Started the week in the boot, permanently installing the boot light and wiring as far as the junction box for the switch. In between I moved the spare wheel rim to the front shed for pickup to be blasted and also gave the cab door window another couple of coat of primer, flatting in between. As I had run out of p-clips, so couldn’t continue wiring, I turned my attention to the offside inner wheelarch lining, priming it ready for silvering. Next, I stripped the remaining brown paint from the cab door and prepared the woodwork for primer. I also stripped the remaining paint from the aluminium parts of the cab door. The small section of wind deflector over the offside curved window was stripped next, then primed on one side. I also gave the cab window frame a final coat of primer, ready for undecoat. Having a little time to spare, I cut back about a foot the erroneous bit of beading from behiend the emergency door and made a replacement piece. This needs to be drilled and fitted when an odd hour is available. The wheel rims were collected from Treadfirst at Shire Hill on Thursday, having had the tyres removed and disposed of, and delivered to Marcel at Terriers Farm, Thaxted, for sand blasting. I also acquired a spare tyre from eBay for £50, so that was handy. Returning to electrics, the six-way junction box for the boot turned out to have two 0BA brass grub screws missing and when replacements arrived I had to turn them down, using a slotted nut as a collett, as they were slightly too long. The last job of the week was to cut the holes in the rear waist panels for the arrow-shaped left and right indicators. The bases for these can be installed ready for wiring, once the panels have been primed and painted.
I started the week by moving the nearside front wheel into the front shed ready for collection, then finished the rear seat back adding a bit of piping where it abuts the body. I also cut down the top bar of the cab sdoor window to match the new bits, which was mostly good except for a bit that needed fettling, then primed the whole frame. I also started on the process of installing the boot light, giving it another coat of Alum White (which turned out to be cream!) then installied the bulb holder, wiring and a bulb which tested first. A major job was taking the wheels to Treadfirst in Saffron Walden to have the tyres removed ready for blasting and painting. I then turned my attention to cleaning out the boot, which was thick with dust, in preparation for fitting the boot light, switch and steel plate for supporting the rear seat back. I next assembled the boot lamp and, having determined where the switch was to be fitted, I mounted a junction box in the boot for it. Then I made and painted wooden plinth for the switch. Final job of the week was too start installing wiring in the boot for the boot ligh and other electrical equipment.
First job was to removed the remaining wheel, which took most of a day but included some clean-up in the bus shed. This was necessary as Ian is coming to collect it next week. I then turned my attention to the rear seatback again, screwing on the last of the steel plates that stiffen the frame and seal the seat. I then prepared a piece of beading to trim the interface between the seat fabric and the steel plate. I used a secondhand piece for this, which is of poor quality but won’t be visible under normal circumstances. In an attempt to improve it I filled a fiew of the dents then primed it. A fair bit of time was spent cleaning inside the bus in preparation for fitting the seat back. I then turned my attention to the “parcel shelf” which fits behind the rear seat back. I removed the remains of the original fabric, pulled out all the old tacks and filled any holes, repairing splits along the way. I could not make a new one as I had no suitable wood and also the front edge is bevelled to suit the angle of the rear seat back. Final job of the week was to sand it down and cover it with blue fabric to match the seat backs. I’ve ordered some piping for the edges.
Restoration diary of a 70-year old AEC single-deck bus and the trials, tribulations and adventures of our 1966 Bristol bus.
