Bodywork Session 4 - Day 3 - We move to the passenger door panels and step

Day three and final day of our fourth session with CRG163.

Today Sion and I were joined by my youngest son Gethin in providing an additional pair of hands as we continue in earnest with CRG163’s major body renovation.

We continue to add new woodwork to the offside of the vehicle in preparation for the completed refurbishment and return of CRG163’s fuel cap collar and centre locker/body support strut.

We then move on to CRG163’s passenger door panels and entrance step which will again require wood work replacement.  This is very time consuming as we again chase down all the screws on the body panels for removal as well as carefully removing CRG163’s floor covering; panels; both passenger doors and right side door pole so that we can get better access to the entrance step for renovation.

We are charting each day of our refurbishment on the website to bring everyone with us on such a remarkable journey as well as demonstrating the scale of the work involved as well as the highs and lows of bus restoration and preservation.

Hopefully recording our journey in this way will also provide inspiration and motivation to others who are contemplating entering the world of bus preservation.

We are joined today by my youngest son Gethin who provides much appreciated support.

New woodwork on CRG163’s offside is nearing completion bar the wooden frame that will be fitted around the vehicle’s fuel cap section.  Once the fuel cap collar and locker support strut are refurbished and returned we can then fit the remaining three panels.

The vehicle’s left passenger entrance door is removed as we plan the removal of the right side door.

The vehicle’s right side passenger door about to be removed.

With the removal of both express entrance doors on CRG163 we can now have a closer look at the first step flooring for removal.

CRG163’s first entrance step flooring is carefully removed.

Following removal of CRG163’s first passenger step flooring, we clean up the aluminium section below for initial inspection.

To be able to access CRG163’s first step wood work we will also need to remove the entrance door pillars.  This is the large nut that holds the door pillar on the right side of the vehicle’s entrance in place.

We continue to chase down each panel screw and pins hidden under the paint work.

The rotten wood work behind the left lower panel on CRG163’s passenger entrance section.

A wider image of CRG163’s passenger entrance with panels removed.

Me, having removed the pillar on CRG163’s right side passenger express door.

CRG163’s passenger entrance with both passenger express doors removed and right side door pillar.

Another angle of CRG163’s passenger entrance with doors; right side door pillars; first step flooring and lower door entrance panels removed.

Another angle of CRG163’s entrance, clealry showing rhw scale of today’s work.