A slow start to the week, with some doubts about the usability of the exhaust system, however I proceeded to make and fit a strap and hanger for the silencer.  Next, I gave the chassis over the rear axle a good scrape then a coat of primer in preparation for silvering.  Whilst that cured, turned my attention to the O/S front shock absorber link, where the bush and pin eye had been crudely welded to the lock nut.  I separated the nut from the eye and found the link thread undamaged, but the thread in the eye was totally worn out.  To fix it,  I cut down the eye threaded section so I could weld on two nuts with the correct thread for the link bar (5/8″ BSF).  I turned one nut down to approximately 2/3 its full depth and left a stub that was a fairly tight fit in the threaded portion of the cast steel bush eye.   This was to ensure the eye remained in the correct position during and after welding.  On the both face of the nut I machined a chamfer to take the weld.  I chamfered one face of another full nut in order to give a reasonable depth of thread in the repaired eye then welded the whole lot together whilst it was screwed on to the link, so as to keep all the threads aligned.  After grinding the welds it doesn’t look too bad and is a proper repair, not like the half-assed version that was done before.

First job of the week was to store safely the new seats that had been languishing in the MW since getting them done by Ifor.  I then started on the job of installing the tail pipe and found that the first elbow would no longer fit in the silencer receptacle, so some adjustment was required.  This was achieved by cutting a small slit in the end and tapping all round the circumference of the pipe with a panel hammer.  It now slides in easily.  With that done, I was able to mark up, cut and weld the two sections of tailpipe.  Next, I  ground the welds flat.  A trial fit on the bus showed that I need an additional bend to give the correct exit angle, so a 20 deg elbow was obtained and this enabled me to complete and hang the exhaust at the end of the week.  All that needs to be done is to provide some additional support for the silencer and pipework.

First job of the week was to correctly orientate the silencer so the tail pipe would clear the underneath of the rear axle.  Having done this, I trimmed the outlet pipe so I could affix an elbow to it so the tailpipe would exit the silencer at the correct angle.    The next job was to measure the required lengths of pipe and order it, along with a 60 degree elbow which should point the tailpipe at the correct exit position.  I still need to make support brackets for the silencer and the rest of the exhaust, but whilst I awaiting delivery of the parts I turned my attention to removing the last of the autolube pipes, a filthy, horrible job as grease had accumulated on the outside of the pipes.   The end of the final one was inaccessible, so I just cut it as close as I could.  Maybe I can get to it later, when the bus is over a pit.  Having finished that job, I removed the NS rear shock absorber (the repaired one) with a view to resetting the lever arm position.  This job was ultimately unsuccessful, so everything was reinstated as it was, except for taking the opportunity to properly paint the NS shock absorber link.  The last job of the week was to start creating the two sections of  the exhaust tailpipe by welding the joints for the two bends and two straight sections.  I ground these welds back to check their integrity and there are a few spots that need re-welding, which will be the first job next week.