I have been looking at my 1957 Dommie 99 again with a view to starting it's rebuild. Over the years I have accumulated most of the missing parts, so it would be relatively easy to do.
One of the jobs that I could be getting on with whilst other things are held up would be repairing the bottom frame rails, which literally have had holes bashed into them by the centre-stand stops and are bowed upwards, my slimline twin and single must have done far more miles than this bike (it hasn't been on the road since 1974) and neither show any such damage, I assume that the later frames were reinforced, it certainly looks like it, there seems to be a plate or sleeper inserted into the tube at this point. Does anybody know how the factory solved this problem?
Andover Norton sell new '1957' Dominator frames with centre-stand lugs on, are they reinforced?
I have often wondered why the centre-stand bolts don't go through the engine plates to stiffen everything up, especially as they seem often to have pilot holes in just the right place, again, does anybody know?
I was thinking abut sweating a piece of thick wall tube into new sections of bottom rail before welding them in, and then transplanting the stand brackets into place, as long as I make a jig to hold everything in position and have a crankcase and engine plates bolted in and do them one at a time, surely it can't go too far out? Apart from the bottom rail damage, it is a very good frame.
Any suggestions?
Holes in engine plates
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Frame damaged by stand returning
I had the same problem with my 1956 99. I welded some small plates to the underside of the frame. I then slit lengthways a piece of thick-walled rubber pipe with the ID slightly less than the frame, about an inch long, which gripped round the frame. Both sides, of course. This removed the metal-to-metal damaging contact.
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Fitting Center Stand
I have a wide line frame with a Gold Star engine and gearbox mounted in Coverta plates. Having only a side stand and getting on a bit starting the engine was getting hard so I have fitted a center stand. .After disassembly of the primary chain case I began to fit the center stand with the correct mounting bolts. My problem then became obvious the fitting of the return spring in the position shown on the manual [vertical] it was too long.I didn't have anywhere to fit it to the engine plate and to make matters worst the gearbox was in the way. So after a lot of pondering I got a spring for an earlier Commando [Short] and fitted this in the horizontal position onto an extended bolt on the rear of the gearbox plate to rear lug.[see attachment] The spring was still too long for this position so I began to shorted it a little at a time so the stand returned to the correct position. Having previously owning a genuine Gold Star I found it easy to put it on the center stand but with this Norton framed Gold Star it is very heavy to put on the stand. After looking at the mounting point on the BSA it is about 12" further back so it only lifted the rear wheel but on the Norton I am lifting the whole engine. Has anyone else experienced this?
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The stand pivot bolts are hollow and you do indeed put a 1/4 bolt through them and the engine plates. My slimline has got reinforcing tubes brazed to the lower rails in this area, not sure if this is factory or a later repair. You might want to take a look at my ‘no effort required’ system for safe fitment of the stand spring too