Yesterday was spent manufacturing the three pieces of timber that make up the left-hand end of the surround for the registration number box, an intricate job. The vertical part of this supports the horizontal frame rail under the rear window and the last remnants of this were removed at the end of yesterday.
Today I attempted to make the piece that supports the window glass from the interior. I made the first attempt out the last piece of ash from Footes Lane but was unable to successfully cut this to the correct size. The second attempt I made out of Iroko and is looking better but not yet complete. As usual there is some variation in the dimensions along the length of the original piece which makes it difficult to make an accurate replacement.
This week has seen a lot of activity but not much progress. The boot floor is complete, three reinforcement blocks were needed to pull the floorboards down level with each other and some final sanding to get them smooth for the lino.
Next job was to remove the remaining rotten plywood from the inner curved corner lining, ready for replacement from material on order. This work included removing the remains of the wiring to the S&T lights (see reference photos) and the junction box mounted on the door frame outer pillar. A replacement identical junction box was sourced from Classic & Vintage spares but with six instead of for terminals to allow for additional wiring. I will add in a separate switch for the boot light at some point.
Work then moved on to replacing the rotten horizontal timber that sits above the rear number plate box and below the rear window. The damaged sections of this needed to be cut away with surgical precision to avoid damaging the rear window glass. A separate piece of timber with a forward facing rounded moulding sits under the glass on top of the horizontal frame timber to provide a seat for the glass and to provide an abutment inside the window frame for the glass.
Hard to believe it has taken me three days to fit the replacement floor boards in the boot, however it was a fiddle trying to get a good fit of the new boards with the old. They are in and screwed to the frame but due to a slight cross sectional warp in the rearmost board I will need to add some reinforcement from underneath to pull the inner edge of the board down level with the rest of the floor.
Once that has been done, the next big job is the frame rail under the rear window.
Restoration diary of a 70-year old AEC single-deck bus and the trials, tribulations and adventures of our 1966 Bristol bus.
