I continued with yesterday’s work today by cutting out a replacement vertical for the corner upright on the RH side of the boot. I attempted at first to make a cardboard template for this but found this unsatisfactory so made one out of scrap aluminium instead. The new pillar is about ready for fitting, it just needs a bit of adjustment at the bottom where it meets the boot floor.
During the course of this I found severe rot in the boot floor at the door sill, so this will need to be replaced in due course.
Today I started with removing the RH boot door. This once again required the screws to have their heads drilled off. Having removed the door, I was able to remove panelwork along the top of the boot opening and down the RH side. This revealed extensive wet fungal rot in the base of the two pillars at the RH side of the boot opening and this will need to be repaired by jointing new lower sections of timber.
Right-hand boot door frame timbers
RH corner of boot door frame
I started the job of replacing the rotted timber by cutting both the pillars just below the corner horizontal (with the hole) visible in the picture. I cut a step into the good wood in order to make a strong joint with the new timber.
The previous couple of days were spent in much-needed tidying of the bus shed and installation of two large cupboards at the end furthest from the big doors. This has enabled me to store all the paint safely and get a lot of other stuff off the floor.
Today I was able to assemble the steel reinforcement plates to the body frame behind the NSR wheelarch and the boot. One plate remains to be fitted, this being the one behind the boot front closing plate which will need to be drilled and fitted before this plate can be bolted up.
I ordered the floor covering for the boot and luggage racks today.
Restoration diary of a 70-year old AEC single-deck bus and the trials, tribulations and adventures of our 1966 Bristol bus.
