Followers Dominator 600

Using emery cloth to clean off old gasket etc, remnants of bead or sandblasting,a total lack of oil, take your pick.

Certainly something that shouldn't have been there. Ouch.

Could be the start of a major engine rebuild. If the followers are like this, what are the bearings like?

I would say that this engine has been rebuilt after a major component failure and then run again with some debris left inside of it. As John says the rest of the engine could also be on the verge of failing again.

The bad news is........if the followers are this scored then the follower tunnels are not likely to be much better and may need to be lined.

Looks like someone sand or bead blasted with the followers in positionand did not clean out .Bearing in mind the age of our engines ,is it time that someone made up some followers oversize?.

On a.slightly different topic, can anyone advise whether the deep vertical groove in the followers should go to the front or the rear of the tunnel.

Hi Lubos

Did you know before the purchase that this frame is from a Model 88? Your bike is a mix of parts. It is advertised as a 600cc but the frame is actually from a 500cc bike (122 is model 88). The R14 at least indicates a 600cc engine.

The engine number suggest that it was built in late 1960. The frame is possibly early 1961.

The camshaft follower tunnels are badly scored and really need relining. You could possibly hone them smoother and fit replacement followers but this would only be a temporary fix.

Jon......the follower grooves always go to/face the front of the engine. This is probably because the camshaft rotates anti-clockwise.

Previously phil_hannam wrote:

Hi Lubos

Did you know before the purchase that this frame is from a Model 88? Your bike is a mix of parts. It is advertised as a 600cc but the frame is actually from a 500cc bike (122 is model 88). The R14 at least indicates a 600cc engine.

The engine number suggest that it was built in late 1960. The frame is possibly early 1961.

The camshaft follower tunnels are badly scored and really need relining. You could possibly hone them smoother and fit replacement followers but this would only be a temporary fix.

Jon......the follower grooves always go to/face the front of the engine. This is probably because the camshaft rotates anti-clockwise.

Thanks Phil.

New oversize followers have been available for many years from all the Norton main parts suppliers - including Andover Norton. Where have you been? The cam tunnels are very likely to be scored so will need re-boring. Followers are available up to +.020" so if the scoring is bad, oversized won't help. A reline is then needed. Cheers, Lionel

Previously robert_tuck wrote:

Looks like someone sand or bead blasted with the followers in positionand did not clean out .Bearing in mind the age of our engines ,is it time that someone made up some followers oversize?

I would guess a clearance similar to that of new valve stems in new valve guides. Which is about 1 thou. or 0.001 inch. for standard items.

I can not find any info on this in the Haynes or Garrat manuals.

All my new followers were generally a fairly tight fit in the bores and usually required a good push to move them along the tunnels.

Perhaps another member has the correct clearance numbers.