Ben's '72 Interstate Rebuild

Thanks LAB and Timewarp. That picture was before I figured out the order of assembly. Waiting on new o-rings. Machining shims is above my pay grade so I’ll measure and hope for the best. I don’t know what I would do without this site and the Norton parts guide.
 
Another heads up Ben - before assembling the yokes through the headstock be certain to remove all the paint from the underside of the upper yoke and the upper side of the lower yoke on the two circular flats that meet the bearing surfaces if you are using the standard Commando headlamp bracket tubes . I neglected to do so and now I am plagued with one side with a loose tube even though I included all the o rings .
 
Not too late to install the newer pivot seals. I have an order into old britts and will add to it. Thanks LAB. Richard - I just stripped the paint out of the yoke fork tube clamps. I’ll go back and clean off the tube surfaces as well. Thanks.
 
Not tube surfaces but the flats around the shaft - in other words you want to minimize the vertical distance between the upper and lower yokes so they clamp down on the headlamp bracket tubes
 
Do you mean the flats on the underside of the top yoke and top side of the bottom yoke where the headlamp tubes sit between? If there is paint on these surfaces it will rub off and the tubes will loosen? Easy enough to remove that paint.
 
Scout63 said:
Do you mean the flats on the underside of the top yoke and top side of the bottom yoke where the headlamp tubes sit between? If there is paint on these surfaces it will rub off and the tubes will loosen? Easy enough to remove that paint.
Click to expand...

No. He said:

“before assembling the yokes through the headstock be certain to remove all the paint from the underside of the upper yoke and the upper side of the lower yoke on the two circular flats that meet the bearing surfaces”

“Bearing surfaces” as in steering head bearings.
 
jan nelder said:
any tips on getting it assembled without damaging the seals, as with my last go, it was all so well fitting ( Mk3 arm), wasn’t sure seals survived as intended!
Click to expand...

I can't think of anything except to lubricate the seals and ensure the faces of the cradle are smooth and paint-free all of which you probably did.
 
Hope this helps to clarify -
The headlamp bracket tube moves axialy -( up & down )
Ben's '72 Interstate Rebuild

- because build up of primer and paint on the yokes where they meet the headstock bearings
here -
Ben's '72 Interstate Rebuild

and here-
Ben's '72 Interstate Rebuild

will not allow the yokes to be drawn together enough to sufficiently clamp down on the headlamp bracket tube .
 
NOW I get it. I’ll make sure there is no paint on those surfaces. Thanks Richard. Kudos for going well above and beyond in making the illustrations.
 
Tough day at work so I did some mindless (well...) polishing. Some days I don’t trust myself to make all those little reassembly decisions.
Ben's '72 Interstate Rebuild


You can see where a PO welded a broken outer cover. Ella Eaton is mailing me out a large order of parts today including carb and fork rebuild kits. I can’t wait to get the chassis together.
 
Assembled the front forks. I dinged the legs in the vice and one of them binds at the bottom. Apart it will come again. I seem to assemble everything at least twice.
Ben's '72 Interstate Rebuild

Seat, Tri-Spark and Interstate pipes and mufflers ordered. Disk off to be ground.
 
Don’t put fork legs in a vice!

If you must put them in a vice, put the very bottom in the vice jaws, the faces of the boss which the spindle passes through. Or, brake caliper mounting bosses.

NEVER the actual legs themselves...
 
Lesson learned. That one should be in a top 100 Commando restoration list. I’m always surprised at how little common sense I muster while in the middle of something.

Head back from the machine shop. Seats cut, new Kibblewhite valves lapped in, guides checked and mating surface cleaned up.

Ben's '72 Interstate Rebuild


Triple trees installed. Bottom loosely fit pending new headlight ears

Ben's '72 Interstate Rebuild
 
Nice Ben - I think you are catching up to me ! Don’t forget the o rings for the headlamp bracket tubes.
 
I ordered new o rings Richard. Ella Eaton gets a new order every three days.

Tri spark installed and static timed. Head installed. Rocker covers sanded and polished. These motors are so pretty.

Ben's '72 Interstate Rebuild


Ben's '72 Interstate Rebuild


Homemade piston stop from a bmw steering stem bearing puller.

Ben's '72 Interstate Rebuild


Ben's '72 Interstate Rebuild

On to the gear box this week.
 

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