I am finally mounting a Craven Top Case to my Craven Vincent rack and for years I have been wondering about the top case mounting. Every time I saw these Craven top case on eBay they had rusty fittings or usually no fittings. I would like to see the period instructions for this top case mount to a Vincent, but I have found none to date.
So I started collecting internet photos to learn the details. After viewing many Craven top cases , I found I could identify Vincent top cases by the holes for mounting hardware showing on the bottom....and there was one standard Craven way of "quick release" mounting a Vincent top case.
So here is what I think is correct.
Forward clip brackets 4 & 5 are simple "Z" steel bracket with possibly an aluminum secondary piece to protect the fiberglass of the top case. These two could clip directly to the steel tube rack or be able to meet with rubber or tape wraps on the tube rack.
Rubber bumpers 2 & 3 are a combination of a rubber disc and topped with a appropriate size bumper to allow the top case , again, to be fiberglass protected. I don't know the sizes exactly of these rubber pieces, but visual guess should be easy.
This lead me to the final rear clip that has confused me until I really studied it.
First, it has a down turn at the very rear, and this to allow you to "turn" the piece once it is loose for top case removal or mount.
Second, it has two holes in addition to the central bolt/nut hole which confused me.
These holes are for matching up with protruding alignment tits provided in the piece above ensuring locked alignment if the nut stays tight or even for slight nut looseness. It took this old man a while to figure that out.
Third, the final securing rear nut is a castle nut and not a wing nut, why?
I believe to allow for a wire clip inserted thru a small hole in the bolt to allow for fault free top case mounting.
What would be nice is if I had more advice and input on this Craven subject........and a copy of the period Craven instructions for this top case mounting.
Cheers
Craig