Doing a rebuild on a young mans budget

This is all my Kit after sending it out for plating, and polishing the aluminum.
Plating was $200 for 200lbs minimum charge, only around 60lbs in parts. And polishing is what ever you charge your self for your time.....


PS. Quick tip. Notice how I bagged all the nuts bolts and washers into groups. This will help keep you organized during assembly. Or if you have to store stuff for a while as you are waiting for more funds to complete paint jobs, head repairs or the purchase of some new Amal premiers

thanks for all the advice so far. i was away for the last 2 months but now i'm back, i have money to buy parts, and time to do things
first on my list is rebuild the engine. does anyone here know about any practical upgrades to do at this point in the rebuild to make the bike more reliable?

Seeing the lounge is likely the most dust free room in the place , the sensable thing to do is get a roll of newsprint paper and spread it out all over the floor .
then dismantle the entire machine , wash all the parts surgically clean , and set them out in order across the room . :wink:

useing glass plates , straight edges and measureing sticks , check everything is straight flat and true . Then proceed to reassemble useing ' appropriate ' lubricants .
( for the Machine ) .

DRT, Commandos are full of non-ordinary beyond lawmower level wrenching issues and a few special tools and torques to avoid and directions to twist and clearances to provide. Suggest you beg barrow steal the assembly vidieo's from forum member or buy yourself along with parts book display & numbers-term and factory manual or pester Old Brits online and on the phone as most efficient background to come here with sensible answerable inquiries on what to do next. If I was still a little girl and saw m/c in living area I'd know my place in that fellas life and look else where, unless of course I felt similar about cycling life style.

hobot said:

DRT, Commandos are full of non-ordinary beyond lawmower level wrenching issues and a few special tools and torques to avoid and directions to twist and clearances to provide. Suggest you beg barrow steal the assembly vidieo's from forum member or buy yourself along with parts book display & numbers-term and factory manual or pester Old Brits online and on the phone as most efficient background to come here with sensible answerable inquiries on what to do next. If I was still a little girl and saw m/c in living area I'd know my place in that fellas life and look else where, unless of course I felt similar about cycling life style.

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My MKIII is coming in the dining room for the winter because the shop isn't ready and I want to keep working on it. Girlfriend is fine with that...you need to find a better class of girls Hobot Putting plastic down and hard board over that...a couple of benches and some cabinets bolted to the walls and I have a portable shop...yipee!

search this forum for the threads about upgrading the breather for a reed valve type. Consensus seems to be that the CNW one is a good upgrade, and must be added while the engine is apart as the crankcase will need to be drilled; a cheaper option may be an XS650 valve in the breather hose, but if your current breather hose exits the motor at the front left of the crankcase as opposed to exiting from the timing case on the rear right hand side of the engine that may not be effective as that type of breather is already timed; again the time to do it is now while the engine is apart. Your early frame may not take a Comnoz sump plug type of updated breather because of a cross member right under the sump plug. Advantages of updated breather are a more oil tight motor and possibly a more efficient motor translating into more power.

Putting plastic down and hard board over that...a couple of benches and some cabinets bolted to the walls and I have a portable shop...yipee!

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Dang good life style image to me. No defense about all my past gals but currently have a truce to share winter time jungle and animals with a certain long lasting mistress of mine.

It can take a year or more trying to briefly bone up on Norton history that may or not apply to your particular Cdo. Couple hard copy manuals and The Good Book parts #s and maybe NOC Tech Notes or Dunlopp Tuning book or Jim Schmidt's Race book, should get ya up to speed to know most the scope of do's and don'ts and wish ya could affords level.

You might like to spend time just going down the menu of Capt. Norton Notes as goes back further than most on this forum, back to when they had to make do with just factory issue or DIY items. NOC-UK site-club has got Cdo details galore too.
http://www.captain.norton.clara.net/

hobot said:

Dang good life style image to me. No defense about all my past gals but currently have a truce to share winter time jungle and animals with a certain long lasting mistress of mine.

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Much better Hobot. I've gained a lot more respect for you after this post