The weather since we broke off at the end of December has been miserable, and numbingly cold at times, so I have concentrated on more cerebral pastimes like trying to work out how to source a replacement radiator, and how it should be specified. One work session was held in late January, in defiance of instructions from the Welsh Government but it stemmed from the installation of a new vehicle in the stored collection, a 2010 two-door Renault Clio which belonged to my daughter, but is now redundant having been replaced. Its red paint makes it look like an interloper from the Central Area! One day it might replace my own, which is still performing well in its 16th year.

Mucky-looking pipe runs to the pressure-reducer. Photo © J.Wilkins

Pressure-reducer fixed to the chassis once more. Photo © J.Wilkins

The crunch time has come with the air pipes connecting the receivers and to the various valves and regulators. The biggest bugbear was the pipe running from the rear receiver to the brake relay valve, which was firmly seized into its union and would only turn as a unit. I realised that when the assembly rotated it only made rubbing contact with the adjacent air-inlet pipe, and as it unscrewed would interfere less, so I 'addressed' it with my favourite spanner and soon had it unscrewed. Another pipe has long since been cut in order to remove the receivers for attention, and that was dealt with by setting up with a pair of spanners on the garage floor and standing on the outer one to turn it with 'body' weight. That was soon dealt with and the stump of pipe removed from the clamping nut. A new bit of pipe will be needed to reach the supply-line to the brake-valve, but most of the run is in good condition. With all that heavy work done, the rear receiver could be put back in place. In doing so, I realised that the pressure reducer in the supply line to the front receiver had actually broken off its fixing flange. There was no flexibility in the original air-piping runs, and no good location in the fore-and-aft direction from the securing straps, so all the stress in the pipe runs was concentrated on the unloader and pressure-reducer fixings, which they were not designed to endure. New, flexible pipe has to be the answer to this, so that stress is decoupled between the front and rear receivers. Accordingly, the pipes were disengaged with all due care from the pressure reducer, which revealed itself to look entirely clean and healthy so far as it was possible to see, new fixing holes were drilled in the remains of its bracket and it was reattached to the chassis cross-member for the first time in who-knows-how-many years. Not huge progress, but a good start to the process of learning the secrets of the air system.

One of the more alarming elephants rampaging about in the garage is the radiator. The AEC Swift was almost legendary for its habit of overheating, and since it inherited a completely unmodified Reliance unit which was already famous for its poor cooling performance, things were not going to improve. The simple fact of rotating it to face the middle of the road rather than the draught was bound to make matters worse, while the angle-drive unit to the fan was of poor construction and itself a significant point of failure. A characteristic of a fan driven directly from the engine is that its speed drops to almost nothing when idling, and thus giving no recovery from climbing serious hills like Station Road, Amersham while at a stop cranking the old Setright register. Failure of the angle-drive unit has even occurred in preservation, and of course an MB will have a greater problem with its larger 'lump'. A bigger radiator with up to three electrically-driven fans is one solution that I have encountered, while another was the addition of a second radiator sourced from a scrap fork-lift truck, again with an electric fan on a switch in the cab. Spoiler-alert: Swifts outside London actually had temperature gauges, of course. In service days one modification was to put a slightly larger mesh panel in the rear bay, another was to remove the louvred panel altogether. SM106 was photographed in Launceston in such a state of partial undress. I am told, however, that the louvred cover panel is the best, as it actively guides air into the radiator area while making progress along the road. It's a great shame that my own louvred cover is disintegrating with rust. "So it goes", as Kurt would say. Problems with the fan-drive were so acute that by 1972 AEC was supplying kits of parts to retro-fit a hydraulic motor by Plessey, with the intention that the whole fleet should be converted (Ken Russell, 1985). It is assumed that LCBS vehicles were included, but the example above (MB90) appears to have escaped without modification. ** I am advised by my HN correspondent that a pile of spares donated by Chris Sullivan included a hydraulic fan-drive, which implies that he returned it to original AEC specification, though history shows this was not an ideal policy. ** The hydraulic drive meant that a constant, high fan-speed could be maintained whether the engine was idling or not. A relief valve in the drive unit was arranged to maintain a constant hydraulic pressure regardless of engine speed. There was also modification to the shroud which channeled air through the radiator matrix, which might reduce fan efficiency, however. The first step might be to test the simplicity of moving the outrigger forwards, and as I am fairly sure it was unbolted when I was cleaning up the chassis for painting in that area and should not be too difficult.

A sad-looking relic of a radiator is hung in place. Photo © J.Wilkins

Checking the fit of a rubber corner panel. Photo © J.Wilkins

At the last work session I did little indoors except play with the radiator and its fixings. Both SM106's original item and the spare recovered from SMA3 are in terrible condition, and I have to plan for a complete replacement. What did surprise me was that the radiator sits approximately one foot behind the forward pillar of its bay. That can be seen in the picture above. That seems downright wasteful, while the rear 6 inches of the radiator is tucked inside the corner paneling and not receiving the benefit of direct ventilation at all. Maybe the argument is that forward movement of the bus makes a flow of cooling air into the back of the bay and a longer radiator would not then be ventilated effectively? Either way, it seems daft to fit a radiator which could be a foot longer, and with a core 46% larger. It could also be 3 inches higher without any modification at all! A very useful 37% increase in area could be achieved just by making a taller core and moving the outrigger forwards by drilling two new fixing holes. Further improvement could follow if a more efficient core were employed. No change to the outrigger or radiator suspension would be needed, but a bit of plumbing would be required to modify the fuel lines to the secondary filter. The other interesting observation is that, once I had found the fan shroud, the diameter of the fan is over four inches greater than the height of the radiator matrix, so the fan itself is compromised and cannot shift as much air as it should. Note that the velocity of the fan blade and the effective speed of air through the matrix would be at its greatest in part of the area of the matrix which is not swept by the fan! Logically, a greater improvement could be obtained by increasing the height of the matrix rather than its width, which comfortably exceeds the diameter of the fan. Either way, the radiator is now lying on a customised pallet in the back of my Espace, ready for strapping down and consigning to a specialist for replacement.

The radiator sits on its pallet ready for a long journey. Photo © J.Wilkins

The newly-welded lower saloon stanchion trial. Photo © J.Wilkins

Now that I have determined a way forward with air piping, the mechanical isolation of the front receiver means that I was able to tighten up its retaining straps and think about the replacement nylon piping. It won’t be plain sailing, as the characteristics of the pipe are different, but with re-routing to avoid the severe bends of the original there seems to be scope for success. All the piping associated with the front receiver is at reduced pressure, of course, and serves less critical systems – e.g. the door motors. The other project to waken from slumber is the front nearside corner. Since there is nobody in a sensible area accessible to me seems to have any useful skill at panel-beating, the way which I envisaged originally to replace it with GRP is being pursued. The advantage might be some flexibility and the ability to repair or mould a new panel fairly cheaply when damage is sustained (as it probably will be). Measurements from the bus have been taken, and an interesting insight obtained from the original works photograph, which suggests that the lower nearside edge was dropped slightly to clear the forward projection of the entrance step where it bolts onto the main corner angle. It seems that there might have been a precedent for Blue Lake’s horrendous droopy front panel! A replacement, rubber corner provided as a spare by Steve Fennell might prove useful as a pattern, but it is in poor shape. Other minor successes that have emerged recently have been welding tasks delegated to JP Engineering of Conwy, who are specialists in architectural metalwork recommended to me by a colleague who needed specialist welding in aluminium alloy. Task one was welding the corners of the new skin put on the radiator valance panel ready for installation of the mesh insert. Task two was to create a long seat-back stanchion for the lower saloon from spares and a scrap stanchion that was hacked for a bell-push by Blue Lake. I was honestly sceptical that the stainless tube could be welded and polished without leaving traces, but it has proven to be so and I am delighted. With the stanchion in place it was possible to measure-up for an adaptor plate that will hold the floating socket at the correct angle on the ceiling - which slopes more as one moves out from the centre-line of the ceiling. I also set about marking-out the aperture in the radiator valance panel and drilling holes for the fixing strips which hold the mesh insert. Good, old-fashioned bench work that just needs a steady hand and good attitude!

The new radiator valance panel takes shape. Photo © J.Wilkins

Hung in place with mesh installed. Photo © J.Wilkins

Putting a batch of similar work together is important when it comes to painting-efficiency, so progress on the radiator valance is an important part of moving towards what may turn out to be my last large-scale application of etch-primer. Picking-up the measurements off the spare did not take long, and I cranked-up the generator to whizz around the aperture with my trusty Bosch jigsaw (for the record this used to be an asset of Dawnstoke Computer Services, but I was the only person that used it much and it was exceedingly handy for work on our boat in the 1980s). Then a half-hour with a half-round file made a lovely, smooth job which was soon complemented by a trial installation of the mesh from the spare. It looked OK. Then there was the job of cutting the holes for the securing bolt assemblies which are captive in a steel cup rivetted onto the front. Other tasks which have been completed are: wire cup-brushing the treadmaster pyramid edging for the bench-seat and priming it and the aforementioned steel cups, cutting and fitting new wooden blocks to the inside of the forward loudspeaker box to replace the ones no longer fit for purpose after rusty screws were removed, putting a little filler on the exit door return and sanding it smooth, investigating the headlamp fixings and making the last piece of new moulding for the nearside, rear corner. .

The speaker box is reinstated - spot the colour error. Photo © J.Wilkins

The last mouldings for the corner. Photo © J.Wilkins

The experimentation with the headlamp adaptor plates proved to be embarassing. I had not realised that there were right and left hand parts (the PRV list proves that it is the case), so in my enthusiasm to make a pair in the best condition I had prepared a pair of offside-handed plates! Luckily I spotted the problem while looking at the mounting bowls which ARE identical. There is a bit more work to do on the original nearside plate, which suffered damage during its removal from the front dash panel. The spare plate from SM533 actually has a captive nut missing, so will be of no use. If you invert a trim panel to change its hand, the bowl would be inverted too, and the beam would point up instead of down! Glad I spotted that before rivetting them together! This week I went to our local auto-electrician in Mochdre and purchased two halogen bulbs and holders to match my replacement reflector units. The original items are corroded and disintegrating. "So it goes", as Kurt would say.

Widow Twanky's Laundry, but green. Photo © J.Wilkins

The corner return and mouldings are fitted. Photo © J.Wilkins

Some things that come to pass cannot be anticipated, so it was with some interest and amusement that I received a message from my HN correspondent that SMD91 was not only for sale, but listed on eBay! According to the seller, with whom I have had a deal of conversation, she is not in good shape but does start, drive and stop. Having a tree growing through the rear windows is not a good look, so I would expect that the state of the body is rather "challenging". It would be nice to see her live again, but the conversion to a mobile video classroom was fairly invasive. Meanwhile, back at LL garage, the big pile of parts that required painting was dealt with in due course, and a coat of etch primer was applied with appropriate ceremony. Another area so treated was the flap which covers the exit door motor and gear and the ceiling over the exit, which had been stripped by the previous owners and finished properly by me a couple of weeks ago. It will improve the look of the area beyond measure when the magnolia breaks out again! While that was drying (it is very quick, luckily) I mixed and filtered a new tin of green undercoat, some of which was applied to all the bits of moulding and the disassembled parts of the new radiator valance. All were hung on the side of the garage to dry (or hoisted from the roof truss in the case of the long front dash moulding and the door-seal brush), which looked like Widow Twanky's Laundry by the end. By the time of the next session, the paint was nice and dry, and the various parts could be fitted where they belonged. It did not take very long to reach the position where just about the entire body behind the entrance doors was complete - how weird is that? It has to be a good day when two dozen screws and sixty rivets are inserted!

The opportunity was taken on a warm day to complete another task outstanding from last year: the second coat of silver on the nearside rear chassis areas. The QAD enamel for this is particularly pungent, and I always imagine that I can smell it for days afterwards, even when far away from the bus while walking our dogs! Another step forward was the delivery of the new radiator, big and expensive but very welcome, though it will bide its time for a bit while the bodywork is progressed. Now that I have worked out how to fit the headlamps, a job to get on with was the bezel units which rivet to the front dash. That way, I could cover all the outstanding rivets in one go when undercoating day comes! Naturally, I was obliged to check that the chromed covers still fitted (for the camera), even though they need serious cleaning-up. When I finally arrived home I was amazed to find that Stevenage Bus Station was featured in our beloved Bus & Coach Preservation magazine, and occupied by a chameleon. An Atlantean is one thing, but a green Swift with an AML registration mark is definitely something 'other'. Of course, Keith can paint his bus any colour he chooses, and it looks fabulous, but the registration mark really grates for me, though I imagine few would pay it a second glance. One thing is for sure, though: it ain’t Lincoln Green, or at least "not as we know it, Jim". For a dedicated SV fan, only Canary Yellow and Oxford Blue would do, and of course LH was home to yellow Superbuses for a while until they repainted them. I was never a particular fan of the short-lived lighter green which was adopted by LCBS for the new deliveries of AF and AN double-deckers and SMA before it was all swept away by the National Bus Company. The first new vehicles to LCBS, SM and RP, continued to use the darker Lincoln Green with its history in London Transport. I was privileged to meet a time-served painter from Park Royal Coachworks, who had painted both red and green Swifts on the production line. Brand new AN90 was due for display at the 1972 Commercial Motor Show, so special care and attention were given to its Canary Yellow livery details. Shortly before the great day, NBC realised what was about to happen and insisted on its being refinished in their new corporate colours, which entailed a lot of overtime. My first trip on an AN was on a 310 to Enfield, a route that I didn’t enjoy much. So it goes (or went).

Rivetting the headlamp bezels. What a difference that made! The Railway Arms was closed and demolished in 2002. Photo © J.Wilkins

The silver warts are hidden by a coat of the same overall green; apologies for the masking tape which I omitted to remove. Photo © J.Wilkins

Weeks with two work-sessions are rare, but higher-priority caring occupations are reduced at present due to unhappy circumstances, so the opportunity was taken to crack-on with the bus while awaiting orders. The vast number of rivets inserted recently were sitting pretty like silvery warts all over the place, and had to be properly covered. The first task, though, was to finish the rivetting-on of the offside driving lamp bezel, so it matched the nearside item, and increased the population of silver warts that required treatment. I have found no answer to this problem, but putting a coat of green primer on must be a start, and the various panels in bays 4-6 have only one green coat as yet, so they are due for an overall covering. Added to which, some parts were last undercoated a few years ago and the paint will have gone hard and unreceptive. The present objective on the body is to re-instate the nearside windows, which will make it look both tidy and complete – though the exit doors still need preparing, I spent a morning rubbing-down with minimum water all the undercoated areas (including bays 1-2 and the front dash) ready to receive the green goodness. While that was drying-off and the shed warmed-up a bit, I had a look at the headlamp parts again, this time for the bowls and fittings of which I had a number. Not surprisingly, rust was a significant feature, but once again Steve has seen me right with some very good spare parts. Luckily, splashes of blue paint identify original items, while red indicates foreigners. From this I deduced that I have a spare pair of the spacing rings which carry the bowls with adjuster screws, which is just as well as 106's own are rusty but recoverable and I fancy "building back better" at minimum effort. I also realised that there is a rubber gasket behind the chrome rings to cover the edge of the reflector unit, which will be difficult to replace. So, screwdriver practice was followed by a wire brush, emery paper and FLAG rust-converter. After lunch the fun started, and after 3 hours I had used-up the limited supply of green primer undercoat left in the stores, but was left looking at a very healthy-looking, very green and almost wart-free bus. Roll on Lincoln Green! Literally, in fact, in due course (soon preferably). Ironically, I didn’t reach the front dash after all, but there will be some more green nectar soon enough.

Maurice discussing Swift minutae in habitat on Malta. Photo © E.J.Wilkins

Mid May proved to be a very unhappy time. My father was always an enthusiast for any engineering endeavour, especially involving vintage vehicles whether they might be a steam engine, motorcycle or aeroplane. Our first bus-related outing together was with Eddie Knorn who lived at the time near Royston (and hence Hitchin). We went over and helped him do some cosmetic stuff on his LCBS National SNB312 after its re-painting, in preparation for an appearance at North Weald . The following day we went down with Eddie on a red RT that was returning from a wedding hire, and were reunited with SNB312 during the day. Maurice was very amused that he had returned to North Weald after so long, having been stationed there for a time during his National Service! SNB312 was the first bus that I drove - managing to get into 3rd gear on the perimeter track on the way out - though Rob Knight took us the rest of the way back to Royston much quicker than we had managed in the RT. Maurice was my chauffeur when I came down from North Wales by train for the biennial PETEX (geology and oil exploration) conference and exhibition which was a perfect opportunity to go and look at a London Country AEC Swift which had appeared for sale on the AEC Society's online notice board. We set off in pouring rain for Northchapel, found and fell for the bus and met Steve Fennell for the first time. Maurice thought it was all rather daunting, and kept saying it was "so big" - not at all like the Austin Seven which was his first car, or the motorbikes he had done up - though I was accustomed to a 12 ton canal boat 55 feet long! It was still raining when he dropped me at Gatwick on the way to the M25, and I made my way to Euston for the train home. Since that time he has been a very keen partner in the project and shareholder in the LL garage, though in recent years more by way of looking at these diaristic web pages showing how things are moving along because he was no longer able to crawl underneath and tell me where I was going wrong. Whilst not a particular fan of buses, he did get in tune with what the restoration of SM106 was about, and (unlike me) actually managed to find and travel on ex-London Swifts in Malta. I can think of no better way of marking his death than a picture from happier times of his conversation with a Maltese driver on board an embellished, but very recognisable, Marshall-bodied Swift in Valetta. Apart from a general fondness for all things large and mechanical, I think it was my father who sparked a habit of observing London Country buses more closely. I can clearly remember being driven up Hitchin Hill behind an RT with an OLDxxx number plate (which was always amusing) and noticing a yellow livery detail in place of the usual cream colour. "Oh yes", he said "country buses are being separated from the London Transport fleet." A great deal more has changed since those distant days.