THE SCOTTISH VINTAGE BUS MUSEUM
Alexander Leyland Tiger TS8 ‘Special’ WG 8790 (P573)
Restoration
July
2007 (Photo:
J Pettie, May 2007)
Phase one of the restoration of the Museum's 1939
Leyland TS8 special has now been completed.
Basically this means that the body framing and
internal stress panels are in place along with the chassis extensions, riser
panels, cab frame and front step unit. The bulk of the mechanics have also been
attended to except for the brakes and fuel lines.
Tarn Loggie has produced a schedule comprising the
next phase which entails repanelling the
roof and sides externally, making rear wheel arches, laying a new floor, making
new cab door, entrance door, emergency door and boot doors, and installing
electrical cabling for interior lights and bells.
On the mechanical side progress on the brakes has been
held up by attempting to source new spring steel strip for the brake bands to
replace the old ones which had rusted away but we have now found a supplier of
this material, and a quantity had arrived just as we were going to press.
Edward George has very kindly completed overhaul of the brake servo and master
cylinder; this means that we can now more or less complete the mechanicals, and
the bus will be able to move under its own power.
(Photo:
J Pettie, May 2007)
However, now for the sting in the tail. To complete
this next phase is going to cost something of the order of £12,500, so the begging
bowl is out in circulation once again. The cash raised so far has transformed
P573 from a rusting hulk to the outline of something beginning to resemble a
Leyland TS8 special. Sincere thanks must go to all donors large and small who
have contributed to bringing P573 to its current state, and also those who have
volunteered their services in hard graft - but we need more donations. We've
got just over £3,800 in the kitty at the moment; and if we can get the bank
balance up by say another £2,500 we'll have half the above figure and at that
point we can at least make a start on the next phase. So it's up to you!
October
2006 (Photo:
E Taylor, July 2006)
The sump has
been cleaned out and a new gasket and radiator fitted. Paul Adams kindly
donated a filler cap off an Albion. The gearbox has been removed for overhaul.
August
2005
When I first saw this vehicle several years ago it was
tucked away in the far corner of shed four and looking very sorry for itself.
Part of the body framing had collapsed and the rear roof dome was resting on
the floor. This vehicle is now in the annex having been worked on by the Bus
Doctors. The chassis had been stripped down, refurbished, re-assembled and
painted with silver chassis paint some time ago. New vertical framing has been
made up and fitted along with new body stress panels.
P Westwater
April
2005
(Photos: E Taylor, March
2005)
With the chassis returned bright silver from Trailer Refurb (left), it was possible for construction of the body to start.
During February, the body outriggers were all pre-assembled along with pillars and roof hoops.
The chassis
/ boot extension was refitted (right) to enable the last pillars to be
installed and final alignment is currently in progress
R Williams & T Loggie
January 2005
Some
progress has been made on the restoration over the last few months, which is
worthy of report.
First, shortly after the Open Weekend, Tarn Loggie and his team dismantled the remains of the body and
all reusable parts such as front and rear domes and other body fittings have
been carefully labelled and stored. The frame being rotten was largely
discarded but enough was retained as templates and
I understand from Tarn that a complete new frame has
now been fabricated and is ready for assembly.
Attention then turned to the bare chassis. This is in
surprisingly good condition, with little rust except in the rear subframe which
will require some welding, and it is obvious that the body remains have
protected it from wind and weather as it stood outside for all those years. All
components except the starter motor were present, and a team of volunteers
set-to by first removing gearbox, wheels, brake servo, fuel tank (still full of
diesel!), battery boxes, etc. and radiator which was disassembled. The engine's
injectors were removed and oil was poured down the bores to free any moving
parts that might have seized, and left standing for a couple of weeks. Then the
engine was carefully turned over by hand, the injectors replaced, a starter
motor donated and fitted, fuel and batteries connected, and as all hands stood
by with bated breath, she fired up almost instantaneously and settled down to a
smooth tick over, enabling the decision to be made there and then to use the
engine in the restoration.
The chassis is now ready for blasting and painting by
Trailer
Refurb early in the New Year after which
Tarn plans to start to erect the new body frame.
Most of the scrap tyres have been removed from the wheels which are now ready
for cleaning also. The engine has been removed from the chassis, given a
thorough external wash, and the inevitable silt in the water galleries flushed
out with the pressure wash. The fuel pump and injectors have also been removed
ready for recalibration.
At time of writing the engine awaits 'prettying-up'
with paint and polish, the hydraulic brake cylinders are being stripped down
and new rubber seals are on order for these and the master cylinder. We will
have to source another radiator as the existing one is damaged and badly corroded
but luckily the top tank with its unusual angled filler cap has survived
intact. We have however secured a pair of luggage racks from an Alexander PS1
found derelict near Taunton but the biggest problem at the moment remains the
SEATS.
There are at least two possibilities for these. If
anyone knows the whereabouts of either (a) an ex-Guernsey Albion Victor or (b)
an ex-Lancaster City Transport Alexander Y-type (!) Leopard - these both have
seat frames of the correct pattern and, most importantly, width - please let me
know as soon as possible.
It's hoped to have a rolling chassis at least by the
Anniversary Weekend bash on 14/15 May next, time and volunteers permitting.
That the progress to date could not have been achieved without the efforts of
participants needs to be recorded -1 would like to thank all those involved
including Eddie Taylor, Jim Methven, Ian Souter, Mike Chapman, Arthur Davis,
David Heathcote, Daniel Shears (for the luggage racks!), Bill McAlpine, Roland
Williams for his continuing advice and any others I have omitted to mention.
Meanwhile, keep those standing orders and big fat cheques rolling in - the success of this venture depends on
YOUR financial support!
Jasper Pettie
P573 Project Manager
October 2004 (Photo:
J Pettie? Lathalmond, August 2004)
The
decision was taken just before the Open Weekend to extract P573 from its
hidey-hole at the back of shed 100 and put it on display in all its non-glory for
all to see. I'm happy to report that as a result of this and some fund-raising
activity over the Open Weekend which plugged the planned restoration project,
we raised over £1300 which brings the total funds raised so far to over £5300.
This is a magnificent achievement and thanks must go to all concerned. Having
reached this level some plans can now be laid. The body of course had all but
collapsed and Phase I of restoration comprises a complete new frame to be built
using what's left of the original as patterns.
(Photo: E Taylor
September 2004)
We have an
expert, a qualified coachbuilder who is no stranger to this type of work, and
he has made a detailed inspection and assessment of the remains. In order to do
this he has dismantled what's left of the body down to the bare chassis
The
bad news is that to fabricate a complete new frame comprising pillars, roof
sticks, main bearers, front bulkhead, wheel arches, cab framing and interior
stress panels is going to cost a total of £8700.
However, there's also good news. All the mechanical components are present, and can be refurbished by volunteers with the minimum of replacement and therefore cost. The Museum fortunately has a good stock of pre-war Leyland parts which can be used to replace any worn or defective items. The engine can be rebuilt if necessary by volunteer labour. The chassis has survived in reasonable condition, having only suffered surface rust, and once shot blasted and spray-painted will be as good as new.
So, that's the current situation. Despite the funding shortfall, we are going to make a start. We feel that if we do this, and it's seen that progress is being made, this will result in further financial pledges materialising. We're looking for volunteers to work on the chassis (we already have several offers of help). No skills are necessary - a willingness to work under supervision is all that's required - please let me know if you can assist. Better still, if you've some (more) spare cash in your back pocket which could help reduce the shortfall, don't hesitate to hand it over - the sooner we raise the funds the sooner P573 returns to the road!
Jasper Pettie
P573 Project Manager