I started the week by finishing off preparing the remaining window frames for final assembly. They all had some touching up of the grey paint areas and fitting the top and bottom nylon6.6 strips, material for which has arrived. I fitted the original glass back into the rounded rearmost offside window, with new rubber of course. That was a tricky job; the only way that works is to fit the rubber into the glass then using washing-up liquid solution gradually easing it into the frame then pushing the rubber lib into the recess in the frame. I noted that I had missed a welding repair so that will have to be done with care to avoid damage to the glass as I am not taking it out again! I finished the week by preparing the waist panels on the offside, ready for priming before I install the windows. The next job is chroming the half-drop window components and cleaning the glass ready for final assembly. Unfortunately the glass I so carefully fitted cracked overnight so I am taking it out again but at least I can weld it now.
28/1/2024
Continued with assembling the window frames, frustrated by the poor quality of these. I could have made a better job for sure. The first needed adjustment to bring the droplight slides into line. The second one I worked on turned out to be better dimensionally and need little fettling. These are a long job requiring many holes to be drilled and trial assembly. I completed two by the end of Friday and started on a third, which was largely complete by the end of the week.
Droplight frames awaiting building up and fitting.
21/1/2024
First job of the week was to refit the mouldings over the wheelarches, securing the piping I fitted last week. In between that I gave the kick panel and tank filler splash panel two coats of clear lacquer. I’m still in two minds about fitting these, at least until a coat of undercoat has been applied to the panels to which they are fitted. Work was interrupted by the digitisation of the of the tapes of the bus, received on Monday from John Corah. I started to chromewrap the uprights for the half-drop windows but it did not go well at first, the results best described as adequate. Dependent on material and time I may do them again. I also started to prepare the painted window frames for assembly by cutting the nylon material neccessary for receiving the screws that hold the window parts to the frames. I started to do the curved corner pieces for the frames, I bent four and fitted two.
Trial fitting of silver kick panel around driver’s step.
Offside rear wheelarch after filling and painting in undercoat.