Tag Archives: electrical

AEC Regal

31/12/2024 and year summary for 2024

As this is Christmas and new year week, not much got done but I started the week by completing and testing the wiring of the boot light and its switch.  After Christmas, the first job was to update the plan for 2025.  When I got out to the bus shed, I primed the remaining cab woodwork as a prelude to painting, ready for fitting of the cab window.  I then cleaned and polished the fixed pane of the cab window and cut the remaining piece of steel channel for this pane.  I’m awaiting the arrival of some steel angle to complete this with the draught excluder.  I also primed the aluminium panel below the cab window on the inside of the cab door and some of the woodword on the emrgency door got a second coat.

As this is the last entry of the year, a summary of work completed in the last twelve months is appropriate.

All the offside half-drop windows were assembled and installed.

New window frames were  constructed and new glass fitted for the final  non-opening offside window and the emergency door window.  The cab offside window was glazed.

The emergency door was rebuilt with new exterior panels and the new window, then rehung and externally primed.

Attention was given to cab details, including the grab handles, fire extinguisher and holder, and the interior lights switch box which was repaired and painted.  Paint was stripped from under the front canopy.  A new panel was fitted to the inside of the cab door and the cab window frame  and slam lock repaired.

The seats were removed, and retrimmed in the correct moquette (sourced from Facebook appeals) and brown vinyl by Ifor Evans.  The driver’s seat was also retrimmed by Ifor.

On the electrical side, the indicator switch in the cab was partially cabled, the destination box had the bulb holders installed and wiring through to the cab completed.  The boot lamp was installed and wired up to a the switch and successfully tested.

The wheels had their tyres removed and the rims sandblasted and partially primed.

AEC Regal

8/12/2024

Started the week in the boot, permanently installing the boot light and wiring as far as the junction box for the switch.  In between I moved the spare wheel rim to the front shed for pickup to be blasted and also gave the cab door window another couple of coat of primer, flatting in between.  As I had run out of p-clips, so couldn’t continue wiring,  I turned my attention to the offside inner wheelarch lining, priming it ready for silvering.  Next, I stripped the remaining brown paint from the cab door and prepared the woodwork  for primer.  I also stripped the remaining paint from the aluminium parts of the cab door.  The small section of wind deflector over the offside curved window was stripped next, then primed on one side.  I also gave the cab window frame a final coat of primer, ready for undecoat.   Having a little time to spare, I cut back about a foot the erroneous bit of beading from behiend the emergency door and made a replacement piece.  This needs to be drilled and fitted when an odd hour is available.  The wheel rims were collected from Treadfirst at Shire Hill on Thursday, having had the tyres removed and disposed of, and delivered to Marcel at Terriers Farm, Thaxted, for sand blasting.  I also acquired a spare tyre from eBay for £50, so that was handy.  Returning to electrics, the six-way junction box for the boot turned out to have two 0BA brass grub screws missing and when replacements arrived I had to turn them down, using a slotted nut as a collett,  as they were slightly too long.  The last job of the week was to cut the holes in the rear waist panels for the arrow-shaped left and right indicators.  The bases for these can be installed ready for wiring, once the panels have been primed and painted.

inside face of spare wheel, before blasting.

AEC Regal

1/12/2024

I started the week by moving the nearside front wheel into the front shed ready for collection, then finished the rear seat back adding a bit of piping where it abuts the body.  I also cut down the top bar of the cab sdoor window to match the new bits, which was mostly good except for a bit that needed fettling, then primed the whole frame.  I also started on the process of installing the boot light, giving it another coat of Alum White (which turned out to be cream!) then installied the bulb holder, wiring and a bulb which tested first.    A major job was taking the wheels to Treadfirst in Saffron Walden to have the tyres removed ready for blasting and painting.   I then turned my attention to cleaning out the boot, which was thick with dust, in preparation for fitting the boot light, switch and steel plate for supporting the rear seat back.  I next assembled the boot lamp and, having determined where the switch was to be fitted, I mounted a junction box in the boot for it.  Then I made and painted  wooden plinth for the switch.  Final job of the week was too start installing wiring in the boot for the boot ligh and other electrical equipment.