I have continued working on the cab this week with removal of the vacuum gauge leaving the dash ready for paint preparation. The underside of the cab has been Vactan-treated then had two coats of zinc phosphate/red oxide primer and is ready for workshop grey. The same applies to the steel work reinforcing the timber frame between the cab door and the dash panel. Externally the steel dash panel has been treated with Vactan and I have started to fill the repaired lower section of the exterior dash panel in front of the spring.
The cab side window has been removed; this necessitated using blobs of weld on the screw heads then removal with a mole grips as the only successful method of undoing them.
Neal cut the replacement glass for the driver’s mirrors for me so these can now be assembled.
The fuel gauge has been reassembled and is now installed, some difficulty was encountered with the mounting studs tending to screw in but that was overcome. The previously refurbished windscreen wiper motor was found to have oil seeping from the gearbox so I removed the top cover and made a new paper gasket and used Hylomar on the joint. I was able to spray paint the cover matt black whilst it was off which had improved its appearance.
Work has continued from the previous entry in the cab area with the removal of the windscreen for glass replacement and general refurbishment, and to provide access to the cab steelwork. Power-wire-brushing of the rear of the dash panel has enabled that to be treated with Vactan though this is not yet totally complete. I have treated the dash front and the area under the windscreen where there is steel rather than aluminium. Some paint has been removed around the cab window frame.
The panel that curves around from the door to the headlamp/dash panel above the O/S front wheelarch has been removed. I deliberated over this for a while but in the end I decided it was so rotten I should make a new one. I was afraid it would be difficult to remove because it slides under the steel window frame overlap but in the end it came out quite easily. This neccesitated removing several pieces of beading which should be reusable and the steel draught excluder for the cab door,
Some small bits and pieces being prepared for painting. The drivers’ mirror has been, stripped it apart and along with its mounting brackets it has been prepared it for painting.
The fuel tank is now installed, this required a new tie-rod to be made and the replacement of the insulating material on the support brackets which took some time to sort out, also refitting the support brackets to the chassis. I used a self-adhesive close-cell neoprene foam strip for this with bifurcated rivets through the original holes to add a bit of security.
The fuel gauge has been unseized and is now working, I polished the brass rim and carefully preserved the screen-printed face by painting a thin layer of clear varnish over it. A new rubber gasket has been made ready to install the gauge in the tank and a replacement face glass is ready to be fitted. I’m just waiting for a 52 mm O-ring to arrive so I can reassemble the gauge and install it.
Other work since the last entry: The dynamo field winding wiring has been installed and awaits the fitting of the terminals at both ends; the removed sections of the cab floor have been derusted, treated with Vactan and a coat of red primer. They await top-coat and refitting. The cab front/dash has been stripped of paint, the spring cover has been bent back into approximately the correct position. I welded up the split in it and the hole in the forward edge has been patched. This section is awaiting attention from the grinding disc to get it ready for primer.
Restoration diary of a 70-year old AEC single-deck bus and the trials, tribulations and adventures of our 1966 Bristol bus.
