The Last Norton Dyno book?

While in the Isle of man for the Classic TT races, I was presented with a package and told I could have it for one night only.
The package contained what is very probably the last Dyno Room record book of Norton Motors.
The entries were all in pencil, and time has rendered many difficult to read, but not having any means to scan the pages, I took a photo of them, using the only camera I had, a small cheap item made in the Far East.
Because of the dates of the entries, I hoped it might contain details of Domiracer tests, but unfortunately not. The was however, record of tests conducted with a 650 twin engine, and I am including this by way of affording a glimpse into what was a world known to but a very few who were privelidged to work in the test shop.
The book was a record of tests conducted on the Manx engine in it's various forms, and included a special 250 unit the factory built for Frank Cope, as well as engines for Esso and others, including 350 and 500 units for P Read, and a 500 for a 'Mr Minter'.
Various experimental builds were detailed, including Torrington needle roller small ends, plain bearing big ends, Titanium con rods, coil valve springs, and long skirt pistons amongst others.
Build details and tests were described on the page herewith, with results on the facing page. because I have not figured out how to present more than one photo on the same post, the facing page will be to follow.



I apologise for the presentation of the photo, but when I rotated it through 90 deg. the detail became unacceptably reduced.

The facing page for the 650 twin.
many of the other engine tests gave results at 500 rpm increments, and only recorded the foot/lbs for each test, no attempt being made to convert to bhp.
This test might well have been in preparation for the endurance races such as the Thruxton 500, but if so, no detail for such is contained on the test sheet

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Are there any other surviving books like this ? My source for this has no more, but there must have been many more filled over the years, and could have been saved when Nortons closed.
Perhaps this post will serve to jog the mind of someone who can tell us more

The attached picture is taken from tests conducted in the use of a needle roller small end bearing, and illustrates a cam form that was being modified during the tests.

I doubt whether few have ever seen a Manx Norton cam profile quite like this.

0.280"TDC was the method used by Norton to time the cam, and was the amount of lift of the valve at TDC

It is not clear whether material is being overlaid or removed from the shaded area.

This work was being done under the direction of Doug Hele, as was all the other work detailed in the book.

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A glimpse into the inner workings.

Wonder what happened to the equivalent Commando stuff.
Would have been under AMC of course, initially.

Tony Curzon may be interested to hear of the 650 tests - he is writing some sort of book on them.

Useful sounding stuff. !
Write out someplace some of the bigger number sequences, in case your photos aren't big enough to be readable.
Most libraries have a photocopier, do a few pages - if this isn't forbidden.

Are there any names anywhere of who did the tests.
That could be useful too.

Rohan said:

Wonder what happened to the equivalent Commando stuff.

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Norton factory records, documentation and other paperwork were apparently deliberately destroyed/dumped after the NVT crash.
I think just about all that survives from the AMC/NV/NVT period (except for whatever AN has) are the dispatch ledgers John Hudson is supposed to have surreptitiously fished out of a skip/dumpster (and presumably they are the ones now held by the VMCC?) unless anyone knows otherwise?

I have been informed by a reliable source that other records were 'saved' at the time of the closure of the factory at Bracebridge Street. Whether I can track them down is another matter, but hopefully whatever has survived can be recovered and given a suitable home eventually. If I have any success with my search I will post further.

When Bracebridge Street closed down, some of the factory personnel contacted a couple of dealers who had racing interests, and advised them of the pending scrapping off of the contents of the race shop, and to get there with a truck and take whatever they wanted, as all that was left would go into a skip. My source filled his truck while factory staff were on their lunch break. Among items he 'saved' were the main components of the horizontal Manx engine which I was able to examine when he returned to his shop, and which I believe now has been built up into a complete machine and forms part of Sammy Miller's collection.

I was told that another dealer with racing interests, Reg Dearden, did likewise, but cannot say what he managed to 'save', although I have been told that his old premises have been pulled down and built over, with much from his shop being thrown into the footings of a petrol station fore court.

Mr Curzon has ended up with some of the blueprints and committee meeting notes, drawings, planes etc that had ended up with someone in the NOC,
that is how he was able to piece together the inside story of how the 650 came about - this goes back years before the bike came to market. (1960).
Not sure if similar material exists for the Atlas, which must have been progressing along a little later, and used some of the same parts.

Some of the Dealers are mentioning their spares are made from blueprints and factory drawings,
how did these survive for this to happen ?

Rohan said:

Some of the Dealers are mentioning their spares are made from blueprints and factory drawings,
how did these survive for this to happen ?

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Andover Norton are supposed to have the Dominator, Commando and later rotary parts drawings.
Don't know about any of the earlier parts drawings, or Manx etc.