749DCD - August 2012

Once the restoration of 1749 is complete, the coach will have been reseated for 28 persons using luxurious Chapman reclining 2+1 seating. These seats have had to be totally rebuilt and refurbished using units recovered from another vehicle owned by a friend. The backs and bases are currently being re-trimmed, though a prototype has been returned for checking and can be seen here fitted to one of the old grey frames.

Meanwhile, the seat frames themselves have been dismantled, checked, repaired and components altered where necessary. The following photographs show some of the many hundreds of individual parts which make up the frames; these have just been repainted into the green colour which would have originally been used when the coach was new.

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749DCD - December 2011

As part of the continuing restoration of this vehicle, the front end of the coach has been rewired and is being prepared for painting. December 2011.

The interior of the rear of the coach has been re-glazed and refurbished. The original rose pattern moquette, which will be used to cover the seats is seen here in position as decorative lining.

One of the newly refurbished roof push out ventilators.

 The interior of the coach prior to laying of the new linoleum flooring.

And after!

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2722CD - August 2012

Coach number 1722 is fitted with air assisted suspension. This means that in addition to the usual traditional arrangement of leaf springs, air bellows fitted to the axles provide a smoother ride. As the vehicle travels along, a system of valves regulates the amount of air in the bellows thereby adjusting the cushion effect to give the best ride. One such valve is seen below:

The lever to the left attaches to a rod connected to the axle. As the axle moves up and down over the surface of the road, the lever is agitated and controls the air flow. These valves require occasional reconditioning and this task has recently been completed. The valve pictured above is seen again below after having been refitted to the coach.

 

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2722CD - 2009 in retrospect

This is a retrospective report of work carried to re-glaze and repaint the vehicle. January 2009, and 1722 is seen here with external trim removed and sheeted up internally ready for removal of the windows. The existing original rubber in which the glass sat was starting to show signs of becoming perished, so replacement section was sourced locally to the original green specification.

>Then seen here minus the driver's screens. The roof section is in undercoat.

Once the final coat of paint had been applied around the window area, the screens were re-fitted. The new green glazing section can be seen.

One of the last jobs with any repaint is to add fleet names to the side of the vehicle. This is an original Southdown transfer fixed with varnish in the traditional method. The coach re-entered service in April.

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BUF276C - 2006

BUF276C was delivered new to Southdown Motor Services of Sussex in 1965 and was one of several 69 seat vehicles bought that year. We purchased the bus in early 1993 as a source of spares for our other double deck vehicles, but the subtle differences in design between this and our other buses meant that we didn't actually need to dismantle the bus.

The vehicle was sold to another preservationist for spares in 2008.

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406DCD - 2005 in retrospect

This is a retrospective report of work carried out to the upper-deck seating in late 2005. The seat bases and backs are made form plywood and shaped hardwood. Over the years, the condition of the original seats had become less than satisfactory to the point that many needed replacing. New frames were constructed in our own workshops and these can be seen in the following two photographs.

 

 

Once the frames had been assembled, they were painted for protection and sent to the trimmers to be covered in new horsehair and foam padding. The next task was for the new green vinyl covering to be applied, followed by fixing of the original colour-impregnated fiberglass backs. 

The finished seats, fitted in time for the 2006 season, are seen below:

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