Cleveland Transit System 4223

Sometimes you work for weeks and wonder what progress you have to show for it.  Sometimes all that prep work comes together quickly and shows gratifying results.  Such is the way of restoration work.

First Rear Marker

The crew got busy early with Rod Turner on the ladder and Eric Lorenz working from the ground.  New threaded inserts had to be installed to allow the marker lights to be installed - we hoped.

Right Marker

Eric was up on a ladder most of the day, here wrestling the right rear marker into place.

New Step

Meanwhile Alex Randow was working to mount several other items.  This one is a fold up step to access the roof, here mounted on the side behind the exit doors.  There are only three of these to scale the height, and not much to balance upon if you were the unlucky guy that had to climb up there.

On the Roof

This is another of the items installed by Alex.  Once up all the steps you were considered lucky to grab this rung and haul yourself upright.  Woe be to you if it was rainy or snowy.

Rear End

Now to see what the opening paragraph was all about.  Here is the rear end of the car with most of all the accessories and parts installed.  Rear windows, retriever bracket and retriever, two rear marker lights, two rear stop lights, and the three rear bumpers.  It looks like a complete car!!

Installation

The weather has turned much colder so work in the Barn means hats and coats.  But a lot of the parts are going back on the car!  Alex Randow seems to be enjoying a private joke, smiling broadly, as he runs a tap into the threaded holes in the side band mounting pads.  This serves to clean them out - removing any paint accumulated inside these.

Strike Up the Band

Alex, Eric Lorenz, and Lorne Tweed worked to mount each band.  These are low on the car sides, and served as rub bands while negotiating the street traffic in Cleveland.  There are a lot of machine screws to drive to complete the installation.

Left Side

All bands are mounted on the left side.  The final finish coat of paint will be applied after they are in place and when the weather warms up, or we can move the car to a warmer shop.  More parts, including the retriever ring and retriever now appear on the car.

Windows

Yes the inevitable "W" word.  Lorne Tweed was cleaning and prepping more of the sash for the side windows.  Will it never end?

Retriever

John Faulhaber works to get the right fit between the painted retriever and retriever mounting ring for this car, while Pete Galayda and Jim Followell 'supervise'.  Before mounting on the rear of the car, we thought to check the fit and had to sand away some of the new paint buildup.

Lorne Tweed has returned from his travels and he and Simon Harrison continued their work on the car, cleaning and refinishing side window sash, and working to get some of the newly painted parts and trim back on the car.  More parts were delivered by the paint contractor, only two pieces remaining to be delivered.