Quote:
Originally Posted by Yorkie
Why can't the one's Yorkie has be fixed?
I sent the head to a guy who is regarded as The Man when it comes to Norton heads and although he has tried over the years to find someone to weld up the cracks, apparently the heat necessary to facilitate the welding process is so great that it basically messes up the metallurgy of the head and they warp badly. Early 850 Commandos had heads that suffered cracks induced at the factory (this was at the tail end of the British bike industry) but we quickly changed to a better design. Sadly I have the crappy early one. I can buy a new one for $3500...
|
That's the problem right there. I'm not an expert, didn't stay at the Holiday Inn, but I've watched an expert. The head needs to be in an oven and heated to 500-600 degrees F. The welding is performed and the head is returned the oven to cool overnight. Might have to go through another cycle on top of that.
The alloy used in the Norton head could very well be a difficult one to repair, IDK. If it's a situation where these heads are that difficult, then someone should be making new castings. No need for $3500 for each with CNC machining. Hell, the guys at LN Engineering could make billet heads for that kind of money but they wouldn't look original. How about this guy?
products He doesn't repair heads per se, but he seems to have some. Maybe his prices are better. Again, IDK and I ought to shut up. But I never leave a challenge unprovoked.