Started the week by painting the visible bit of the outer panel at the top of the cab side window opening and preparing the triangular window glass for installing in the cab. As I had some topcoat left over I painted the emergency door step and the top and leading upright of the cab door frame. Next I started work on refurbishing the interior light switch box, removing the labels and cleaning them by knocking the awkward, tiny steel rivets. A job to do in between others! Next I fitted the fire extinguisher holder in the cab and polished up a fire extinguisher and placed it in the holder. At the end of the week I started stripping the remaining original paint from under the front canopy, a difficult, slow job but i made good progress. The last job of the work was completion of removing the labels from the switch box cover, ready for paint now.
Fire extinguisher fitted in cab and side window glazed.
Work started this week with reinstallation of the wooden section of the cab floor and the steel sections around the gear stick and handbrake, along with the reinforcing bar angle that fits underneath and adds to the rigidity of the cab and strangth of the floor. Also an addendum to the testing was the panel light wiring and the bulb holder itself which needed attention to the connections to make it work. It has a new bulb fitted. Screws for fitting it have been acquired, 6-32 UNC for the fitting and 4BA for the cable clips along with the missing 1/4″ screws for the cab floor. The aluminium sheet needed for the remaining O/S outer panels arrived at the beginning of the week.
The woodwork for the bottom rail was cut, fitted and painted, the short section immediately under the first O/S window was made from the original long piece which was sufficiently good to use again with repair. This has been primed and painted wood grey ready for the outer panelling to be cut and fitted. This completes the repairs to the frame so a bit of a milestone this week.
Final job this week was preparing the wiring ready for the panel lamp to be installed.
Draught seal and cab floor around the steering column.
Handbrake lever painted and wooden section of cab floor installed.
I completed the replacement hinge assembly by adding a 3/16″ shim between the hinge and the base to position it correctly so that the control box will sit square on its base. After that, work has contentrated on wiring the lighting and 24v supply to the multicore cable terminal mounted on the cab rear bulkhead below the floor. Connections that need to be made in the cab-mounted control box havebeen sheathyed and routed into their correct positions ready for reinstallation of the control box. The control box itself has had attention: all the terminals and nuts have been cleaned, the 2BA terminals having new brass nuts. The main battery switch has had its shaft painted black.
All the wiring has now been tested, including the brake light switch, horn and button, and the panel light switch both at the cab end and in the boot where appropriate so I am happy now that its all correct. Also tested now are the starter motor cables, dynamo cables and the starter sloenoid cable.
Restoration diary of a 70-year old AEC single-deck bus and the trials, tribulations and adventures of our 1966 Bristol bus.
