We have these lasercut and then dull nickel plated washers with wide face for spreading load on Norton rear wheel spindles. These were originally fitted to Norton single rear wheels but are nearly always missing when restoring a bike

Like most special Norton fastenings they are not commercially available in the original size - hence why we had them made.

As you can see from the photos, they are approx 1.9mm thick and help spread the load on tightening the rear wheel - original washers often get 'belled' from frequently doing this.

Price is for a pair of washers

Lasercut and then dull nickel plated washers to fit the 0.5" front engine bolt (i.e. the bolt that secures the front engine plates to the frame down tube).

Normal 0.5" commercially available washers are too wide, these are much closer to the original washers. Because they are not commercially available, we had a batch lasercut and then had them dull nickel plated as per the originals.

Price is for a pair of washers.  Comes sprayed in Duck Oil

Stainless Steel pan washers of the same size as those used on the Upright gearbox pointer bolt (see also Item 0273B for the pointer itself) or rear of Norton chaincases where they attach to the rear engine plate mount stud (help stop chaincase from splitting). Stainless Steel.

These wide washers help stop deforming the chaincase and one was originally fitted (see Item 10 on the attached exploded diagram taken from the 1948 catalog).

Price is for a pair

This item is for a pair of the correct shape and profile, alloy plugs that were fitted into the top of the rear Plunger spindles that were fitted to all Norton Gardengate frames - from 1939 to the early 1950's, they are Norton original part number B4/673. 

These plugs are CNC manufactured from aluminium - as per originals, and the head shape, dimensions and profile have been faithfully replicated from an original pattern (see 3rd picture which shows two original plunger spindles - the spindle in the front has one of our plugs semi-fitted, while the spindle in the background has an original Norton plug still fitted).

Original plugs are often badly damaged, broken off or have just come out of the plunger spindle,  making the top of the plunger suspension area look messy.  Our plugs are CNC manufactured to a fine tolerance, and have a small shaft which is a fractional 'interference fit' to the original Norton plunger spindle centre hole, but also has an initial taper to the shaft - so they can be placed in the original spindle bore - then can be be lightly tapped into the original spindle hole with a mallet - and will greatly improve the appearance of the rear end, where they sit quite prominently. 

After machining our plugs have their plug heads lightly linished and polished - so they also look very pretty.  We pack each seperately in its own bag as a pair - so the heads do not get scratched in transit.  Price is per pair of plugs 

Original Design: It should be noted that the original Norton Gardengate plunger spindles were designed with a thread at the bottom of the spindle - so they could be pulled tight into a taper at the bottom of the plunger frame casting, with a heavyweight bolt (our Item Number 1014), while the top of the plunger spindle had an unthreaded 3/8" hole, with a cross-slot, where the hole was 'blind', i.e. it only extended about 2 inch deep.  I am not sure why they were designed this way - but it seemed likely that the alloy plugs were fitted partly for aesthsic reasons (they look nice!) and stopping water being trapped in the hole of the spindle, and partly to allow the spindles to be 'tapped' down into place when refitting to the frame, with the use of a soft headed mallet.  Unfortunately - after many years of use, many of these plugs get 'mauled', or snap off, often leaving the original plug shaft still trapped in the spindle . .. which results in that rear area looking unsightly.

Fitting Notes:

While these plugs look quite simple in design, the dimensions are quite important to ensure they can be fitted correctly and do not foul plunger frame casting in use - ours are machined to accurately follow the original dimensions.

The original Norton Gardengate spindle has an unthreaded hole at the top of the spindle - which has a bore of 3/8" (0.375").  It should be noted that the hole at the top of the spindle is not threaded.  Therefore original plugs were not threaded into the hole - but looked to have been tapped into place (which is presumably why some spindles seem to have lost their plugs over the years.  Our plugs have been carefully machined so that the initial part of the shaft is tapered, so that it will fit into the top hole of the spindle, but will quickly become tight as it is pressed down into place.  For the final part of the shaft - it has an interference fit of approximately 2 Thou on the original hole diameter - so it will be necessary to use a soft headed mallet (or some over soft headed mallet) to tap the plug fully home, but take great care when doing this to ensure that the soft alloy head is not marked or damaged by the mallet (or any hard bits on the caught in the head of the mallet.

It is of course important to make sure the hole in the top of the original spindle has any traces of the original plug are removed first (and you may want to check that if the original plugs are still fitted, that they are indeed alloy - in case they had previously been replaced by steel items by a former owner) . . . but they  are not too difficult to drill out any remains of the original plug.  It is a good idead to run a 3/8" hand reamer (or a good condition twist drill at a push) down the hole to ensure it is fully clean, before fitting new plugs.

Update 21/06/23 - Please note, we are in the process of having more of these made, but as there are a lot of steps to have these made, they could take 4-6 Months until back in stock.

This item listing is for a pair of complete rear wheel adjuster assemblies - with all parts patterned as per the original items, to fit Gardengate Plunger Norton Models. The 'Gardengate' was the plunger type spring frame that Norton adopted for all sprung models from 1939, through to the early 1950's an was offered for OHV and SOHC roadgoing singles, pre-Featherbed (Dominator) twins and the racing model Manx Nortons from 1939-50.

This assembly was designed specifcially to fit the alloy sliders fitted to that plunger frame - with the fabricated plates (referred to as 'Stirrups' in the Spare Parts List) designed to be a snug fit around either side of the castings, allowing the plunger type rear wheel spindle to pass through these adjuster plates, and the middle joining element of the plates holding pecial square headed threaded adjuster bolts, for adjusting the rear drive chain.

Both the head of the adjuster bolts and the central plate of the fabricated 'stirrups' are designed to be a snug fit in the wheel spindle slot of the castings, which stops the adjuster bolts from rotating when adjusting the chain tension with the rear nuts.  Two other distinctive features of these assemblies are the large dished plates, which are designed to be a snug fit onto a corresponding shape at the end of the alloy castings (and although these look similar to the Norton petrol tank dished washers - they are actually slightly larger and a thicker gauge), and that each adjuster has two nuts - but the innermost main adjustment nut is for a larger (Whitworth) spanner than the second nut, which is designed as a locknut - to be untightened then tightened before turning the main nut to adjust the chain tension. 

It should be noted that the main nut is specific to this application - being slightly deeper than commercially available  5/16^ nuts - no doubt because of the pressure being applied to pull the wheel assembly back, and was double chamfered (again, less common than other nuts of this period).  Finally the adjuster bolts themselves have a more 'domed' appearance than standard 'chamfered' bolts - no doubt to reduce the chance of you scratching yourself or snagging them, when carrying out routine maintenance - all part of Norton's attention to detail.

Although a well designed and cosmettically attractive design - it is very common to find that original bikes fitted with the plunger suspension have now worn out these assemblies - common faults being that the fabricated stirrups have bent and rusted, the square head bolts have stripped their threads (or been replaced with normal bolts which do not work as well and not retained in place by the square), and of course the nuts have become rounded replaced with normal depth replacements.  And of course - if you are building a Gardengate plunger model and dont have these already - they are now almost impossible to find at autojumbles

I am fortunate to have had a couple of 'New Old Stock' adjuster assemblies in my possession for many years unused (one of these being shown in the accompanying photographs), so was able to study the detail of the design closely - and have faithfully reproduced this in all elements of our assemblies.

The fabricated 'stirrups' are lasecut to the original design from steel, we then use a press tool for forming them to the correct profile before linishing and nickel plating (the original Norton finish, these will dull off in use). 

However all other elements of the assembly are CNC produced in stainlesss steel and made specifically for these assemblies - so as well as being very pretty and durable, they will not rust.  Also, the assemblies are pre-assembled in seperate bags with HM grease, ready to fit.

This item consists of two sets of assemblies, i.e. enough to fit for one motorcycle, however we also sell the dished plates, the bolts/adjuster nuts, and the nuts on their own as seperate items.

(as an aside - for the square headed adjuster bolts, the dimension of the 'square' is no longer commercially available in stainless steel, so instead we have to start with much wider 0.750" diameter round bar, then machine that down to the final 5/16" shaft, and then mill the square's onto the head in a seperate operation - one of the reasons theses assemblies are not cheap, and rarely re-manufactured by others).

Final Note - this assembly will not fit the rare 'Big Plunger' type spring frame offered in 1937-38 only, but as number of that frame were very limited, it is not expected many people will need adjusters for that type!

This item is for a pair of the distinctive dished caps that were fitted to the rear of all Norton Gardengate Plunger suspension castings (i..e plunger frames manufactured from 1939 to the early 1950's on all models), and fitted over the alloy castings, allowing for adjustment of the rear chain adjuster.  These items are copied from an original pattern and are CNC manufactured in stainless steel, so will not rust and look very pretty. 

Price is for a pair of the caps

These caps on first glance look very similar to the dished washers fitted to most Norton single cylinder petrol tank fittings, but actually are specific to the Gardengate plunger suspension assembly - and are both a bigger diameter and heavier construction than petrol tank dished washers.

These CNC manufactured stainless items are identical to the original item, an original Norton cap being used as a pattern - and just like the original, they have been machined to be a 'size' fit onto the similar shaped alloy plunger casting.  As can be seen in the accompanyning photographs they are shown in one photo with the original Norton rear chain adjuster mechanism, which this dished cap was part of, allowing the rear chain adjustment to be made.

Being stainless steel, these items do not rust and look very pretty - cleaning up the appearance of the rear end of your bike, if you have a plunger Norton.  

Additional Note July 2021: We will shortly be offering the pressed steel rear chain adjuster bracket and the distinctive square head adjuster bolt and nuts shown in the accompanyning photographs, both as per original design.  Email sales@racingvincent.co.uk if you want more details of availablility for these

This item listing is for a pair of the distinctive square headed rear wheel adjustment bolts, adjustment nuts and locknuts, to fit Gardengate Plunger Norton Models. The 'Gardengate' was the plunger type spring frame that Norton adopted for all sprung models from 1939, through to the early 1950's an was offered for OHV and SOHC roadgoing singles, pre-Featherbed (Dominator) twins and the racing model Manx Nortons from 1939-50.

This listing consists of two square headed bolts, 2 washers, 2 adjuster nuts and 2 smaller locknuts, all in stainless steel.

These bolts were designed specifically for the Gardgengate plunger design - the square of the bolt heads being of a diameter that will fit snugly into the rear wheel spindle slots, so the bolt will not revolve when adjusting the nuts.  The square head is also of a special 'shallow' design to allow the greatest range of movement of the rear spindle - both of these features being lost if they are replaced with a 'normal' bolt, as many often were when they became worn or the thread damaged. Final point with these bolts was that on the original Norton design they had a rounded end, no doubt to help ensure the owner did not scratch himself, or end up locking the nuts - if hitting the end of the bolts with a hammer - as is a common thing to do when refitting the wheel. We have replicated these features on our bolts

Each adjuster has two nuts - but the innermost main adjustment nut is for a larger (Whitworth) spanner than the second nut, which is designed as a locknut - to be untightened then tightened before turning the main nut to adjust the chain tension. It should be noted that the main nut is specific to this application - being slightly deeper than commercially available  5/16^ nuts - no doubt because of the pressure being applied to pull the wheel assembly back, and was double chamfered (again, less common than other nuts of this period).  

Although well designed - it is very common to find that original plunger models have their rear adjustment assemblies worn and battered - particularly these square headed bolts and nuts - where the threads eventually strip, and it is not uncommon to find them replaced with standard bolts, which do not work as well, and other commercially available nuts which are less deep and more susceptable to stripping their thread.

I am fortunate to have had a couple of 'New Old Stock' adjuster assemblies in my possession for many years unused (one of these being shown in the accompanying photographs), and these bolts and nuts are CNC manufactured in stainless to the same specification.

As an aside - for the square headed adjuster bolts, the dimension of the 'square' is no longer commercially available in stainless steel, so instead we have to start with much wider 0.750" diameter round bar, then machine that down to the final 5/16" shaft, and then mill the square's onto the head in a seperate operation - one of the reasons theses assemblies are not cheap, and rarely re-manufactured by others.

We also offer many of the other parts of the plunger assembly in the same section - as well as the fully assemble rear wheel adjuster assemblies (whcih included these bolts and nuts) - as Item 1042) 

This item is for 4 of the correct profile and spanner size 5/16"nuts to fit the original Gardengate Plunger rear wheel adjusters, CNC manufactured in stainless steel.  The main adjuster nuts are double chamfered and deeper than commercially available nuts, while the smaller lock nuts are 'reduced head', i.e. a smaller spanner size than normal 5/16" nuts, to allow for easier adjustment - both types being replicated from the original Norton nuts. 

Price is for 4 nuts.

Although not immediately noticeable - the original (larger) adjustment nuts were of slightly deeper design than other commercially available 5/16" nuts, to provide as much strength as possible when pulling back the rear wheel to avoid stripping threads, and were double chamfered - again, less common on commercial nuts - presumably as single chamfer nuts would be more prone to digging in.  The 'reduced' head locknuts were designed for a smaller 3/16" Whit spanner, again of dimensions specific to this application.

Our nuts both replicate the design of the originals - 'New Old Stock' originals having been used as the pattern, but are CNC manufactured in stainless steel (one of these original assemblies being shown in the accopanying photographs)

Very useful if your items are stripped, heads rounded, or replaced with later non-original items. Note we also sell complete adjuster assemblies including these nuts (Item 1042), or the plunger square head bolt and nuts assemblies (Item 1043).

This item is for a pair of the correct, original Norton pattern, bolts and extra heavy washers that were fitted to the bottom of plunger spindles to Norton Gargengate type (plunger) frames.  The set consists of 2 CNC manufactured bolts, 2 washers in stainless steel and are identical in pattern to originals. 

Although these bolts look similar to many other Norton bolts of this period - they were actually specific to the Norton Gargengate frame (the bolts are original Norton Part Number B4/672) and had differences to other Norton bolts of similar appearance.  Likewise, the washers were also designed specifically for the purpose - and are far thicker and wider than other similar bore washers - both patterns are now quite rare to find in good condition and ours are identical in pattern - other than being manufactured in stainless steel - so they will not rust and look very pretty.

The bolt head was actually wider than other similar thread size bolts (7/16" BSC Cycle, which is a widely used thread on Norton singles), and the washer extra thick - so that it was possible to exert a strong force with a 3/8 Whit spanner, which would ensure that the the taper of the plunger spindle would be fully pulled into the corresponding taper of the bottom frame plunger casting.  It also helped ensure that the nut and washer was less susceptable to come loose - particularly important as many plunger mechanism's tend to lock up with rust and corrosion over the years.  Finally, this design with big bolt head probably helped in the removal of the spindle, if seized, as the bolt could be loosened a couple of turns and then the bolt head hit with a mallet to help loosen the taper fit.  

It can therefore be seen that the design of this bolt and washer (or heavy duty spacer as it might more correctly be termed) have a more elaborate design than is at first obvious - and is therefore important to fit those original design if possible.  It is not unusual to see incorrect bolts and washers fitted to original Gardengate models, with the heads chewed and if thinner washers fitted - those badly bent!  As a final desgin point on original bolts, they also have a small unthreaded shoulder on the thread end of the bolt - not sure exactly the purpose of this - but assume these may locate with an internal shoulder or end of thread in the spindle.

As can be seen in the accompanyning photographs, one picture shows our bolt and washer fitted to an original (Manx) Gardengate frame (as they are fitted at the bottom of the plungers - much of our pretty head is not visible!  In another photograph is an original Norton 'New Old Stock' bolt and washer, from which our designs were copied.  

Final point - although shown fitted to a Manx frame, these bolts were fitted to all Norton Gardengate frames from 1939 through to the end of the Gardengate plunger frames use in the early 1950's.  Although I often offer a 'reduced weight/wasted' version of bolts for competition models, I do not believe the Manx versions were any different to the road models . . . and because of the design described above - would not advise trying to lighten this bolt

Set consists of 2 bolts, 2 extra thick washers in stainless steel, with original Norton bolt head dome design (and lighthly linished and polished to remove any burrs).

This item is for a pair of the extra thick washers that were fitted under the head of the plunger spindle bolt on Norton Gardengate plunger frames.   These are in stainless steel and price is for a pair.

If you own a Gardengate plunger frame (available for most single and twin cylinder Norton models between 1939 - @1953), and have ever stripped the rear plungers, you will know that the plunger spindle locates through two casting holes and then is secured with a heavyweight hex bolt at the bottom and a washer under the head of that bolt.  At first the washer may look like any other large washer - but if you look closely at an original Norton item you will find it is much thicker than any commercial washer of that hole diameter (almost a spacer!), and was originally stamped from thick plate.  This was because when assembling the plungers, the plunger spindle needed to be pulled down into frame lower spindle casting - so it fully seated in the taper.  If a normal thickness washer was used it would often 'bell' out and flex. I have stripped original plungers over the years, and found the correct thick washer replaced with ordinary ones . .. and they are normally mauled and not up to the job.

An original Norton 11181 plunger (extra thick) washer was used as the pattern for this item, we have them lasercut from stainless steel plate, then we lightly linish the edge to remove the resulting sharp edges.  In the accompanying photograph, the original Norton plunger bolt and washer are shown next to our stainless versions.  Although hidden away in use, they will do the job properly and will not rust!

Update May 2021:  We will shortly be making a batch of the correct Norton bottom plunger bolts shown in the photo, just as per the original pattern shown here, the dimensions being specific to that particular bolt. We will also be making a batch of the original style alloy plugs that fitted into the top of the plunger rods, and normally get damaged.  Email as normal on sales@racingvincent.co.uk if you wish to reserve a pair of either.