Fitted the horizontal beading below the front bulkhead windows today. This was a reclaimed piece but I’m not convinced it is worthwhile given the difficulty of getting it to look decent when it has been bent about. I cut and marked for drilling the upper piece of horizontal beading last thing and started flatting the red oxide on the bulkhead using a P400 disc and air sander. It is giving a good finish ready for undercoat.
I cut and fitted a replacement panel for the rearward bulkhead above the entrance steps today as the original has too many dents in it. However the new panel (from reclaimed material) is not as good as I thought and has some corrosion pitting so after a coat of self-etch I will have to fill and sand it.
Yesterday and today I cut and fitted the aluminium cladding to the right hand side of the front bulkhead. This included the vertical beading. I painted the reverse of the aluminium cladding and beading with the same grey paint as the wood and used seam sealer as well in an attempt to keep electrolytic corrosion at bay.
Finished fitting the vertical beading in the corner of the entrance vestibule and made a new piece of horizontal beading to cover the join between the upper and lower panels adjacent to the door.
Made a new section of cladding for the lower section (approx 6″) of the forward entrance pillar. Cut the vertical beading for this and started to fit the cladding to the upper section of the pillar.
Restoration diary of a 70-year old AEC single-deck bus and the trials, tribulations and adventures of our 1966 Bristol bus.
