650SS Rebuild

possm

possm

Joined
Jul 3, 2009
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Hi Everyone.
I am finally doing something with this old beast that has been sitting in my garage for sometime.
650SS Rebuild

650SS Rebuild

A bit of history- i brought my first commado in the early 70's and rode them dailey thru to the 90's when i brought a Harley though i still had a P11 and a damaged Atlas tucked away for some years. Throughout the time of owning Nortons i had searched for a 650SS to no avail settling for a 1965 Atlas which i restored and had to sell due to a Young Family and putting a Roof over their heads and then the other bikes funded various other projects though i managed to keep a rideable bike in the garage which happened to be a HD. When i was able to afford another Norton i chose a 850 Mk2A which turned out belonged to a freind from my early riding days, back in the 70's he rode a 650SS. Sometime after he had seen the finished MK2A i received a phone call i received from this old freind now living overseas offering me the 650SS that he had owned fo over 30 years.
Al
 
Nice project! Looking forward to seeing how you get on. Keep us updated with progress and photos!

Dave
 
That's a great old survivor, and a great back story, too!

Looking forward to following the progress.
 
Hi Al

Nice bike will look great when finished, I am hoping to start my 650 Norton project bike very soon, have just recived a email telling me that Murray from South Australia has found 2 heads in his colection of parts, 1 early and 1 later 650 head so things are looking good for mine now, keep use up to date and have some fun.

Ashley
 
That brings back some memories. When I worked at Marston Road, the firm let me use an old hack 650SS to ride to and from work. We were living in Kenilworth when I first started, which meant a 45-mile cross country, backroads ride. Great fun. The only problem I had was a burnt-through head gasket. The old girl just kept running, but it melted my vinyl outer trousers!

It finally died just before I left Norton to emigrate. Riding back to Wolverhampton after we'd moved back to Leyland prior to departure for the US, the gasket on the oil-feed manifold that connects the oil tank to the engine failed. I was cruising down the M6 at about 85 mph at the time. I managed to coast into a service area and called the factory. They sent a van out to pick me and the bike up. I think the bike had about 140,000 miles on it at the time. It had been a factory-owned bike from new and may have been one of the last Bracebridge Street-built bikes.

If I could still kick start a big twin, I'd look for either a Domintor 99 or a 650SS to restore, but recent back surgery (herniated lumbar disk) means I can't even use the recoil starter on the lawnmower any more.
 
650SS Rebuild

The old girl is now stripped out and the various bits have been passed on to a close group of handy freinds- the frame showed 40+ years of ware and tare, so my freind Mike has rebuilt the centre stand, frame ware blocks and other minor bits, so off to the Blasters for paint removal.
I did not have a side stand and as second hand items are rare as, I bit the bullet and ordered a new one from Norvil which arrived the other day the Exchange Rate hurts 103 pound + freight = $274 NZ dollers but i now have one so alls good.
Al
 
650SS Rebuild

Guards back from the crome platers and new shocks have arrived.wheels have been stripped rims spokes and nipples are at the platers for their various processes, rims rechromed nipples nickled, spokes in zinc as cadium is not available and hubs etc are being pollished.
Al
 
That was quick service from the platers! The guards look lovely.

Are you using new spokes and nipples?
 
Thanks for all the pictures in this post Possm, the bike's gonna be a knock out!! Cj
 
Sorry i don't meen to misslead you as i have been planning and collecting pieces for a while, i sent the guards out several weeks ago, but they do look good!
Tank badges have also been replated, also as it has been comeing apart i have been droping small containers of nuts and bolts etc in for zinc plating.
Al
 
I'm wondering when the featherbed frame in that era changed from the bolted-up upper rear engine mount to the welded-in-place version (or was it the other way 'round?)

Mine is welded in place, but my friend's is welded up. They are serially in the same year range.
 
Grandpaul i cannot answer that, this old girl is matching numbers- 18SS 1191xx whicch i date at late 1966, the frame cover still had the bolt hole in it though.
Al
 
What a great looking project. When I see an aged featherbed Norton I immediately think "Cafe Racer" especially since you live in the same country as Ken McIntosh (from whom I've bought a fair number of parts over the years). In this case, however, you have far too complete of a motorcycle to do that. I'd be doing a restoration to get is as close to original as possible as you are apparently doing. I hope you keep up posting the progress. I look forward to seeing it.
 
Motor has ben stripped back to crankcases but due to someone previously trying to remove the pinion without the correct puller the cases have been damaged
so i am leaving it to a trusted engineer that i have known and used for over 30 years to split the cases so as to save any further damage, the barrells look good [though not measured] with close to new pistons further updates later.
I have also opened the gearbox which appears to be in very good condition, gears and shafts look good i may have to replace a bush or two. I ordered new gearbox wheel and mainbearings yesterday, hopefully i may see them tomorrow, will keep you posted and as allways trying to avoid the "shakes".
Al
 
650SS Rebuild

Polishing and some plating back, i received the wheel and other bearings today after chaseing the courier- I had order them from a company in Auckland that supplies the company that i work for but the airshipment was delayed due to ash in the air from a volcano eruption in Chile, and to top that off we are still having Daily after shocks from the earthquake,a 4.4 this morning at 6,50am I don't know if that was supposed to be a "Dawnbreaker". Lifes interesting.
Al
 
Wow Possm, still trying to let my eyes readjust to the bright light after being temporaraly blinded by the flash of all that shinny stuff!! Very nice. Better invest in a case of simichrome polish.
 
One of my favorite stages in a project, when all the shiny bits start arriving back from the platers, and all the new stuff from the stockists.
 
The cases are now apart and it was all bad news, the crank needs a regrind and the oilpump is badly scored and needs replacement, ontop of that evan though the bore and pistons mic up ok the bore has water contamination we have not yet tried to hone the marks out but it will be touch and go.
Al
 
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