This week work has returned to the boot. I made a template for the boot floor and then cut a piece of new lino for it. Rebecca helped to glue down the lino, however we didn’t quite get it in exactly the correct position so some remedial work is needed. I was annoyed to find the new lino had some cuts and scratches in it that were not done by us! Having fitted the lino, I was able to fit the new steel sill (after painting the underside) that I made a while ago, then I hung the doors. This revealed several fitting problems that hopefully I can overcome by shimming the hinges.
In between doing the above, I found time to paint the step light inside with some white paint and cut two rubber gaskets, one for mounting against the body and the other for sealing the lid to the base. I also found some thin clear acrylic so I cut two pieces to form one thick piece for the small window in the light. Still waiting for the brass hinge split pins to arrive.
The last few days have been about getting the boot ready for paint. Making adjustments to the right-hand door opening including the recess in the boot floor for the catch and making sure the door actually fits in the opening. Next I prepared the aluminium panel that fits below the boot opening, generally straightening and tapping out the various dents. I gave it a coat of primer and workshop grey on the inner face where it is in contact with the frame. The steel sill has a flange that fits over this, so this panel has to go on in sequence before I can install the lino in the boot. Next I sanded the blue inner corner panels next to the rear window as part of the preparation for painting the area around the rear window with Rover Tahiti blue. Finally I filled, sanded and primed the new woodwork below the rear window ready for painting.
The last few days have been spent filling, preparing and painting the inner lining walls of the boot. The outer surfaces have been painted red-brown to match the colour of the original (mostly rotted or split) wall panels. I applied two coats of the brown to seal the plywood properly. The inside faces are in white undercoat, awaiting the correct ochre brown final colour. Next I turned my attention to the left-hand (nearside) boot door and found that it was just as poor a fit as the right hand door. This necessitated removal of material from the bottom of the door frame, the boot floor sill and the top left-hand (curved) corner of the door aperture. It is impossible to see how the door can ever have fitted properly with the body frame the dimensions it has now.
Restoration diary of a 70-year old AEC single-deck bus and the trials, tribulations and adventures of our 1966 Bristol bus.
