Restoration of a Single Deck Bus
Restoring a single deck bus is not something that should be undertaken lightly. It will be hard work, expensive, and the call on your time may cause family disruptions. Behind some restoration projects are broken marriages. Joining a club or a group that specialises in the make of vehicle that your working with makes sense, especially when advise or parts are required. There are groups around the world, two of them, one inBritainand one inUSAare mentioned as examples.Successful restoration usually means a vehicle is restored to an almost new or good working condition. Every part of the vehicle should be inspected for serviceability. A gleaming brand new looking single deck bus would not be so admired If the gearbox or engine won’t function properly. If the vehicle is of an older vintage, the restorer might need to be aware of the change in terms of specifications. For example, bolt sizes may have originally been in inches, but now superseded by the metric measurement. Water and oil pressures may also be in a modern terminology.Prime consideration should be given to where the restoration work will take place. The ability to keep the vehicle in the same place throughout the restoration work will make the job so much easier. Security and working conditions have to be considered. For example, when painting bodywork, the weather conditions are important, as paint will not dry properly if the weather is either too hot or too cold.Working in confined areas during freezing conditions can soon sap enthusiasm. Access to electricity is important because a lot of restoration work involves the use of power tools. Water is another consideration especially for cleaning and preparation.Knowledge of vehicle design, engineering and repair are very important. Familiarity with one brand of bus manufacture helps, but it is important to know the differences of different makes. For example, some manufacturers use right handed thread wheel stub bolts, others use left hand thread stub bolts. Knowing this kind of information can save time and money.The use of special tools to remove some parts may be necessary, and knowledge of how to use them correctly is vital. To an old hand in a transport garage, there may be short cuts to using special tools, but without that knowledge there is little to be gained by blindly making do. Getting access to any special tools required should be considered well before undertaking the work.Prior to restoration it is important to have some idea of the replacement parts that will be required, and either have them to hand ready for use, or know where they can easily be obtained when required. Don’t overlook the numerous small ancillary parts like gaskets, nuts, bolts, split pins and washers that may also be needed. When restoring an engine for example, it may need a replacement pump, some will also need a paper gasket when fitting. Making these things is relatively simple, but time consuming.Many vehicles being considered for restoration may suffer from frame or chassis corrosion. That is a problem that can usually be solved, usually by welding in new pieces of metal, usually either steel or aluminium. Welding is a skill that needs to be mastered, not only from the obvious point of actually welding the metals together, but doing the job without setting the vehicle or garage on fire.
Other skills needed may soon crop up. Most restorers will try to replace the seats and other trims with as near to the originals as possible. This could mean that some sewing could be involved when creating seat covers. While no one would expect a sixty year old bus to have genuine seats and carpets, they will expect them to be as authentic as is possible.Making small steel body panels oneself is not impossible if the original parts are unobtainable. Many people who work in body shop repair centres could fashion a complicated curved panel from a sheet of steel given the necessary tools, which include leather bound hammers and shaped steel dollies.Once you have planned your restoration, and in your mind can see the finished result, don’t give up half way when the going gets tough. You may well get wet through half frozen to death and very tired, but the end result will compensate for that. There is nothing finer than showing people around a restored vehicle, and being able to say ’Yes, we did that.’
