Putting the MKIII back together. What do I need?

Ok guys. My MKIII is going to be going back together in a few weeks when it warms up around here.

Everything is done. Engine and tranny rebuilt. Swingarm rebuilt with needle bearings. Fresh powder on frame, swingarm ect. pretty much every nut and bolt is new and is stainless or new stock parts. All new cables including speedo and tach. All new oil hoses and clamps. Oil tank strengthened and powder coated. New starter and all heavy duty starter/battery wires. Freshly rebuilt wheels on shouldered alloy rims, new bearings in hubs. New 750 style pea shooter exhaust and mount brackets. Clutch pushrod seal is going to be installed as well as a bunch of other CNW goodies and modifications.

I don't want to screw this up. This is the first bike restoration and rebuild I've ever done so I'll have a zillion questions. After i finish grinding of powder coat in designated areas, I'm ready to start bolting crap together.

I also need to make a simplified wiring harness from scratch, but I'll get to that in another thread when the time comes.

Things I need info on are sealers and chemicals.

I have grey RTV to seal primary covers ect. What else I can use it on?

I have blue loctite to use on every bolt and nut.

Now, what other loctite (red) do I need and what do I use it on? What other types of gasket sealers do I need and where should I use them?

Any hints or tips will be very usefull. Basically I'm going to copy the procedures from the Mick Hemmings Commando build that was in Classic Bike a couple of years ago. I have the the Norton manual and parts book.

It's taken me 3 years to get to this point from when I first joined the forum and being a total green newbie looking for my first Commando to finally buying and dismantling my MKIII victim. This bike has to be done 100%. Everything needs to be done properly or not at all. I've spared no expense with this thing so hopefully with all of your help I can pull this off and not screw anything up. Ideally I'd like to have it on the road by mid May of 2009.

Coco,
I am in almost the same boat, but I haven't, yet, started on the engine. Your strategy of using loctite is good, the blue will be more useful.

I am using Hi Tack for my gaskets and Yamabond for the engine cases, blue on chassie fasteners, red on power transmission gear (inside the transmission and engine)

The biggest piece of advice I could give you would be to continue to take your time, everything on a Norton needs to be fitted; very few peices just screw together, but you already know this. I spent 2 hours fitting and squaring my tail light just this afternoon.

I have spent enough money with CNW to get them over any economic hard times other suppliers may struggle with... Mine is solid black with gold leaf pin stripping, stunning!

Best wishes!!

RS

I am also putting a MK III together, but not the the same extent as yours. I've found that all it seems to take is more money. Any progress pictures? :lol:

Glyptol

I don't know if you guys ever heard of GLYPTOL, but my friend says he cured a few bikes that had leaks from pourous castings with this stuff. He says the old Enfield Interceptors used to have their crankcases painted inside with that stuff. Might be worth a look if the engine and transmission has not been put together.

Jean

I have seen this in old Royal "Oilfields", but never found it necessary in Norton twins. I think the urban myth of castings so porous you couldn't keep oil in them, was probably a case of poor mating surfaces and oil weeping from the seams. The head castings are pretty bad, but the only real problem I have seen is cracked valve guide bores on an RH4 head. took a while to find that one.

I sent my cases to CNW for their reed valve breathing modification. The claim is that crankcase pressure is reduced to a vacuum, virtually eliminating oil weeping and adding up to 3 horses.

RS

What does the CNW reed valve mod consist of? I modified my cases to conform with the Old Britts mod http://www.oldbritts.com/n_c_case.html and installed a Yamaha XS 650 reed valve http://www.mikesxs.net/products-40.html#products

I think the claim of a three horsepower gain may be somewhat optimistic, in my case anyway, but there is not doubt where the oil leaks are concerned.

JimC,
CNW machines the drive side case, on the rear facing side, to accept a small aluminum box about 2" x 2" that contains a reed valve, they also close off the passages between the timing case and the crankcase which further directs and pressure into the reed valve. The reed valve body breathes into the oil tank, same as before. They charge $265 + shipping for this service.
I tried to find a description on their web site, but to no avail; call Matt for details:

Matt Rambow
28438 Road P
Dolores, CO 81323

Phone: (970) 882-7163

RS

calbigbird said:

I am also putting a MK III together, but not the the same extent as yours. I've found that all it seems to take is more money. Any progress pictures? :lol:

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Soon. I just opened a photobucket account. It's still too damn cold up here but I do have a nice 230v heater I need to hook up in the garage. Then it's game on. Actually I need a dremel tool to grind off powder coat then it's game on.

RoadScholar said:

I sent my cases to CNW for their reed valve breathing modification. The claim is that crankcase pressure is reduced to a vacuum, virtually eliminating oil weeping and adding up to 3 horses.

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I had that mod done too.

A few more questions.

I have an alloy tank and will be using alloy petcocks. Any type of sealer I should use on the threads? Fuel resistant loctite?

Is the grey RTV to be used sparingly on both sides of the gaskets? I need to attach inner and outer primary covers. Never done this before.

Where should I be using red loctite instead of the blue stuff?

Coco wrote;

Where should I be using red loctite instead of the blue stuff?

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In my experience, there is no need to use either on the chassis items, but I suppose it won't do any harm :!: The isolastics, although allowing the drive train to shake around in what could be considered an alaming way by some of the unenlightened at low revs and tickover, the shaking is at a (relatively) low frequency, and unlike a ridgidly 360 deg mounted twin, doesn't in my experience loosen the nuts and bolts, exhaust lockrings excluded :wink:

I have used silicone or non setting compounds for the crankcase halfs.

As Reggie says, Loctite is not really needed on Commando chassis parts. I can't think of anywhere that I use it and I've never had anything fall off. I've never had a rear bulb blow either - it's not a Bonneville that we're talking about here !

I do use Loctite, as recommended, on the low torque fasteners in the primary drive.

Also worth having a socket bit for the torque wrench for the lower fork yoke clamps - the 25lbs/ft is tighter than you might expect to achieve with a short wrench.

Thanks guys. I've been using very small amounts of blue loctite on some of the fasteners like coil mounts ect. so I'll quite while I'm ahead.

Should I use some kind of anti-sieze on the SS fasteners to prevent galling? There will be alot of SS bolts being mated with aluminum parts.

I use 'Copper slip' or suchlike on all of the non torque-critical fasteners including cover screws.

79x100 said:

I use 'Copper slip' or suchlike on all of the non torque-critical fasteners including cover screws.

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I have some similar stuff. Copper coloured anti-sieze.