2413 restart.

Back while everything was still at Terrey Hills, I had organised through SW a body builder to see to a few knocks and damage on 2413's - when I got her, there was a hole in the top nearside corner, no doubt she had hit something - this let water in, while he was at it, Nick fixed the offside corner at the front and the offiside rear corner - seems she had suffered a hit that had damaged both fibreglass panels

Unfortunately Nick was never able to finish the work because 2413 ended up being boxed in, in that yard and then when it cleared up again, he couldn't get her started - no one could, it would seem that 2413 didn't like being there since after that, she'd either not start (and flatten the jump pack) or if we got her going, the theory was she was sucking in too much air, it seemed to be the symptom everytime - start her up and wait for the engine to get going cylinder by cylinder (ironically at Oakville kicks over first go...)

Then at the beginning of 2010, she was moved to Oakville

Mat Barber

Then trying to offload my 'excess' buses took precedent as well as being on the committee of the Historic Commercial Vehicle Association (HCVA) while also being on the Management Committee of the Sydney Bus Museum (where I am still Safety Officer) and helping with the move from Tempe to Leichhardt, I did not see her for a while - indeed during that move the registration on 1930 lapsed.

A few people did start saying to me "poor old 2413..." one even started to compare me to a famous (in bus circles) Randwick resident - needless to say the criticism was warranted and I'd try brushing it off. 

While her body is in pretty good condition as well as her transmission - her engine has always been a concern, basically she had 'jumped the shark' so many times in her later years at the STA that by the time I got her, her engine was on it's last legs. Late in 2011 I also priced the cost of a rebuild kit for a Mercedes Benz OM407h engine - the best price was $2,200 with others creeping up towards $3,000 (of course Mercedes themselves it was more like $3,500!)

I often wondered, starting her up in summer, would there be a four wheel drive red truck out on the road with sirens and lights on, coming to investigate?

  I thought I would be a restoration purist and learn more about these things and assist a mechanic I knew in rebuilding the engine - that idea soon faded as there were rumours of an auction by the STA of parts they had salvaged off buses they had been sending to scrap since 2010. So with that in my mind and having heard from a colleague at the Museum that these parts did exist - engines, transmissions and body parts, that they had transported loads from Leichhardt to Tempe for the STA. I held out on purchasing a rebuild kit for 2413.

2413 had ended up being buried at Oakville, the last bus near the boundary fence! One day, there was a little bit of a shuffle and I put my 2 cents in - I wanted 2413 out of where it was - I wanted to get it restarted! 

If you look closely - just behind the front is a Leyland Buffalo (?) certainly a Leyland - that has been down there many years

Edison Keung

I got her out of that corner (ironically 3026 sits there now) and into the active line, however, after all that she only ended up just over one row and up one bus - but still in view when I went there, not hidden - I started on little inside jobs, removing the mid 90's ad frames and it was odd - instead of the pegboard underneath being 'baby poo yellow' - it was more a beige colour found on later mk4's and the mk5's

The next job was removing the seat backs and bases - the mk2's have mild steel seat frames, they were originally powder coated - I have a feeling this process was repeated when overhauled at Chullora and for the fifty that had full refurbishments at McGraths in the 1990's. Some preservationists have chosen to do the seats first, whereas I, I'm waiting until 2413's under the awning to do it - the seats have been stored in the mkI shed - some will be swapped out given their poor condition, but most will return.
The one stainless steel seat frame will be replaced with a mild steel one out of 2202

As the Oakville yard stood, 2413 was in one spot, ex 2202 was in another, with ex 2184 behind it - the owners of 2184 wanted to part it out, 2202 needed to be moved 

So out she came and that was the day I got 1930 going again as well! (that's the one with the mucky roof). The nearside rear corner had been taken off by the owner of 2209 (before I owned 2202) and used on that vehicle which is also being restored at the moment. To get to 2413, 1930 had to be moved as well - so I took the opportunity to start sprucing her up for her October long weekend outing.

2202 was then pushed back into the spot occupied by 2184 previously (by the fence) and 2413 parked in front of it

A few months later - during a shuffle to get one of RC's Leopards out - 3092 and 2413 got the closest together that they probably have since they were depot mates at Kingsgrove and Tempe!

For while I had given up on the rumoured parts auction, but then, in late August there was word that it would finally be happening on the 14th of September - I attended and ended up spending a couple of hundred dollars more than the cost of a Mercedes Benz OM407h engine rebuild kit I ended up with eight pallets, three had engines on them, one had a spare transmission for 3092 and one Voith transmission for the landlord - one MAN engine and two Merc engines - one for 2413 and one for 1930, both had been rebuild in the two thousands by the STA, but yes for my two O305's, they can be re engined for under $1,000! 

(Yes they're an unknown quantity, but from what I can tell, they were kept for a reason)

Securing these parts put a new determination into me to get 2413 well and truly restarted, so in the middle of October myself and PJ went up to the yard and gave her the most thorough wash 2413 has had, certainly since I have had her!

There's a first time for everything! Previously I had got others to hop on the roof of my buses (one person in particular seems to have no fear!)  but I decided no, it's my bus, my project, I should be the one to do it! I'll admit it's looking alot whiter than it does here - but the lichen are for the most part still there...... each little breeze up there felt like a howling gale so I got off as quick as I could - I purchased scaffolding off a friend who is built his own house - the next time I'm up that high - I'll be stepping off that scaffolding, a final clean before sanding and paint, I'll use a hot pressure washer instead

So after it's first wash in probably three years - we took her up to Pitt Town for a drink (yes she's registered, can't you see all the labels ;) )

 Out the front of the yard after wash (turns out she was a bit dry in the radiator too). This was the first time she'd left the bounds of the fence since being moved from Terrey Hills to Oakville

At the BP at Pitt Town - funny thing about taking buses to small servos - they always know who you are!

On the drive back -
a bit of a posed corner

The report back from PJ was she does all the right things, makes the right noises - just has a very tired engine.

Right now, I'm just waiting for the 'heart transplant' to occur, I'm looking forward to doing whatever I can to assist there - for that to happen some parts need to goto the landlords 'apple shed' which will give more room in the area under the awning. Also they have an Atlantean coming to supply an engine to one of their restored Atlanteans - which will also goto their other location - which will open up the 'top road' for the first time in a long time!

The next blog post on 2413 will be about her transplant :)