Fitting engine into Wideline frame

This is what I do.
Don't put the head on, fit the engine, (with mag on but dynamo off, it is heavy) and gearbox into the rear engine plates, put the footrest stud spacer tube in with the stud through to keep it in line until the bolts are tight. If you have a prop-stand, fit it now, loose. Then, offer the assembly to the frame, I always go in from the left (nearside/drive-side), there is more to get hold of, when in, put the upper two rear engine plate/frame bolts in loose, then lift it at the front, either with a crowbar or jack under the sump until the hole for the lowest front crankcase-engine plate stud is accessible, fit the front plates to the crankcase, loose but with all the nuts/washers started, then lower the assembly until the front frame-engine  plate  holes line up, put the  two bolts in, loose, fit the two lower rear engine plate-frame bolts in, loose,  then the two bolts which go through from the inside of the engine plates into the centre-stand bolts (if I didn't do it now, I would forget, although for most of my life with Nortons I didn't even know they existed).
Tighten round.
Fit the cylinder head, carb., head steady..
Fit Dynamo
Fit the oil tank platform/ oil tank/ battery carrier.
Fit the footrest spacer tube and rear chaincase, then the primary drive, etc
Fit footrests, brake pedal, pipes.
If I have forgotten anything (I usually do), then sorry.

I may know nothing about fitting engines into wideline frames, but I can recognise a superb response above from Niall. 

A real quality reply which must have taken a while to put together. Well done. 

The quality of information on this forum continues to amaze me. 

(yes, I know there are some very rare exceptions, but they are well meant) 

Peter

It's also possible to first place the gearbox in the engineplates and mount them to the frame with the upper bolts at the rear. Place a stick or jack under the plates and rest the thing on that.  After that you can fit the crankcase to the engineplates, and lower the crankcase and put on all the other parts. Just a little less heavy...

A really usefull thread .    One that should be availiable using the search function  that i have never been able to work!

Some owners alter the holes at the bottom of the rear engine/gearbox mounting plates to be slots. This can make fitting the engine and gearbox so much easier.