Norms Restoration - 31 Seater Projects

The Preservation of 1937 Leyland TS7 [Waddington built ex Sydney 1389]

2021

Body February

Norman Julian 2nd Feb
After a week off I started back into this job.
My old welder stopped working in the middle of a job and I couldn't get it to work so a new one had to be bought.
This design has me thinking a little.
This job isn't as straightforward as I have been used to.
I have had trouble with getting 2 exact curves in the back window uniform with each other.
The Waddington factory had the benefit of a bender designed to make curves like this but I don't have that luxury, just a welder and after a lot of time tinkering I got it right.
The heat of the welder tends to do things that are unpredictable.
Anyway, 2 new sections of bearer have been welded into position and a new cross rail has replaced the mangled and rusty old one






Norman Julian 5th Feb
It is starting to come together.
Today I worked on the bottom hinge rail.
2 steel plates had to be cut into the rail and put at an angle.
The back wall is angle inwards so the rails will also be angled.
By angling back the hinges it will then sit at 90 degrees, then water will not sit in the channel.
An aluminium panel will sit between the rail and the hinges to hide all of this.
The same thing I did on the TD5.
I have put a hinge in position to show how it will go.
I have made hoods or awnings for these hinges.
Not sure whether they were on here originally but they look neat and they will be staying.
The hinge rail will only be tack welded at this stage so when the door receives its hinges and I have made a miscalculation anywhere, I can raise it up or down if needed.






Norman Julian
This shows the angle back of the wall and the steel angled so it is level again.
If anything they slightly tilt forward.

Anton Frank
Looks good ��
Fred Holland
Looking good Norm.
Terry Davis
Well Norn what a fantastic job that you are doing.
I hope that you get an Australian Day award for your worki in Restoration, you deserve 1
Well done.��������
Norman Julian 7th Feb
Today I put the steel plates on the emergency door to take the hinges.
Like the plates on the hinge crossmember they had to be angled.
Once that was done I tapped the threads for the bolts for the hinges.
Having the crossmember handy and not on the bus it was easy to do adjustments.
I also welded the plates on the side of the door for the stays that have to go on later.
I know it is confusing looking at it but the side that is open on 3 sides faces the outside.
I have to put capping on the sides and the bottom part and then lign it with sheet aluminium.

Norman Julian
Looking at it from the left is facing inside the bus.
The handle and linkages relating to it are on this side.
Norman Julian
This shows the door in relation to the hinge panel.
Some cutting of the bottom leaf of the hinge has to be done so the panel and the door sit flush.


Norman Julian
Side plates for the stays.
These plates have to be tapped.

Norman Julian
This is the outside aspect.
Capping has to go on and aluminium sheeting.
This is the skirt covering the hinge.
It protects the hinge from the elements.

Norman Julian
Bottom edge of the door showing the hinge!
Terry Davis
As usual l just cant praise you enough for patience & effort that you doing. As I've said many times my whish is to see it back in WBBS colours as that would realy make it stand out when on display. My only wish that l was in a position to help you. I must.thank you 100% for all your photos plus your notes re every photos
Take care & keep your good work going. By the way you have the Leyland badge that goes on the radiator if not l have 1 that you are welcome too.
����������
Norman Julian 8th Feb
Today I permanently welded in some of the frame.
Reinforcing brackets are just tacked at the moment.
I cut the frame of the door and made it the same curve as the frame.
I placed the door frame in position with the hinges and seems to be OK.
I have started to make the capping for the door frame.





Terry Davis
F~~k man you sure are getting into the job you deserve all the encouragement that comes your way.
As always " joob well done"��������
Norman Julian
Terry Davis
thanks buddy.
This is a challenge!
Terry Davis
Norman Julian
Thank you l look forward for your daily reports ����
Norman Julian 13th Feb
There are a few fine tuning jobs that need to be done but I'm basically happy.
I wasn't sure when I put the emergency door on whether when it closed it would be sitting flush in the corners.
That was my biggest concern.
The reason for my concerns was the rust and where it was rusted.
The 2 side rear pillars that help hold the structure together are rusted nearly all the way through and the 2 at the very rear were the same, not quite as bad as the side ones. That was the reason for the chrome handrail pictured.
They were helping to support the roof in case it did collapse.
In any case the hardest part is done now.
I only wish the whole back wall was straight all the way to the top and not curved halfway through.








Norman Julian
This shows the door sits flush all round!
Charles Shipway
Well the restoration is coming along well Norman good to see
Anton Frank
Job well done, can't beat being flush.
Terry Davis
As usual you have done another great job.
I can't wait to see the Orange & Silver paint applied ha ha ha.
Keep up the great work.��������
Norman Julian 14th Feb
I need a holiday.
Today I made some changes to this back wall.
What I did yesterday was incorrect.
I took photos and didn't look before doing this job.
I have marked the 3 rear pillars where they have to be cut for the lower skirt rail to go on.
The 31 seaters are different to this bus.
The skirt rail swoops up in those buses but this one seems to be level all the way round.
Tomorrow the skirt rail will go on but I will do it in such a way that the curved section on either side can be welded later on.
I got the measurement of the skirt distance from the top of the floor bearer to the end of the pillar going down to where the skirt joins the pillar.
I have put up 2 pictures of how the back end looked before dismantling.



Norman Julian
looks like nearly all the bearers are gone near the ends.
Ben Summers
I hate to think of how 2775 looks underneath.
Norman Julian
Ben Summers get under and have a look.
Ben Summers
Getting there, Norman
Norman Julian
Use a flat bladed screwdriver and do some poking.
Just looking doesn't tell you much!
Ben Summers
Hi Norman, I'll definitely have a poke around.
Norman Julian
You can replace sections of bearer without replacing the whole lot.
Through my experience it seems that only the ends and maybe 300mm back from there tend to be the worst, but that's where the pillar or side wall beam meet and can be tricky to the uninitiated.



Norman Julian 16th Feb
The bottom skirt is in position.
The locking mechanism is back on and the new section is primed.
This was more than I intended on doing first up but unfortunately things rarely work out the way you want them to. After a few days break I will put the aluminium skin on the door.
Everything that is primed is either new or has been inspected and rust treated.






Norman Julian
Bit different to this!
Norman Julian 16th Feb
Thinking about the rear bumper.
I have almost decided to do it the same way as the TD5.
The other 2 prewars look similar.


Terry Davis
Hi Norn l hope this is the colours that you going to use.
As usual great photos, l suppose 1 big problems you'd have if you do paint it WBBS would be 3 destos for it were as if you paint GTD the Bus Museum woukd be to help you with destos.
Take & keep up the fantastic work.
����������


Ben Summers
Do you need some photos of 1492's rear bumper, Norman
Norman Julian
Ben Summers no thanks Ben.
t's 50mm round steel tube.
Just the support brackets look a little vague but I can do it the same way I did the TD5.
The bottom skirt rail can carry it OK.
Ben Summers
No worries Norman
Craig Parkinson
The rear bar on 1275 is not original
Lee Hall
Would look great that Norman.
Love the colours and the way the trim curves
Norman Julian
Lee Hall that black trim is following a bead pressing in the panels.
Lee Hall
Norman Julian looks good
Norman Julian 18th Feb
I can see this happening a lot on this project.
This photo came up in my memories.
Maybe I'm trying to tell myself something.
This by the way is part of a floor bearer.
Pretty common design among all the Waddington/Comeng bus designs.
Norman Julian 18th Feb
This will take some thinking.
The original panel has been modified quite a bit.
The destination section has been cut off and a slide-on system has replaced it.
There was no inside panel at all and has to be remade.
The number panel also has to be remade.








Norman Julian
1275 and 1492 have a similar design.
Norman Julian 19th Feb
This afternoon I pulled this apart to its basic parts and for the first time in a while I have no idea which way to go with rebuilding this.
I don't mean the route number bracket but the destination section.
It is absolutely butchered and without a point of reference I have no idea how it suppose to look.
In the mean time I can make a new number box and get the number panel bracket that holds the numbers in position.
If I go by the way of its second life when Bankstown had it I can save a hell of a lot of work and just make the slide-on system for the destination.





Norman Julian
This bracket used to hold the glass protecting the destination roll.
There is a box section that sits on top of this that has been beaten to an inch of its life!
Charles Shipway
Could I suggest a BEX AND A HOT CUP TEA AND A GOOD LAY DOWN Another tricky one hay Norman
Be assured you will find an answer and it will be better than new
Norman Julian 21st Feb ·
Just so for those that don't understand what's going on here.
The first 3 are this project.
The others are of the TD5.
Though it is slightly different in layout it is basically the same.
The number holding mechanism is not on this project.












Norman Julian 21st Feb
The panel after a good clean up!
Corrosion wise it wasn't too bad for 84 odd years.
The odd thing was that apart from a few stray brown bits of paint there was no paint on it at all.
Just oxidization.
I also added the photos of the route number guide mechanism.
It has to be completely rebuilt.







David Wilson
looks pretty good.
Most of the rear destination box protrudes into the inside with the glass face flush at the same angle as the number box (on the outside).
Terry Davis
As normal, fanstasic photos.
Cant wait to see the finished job & by the way that you are always working on it, that won't be long !!!!
Take care.����������
Daniel Sheard
It sure has fared well for its age
Norman Julian 23rd Feb
I found this a little interesting.
The first 2 photos are from 2 prewar buses.
They have timber inserted into the middle of the bearer.
The last one is off a 52 model 31 seater.
Apparently by then it wasn't necessary.



Fred Holland
��
Daniel Sheard
Do we know the reasoning behind this?
Norman Julian
Daniel Sheard no but I do have a theory!
Daniel Sheard
Norman Julian Please tell us.
Norman Julian
Daniel Sheard timber in the bearers so wood screws hold the timber floor down more securely.
Bob Gioia
Early body's and frames were composite construction.
It was a transition from earlier all wooden bodies to the all steel body.
Norman Julian
Bob Gioia really! I thought someone over ordered a supply of lumber and needed somewhere to hide it from the boss. LOL
Anton Frank
Probably accountants..
Carle Gregory
Norman Julian hahaha our boss used to do this from the wharf to "mates"
Gregor Neil Robertson
If, as suggested, flooring was screwed into the timber, yes, would have made for a very strong frame.
But if the buses were operated in wet locations my guess is the steel could never have dried out and so corrosion would have been rapid.
Still, I like the idea.
Never thought of it as a possible in structuring.
Thanks Norman for an intriguing post.
Norman Julian 23rd Feb ·
While I'm getting all the parts I need done to fix the rear, I thought I would skip ahead to see what has to be done to the front and really it scares the $#@% out of me.
The first shot is all I have left of this most complicated panel.
The black and white is what it used to look like.












Ben Summers
Yikes!
David Wilson
make it out of steel Norm
David Wilson
but first make a cardboard mock up to see how it sits
Paul Morton
That will be fun Norm
Norman Julian 25th Feb
Here is the first half of this number box cut out and ready to be fixed together.
I think I can nearly get away with welding this together.
1mm and 1.2mm combination.
Terry Davis
As usual GREAT work, you are to be congratulated!!!!!!!!!!
I'd like to be 1 off your 1st passengers, that's only if it painted WBBS, only joking I'd ride in it what ever colour. Do have the long narrow Leyland badge that use to be on the radiator ?
If not & if you'd like to have 1 I'd be willing to give 1 as small token to your restoration.
I'll send a photo of the 1 I mean.����������
Norman Julian 25th Feb
All 3 are now ready to weld.
I did make a boo boo by not getting 2.5 sets made instead of just one.


Terry Davis
Mate you're going like a house on fire.
Well done.
��������
Norman Julian 26th Feb
I have to build another one like this for the front.

Norman Julian 26th Feb
There is an internal panel that covers all this with a door that covers the numbers and one that covers the destination.
This will have to be put back in its natural position for me to take measurements to get accurate sizes on the new panel that has to be made up.
Norman Julian
The bottom panel I have to make 2 more.
Norman Julian 26th Feb
Well I have done as much as I can at the moment.
These 3 segments are done.
The most fiddliest being the number bracket.
I had a change of heart about the 6mm tubing that goes on each end and the 2 middle sections that hold the plastic number rolls in position when sliding up and down and ended up soldering them on.
I was pleased with the result.
I have included a picture of how it and the destination panel sit in the back aluminium panel.
I have to get the actual number holding panel and modify it to sit in the new section I made.



Norman Julian
I have to build another one like this for the front.



Fred Holland
Looks Fantastic work Norm.
Norman Julian
I have to either get a hold of 3 more of these from somewhere or make 3 from scratch.
2 for this bus and one for the Leyland 31 seater.
Norman Julian 27th Feb
A change of pace today.
I needed to look through properly all the bits and pieces that came with this bus.
Most was rubbish parts that aren't of much use except for reproducing purposes.
Some are gold and are vital to this era of bus and probably aren't available anymore.
The 3 glass windows pictured have this thumb button release slide up ratchet style locks which only were on prewar buses.
They were similar to the train carriage type.
The glass isn't that important but the mechanism is.
Couple of other things like a spare water pump and a beading or swaging tool.
It has 2 spare dies along with the right one in position for this and the TD5.
Later on I will get a set of dies made up to use on the motorised one I bought a while back.







Norman Julian 28th Feb
Today was another day looking at this design and trying to understand how it goes together.
This is new for me.
Before I just used to replace something that was already there.
This on top of being a complicated system and is only half there.
Moving along, I put back on these 2 sections of roof area which makes up some of the number box and destination area.
I understand a little of whats got to be done but as per normal to replace part A I have to take off part B and C to replace part D which also needs replacing.
In this case the rounded steel frame that holds it all together.
I will start this after I have finished with the rear section.








David Wilson
Norm, you can see the depth of the desto box in the attached .
Height is obvious from the aluminium.
You might want to start with that and then make a brand new face like the rear desto
Norman Julian
David Wilson I have taken some measurements of the gap where the number box sits and is roughly the same size.
I'm thinking it would be the same size so as to take the same number holding panel.
The destination area would be the same as well.
Norman Julian
28th Feb
These side roof panels will have to come off.
Because I need to get at the steel frame and also to weld up the pop rivet holes that were put there by this cover that was put on it.

Last updated
February, 2021
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