Restoring a 1938 16H

Hi Billy

If you can't reduce the size of the pic with a graphics editor, why not load it up to a Photo Depository like http://www.photobucket.com and post a link to the pictures here? We'd all like to see your 16H !

Peter

Previously wrote:

Hi There

Ive just joined this club because i think i might need a lot of advice . my father in law has just given me his 1938 16 h Norton , he was going to restore it but due to ill health he cant

and as im the only bike daft member of the family its now mine Ive always had bikes but nothing like this . my plan is to bring it back to life in army spec . as i think that would be

well cool here are a few photos . whats the proper way to start a project like this

please help

Billy

Oops it says photo is to big cant figure how to post

Hello Well you got you self one of the best old bikes you can have , My Uncle John fort the Germans in North Africa he was a part of the desert rats, All he had was a good old Norton 16H and a machine gun and Hand grenades there where more bikes lost in the desert than there where shot up , So the paint work would be desert karki and sand thrown on it ,as they in back then , and they fitted a gas mask filter on the side of the tank too stop sand getting in the carburetter , and also a fitment for a machine gun in-between the handle bars and bar across for the hand grenades too hang on , there was No rubber twist grips just canvas , and No twist throttle, just one big lever and a small lever the big one was for the throttle the small one for the choke And on the back of the bike was a canvas bag on one side and Gerri can on the other side filled with spare petrol , in the canvas bag you had your dried rations and you first aid kit and a tool roll in the tool box and spare plugs and a puncture alfit and not forgetting your water very important in the desert ,And a Biber-wack it was like a oil canvas blanket you got under it after you thrown sand on it , so the German spotter planes could not see you, And you buried the bike with sand , it was about survival in the desert and hitting the Germans when they where not looking ,and getting out fast, the raids were at the dead of night , or early hours of the morning well before the sun got up , you would ride like a mad man hit them hard and ride out like hell on wheels , This is what my uncle John told Me, sadly hes not with us any more , they where all very brave men and fort with very little in the way on arms ,it was all hand to hand fighting , hope this may help you in some way good luck , yours Anna J Dixon

Hello Billy,

in addition to the collective knowledge on here there is a mountain of info on WD Nortons on the www.wdnorton.nl website.

best of luck

Iain.

Billy, That looks to be a nice 1938 civilian 16H that you've got there. The club can confirm by checking numbers. You certainly have a 1938 pattern engine (with the enclosed valve gear) and the British Army, in their official contracts, standardised on the earlier pattern with open valves. The forks are also civilian, with the anti-vibration handlebar clamps and the large side damper knob.

It's difficult to see the frame geometry from the photos that you've posted but the fuel tank mount certainly dates it to 1940 or earlier. WD frames had a higher ground clearance.

It's obviously your choice as to how you restore the bike but it's always good to know in advance what you've got.

There is photographic evidence of the BEF in France using a few pre-war civilian impressed Nortons and this was presumably also applicable to the post-Dunkirk transport shortages on the home front and of course this raises the question of what a 'military vehicle' is.

As Iain mentioned above, it's certainly well worth having a look at the WD Norton website.

To remove the magdyno, you'll first have to remove the timing chain and the drive sprocket (be careful if using levers as per the period literature as the casing behind can crack, judging by many that I've seen).

Carb. needs to come off and then slacken the rear engine mounting bolts, removing the top one and the small locking screw and plate. You should then be able to lift out the entire unit together with its mounting platform. The magdyno is fitted to the platform by four staked countersunk screws. These are likely to be very tight (they should be anyway !)

You will obviously need to re-time the ignition when replacing as the magneto sprocket is not keyed to the shaft.

In terms of gaskets, there aren't many in the 16H engine. Youl'll need head and base gaskets, both of which are available from Russell Motors.

It's proving annoying to remove the advance cable on the one I unbolted. It seems I have to dismantle the lever to get enough slack in the wire - but do I really have to remove the contact breaker assembly and face cam plate? I ran out of time to experiment yesterday... but the less stripping down the better...

Thanks.

Wind the adjuster on the mag fully in to give the inner more slack thenunscrewthe cable collar from the mag, you should see the nipple on the inner cable slides into the advance/retard plunger. Slid it out and the cable should come off.

When I ran out of time the collar was undone but the adjuster was still 'tight'. The end of the cable finishes with a flat disc lodged in a slot in the edge of the face cam. There did not seem to be enough room for the disc to get out...anyway sounds like it should be OK when it all has a bit more slack. Thanks, Dave...

The plunger won't come away from the face came.. But you should be able to take the cable out of the plunger. With the plunger as far up as you can pull it, the nipple should slide out sideways.

Have you go a workshop manual for it?

I have the owner's handbook - not quite the same thing, I admit. It has the following glorious text:

"The reliability of NORTON productions is such that trouble of a serious nature is practically unheard of. The following hints, however, may be of assistance in the event of an involuntary stoppage, since they are in no way connected with the actual reliability of the machine and are points which are normally under the rider's control."

So, whatever happens, it's entirely my fault. And nobody has any need of a Norton workshop manual!

Just found a picture of the plunger in the Brightspark web site. All is now clear. I thought the plunger had to be removed but I was wrong. Again.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Norton-16-H-Maintenance-Manual-and-Instruction-Book-1938-/280914665694?pt=UK_CarParts_Vehicles_Manuals_Litterature_ET&hash=item4167d1a0de

I would recomend something like that. It doesn't matter if it isnt the exact right year as they didnt change much in the early days. Make sure it is a pre-war or WD one though as the post war ones wont cover girder forks. Other than that you should be ok. I have a similar book for my restoration and it is proving very usefull. The other thing I have is a parts book from ELK promotions (http://www.elkpromotions.co.uk/manual.htm). This has proved very usefull for working out what bits should look like where I dont have them at all (I had a lot missing!!)