Well, I bought it...

JimC · Nov 21, 2011

Judging by your last restoration, you don't take any shortcuts. I'd guess you'll be a wee bit north of $8,000 on this one. No one will ever remember how cheap you built it, but they damn sure will remember how well you built it.

rvich · Nov 21, 2011

mikegray660 said:
JCD said:

I' I've budgeted around 8k............

Click to expand...

you may be in trouble there

you can always go this route

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Custom-H ... 500wt_1021

Yeah, I really want to ride that down the street with a big grin on my face...I'd look like I was buggering a dead guy! And they laugh at cafe riders...

JCD · Nov 30, 2011

Great news...
The Norton arrived today. Big D Cycle in Texas told me that the engine was frozen. After cutting and removing the rusted solid primary chain, the engine turned over very nicely. Pistons went up and down, valves moved, etc. There even seemed to be compression! Hope yet!!! :shock:

JCD

DogT · Nov 30, 2011

Go for it. Sounds like a great rebuild thread.

Dave
69S

Matt Spencer · Nov 30, 2011

Suspected it might be oiled , with the pipes still on . Just pulled the heads on a engine stored over a decade out west . Mice , casemoths and the like .
Only one little boggie bit on one bore , polished off . One pushrod V fine powder rust inside . :shock: Wouldve ruined it starting it . OR TURNIG IT MUCH .

Just as well the kck starts not connected to yours ! Striper before turning again , EH Wot .

Good coustom on that youd do for tuppance , club racer style .Make all the bits . One madman made half his velo castings , and the patterns .
Let me know when youve got a exact copy of the bronze F 750 primary perfected , and I will test it for you .

mikegray660 · Nov 30, 2011

customcommandos said:
Looks like a lovely project, it will surely keep you busy. I have plenty of Genuine Norton parts if you need anything. :twisted:

i thought you took your ball and went home? :shock:

JCD · Nov 30, 2011

JimC said:
Judging by your last restoration, you don't take any shortcuts. I'd guess you'll be a wee bit north of $8,000 on this one. No one will ever remember how cheap you built it, but they damn sure will remember how well you built it.

That's for sure! So far, I've bartered the powder coating. Huge coup there. I own an automotive repair shop and happen to be friends with some of the right folks in my town. We all need a good mechanic! I can't wait to tear into this bike a little more. Also worth mentioning is the rotor nut at the end of the crank took a bit of finess, but was coaxed off saving those precious threads from folding over or coming off with the nut. It looks like the primary cover was removed and the bike was left next to someone's sprinkler for the last several years.

My parts list is ever expanding, but I'm still trying to decide where I want to go with it. It's basically tabula rasa at this point. I don't want to build a cafe racer out of it-- but maybe a resto-mod...but the purist in me knows how beautiful these bikes are bone stock.

Anyone got side covers for this thing?? Or know where to get a decent set?

Cheers
JCD

Diablouph · Nov 30, 2011

Nortons are getting harder and harder to find in any condition at a reasonable price. Classic supply and demand curve.

cjandme · Nov 30, 2011

I remember seeing that one come up on E-bay and I wanted to bid on it but couldn't. Glad to see it's in good hands though. Will follow your build thread with interest. Cj

JCD · Nov 30, 2011

cjandme said:
I remember seeing that one come up on E-bay and I wanted to bid on it but couldn't. Glad to see it's in good hands though. Will follow your build thread with interest. Cj

I should have posted a video with the sale of that bike. It probably would have gone for a bit more. It was sweet. I rebuilt the starter (stock 2 brush) it was not functioning prior to restoring the bike. I made my own wire upgrade kit with some aircraft cables. If you even sneezed close to the starter button, the bike would light off and settle into a nice rolling idle. Ahhh, how I miss that one. Hopefully this current project will give the same thrill when it's done. Oh, hell, so much of the thrill started when I placed my first bid on the darned thing-- just knowing I had a project on the way...and now that it's here is all consuming.

grandpaul · Dec 1, 2011

Looks like that sad pile of parts is destined to become a very nicely restored classic once again; great candidate for a future "most improved".

JCD · Feb 5, 2012

I should be posting progress as it's being made on this project. So here goes... the cases and cylinder head are in Chatsworth, CA being tumbled. Case covers, hubs, Z plates and some other misc. parts are being polished. I welded up a few spots on my frame where highway pegs were over-tightened, and I reinforced the side stand lug. Frame and associated parts are at the powder coater. Everything I need to rebuild the engine is in house, including new cam, big end bearings, valves, guides, etc. The crank was split up and thoroughly cleaned. New shells were added after the fact. In the mean time, I've been finishing the rebuild on the transmission. I replaced all the bearings, including the dreaded Portugal layshaft bearing. It was an interesting project. I love gears and little bits. Seems to shift through all the gears on the bench. I'll keep my fingers crossed for the live test. I've also been cad plating like a mad man. I've got what seems to be 40 lbs of cad plated hardware. I've got a 30 gallon tank in my shop--so the ability to do large batches is a welcome relief. Here's a few teaser shots. More to come in the next week or so when the cases and head com back--polishing, powder coat, etc. etc. $$$$$$$$$$!!

swooshdave · Feb 5, 2012

More details on the cad process?

AltaNorton · Feb 6, 2012

swooshdave said:
More details on the cad process?

Yeah, I'd love to see how ya do it.

Matt

JCD · Feb 6, 2012

The cadmium process is pretty simple. The equipment is simple. It's basically a rheostat controlling a small and variable amount of voltage supply. The voltage on the + side is connected to the cadmium balls which sit inside of titanium cages-- of which I have 24 cad balls (6 per cage) They are positioned in the 4 corners of my square 30 gal tank hung 2 each on 2 seperate 3/4" copper rods. The negative side is where you hang your work. It is also a 3/4" copper rod. By work I mean whatever you are plating. It all resides in a bath solution of sodium cyanide, steam treated distilled H20 and some Cad Brite for brightness. I usually start by dumping my dirty, rusty parts in an old deep fryer basket. That goes into my blast cabinet. I glass blast until they are all clean. Then I remove and degrease the parts. This is where the tedious part comes in. I use thin welding wire and wire up all the pieces individually in long strands--making sure no 2 parts are touching. When I get 3-5 good strands wired up, I hang them from the center coper rod and hit the switch. The amount of voltage given is contingent on the amount of work being plated. Generally 1.5 volts for a small batch and up to 5-6 volts for heavier loads. The positively charged cadmium is attracted to the negatively charged parts. Over the course of several minutes, the cadmium moves through the solution and plates whatever metal object is on the negative pole. If I had a picture of my set up, I'd post it and everyone who isn't familiar with this process would get it pretty quickly. Toughest part is getting your timing and voltage right. Too much voltage gives you porous and uneaven build up. The same goes with too much time in the tank. Too little time gives dull battle ship grey colored batches. Good news is that it's not permanent. Don't like the result?? Glass blast it and do it again until you do. That's how I learned. This is such a great set up for the home restoration guy. How many times have people taken bolts to a wire wheel only to have that shimmering finish flash rust in days? How many times has the guy (or gal) restoring his bike had to stop and wait for hardware to arrive in the mail because theirs is too far gone to use for restoration? It's also great for just doing that one little that needs to look nice. The devil is in the details. It's teathered well to my automotive repair shop as well. It has endless applications. Hope this helps! Cheers.
JCD