Wessex Sidecar to Slimline

Hi,

Has anybody got any photos, drawings, info or even better the mounts themselves to fit a 1959ish Wessex adult/ child sidecar to a Norton slimline frame ?

I have the struts to connect the sidecar body to the frame but don't know where to mount onto the frame.

I know it's possible, as have seen photos in the past but nothing shows clearly where and how the sidecar mounts attach on a featherbed.

Any help greatfully recieved

Jon Sharrocks

Hello Jon

The RAC used Nortons with Watsonian sideboxes,a curved tube went up to the twin downtubes,another went across to the gusset plate and a further tube fixed to the frame under the seat.There is an example in the Brooklands museum and also Ulster folk and transort museum-see attached photo.

                 Good luck  Ron 

Previously wrote:

Hello Jon

The RAC used Nortons with Watsonian sideboxes,a curved tube went up to the twin downtubes,another went across to the gusset plate and a further tube fixed to the frame under the seat.There is an example in the Brooklands museum and also Ulster folk and transort museum-see attached photo.

                 Good luck  Ron 

Thanks for the info Ron. the photos are interesting but a Watsonoian is mounted on a chassis with quite heavy mountings ,however the Wessex is a wierd beast.

It was a very early 'monocoque' design, a bit like a light aircraft cockpit with a metal centre section on which all the load is taken, with glass fibre nose and tail sections.

The side car is mounted to the bike with very light struts ( 7 in total ) 3 forming a Z structure to the front and 3 forming a Z to the rear with a longer strut running between the two Z's tying it together. It sounds a bit complicated I know and to me it is !!!!.

I just could do with some pictures of how those Z strut mount to the slimline frame.

Anybody any ideas ?

Hi Jon,  Many years ago I fitted a Watsoian Palma to a wideline frame and at the front under the head-stock a clamp fitted across both front down-tubes and at the bottom the front engine plate fixing hole was used.  At the rear the swinging arm gusset plate and the top suspension unit mounting (or a clamp somewhere on the frame in the region of the battery box) could be used.   I would think that this sort of arrangement should accomodate the Z shaped struts you mention.  I hope that this is some help, Bob Gittins.