With the timber now in stock I cut the first lower side rod section. However I was unable to finish it as the belt sander motor burnt out.
I examined the sheet metal for the entrance steps after the first coat of primer and decided the curved section needed to be improved with a skim of filler, so applied the first couple of layers and sanded it.
Drilled the last few holes in the sheet metal for the entrance steps and sprayed it and the lower riser panel with several coats of red oxide primer.
Continued working on the entrance today, noting that I started this particular job on the 23rd April. The fitting up of this section of work has such a lot of dependencies that I felt it was time to produce a proper project plan as I had for the MW when the time came to reassemble it. So this I did yesterday evening, though only for rebuilding the side of the bus as far as the rear wheelarch.
Accordingly, working to the plan, I drilled all the holes in the lower riser today, which included countersunk holes to attach it to the lower step frame and 4BA tapped holes for the MCW coach builders plate.
I removed all the paint from the MCW plate and polished the lettering then sprayed several coats of black onto it. I will polish the lettering when the paint has sufficiently hardened.
Marked up the hole positions for the upper step plank to be drilled and then drilled holes in the lower frame to attach the lower step. It appears that the worthy who made this did not appreciate how the tread plank would have to fit in the frame, however a bit of packing around the screws will sort this out.
Here’s the first draft of the project path diagram: