Work has been delayed by a severe heat wave and other problems but I was able to get back to it towards the end of last week. I have prepared to aluminium edging strips to reinforce the window opening of the destination box. The bottom edge was partially rotten so I cleared as much as possible of it away then used wood hardener to strengthen what remained. The aluminium will provide a straight and solid abutment for the glass.
I have been continuing to work on preparing the destination box and cab for paint, today I took out the cab ventilator, which is of the circular “hit and miss” type. I found a replacement outer section on eBay as this had lost all its chrome, whereas the inner rotating part is in quite good condition along with its butterfly knob so I removed this carefully and should be able to build up a decent replacement with the new outer part. I have to manufacture a new right-hand edging strip for the destination box access hatch in the cab, this is also used to hold the hatch up with a gravelly fastener.
The cab woodwork has received attention since my last entry. Screw holes have been dowelled and the woodwork painted grey along with the steel reinforcement for the frame. Also painted grey now is the outside of steelwork forming the lower side of the cab and the lower part of the steel bulkhead behind the cab. The mirror brackets have been stripped and primed and are in the process of being painted black. I have reassembled the mirror using a new glass as cut for me by Neal and the whole assembly is in the process of being painted black.
Today I painted the underside of the steel sections that make up most of the cab floor in preparation for refitting once the cab has been prepared for painting.
I have continued working on the cab this week with removal of the vacuum gauge leaving the dash ready for paint preparation. The underside of the cab has been Vactan-treated then had two coats of zinc phosphate/red oxide primer and is ready for workshop grey. The same applies to the steel work reinforcing the timber frame between the cab door and the dash panel. Externally the steel dash panel has been treated with Vactan and I have started to fill the repaired lower section of the exterior dash panel in front of the spring.
The cab side window has been removed; this necessitated using blobs of weld on the screw heads then removal with a mole grips as the only successful method of undoing them.
Neal cut the replacement glass for the driver’s mirrors for me so these can now be assembled.
Restoration diary of a 70-year old AEC single-deck bus and the trials, tribulations and adventures of our 1966 Bristol bus.
