WHAT A PAIR!!

Just got these two Norton Fastbacks in, they both belong to a guy from Cali that just came to the realization that he's nuts about Norton Fastbacks, and wants these two to be the nicest pair to leave the Born Again Bikes shop.

I'll start two separate restoration project threads later...

They look just fine as they are, what could they possibly need?

The standard Fastback will get an original paint scheme and some de-chrome work, plus a lot of cosmetic rust removal and re-plating here and there, new/proper decals and new rubber bits.

The Dunstall will get the Dunstall Mark III front forks & dual disc brakes installed (already en route), and a general refurbishing from stem to stern; it hasn't run in years.

grandpaul said:

The standard Fastback will get an original paint scheme and some de-chrome work, plus a lot of cosmetic rust removal and re-plating here and there, new/proper decals and new rubber bits.

The Dunstall will get the Dunstall Mark III front forks & dual disc brakes installed (already en route), and a general refurbishing from stem to stern; it hasn't run in years.

Click to expand...

Excellent! I'll be watching.

Grandpaul,
after your proper restoration I volunteer my time to test ride them both to make sure they perform most
adequately for the most descriminating collector.
Marshal :mrgreen:

Sorry, but only "yours truly", and the client get to test ride the completed bikes around here.

Now, if you can track down the owner and talk him into handing you the keys...

Those are in pretty decent shape to start! It'll be fun to watch these take shape.

So, is the '68 going to be restored and the '69-'70 Dunstallized? Does that '68 have the widow-maker frame yet?

Is it the photo or does it have the bright chrome footpegs, kickstarter, and shifter? I've got another '68 project to do but no dull chrome pegs. I guess I could have them de-chromed, then sandblast the bejesus out of them and re-chrome them. The problem is they are a little more "square" as well. Oh well, that's a decision the owner can make.

Sounds like a fun project¸, what color are they going to be?

Jean

GP, you have to get a new camera or stop using your phone(y) camera or use a tripod, anything to get clear non blurry shots :wink:

With a thread title like that, I was expecting some nudity.

The Black Fastback will be returned to original Green & gray. Also, notice the tuck & roll seat upholstery that will be returned to original, besides de-chroming of the sidecovers & swingarm.

The Dunstall bike has already got a Norris cam, Dunstall tank &fairing, clip-ons, rearsets, pipes & some other nice bits; the Dunstall Mark III dual disc front brakes with calipers integrated into the lower fork tubes are on thier way. Other than the Dunstall seat, that's the full Mark III upgrade (client doesn't like the Dunstall seat).

Dunstall Mark III dual disc front brakes with calipers integrated into the lower fork tubes are on thier way

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Grand Paul,
Do you have a source for seals and pads for these? I managed to luck into a set of original pads that I sold with my Dunstall front end, but seals were always an issue.
This guy is in Colorado and claims to have pads and seals. Keith Abraben - SNPJ72A@prodigy.com.

I never got around to contacting him, but I wound up using a set of EPDM quad-rings for piston seals. Seemed to work OK, but the brakes never were that good.

Thanx for the link, this will be my first time locating Dunstall stuff.

Yeah, it occured to me the first time I saw the Dunstall disc brakes that those rotors are mighty small...

The Dunstall discs were always renowned for being better at heating up the fork oil than stopping the bike, however they were competing almost exclusively against drum brakes and expectations in those days weren't as high as they are now. I always liked the look of them and if I could find the parts at a reasonable price I would probably fit them to my Dunstall project and play around with pads and master cylinder bores to try to improve them. You can mill a set of pads from a larger pad designed for car application, as long as you are careful to note the position of the bonding holes and ensure that they remain a large part of the section that you keep as your final pad. I would have thought that seals should be fairly easy to find if you have a friendly car parts shop nearby that is willing to look through some of their car overhaul kits. Most manufacturers make caliper pistons in similar standard sizes ie 26, 28, 32mm etc, or their fractional equivalents. I don't think many designers choose 28.317mm for example when drawing these things up. In my professional life I often have to find these sort of parts for cars that have been out of production for over 40 years and it's amazing to find that a Toyota van or something similarly mundane has a seal kit that will fit a Lamborghini Muira.

I once had a friend make a set of pads from stock Norton pads on a lathe. The thickness of the pad must be reduced also. If this path is taken be careful as many pad materials contain asbestos. Mask and ventilation required!

The other item to be aware of is the disc to hub fixiing screws are 5/16-22 socket flat head machine screws. Mine were a bear to remove and as a result the screws were damaged. Finding replacement screws took a long time. If I were doing it again, I think I would drill and helicoil the hub for 5/16-24. You may need to re-machine the hole in the disc to match the taper in the new screws. Bottom line is try to save the original screws!

Anybody with any Dunstall information please submit at www.dunstall.com . The site owner would much appreciate it. I myself would appriciate any usefull information aswell. :mrgreen:

Hi
Sold my original Dunstall forks & calipers a while ago! Still miss the thought of building an original bike.
Anyway.
There are 3 versions of the Dunstal disc ie later caliper cast as part of the fork leg. The first discs I believe are a miniscule 5".
Ray Pickrel used Dunstall discs at the Thruxton 6 hour & then asked for them fot the TT! That alone speaks volumes about how much better they are than a drum. However our expectations are that they are discs! ie like todays brakes. We have one bike raced with the CRMCC & he bolts a set of tz pads to a n original & mills then to suit! yes health & saftey bla bla bla. I was told that a handbrke pad from a Citroen was the same. The caliper never had "seals"
a simple o ring was used.
all the best Chris