Today I finished machining and polishing the replacement bezel for the entrance door handle. This will be sent off for chroming at some point along with all the other door furniture.
Other work completed since the last entry: the third droplight was installed, then the fourth droplight was assembled and installed and finally the plain square window (opposite the emergency door) has been reglazed using the rubber supplied by AM Silicones. This leaves just the rounded window at the rear to be assembled and fitted then the nearside will be ready for beading. All the steel window frames are painted and then treated with waxoyl on the inside before installation; the plain square window has been treated and should be ready for installation tomorrow when the waxoyl has set.
Remarkably both the timber and the steel I ordered yesterday arrived today, so progress now on rebuilding the rear end should now be steady. Today was spent making the last of the templates for the new glass.
Work restarted on Sunday 2nd February after a brief gap. I finished off as much of the woodwork as possible in the wheelarch over the next few days, with a break to etch-prime the last four window frames. Carpentry included sanding the wheelarch timbers to finished shape and aligning the lower perimeter rail and attaching it to the wheelarch frame. Rotten timber to the rear of the wheel arch has been removed and some parts made, however these cannot be assembled until the timber for the perimeter of the boot floor arrives. This order includes timber for repairing the lower side rods alongside the boot. Removeal of the rotten steel reinforcement revealed that the whole of the steel stress panel that closes off the forward end of the boot needed removing. This entailed work on the offside of the bus, removing the cladding panels alongside the boot which required the emergency door to be finally opened.
Removal of these panels showed that all the timbering in the same area of the boot on the offside will need replacing so this was included in the new order. The steel panel – or rather, the remains of it – was removed from the boot front today. Once out and measured for replacement, attention turned to making templates for the replacement glass for the nearside.
Offside timbering alongside the boot and below the emergency door.
Frame below in front of the offside rear corner
Restoration diary of a 70-year old AEC single-deck bus and the trials, tribulations and adventures of our 1966 Bristol bus.
