1972 Norton Commando Combat Rebuild (17) - Fitting rocker assembly and Cylinder Head 

I take a rod and put the end on the stud, and let the washers slide down it, onto the stud. Thanks for sharing this, looks very nice going back together.

This video and the one about fitting the cylinders brings back some memories.... funny memories now but back then..... ahh, the good old days....... My 850 Mk 3 had camshaft lobes that wore away, so as a know-nothing 20 year old (who drank maybe a little too much ) I took the head and cylinders off, split the cases and put a new cam in there. A cam that was for a Mk2 I was told and it was a '4H'(?) I believe - only one I could find - from a company that was in London's east end I think... 3 weeks before it closed down.... Anyway, when putting the cylinders back on and then the head - what a nightmare that was getting the pushrods to stay 'lined-up' WITHOUT a 'comb' , breaking ground-down spanners to tighten that rear nut between the cylinders... I hasten to add that the cases were back in the frame at that point and I was doing the work outside in my garden through the middle of winter ! I was most annoyed when having got it done, I noticed the cylinder base gasket was still hanging on the handlebars..... so I did it again, AND forgot the base gasket again ! Third time around I got it right, but the amount of broken spanners I had (not to mention skinned knuckles) - I didn't know about the 'made for the job' spanner and you couldn't get them back then anyway (1979).... thank God that wonderful Englishman Tim Berners-Lee invented the internet !

Great job Dave. If one was going to be working on those engines often, it would be worth while to make an adapter so you could mount it on an engine stand so you could swivel the engine upside down for some of those finicky parts.

3:00 am EST... SWEET!! ✌️❤️😁

I have a 70 combat 750 that i have had since 1980 , I hit a deer in 2012 needs lamp bucket and halo and some misc parts , also have another 750 combat motor that is complete but no gears in gear box was going to restore it but too many irons in the fire , it is an original combat commando with iron cylinders on both engines would like to find someone that has the passion for it that i once had it also could use fork tubes, chrome finish is wore in spots , nice build you have going been there done that , It was an obsession for me

Don’t forget to align the oilways holes on the rocker spindles

What a Nightmare engine to assemble, I know others are as bad but for a production model .. As you said Dave masochistic designer. Anyway good progress. atvb t ..

great. I can see the way the pushrods are set but how would you describe positioning the pushrods before fitting the head so we know we've got it right?

Getting close :)

Nightmare? Out of all the Harley, Triumph twin and Brit triples I’ve done there’s something I just plain like about these engines... and remember, the head and rocker boxes are all one piece, not three or more like most.. it’s a bit harder for some but less parts to assemble, and leak: my old Norton 40 years ago didn’t even weep... wasn’t it the shovelhead that you had to mock up a special assortment of spanners and be amathematical genius to then figure the head torque settings.

Installed a new head gasket and heard what sounded like a gong when torquing the head down!I've been told the same by others...any idea why that happens?Thanks!

I have a 1972 Norton Commando 750 cc. How do I tell if its a COMBAT Motor ?

You need to have the correct valve clearance, otherwise this is a waste of time.

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