Order of Assembly - The magic sequence.

I have a '72 Commando Roadster which I am rebuilding from scratch, boxes of bits, sandblasted frame and then twin pack etc.. I wanted to get it back on it's wheels by the end of the year but progress has been slow. Done the front end and suspended the rear end of the frame from the roof of the garage by cables. Before I can put the back wheel in I needed the engine, engine plates, swing arm, rear shocks and Isolastic setting up, or so I thought. I could then sit on a chair and enjoy the rebuild. ( I hate working on cars because you have to crawl underneath etc ? )

I then read a post on here about the gearbox and :evil: :roll: cant get the gearbox in without shifting the engine out AGAIN ! and all the rear end will 'flop'. OK so thats a problem that I am now going to have to overcome. The 72 motor has the breather at the rear of the engine which stops the gearbox sliding in.

Note : The engine is just the crankcases, ie no barrels or head.

Question.

If I go back to square one and put the gearbox in and then the engine, bolt it all up, check shims etc, put back wheel on, stand it on its side stand after removing all the supporting cables to the garage roof, expecting to sit on a chair and put the pistons on the rods and the barrels back on and then the head on in all its glory. Am I going to get stuck again and have to remove the engine YET AGAIN to put the head on ? :?: ? so that it clears the studs in the restricted room between the barrels and frame ?????? :?:

No! You can get the barrels and head on whilst it is all sat in the frame.

The Norton workshop manual shows how when putting the head onto the barrels, you push the pushrods up into the head and with the head at an angle of approx 30* to 45 * from the horizontal facing backwards, you put the pushrods into their holes in the barrels, bring the head forwards and it then all fits together.

You can remove the breather, remove all of the bolts from the tranny cradle thru the crankcase, then tip the crankcase forward and get the tranny in it's cradle. Replace the breather BEFORE you bolt anything back up (DON'T ask why I know this).

Thanks