Rescuing my WD WW2 Norton 16H

Really impressed on how much you've achieved in such short time. Just to find correct parts can take years for me.
 
Must have been hard work... looks like you’ve lost about a stone to me ...!
 
Thanks Mike an Eddie :) Yeah I lost a load before Christmas actually got back in my old leathers then promptly put it all back on again. Have dropped a fair bit over the past few weeks. It''s hard getting food near us all the online shops have no slots an the local shops are all empty so making what we have got last which isn't a load managed to get some camping stuff last night so that'l keep us going for a bit. So starting to drop a bit of weight haha will help with the 16h's performance anyway lol.

I've been really lucky thanks to people helping me by selling me some of the rare parts I've been struggling to get.

With the lockdown we are all on the Maria Costello MBE Daytona I was counting on selling to fund the rest of the restoration isn't gonna happen for a while. I was saying to dad it's more important everyone stays safe an makes it through this on the other side.

While I've been on my career break I've been seeing my dad's sister alot been weird not being able to go check on her. Daily phone calls though.

Next step today is to get the rear wheel painted in red oxide to protect it as we are in for some rubbish weather. Gonna brave the rubbish weather humidity is far to high to put the scc.2 on.

Been chatting to one of my mate's who's been pretty much my yoda on this project an for now just gonna stick the Norton logo's on the tank while I decide which way to go over tank markings over the summer.

Got an accurate army census number for the engine which was army an got the decal for that but with the Raf destroying the records on wheel'd vehicles it's impossible to know what the accurate raf census number was.
 
Thanks mate in an ideal world I'd be doing it indoors an with a spray gun very much having to work to humidity and sunny ish days :) Constantly learning.

Had a truly amazing breakthrough today got in touch with one of the researchers who works with the RAF and he had a selection of B Key Cards. Long an short of it is I've actually managed to get the original ERM Number for my RAF Chassis!! That's the number that goes on the side of the petrol tank Prefixed with RAF. How exciting is that :)
 
Had a truly amazing breakthrough today got in touch with one of the researchers who works with the RAF and he had a selection of B Key Cards. Long an short of it is I've actually managed to get the original ERM Number for my RAF Chassis!! That's the number that goes on the side of the petrol tank Prefixed with RAF. How exciting is that :)

That’s cool !
 
Thanks mate that's actually a pretty decent idea :)

Made a bit of progress today had a workshop day inside an did some more work on the wheels the rear is ready for red oxiding now.

Re fitted the mudguards to. Screwed up at first as I followed the original pics I took of my bike an put the front stays to the outside oops! Was chatting with Horror when I noticed it thanks for the reference pics mate.

Got a bit emotional talking about the Raf numbers on her. Still so happy that I managed to find them out.

Not to sure on my throttle grip now least I've got something to use if I need to, think its a Matchless Bowdon one.

Rather hunt for the right one before I get the Canvas grips onto her an need to sort the remaining levers as well.

Need to sus out the screw size for the doherty air an advance levers.

Gonna inspect the oil pump tomorrow an then I can get the magneto back on to an start looking at timing the engine up while I'm waiting to sort the remaining parts.

Just weighing up Raf roundels the ones that I've seen within my number range original pictures Wise seem to have RAF+number on the tank or on the front mudguard blade.

Then the RAF roundel on the sidecar. With my Sidecar missing I had a look at a few of the solo's. Seen a few with roundels on the front mudguard and seen a few with them on two locations on the tank on multiple raf pics. Seemed like it varied a bit.
Then saw an Ariel with the roundel on the mudguard and the tank and a bsa with a white part of the mudguard blade with the raf number painted on that so it's visible from above.

Then the tank Keith showed me on Rob's wd Norton website in scc.2 with the raf roundels on.

Thinking most likley I'm gonna go with the R.A.F. on one line then my number just below on the tank like in two pictures I've seen then see what rooms left.

This was quite a cool pic of some early RAF bikes.

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205448328




 
Coincidences, My Dad was in the Royal Artillery, and my Uncle bob in the 8th Army in tanks North Africa. The very first bike I rode as a schoolboy was a rough BSA M20 Army bike that we kept behind the sheds ,no brakes at all.
 
Well done. Keeps you busy and not climbing the walls that's for sure.
Cheers
John in Texas
 
Thanks guys hoping to get a brake cable from somewhere :) as you say :) others I can learn on

Thanks John really looking forward to getting stuck in again. Certainly keeping me sane that's for sure got a lil list of parts I need to track down bit by bit.
 
Yep been looking at both of those thanks lads.

Robs 16h website is amazing great wealth of knowledge.

Just got the proof back for the correct roundels without the yellow line decided on the layout now and a stencil for the raf number.

Gonna brush the number like a sign writer would :)
 
Painting the rear wheel
Rescuing my WD WW2 Norton 16H
really happy with the result 3 coats of Simoniz Red Oxide Primer, 3 coats of War Paint Farrant Brown and 3 coats of Hycoat Matt Lacquer. At the same time I touched my mudguard up where it had picked a few chips up.

Hope you are all safe and enjoying the lil mini videos feel free to subscribe an check out the other 20 mini videos in the series playlist

 
Really fascinating thread...enjoying it very much. You resourceful work is well done.
Good on you.
 
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