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Wessex Sidecar to Slimline

Submitted by jon_sharrocks on Thu, 04/02/2010
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Heavy Twins

Hi,

Has anybody got any photos, drawings, info or even better the mounts themselvesto 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

Submitted by ronald_milton on Sat, 06/02/2010

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Hello Jon

The RAC used Nortons with Watsonian sideboxes,a curved tubewent up to the twin downtubes,another went across to the gusset plate and a further tubefixed 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

Attachments RAC-Outfit-3.jpg

Submitted by jon_sharrocks on Thu, 11/02/2010

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Previously wrote:

Hello Jon

The RAC used Nortons with Watsonian sideboxes,a curved tubewent up to the twin downtubes,another went across to the gusset plate and a further tubefixed 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 ,howeverthe 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 ?

Submitted by robert_gittins on Thu, 25/02/2010

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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.

 


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