A good start to the week by fixing all but one of the half-drop windows so they open and close properly, mostly the same problems – protruding screws, caused, I suspect, when I trimmed off the ends before fitting the windows. The one remaining one that wouldn’t closewas NS window 4. Some attention with a burr to the side frames resolved this. More small jobs followed: fitting the steel plate support for the rear seat back and redrilling a couple of holes in the offside horizontal flat beading and filling and sanding the old ones. Work turned now to the rear brakes, which seems stuck full on. First job was to release the offside rear brake by disconnecting the rod to the crossshaft, this was realtively easily achieved. The brake cam is free to move and operate the show, so was set in the brakes fully off position and the shows and return springs reattached. The same job on the nearside revealed that the adjuster, which is tightened with a clamp bolt, is seized on the brake cam shaft on both sides of the bus so the shoes will have to come off again on the offside. Unseizing the adjusters requires rotation of the brake cam into a position where a wedge can be inserted into the slot in the adjuster and the application of penetrating fluid and lubrication. In order to do this, I had to disconnect the rod from the cross shaft to the brake cam, which in turn required the removal of an awkwardly positioned nut and split pin. This was only possible by splitting the nut with a cold chisel.
All posts by Nigel
24/8/2025
Too many distractions this week. I started the week by cleaning and whitening the cab door check strap, to prevent it damaging the paint on the wing by contact when fully open. I imagine a correctly-fitted wing would allow room for the door to swing. However, it became clear after fitting that the check strap must never have worked, as it was too long and the cab door was hitting the side of the bus. Shortening it by 1/2″ made a vast difference and the door now does not reach the wing. I continued to tinker with the remaining half-drop window that doesn’t quite close. It now does, but only locks into place on the rearmost end. Some relieving of the side casting fixed that. The new screws to fix the top seal have arrived, so once my few days of illness had passed I was able to fix the final top seal in position. Attention to the side casting of the window frame with a drill-mounted burr means that all the offside windows now close properly. The lower side frame fixing screws need attention on the first window still and the rest need to be checked. So, not much achieved this week.
17/8/2025
Another heatwave made work difficult and limited at the beginning of the week, however I did manage sort out three of the four O/S half-drop windows that would not close properly – this was due to the screws holding the upper rubber seal not being driven far enough in, so preventing the sliding pane from reaching the top. The final window, nearest the front, would not close because the rubber top seal was not correctly aligned, so I removed that and reglued the rubber to the channel, prior to refitting. The undercoat on the new front wing revealed a few defects in the finish that needed filling with stopper, so that was attended to. Next, I turned my attention to the rear brakes, which were in the “full on” position. I removed the springs from the shoes but was unable to turn the operating cam, I suspect the problem is in the main servo. Further investigation is warranted. Returning to the final half-drop window, this si still being troublesome despite a succesful gluing and resiting exercise, so a little grinding may be the only solution. In the meantime, I sorted out the canvas restraining strap for the cab door and sanded and primed the clamp bars for urgent refitting, to prevent damage to the new front wing.