The last couple of days were spent in further demolition removing the last vestiges of a steel plate that links a boot crossmember with a siderod at the forward edge of the boot.
I also ground back any proud screw remains from the timbering of the boot front in preparation for replacing the steel boot front stress panel.
Further demolition included removal of the boot floor perimeter rail – full of woodworm – on the nearside rear.
Next job was replacing the lower section of the second side rod rearwards from the wheelarch. I spliced this in with a simple lap-joint below the boot floor level and mortised it to the lower floor bearer. I did this before the replacing the siderod behind the wheelarch in order to maintain a datum point for the bottom rail and lower edge of the wheelarch.
Did final adjustment on bay 2 side rod extension and drilled the brackets and woodwork ready for fitting. Primed same, I added some drying agent to the primer to speed up the process as it is taking to low to dry in the relatively low temperature at the moment. I’m not totally convinced that hardwood like Iroko needs primer and certainly Weymann didn’t prime the frame before painting it but I’d like it to outlast me.
Continued working on assembling the framing for the next bay including setting the position of the side rod extension in bay 2 using a plumb line and cutting the perimeter rail piece at both ends to form the joint with the side rod extensions. I also cut the next section of lower perimeter rail which meets the wheelarch frame at its farthest end. Noted that there is some discrepancy in position of the frame rail at this point, which would lead to the body flaring inwards slightly towards the rear wheel. which I may be able to correct when I make the new wheelarch section and there might be some adjustment of the current side rods position possible to reduce the difference, which is approximately 1″. The wheelarch section will require timber that I don’t have, so I have ordered this for delivery early in the new year.
Restoration diary of a 70-year old AEC single-deck bus and the trials, tribulations and adventures of our 1966 Bristol bus.
