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1938 Norton 'Big Plunger' SOHC M30 to Manx Specification (full magnesium engine)

500cc SOHC Manx Engine. All the main castings for this engine are in Magnesium

Drive Side of Plunger shows distinctive 'Beart' oil tank

1938 SOHC Norton to Racing International Specification

1955 DOHC Manx Norton (shown on the Norton records as originally supplied to Surtees)

600 chassis as it arrived from Australia. At this stage it has an earlier scollped Manx tank loosely fitted (now on my Big Plunger)

As it sits in my workshop. Here it has correct 49-50 alloy bolthru Manx tank trial fitted, but now has earlier wrapround oil tank and 350 engine. Note Conical front brake hub under oil tank

1948 - 49 Manx SOHC 600cc Gardengate (Model 15M) Sidecar - Future Project
This chassis was one of only 17 Manx 600 Nortons built after the war. It shows on the Norton records as being the first one to be delivered to Australia (from where I purchased it about 5 years ago). It is a SOHC frame, the bend in the top tube identifying it such. Shortly after this frame was made the first DOHC engines were fitted, and a few of these 600 DOHC Gardengate chassis were also made (the top tube looking like a roller coaster!).
Last year I was very fortunate to be told of an original 600cc crank and barrel (two of the rarest bits to find and special to the 600cc engine), which I was able to purchase, so I am now well on the way to being in a position to start the rebuild. The engine shown in the top right photograph is not the correct engine (this is actually a prewar 350cc Manx engine, reserved for another project), I will be rebuilding the bike in the last Gardengate specificiation, using original 49 - 50 Manx alloy bolt-thru tanks (seen in the photograhs), and a conical magnesium rear hub with Gardengate conical type rear brake plate - fitted for one year only. It will be rebuilt in full racing sidecar specification, using the sidecar from Titch Allen's 'Posing Outfit' - which I hope will be very much in the spirit of Titch's own sidecar outfits. I am really looking forward to starting this rebuild, and even more so to getting it finished, and will hope to use it at future events such as Mallory 1000 Bike Festival, both with my friend Andy Phillips in the chair, as well as passengering myself for Titch's son Steve Allen, which I hope will meet with Titch's approval!
02/05/10: Note - I am just embarking on the long process of making magnesium SOHC M30 crankcases, of which at least one set will be reserved for this bike. Please let me know if you are interested and want more details - I will probably be looking at having 10 sets made initially.

600cc Manx Barrel on the left of this photo is identifiable by tall flange at base of barrel and extra fin over the normal 500 (the barrel on the right is a nice replica 500 - although it too has an extra fin, it should have 11 not 12!)

Lovely and rare 600cc Manx crank and extra long vertical shaft. can you tell the difference between this and a 500 crank?

1937 Roadgoing Norton International
The bike I am currently building is this 1937 Norton International (cast iron head and barrel), for the road.
The engine bottom half is a very nice and original 1937 engine that came from my good friend Arthur Moore in Australia (thanks Arthur!), and will be built to pretty much original International road going specification. The idea of this bike is to act as a 'Works Hack' to test out the new parts I have had made (as most go on my racing bikes, which are difficult to take out for quick runs!). As I write this article (April 2010) I am just going through my stock - taking one (or two) of everything to build the engine - it is a bit like Christmas!
The engine will be fitted into a 1930's cammy rigid frame, with kickstart gearbox, International scolloped tank and roadgoing Inter oil tank. I am hoping to have it built and on the road late 2010 - my day job permitting.

Checking for crank trueness and runout on purpose built balancer

Adding screw-in hex head grub screws to get balance factor correct for International road going piston

My Other Norton Projects
As well as the bikes and projects shown above, I also have a couple of other cammy Norton projects lined up for the future. The crankcases on the right hand side in the two photos above are a very nice set of very early 350 Inter crankcases, that I have had for many years (they are approx 1931). At some time they have had their barrel mouth bored out to take a 500 barrel. I also have a set of turned down 500 flywheels to fit inside them. As a future project I will building it up as a rather trick sprint engine (probably with Squish band head) and am intending to fit it into an open cradle sprint Norton frame I have. I think this should make an interesting straight line sprinter! (I would be intersted in a suitable supercharger if you have one).

Incidentally, the crankcases on the left in the photos above are one of the rarest types of cammy Norton variations made. These are of the very first type made purposely for racing, and are identifable by the deeper barrel mouth, and because they do not have the charateristic crankcase primary chain web on the drive side that normal Inters and CS1's have. As far as I know, this type of crankcase (which are aluminium not magnesium) were only made available for Works bikes, or a few favoured customers. I have not dated this set yet, but would estimate approximately 1931-32. Unfortunately this set have many extra 'Windows' in them where an errant conrod has punched its way round the crankcase without a piston attached . . .

 

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