Stock Fasteners and parts

Part way into the rebuild, I realize that, even though I kept MOST of the stock parts, I got all the nuts and bolts mixed up! Accept for the large bolts ( tranny, engine mount, isometrics, whells) I can't be sure of the rest. To keep cost down, is it a big deal to just buy UNF nuts, bolts and washers for mounting; brackets, horn, oil filter housing, ect. Galvanized, zinc plated. Even though I have owned the bike since 1974, it is technically not a stock bike( Mikuni' carbs Boyer ignition, flat track cam. As far as I understand, a lot of English bikes sold in North America after 69 used a LOT of unf bolts anyways. Thoughts, ideas. Thanks for letting me waste your time.


_TIM4481 by timgibbons, on Flickr

All the cycle parts on a Commando are UNF.
(and even some on the engine).

They have a distinctive look to them though,
using just anything will obviously show...

All (?) available new from your local Norton Dealer, it must be said.
Some folks substitute with stainless...

< insert discussion here about using stainless in stressed locations >

I did not mention that this did not include the issue on bolt ratings, most bolts, I noted , are Grade 5, from what I can remember.

Rohan said:

All the cycle parts on a Commando are UNF.

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Many, but not all, fasteners are Unified (UNF and UNC). Some British Standard fasteners were subsequently changed to Unified during production
(the gearbox top bolt & nut, for instance, originally CEI or Whit Form, later, UNF).

Gibby said:

I got all the nuts and bolts mixed up!

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If you have the time and the patience to sit down with the parts book and the 'stainlessbits' list then you should be able to identify most of them, or make a list of what's required.

http://stainlessbits.com/link12a.html

For all the non-critical items, that is the engine and trans mountings, I just bought stainless UNF, it probably cost the same as having the old stuff plated. Make sure to use anti seize if you do. If you don't want the shiny look, blast them. If you're anal, the washers used by Norton are not standard USS, SAE or AN sizes. They are specific to brit bikes. I ended up buying them as special sized washers from McMaster, they all cost me about $45, but at least they look right and that was a very small part of the $8K I have in it. Someone told me of a place in UK you can get the washers, but it's been so long I've forgotten and it would probably cost more than $25 in shipping. Here's what I got.

Washers from McMasters in 316 stainless
1/4 ID 9/16 OD 0.060 thick 91525A118 $5.86/50 need 63 got 100
5/16 ID 5/8 OD 0.060 thick 91525A229 $6.72/50 need 18 got 50
3/8 ID 3/4 OD 0.085 thick 98370A019 $6.47/10 need 22 got 20
1/2 ID 7/8 OD 0.105 thick 93849A107 $1.12 ea. need 6 got 6 ( these are really 13x22 metric but the thickness is good and they are closer than anything else)

Your bike may have a bit different amounts than my early '69. You can find the hex bolts and nuts in 316 on the interweb in various places for reasonable prices.

If you want you could edit my spread sheet I have on mine that lists nearly all the nuts, bolts and washers.

Dave
69'S'

L.A.B. said:

Many, but not all, fasteners are Unified (UNF and UNC)

Click to expand...

Where are there any UNC on the cycleparts ??

Fork drain plug
06.0635 stud
06.0357
06.0359
06.0375
06.0633
06.1102, 3, 4
there's quite a few more if you care to go through the stainless bits page. I can't say where these things go.

Rohan said:

L.A.B. said:

Many, but not all, fasteners are Unified (UNF and UNC)

Click to expand...

Where are there any UNC on the cycleparts ??

Click to expand...

Well, off the top of my head working from the front, the first one I can think of is the mudguard stay-to-slider fixing bolts, 060357.

''060357'
http://www.nortonmotors.de/ANIL/Norton% ... e-list.php

060357 HEX. SCREW 5/16"UNC x 1/2"

Click to expand...

If you have interest in originality, most of the bolt heads have distinctive bulls eye sort of circle.
Many of the locking nuts are proprietary too.
Id go stainless if you dont care, if you do it will be about 175 USD to have them all cad plated. That
will include brackets and little bits too though.
After having gone through all this myself, Id stay with the original hardware. Takes longer but
it nice to have the original pieces when finished.

I come from a machinist background, but I do not know what a CEI spec is. What does it stand for?

Gibby said:

I come from a machinist background, but I do not know what a CEI spec is. What does it stand for?

Click to expand...

Cycle Engineers' Institute, a screw thread pattern.
Cycle Engineers' Institute (CEI) or British Standard Cycle (BSC)

CEI is more or less British Cycle Thread, 26 tpi threads per inch, and sometimes (rarely) 20 tpi.

Here's a great little chart I got from Walridge I think:

THREAD PITCH TABLE * Note: 1/2” and larger CIE threads made in 26 & 20 forms
Diameter TPI/BSF BSW UNF UNC CEI/BSC
3/16” 32 24 32 24
1/4” 26 20 28 20 26
5/16” 22 18 24 18 26
3/8” 20 16 24 16 26
7/16” 18 14 20 14 26
1/2” 16 12 20 13 26/20*

BSW (British Standard Whitworth) Studs/screws into alloy before 1972. After 1972 many BSW replaced with UNC (hydraulic brake fittings are UNF).

BSF (British Standard Fine) Used for various things like AA unit retaining bolt and head steady to cylinder head retaining screws

CEI (Cycle Engineer Institution later known as BSC) not many on a Commando = some carb threads.

BA (British Association) = Electrical screws and carb screws.

BSP (British Standard Pipe parallel thread) = fuel tap fittings

ME (Model Engineer) = Carb cable adjusters.

Metric = Spark plug threads and spin-on filter thread.
Standard unf/unc Sizes
1/4-20
1/4-28
5/16-18
5/16-24
3/8-16
3/8-24
7/16-14
7/16-20
1/2-13
1/2-20
5/8-11
5/8-18
11/16-18
3/4-10

The rocker spindle thread is 5/16" - 26 Cycle thread.

The standard camshaft thread is 1/4" BSF.

There is a cad plating place in Chicago that will plate 5 pounds or a 5 gallon bucket of stuff all for the same flat rate price .


Tim_S