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.
This week I have been tidying up the cab ready for reinstalling the floor. I painted the pedals and the handbrake lever and touched up the silver on the chassis to hide the drips from painting the cab. I made and fitted the rubber seal for the handbrake lever, one side to the metal section and the other to the hinged wooden floor section, using the replacement clamp plates I made previously. I fitted the gear lever gaiter to the floor section as well. I need to eliminate the horrid bracket that is holding the fuel pipes and also realign the starter motor cables so they will fit in the floor rebate and not stress the motor terminals. As a change of routine I made two of the remaining three vertical side rods for the offside frame.
This week’s work has been focussed on preparing the cab door with a skim of filler, to get it nice and flat, and making the bezels to hold down the cab floor rubber draught excluder. The steel draught excluder for the cab has received some cosmetic filling and a coat of primer on both sides. The cab door lower panel filling was completed and primed, ready for undercoat and the bezels have also been primed. The front floor section of the cab has been reinstalled and the rubber seal for the steering column and pedals has been cut and is ready to fit next week.
Restoration diary of a 70-year old AEC single-deck bus and the trials, tribulations and adventures of our 1966 Bristol bus.
