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Norton Model 99

19K views 146 replies 18 participants last post by  Ratso 
#1 ·
Looks like I don't know when enough is enough...
A friend of mine is getting ready to move back to England and decided to sell some of the machinery he has collected over the years. I took a ride down to his place the other night and pulled the trigger on a heap of metal that used to be a Norton Model 99 Dominator. I have wanted one for years and what with me having a soft spot for the "snortin' Norton", thought it would make a good addition to go along with my '69 Commando and '48 ES2. When this one is done I will probably have to sell one of my other machines to make room, help pay for the work and lessen my work load in terms of maintenance. I won't get too jiggy with it until later in the year, but here's what I have so far:
 

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#2 ·
Oh boy oh boy! It's a 600, I think? See it's in the sensibly waisted version of the famous frame.

And not one but TWO of those homely tanks.

I'll be following this closely. So one step out of line and it's back to the Scrubs with you.
 
#6 ·
Well....I wanted to get the stuff together to make this into a rolling chassis, so I can push it around the shop when it gets in the way, but I couldn't help trying to see if some of the chrome would clean up. Started with the front fender....It isn't perfect, but from 4ft away you cant see anything wrong with it at all. The rear fender followed suit...this all took about four hours of cleaning and pollishing. Then I decided the exhaust would have to come off...I can finally say that I found a way to keep those pesky exhaust collars from vibrating loose: All it takes is to just let them sit for about 40 years. Anyhow after beating the shit out of the hook spanner for about an hour, I finally had them off. The mufflers are totally rotten, but the head pipes cleaned up remarkably well. I found a set of axles and a decent brake drum, so next thing to do will be to make it mobile and remove the engine for surgeury.
 

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#7 ·
Did a little more messing ...got the wheels under the bike with a little help from my son, so now it can be moved a little easier if it gets in the way. The engine had seized up over the years, but after a couple of weeks soaking, I removed the head and gave the pistons a good smack with a two pound mallet and a chunk of hardwood...they came free quite easily. Took the cylinders off too...the crankcase looks to be in really nice condition, even the camshaft looks new.
 

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#9 ·
Had your pal told you anything much about the bike? Did he buy it as you found it and never got around to fooling with it? Do you know of any retrograde issues, or is each one gonna be a surprise?

My hope is that you build this a bit like you did your AJS: stock-esque but with fine subtle custom aspects. Is that more or less your plan?

Sorry about all the questions. Cool bike. I don't think it has it in it to end up as pretty as the AJS, but some surprises are good.
 
#11 ·
Humm...lots of questions

First Tom, I soaked it with a brew of ATF, motor oil and mineral spirits.

...and Tbird, it mightn't have seized at all if he had left the spark plugs in place, but yes, the humidity sure doesn't help. My machines suffer the worst in corrosion on those muggy damp days. Open the garage door and everything made of metal is instantly covered in a fine mist of condensation.

Ratso...My buddy said it started off as a storage deal. A pal of his had asked him to store it, but had no idea if, or when he was comming back, so he got him to sighn the title just in case he never returend and he never saw him again. He'd been dragging it around with him for the past 40 years. When he moved to Nova Scotia, he got it titled in his own name. Other than him taking bits and pieces off over the years, that's about all we know about it. As far as issues goes, everything is going to be a surprise. Yes, the AJS gets a lot of complements (thank you)...I don't fuss too much with concourse perfection, I'm more about go than show, so it may end up with some very mild custom touches.
 
#12 · (Edited)
Well...I did some measurements of the cylinders today...surprise, surprise! This bike is actually an Atlas 750...serial number confirmed it. That's fine with me, as the parts are a little easier to find. The paperwork says it's a 600 Dominator...guess who isn't going to tell the DMV?
 
#14 ·
Got some time to fiddle around with the wheels and forks. I think I mentioned having a new set of SS rims laying around, so I got a set of SS spokes to mount them with. After I took off the old back rim, I decided that I should try cleaning it up just to see what would happen...almost made me puke! The damn thing cleaned up almost as good as new! Anyhow, I had already mounted and trued the new rim, so I chalked it up to experience. I'll keep the old spokes and rim for something else...even the front spokes cleaned up nicely, but at least that rim was shot and got tossed in the junk heap. The front forks came apart quite easily and cleaned up very well. One of the old fork tubes was slightly bent, so rather than straighten it, I opted to use a pair of used chrome plated ones that came off a '72 Commando...they will be hidden under the fork shrouds, so no one will be the wizer. I guess the shrouds and headlight mounts will be next on the list and since I don't have ether one, I will be fabricating them from scratch; cash is scarce, but time?..I have lots of that! Besides that, you can't buy bragging rights. Having trouble attaching photos right now...will try again tomorrow.
 
#19 ·
Well, it doesn't always work, especially if the chrome is peeled, or heavily pitted, but in the case of this rim it sure did the trick...I started off with a brass wire brush and penetrating oil, followed that up with a good scrubbing with aluminum foil and oil. After that a trip to the buffing wheel and finally a good coat of wax. The spokes got the fine wire wheel, then the buffing wheel. It takes a long time, but like I said, time is something I have.
 
#23 ·
The rear tire looks like a TT100 (I can't remember what the front Dunlop looks like).

Goldy do you ride your old bikes pretty hard? I wouldn't mind knowing about a cheapish tire that is also pretty good.
 
#24 ·
I don't baby my machines (they are all old), but I don't ride 'em hard ether. A 6-9 hour day in the saddle is pretty standard for me (with a butt-break now and then to get the blood flowing), but most of that time is spent on those twisty-turny secondary roads. To be totally honest, I've never had the skill, or the cajones to ride like I was on the track. The rear tire is quite a different tread pattern from the TT100 (that's what I run on my Commando), but they are somewhat similar to the K70. For the sort of cruising around I do, they're just fine. Dunlop used to make a ribbed front tire with a similar pattern to this Duro. I've used Duro a lot over the past ten years or so, IMO they are pretty standard, as far as performance and longevity goes.
 
#25 ·
That tinfoil trick really is amazing when you try it the first time, but I haven’t tried it with oil. I understand there is some sort of chemical reaction with the chrome as the ‘slurry’ builds up...come to think of it I probably read that in one of your previous threads.

Keep going, I have lots to learn.
 
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