Tag Archives: speedometer

30/12/2023

This week I only had a few days work as Christmas intervened, but I was able to prepare for prime all the lower panels on both sides of the bus.  This included abrading the clean metal and then priming the O/S, this had to be done to allow fettling and fitting of the splash panel and protector around the the tank filler.  Some filling and sanding was necessary on the N/S, the first panels fitted in November 2020.  The nearside panels have now been primed, revealing more filling is required to the lower part of the first two panels from the entrance rearward.  As P38 is very sluggish in cold weather some alternative filler has been ordered which will hopefully arrive soon.  As a prelude to building the remaining window pans, I started fettleing the frame uprights in preparation for the chrome vinyl covering.

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

This year’s work did not start until February, due to my spell of ill health.

New metalwork for the cab was fabricated and fitted and the cab painted throughout, allowing the floor and some fittings to be reinstalled.

“Low Racks” signs were designed and made for the seat backs.

A correct cooling fan was obtained by Ian and fitted by me.

The destination box was painted throughout and is ready for electrics and blinds to be installed.

New fuel pipes were made up and connected to the tank and the existing piping that runs behind the engine.

A new speedometer cable outer was manufactured and the cable connected to the speedo.

All the chassis wiring has been renewed and a multicore cable laid in conduit along the chassis to the boot.  A new cover was fabricated in aluminium for the wiring where it enters the control bux under the cab floor.

The O/S rear wheelarch  was fabricated, fitted and prepared for paint.

The O/S rear corner panel was filled, sanded and painted and all the O/S panels fitted and primed.

23/07/2023

The speedometer cable has been finished and tested and the speedo has been installed in the dash.  Also installed is a brand-new vacuum gauge.  The pipe from the exhauster to the autovac gave some trouble with the steel nipple at the exhauster end not soldering well to the steel pipe, so I replace it with a brass nipple.  Hopefully this will be a better joint.  The pipe has been fitted at the exhauster end but not yet to the autovac to give time for the soldered nipple joint to reach full strength.  Work in the cab has continued with the refurbing of some of the fittings,   the horn button and panel light switch in particular.  Both have now been installed and wired up.  I chose not to bring the conduit for this wiring into the cab but ran it through sheathing from the conduit which is now fitted flush with the cab side wall.    The bracket for the indicator switch has been installed and the 5-core cable for the switch has been ordered.  The wiring cover for the cab rear wall has been painted and refitted, not without some difficulty.  The wooden bases for the panel light switch and tax/cof discs have been painted and the metal brackets to hold them recovered from the original disc holders, derusted and painted silver ready for refitting.  The cab floor forward panel has had the budget lock fitted and material for draught seals has arrived.

18/07/2023

Tidied up the wiring through the cab.  Stripped and painted the cab headlight mounting and pod, ready for refitting.  Made a new outer for the speedo cable which entailed turning a new speedo end fitting from aluminium and devising a way to lock it to the the cable outer, which I made from flexible conduit as used for the wiring.  After several 8uncuccesful attempts I cut slots in the fitting where the outer cable slides in, annealed the fitting then calmped it tight with a jubille clip.  Remanufacturing the speedo cable too the best part of a week.  Next I stripped the paint from the cover that fits over the through wiring in the cab , primed and painted it.  Next job to be addressed was to manufacture a new vacuum tube to the autovac from the exhauster.  I managed to get it the right shape after a bit of trial and error but having trouble soldering the steel nipple at the exhauster end so will replace this with a brass one.