (and plate) is 1500 miles.
There's no service requirement to clean the inside of what is basically a section of the parallel-sided vertical spine tube as crud drops onto the plate or gauze although it's large enough to get a rag inside to wipe the lowest few inches of the tube. There is also a drain plug inside the filter.


Tornado said:
Having oil pooled in low points away from drainage points would be bad.
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As far as the OIF Triumphs are concerned, the lowest point in the system is the plate. The oil feed spigot can be seen in the previous picture.
 

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