24/12/2023

Monday’s planned task was to prime some of the O/S panelwork, principally to allow fitment of the kick panel by the cab door.  This has been cut and fettled to fit the ironwork surround for the step.  The ironwork itself needed straightening and removal of much rust, including grinding down the original welds which must have prevented it from ever fitting flush against the kick panel.  The picture at the bottom of the page shows how it was with the ironwork poorly fitted and with an incorrect cut-out for the step.  Although I chose a good piece of metal for the kick panel, I found it had a lot of small marks so I had to rub it down and spray it with smooth Hammerite silver.  I could not face making another so it will have to do.  Had a problem with the panel in front of the tank bowing outwards, released the screws along the bottom and halfway up the forward edge, warmed it a bit then pushed it back into place.  I put another screw in just below the tank filler where it wil be hidden by the splash plate.  Seems ok.  I started to fit the bezel to the hole for viewing the fuel gauge, heated it up and bent it a bit too far.  Unfortunately I managed to crack it in two places whilst getting it right but it seems to be holding together and fits well enough now, so I fitted it using a bit of seam sealer, hoping it will stick together and be ok.  It does look ok.  I sprayed the the ironwork for the step with No. 1 rustbeater and then engine lacquer black.  It needs a couple more coats but is looking nicer already.  The final job before Christmas was to make the splash panel for the tank filler, cutting it to fit around the duct end that I am using to trim the hole and stiffen the whole side panel.  On Christmas day I updated 2023’s plan and created a new one from it for 2024.  I hope to have the bus substantially complete by this time next year.

 

 

Kick panel and driver’s step.

17/12/2023

First job of the week was to permanently fit the panel around the foothold immediately behind the cab.  Making sure there was room to fit the O/S indicator meant a slight modification to the location of the conduit bringing the cable up to the indicator in order to provide long enough tails to connect to the indicator base.  Work continued fitting the waist panels, including marking out and the final panel from a remnant left from the wheelarch panel.  Next a small, fiddly panel had to be made that finishes the waist rail and folds around the cab door pillar rebate;  I did this twice though the second effort was not much of an improvement on the first!   Finally the panel that completes the area below the cab step was cut and fitted and the kick panel marked out for cutting.

10/12/2023

First job this week was the installation and testing of the panel light.  Next, panelling the O/S began with the one l immediately in front of the O/S rear wheel. The next panel is in front of the tank so required some complex cutting out.  I reused a round casting from the MW to bead the opening in front of the fuel gauge, but this will need some final adjustment to fit.  As I progressed with the panelling I found that a small alignment error had crept in which I should have eliminated earlier, so the final panel next to the driver’s door had to be cut to an odd shape, keeping in mind the cuto out for the foothold and the hole for the wiring to the indicator.  However the error in aligning the panels will be hidden beneath the beading so not a great problem, just annoying.  Use of panel sealant meant I couldn’t easily remove a panel to correct the error once fitted.

Pnaelling in progress along the offside looking towards the rear.

Restoration diary of a 70-year old AEC single-deck bus and the trials, tribulations and adventures of our 1966 Bristol bus.