In the six years between it's arrival
at Methil in 2003 and the start of the restoration efforts documented below there
is little to say about the modest amount of work we carried out on SXA63K. Admittedly
we changed the fuel tank for another of the same type early on as the original was
leaking, and started the engine occasionally, but we never really got started
on the majority of the work that was actually needed to return it to roadworthy
condition. So the story of the restoration of FRF63 really starts at Easter
2009, when we decided that something had to be done! And we started at once,
although it was the following weekend before I took the pictures that form the
first picture set in this section...
Framing De-exposed!
Bodywork Job!
Drivers Cab Panelled
July Progress!
Going Grey Up Top?
Two Shades Of Redhead!
Mid-Level Red & Grey!
Rain Stopped Play!
Off-White At Last!
More Red Gloss!
A Quick Facelift!
Goodbye To 'Goodsir'!
Face-Painting!
Red-Faced Fleetline!
Bodywork Back On!
The Finishing Touch?
Up, Up And Away!
Back To Earth. (Without A Bump!)
Tail Up!
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We started our restoration work proper on FRF63 by painting
the back of the inner bodywork and the body framing, and went on to put most
of the original body panels back on. See the early stages of this work in
Framing De-exposed!
Despite delays caused by weather, vehicle rallies, and
other projects, we succeeded in replacing most of the side panelling on
FRF63, and then started adding the securing trim strips that hide the
panel edges. And here are some some pictures illustrating our
Bodywork Job!
Replacing the body panel under the drivers cab window was
held up while we got some necessary frame repairs done, but we finally got
the panel on, and here is a short set of pictures of it in
Drivers Cab Panelled
It's difficult to find a title to cover a complete engine
re-paint, and the necessary filling and sanding of the body panels. And since
I have included for the first time some interior pictures of FRF63, I have
settled on the simple title of
July Progress!
No not me! FRF63! Yes, by the start of August 2009 it was
time to start the re-paint into Fife Red, and as usual we started 'up top',
in this case by putting
Primer On The Roof!
The day after we primered the roof of FRF63
we moved on to paint the roof in undercoat and then gloss, leading to two
sets of pictures taken at lunchtime and in the early evening of FRF63 in
Two Shades Of Redhead!
On weekdays, I am generally at work, so the weekend
after we painted the roof of FRF63 I had to catch up with some mid-week
painting, and since the plan was to work downward, what I filmed was
Mid-Level Red & Grey!
On Sunday 9th August 2009, the plan was to 1. Undercoat
the substantial mid-level sections of FRF63 that were to be be painted
in off-white, and 2. Later in the day apply the off-white gloss over the
undercoat. Alas some heavy showers in the afternoon meant that we didn't
get far with step 2, but there are still some good pictures to be seen of
the day
Rain Stopped Play!
Thanks to my having a couple of days off work, we were
able to resume painting the off-white gloss onto the appropriate mid-level
panels on FRF63 only 5 days after our previous attempt. And see how good it
looked after we did so in
Off-White At Last!
Having painted the upper two-thirds of FRF63, it was now
time to paint the panels that we had started the restoration by putting back
on (see above!). Time for
More Red Gloss!
By late August 2009, we had painted most of the bodywork
belonging to FRF63, but there was one important section still untouched.
But before we could start to paint it, we needed to do
A Quick Facelift!
By Friday 4th September 2009 the last visible piece of
insignia from FRF63s last commercial owner was on the as yet unpainted
front panel, but as the panel was now ready to be primered, it was
Goodbye To 'Goodsir'!
Not exactly the face-painting kids love so much! This is the
bus version of
Face-Painting!
A big step forward in our restoration work came on Sunday
6th September 2009 when we turned FRF63 back into a
Red-Faced Fleetline!
Yes! All of it! And this title has a double meaning as the
last parts to be fitted were the back bodywork! See my pictures of the day
we finished putting the
Bodywork Back On!
Having finished replacing, repairing, and repainting
the bodywork on FRF63, it was time to put on the right insignia,
including three 'Fife Scrolls' which I definitely think are
The Finishing Touch?
Having painted the top, front, back, and sides of FRF63, it
was now time to paint the wheels and wheel hubs, starting with the front axle.
However this meant taking the wheels off, so for the front of the bus it was
Up, Up And Away!
Having re-fitted the newly painted front wheels, it was time
to bring FRF63
Back To Earth. (Without A Bump!)
although with the back wheels still to be painted, not for long!
On 24th October 2009, a mere six days late, I took some
pictures of FRF63 jacked up at the back with the back wheels off! And
while I was doing that, we were also working on the engine as well. See
FRF63 with its
Tail Up!
These pages are owned and maintained by Jeffray Wotherspoon. The storage
space for these pages is provided by the University Of Stirling, but it
is in no way responsible for the contents of these pages. Please email me at
jeff.wotherspoon@stir.ac.uk if you have any questions, comments, problems etc.