I decided to try chrome vinyl wrap on the sliding window frame side pieces today as the original chrome is virtually gone.  I am quite pleased with the results.  I replaced the felt in one of the side peices and will do the other tomorrow.  I decided that as the new felt is self adhesive I would not use the built-in clips but just leave them flat on the rest of the windows.   This afternoon I continued fitting up the new window frame with Delrin blocks, ready for painting and final assembly.  Before I put it in the bus I will measure all the parts so the rest of the frames can be manufactured.

Work progressed today on fitting up the window pan I previously fabricated.  This included repairing the part of one of the side channel  fittings that hold the bottom glass in place (fixed light) with solid aluminium rivets, fiddly but necessary as the channel had come away from the main section of the fitting.  I also had to reattach the droplight  stop block which, for some inexplicable reason, is riveted to the main fitting, thus preventing removal of the droplight with the window pan still mounted in the bus.

Next I fitted the Delrin corner pieces and blocks to which the droplight frame screws.  I touched up a bit of the paint that got scratched off during the various drilling operations.  All that remains is for the top horizontal to have blocks mounted for securing the window top seal rubber,  then the glass can be fitted.

Fitted the lower cladding panel to the first bay of the nearside body today.  This involved rolling a curve into the bottom part of the panel to flare it to sit properly against the frame.  This was mostly successful but there are one or two creases that will have to be filled if they can’t be knocked out from the other side.

First new panel!

Fitting up cladding panel for bay no. 1