Since the last On The Bench posting I made, a new batch of parts have shown up, and are monopolizing my time and interest. As mentioned previously, the hubs and brakes that were being worked on, were simply spares, so there was no rush to complete them.
Sometimes, although very rarely, I find something that's really cool and very period correct for the projects that I work on. In most case, these special bits fetch a lot of money, and I end up having to dig pretty deep into my wallet in order to afford them. We've all got a budget to work with and have to deal with the reality that sometimes we just can't afford to get something that might pop up for sale. I often go 8 months or more without buying anything. Partially because nothing good presents itself for sale, and partially because I'm squirreling away money to afford them. I can't even remember how many times I had to sit and watch something amazing sell to someone else simply because I couldn't afford it. All the while knowing that it'll be another couple years before I see another one of them come up for sale.
Well the God's of Speed shined down on me for a change, and I was able to pick up this very special brake and hub. This is a standard Norton single leading shoe front hub and brake plate that has been modified by Joe Dunphy. And it's even got his original decal on the brake plate to prove it. It's the only one of it's kind that I've ever seen.
As can be seen in these photos, the main feature is the fact that the hub has been vented. Traditionally, vent holes are milled into the hub using an indexing head, and the holes are circular shaped venting between each of the cast webs in the hub. But in this case, a unique pattern was used and certainly would have taken much more time and skill to execute. The cool thing about it, is that you can see it's all done by hand. There's an organic feel to the whole set up, that you really can't create with a modern CNC mill. Everything from the original casting of the hub, to the hand milled venting, gives it a uniquely 60's feel.
A couple more views of the hub with the brake plate removed. I chucked the hub into the lathe to spin it, just to see what it would look like running down the road. The venting definitely looks great, and once mounted should look great on the bike.
Heres a photo of the brake plate and shoes. As you can see, one of the springs is missing, along with the pivot plate, lock tabs and bolts. Those items are easy enough to replace, and I may even have some extras kicking around in the parts bin.
You'll also notice that the brake pads are riveted in, with original copper rivets. Obviously everything will need a thorough cleaning and servicing before it's ready to go. The brake pads are original Ferodo green linings and they contain asbestos.
On the outside of the brake plate, the actuating lever arm is missing, the nut that holds it in place, and the cable adjuster. Most of these pieces are easy to find and inexpensive to buy. For the actuating lever, I thought I'd machine my own out of aluminum rather than buy new chrome steel versions. This will allow me to make some slight changes to the set up. I will most likely make the lever about 5mm longer, which although doesn't sound like much, will help to increase the leverage and feel of the brake. These old single leading shoe brakes aren't the best for modern riding, especially with a full size Norton. But with some minor improvements, they will hopefully prove to be sufficient. They'll also be sent off to have the drum surfaced, new linings installed and then turned to the drum. And as stated in previous posts, they'll of course be treated to new bearings and bushing. One thing to note is to pay special attention to the grease nipple in the cam. I've found all of these to be filled solid with dried up 45 year old grease which needed to be picked out and thoroughly cleaned. The passageway gets so bad, that even after cleaning, you could almost miss the fact that it has holes which are intended to be greased.
So basically, for $25, I got myself a really nice hub with genuine 1960's modifications. There's not much information about Joe Dunphy to be found, but I'll continue my research. I enjoy finding out as much as I can about the history of these parts and the people that tuned / modified them.
My plan is to simply clean and polish the Joe Dunphy brake plate. I'll leave the decal in place as is, and work around it. It would be a crime to remove or disturb it. At the end of the day, the brake plate doesn't have any modifications to it, so that original decal is the only thing that really makes it special. The other brake plate that I have will of course fit into this hub as well. Since it's a standard set up, I'll be venting the front of that brake plate, and riveting on a period cast aluminum scoop that I have. Luckily for me, the scoop matches the radius of the brake plate circumference as well as the convex face of it. So as a 2nd option, I'll have a very cool vented brake plate with scoop, and the original Joe Dunphy brake plate. Two very nice options for the same very cool hub. Once finished, they'll be cleaned, polished, rebuilt and fully serviced. And with the special actuating levers, they'll be fit for service.
Sometimes I find it strange that a hub like this would be so unimportant to most. So much so, that nobody else even bothered to place a bid on it. $25 for even a standard Norton hub without a brake plate would still be a great price. I guess I won't complain about that little bit of good luck that came my way. I can imagine one other option for this hub, which would be to install a John Tickle twin leading shoe brake plate. Now that would be the business...
Progress really boggles my mind! Indexing heads and milling machines? Gimme strength. Back in the day ALL this stuff was done by hand! Have you never learned how to use a protractor or a compass? Very basic maths and common sense is all you need. Plus a drill, a saw and a decent file and the job's done. If you can't manage that, then walk away lad. Top tip: don't start hacking stuff up if you don't know what you're doing. Advice: there's loads of stuff from the days when it was common to do this kind of thing on the net. See what's been done and what works. MV Agusta had a fitter spend all winter drilling and lightening every part of their GP bikes. It's not the holes that are important; it's the bloke who's making them. Your hub is nothing special and the brake plate could have come from anywhere. Interesting label; but that's all it is.
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