I have been stripping down underneath the cab this week, including removing the mudwing which is the wrong type. This gave access to the main power and battery cables and the cab bulkhead which has a lot of surface rust but is not rotted through anywhere. This work was preceded by removal of the battery boxes from the offside, both of which need to be replaced as they are excessively corroded. Originally there were four 6v batteries fitted in pairs either side of the gangway. It is my intention to continue to use a pair of 12v batteries and it would make sense to fit them on alternate sides to balance out the weight, I have yet to remove the nearside boxes but the two that are now redundant will have floor plated over and the box covers retained for storage.
Other work has involved correcting some poor work done by the previous owners – trimming the bolts on the offside front springs/rear hanger to prevent them binding on the chassis and replacing the felt washers on the ball joints and various missing split pins and washers. However, the cold weather and health problems have prevented me from completing work under the cab for now so today I dismantled the first of the rotten offside half-drop windows with a view to preparing the parts ready for installation in the new frames I made last year.
This week has been spent trying to get the entrance steps finished. The floor between the door and the gearbox access has been completed, several new pyramid iron strips fitted and the remaining usable originals refurbished. The whole assembly was painted a custom mix of brown to match the floor. The middle step is complete with nosing and anti-slip treads made from cut-down nosing. The bottom step is painted to match the floor and the nosing has been cut but not yet screwed down as I am awaiting a further piece to make the second tread strip for the this step. Relief holes for the grab rails were cut into the lino before laying.
Once I had completed all that I could do with the material I had, I started to strip the filler and paint from the NSR corner panel so I could see the full extent of the dents that need removing before the panel is installed.
Yesterday and today I spent working on the entrance steps, painting the steelwork with two coats of DG red. The top step nosing has been trimmed and fitted and the pyramid iron pieces painted ready to fit. One new piece needs to be made.
I used off-cuts of aluminium to manufacture edging pieces for the new lino around the gearbox floor trap.
In between work on the entrance steps yesterday, I started to get the nearside rear corner panel ready for fitting by knocking out the worst of the dents.
Restoration diary of a 70-year old AEC single-deck bus and the trials, tribulations and adventures of our 1966 Bristol bus.
