1951 Ford school bus on delivery day

rusty fender to be replaced

cowl area to be repaired

rust damage in rain gutter

lots of rust around side moldings

rust holes thru top molding

more rust

one rust hole in roof

rust and damage in passenger cowl

over 100 rivets to remove top molding

removal of 2nd molding, I hate rivets

rust holes thru sheet metal under moldings

removal of sheet metal will replace with new. Did I mention I hate rivets, almost 400 on this side.

some rust damage of inner bracing to be repaired

Passenger side is stripped

rust holes thru to the inside

passenger side has twice the rust as drivers side

Bottom of rear door has rust coming thru, will replace

Right front was wrecked at some point, fender replaced, but damage to cowl was not repaired correctly which resulted in a lot of stress cracks

Will replace whole cowl with straight rust free one, cheaper than to repair.

stress cracks on left side as well.

Ugly sheet metal panels holding tail lights.

Uglier hole underneath, will weld in new steel and smooth it.

Even tail light housings are rusted thru.

roof lights rusty, found replacements

All top window channels need replaced

poor repair of step damage, will replace

window frame rust holes

new, rust free cowl almost ready to swap

rust holes in both windshield posts

First brace repaired

repairing lower windshield corner

Tack welding

finish welded and ground smooth

Both corners patched, a little detail finishing to do.

More rust...

Engine out

Cowl removed for repairs

This is the worst it will look, no where but up now.

To most it looks like a lost cause.

Hardest part was removing the glued in flooring

Sand blasting the whole body is next, inside and out.

brace behind step is torn, bent and twisted

More of the crack by the step

Removing bracing that needs repaired before sand blasting

Bottom of dash under glove box door is rusted thru

Starting the dash repair

Start filling holes

Rust is repaired, a few more holes to fill

All holes filled in dash.

Bottom of cowl mounting plate rusted away, will replace about 10 inches, start with flat steel.

Steel bent to shape

Plate is welded and inserted for test fit, alignment is very important.

First test fit of dash and top of cowl

All welded together

All extra holes in firewall have been welded shut and ground smooth.

Starting to fix all the dents and holes in front doors.

1/4" gap

Lots of holes to fill.

Cracks in bottom corner.

Cracks in bottom of other door as well.

In the past someone stripped 3 of 4 cage nuts for the hinge, so they drilled straight thru and used bolts and nuts which collapsed the panels. Easier to replace the steel and cage nuts at the same time

Bottom of rear side door, Swiss cheese, will sandblast, seal, and weld in new steel.

Sandblasting in progress, 2nd day is needed.

With paint removed(9 layers in some areas) more rust damage is appearing.

Replacing a poor weld job from the past in front fender.

Cut the rust out before sandblasting to clean the backside of the brace. And more holes to weld.

Both head light buckets are rusted thru

will try to find new rust free ones to weld back onto the perfect grill bars.

The lower front panel is perfect except for a couple of rust holes...will fix

I can find rust free ones, but not this straight

Doors look great after sandblasting, waiting for cage nuts so I can finish repair.

Top and bottom channels of drivers window very rusty, will make new channel and weld together.

after sandblasting, grinding grooves are visible

Will replace with patch from different fender

Cut, trim, clamp

Tack weld in place

Finish welds, grind, hammer and dolly smooth

Weld small rust holes, patch area was too thin, kept melting away, remove and add new steel

Removing upper trim, fill all screw holes in rear side door

Inside window latches are very rusty, several are thin enough to bend, will try to find replacements.

rust holes fixed in front panel

Made new door bottom

Welded in place

Making new channel for drivers window, 2 bends

and sharp curve

Removed holey channel, trim and fit new, a little more prep to weld, then test fit to bus and repeat on top channel.

Trial fit before final welding.

My hired help(daughter) grinding welds

Rusty channel next to newly fabricated piece

Final fit with both top and bottom repaired.

First inspection of top, more rust, holes in 3 panels.

Eliminating one side trim, will use sections of both to make one good trim.

Trimming section to fit the better of the two trim.

Some careful trimming and weld.

Removing the damaged step side.

New braces in wall welded in

Sand blasting the interior

Ceiling and walls done, a little more on the floor

Primer at last!

Primer/sealer on a lot of smaller parts

Smooth dash

Smooth firewall

POR-15 rust seal painted on inner panels

Front floor area sealed

Floor around rear doors is sealed

Under dash and all seams are sealed, will never rust again

Sealed under all braces (double panels)

Front door post is now straight and cracks welded

Tubing welded into the brace for extra strength

Left side of step, cut, bent, spot welded in place. More welding when whole area is repaired. Test fitting of door.

Removal of damaged panel, made new one, will drill holes for welding.

After removing front panel the damage was more visible and easier to repair.

Had trouble fitting right side, found the floor had separated from the brace, 1/4" gap, cleaned the rust off, clamped welded.

Right side of step, test fit with door hinge, sand blasted steps. Almost ready to weld it all together after final test fitting with both doors in place.

Left door frame all fixed, bottom half of outer skin replaced with new steel.

All welded together, straight and solid

The thicker steel was a challenge to bend.

Test fitting new outer skin.

Left rear tail light area filled with new steel.

Right side tail light hole patched

Found an original seat

Going to add some neat roof brake lights

9 layers of paint can hide a lot of rust, this is above the rear window.

After cutting it loose the holes are easier to see.

Trail fit of new metal with small bead to match original.

Sealed underneath before welding it in place

Raingutter

Worst cut out to expose more rust

New piece cut to fit

All welded in, ground smooth, ready for sealant

Interior lights before and after, painted and stripped clean

More small parts getting sandblasted.

Step area sealed.

Lower interior sealed.

Firewall filled, sanded, primed again.

After sandblasting, more rust holes above windshield.

Towing the old chassis out from under the body.

Hanging around. Heavy enough to bend the A-frame.

Body setting on the ground, much easier to reach the top for repairs.

The last piece of rust repair! Yahoo!

POR-15 rust seal on whole roof, rain gutters, seams, inside openings, etc..

Roof is sealed, adding sound deadener to side panels.

Adding heat/sound barrier to side panels.

Adding heat/sound barrier on roof under new metal skin.

New panels with bead rolled edges that match the rest of the bus, making it look like it could be original.

First trial fit on the 94 Ford chassis, sits too high.

Will have to modify the step, need body moved 1 1/2 " to the left.

A 5 inch kick-up in the frame that I will remove. Will lower the front of the body .

Clamped together, a little more adjusting then start welding.

Grill is powder coated.

Body has 4 more inches to come down but is now hitting the transmission, more modifications to do.

Had to remove more of the firewall than I wanted to, need to remove a little more on the right side.

Made a new defrost ducting to replace the rusty one.

Painted Parts

Different heater, art deco styling from a 49 Hicks bodied bus

frame extension welded on

Front cowl mounts modified, moved inward and up

Firewall and trans cover completed

New skin on the rear door

Final fitting of side panels and moldings before paint, all holes drilled for final assembly.

New panels riveted on final time, moldings next.

Rebuilt door installed

Rear side door ready to install.

First cuts for extending fenders 3 inches

First 3 pieces tack welded in place

Wheel opening will be smaller, but will still fit the tires.

Starting on driver side.

Trying to keep the natural curves

Will almost look factory when done, few more welds to do.

Fits the tire beautifully, opening is 2 1/2 inches shorter, but looks stock.

Final side panel installed, molding s next.

welding done, a little more metalworking, then thin coat of filler.

painting a lot of small pieces

Start fabricating last missing wire cover from flat steel, rough shape

Almost done, a little more adjustments.

Trial fitting all wire covers and window channels, finding a few stripped holes before paint.

Heater all wired with light-up toggle switches.

Heater is actually out of a 1949 bus, a lot prettier than the original 51.

Color on more trim pieces.

All side moldings riveted back on.

Starting to add color to interior.

Primed and ready for final sanding then color.

Will mask off from the rain gutters to paint the roof, doing it in sections to avoid overspray because of its size.

Interior painted time for wiring and assembly.

More parts painted

Engine control panel mounted with the computer mounted behind.

Gauges installed, firewall insulated

Cowl vent mechanism cleaned, painted, installed

Cowl/dash re-mounted to body for final time.

Levers for hood release and gas door.

Double rubber seal between cowl and body to keep the weather out.

Rear roof light housings painted, ready to mount.

Roof all painted, even got the first window mounted.

Weather finally cooperated to finish painting the roof.

Heater set in place to drill holes for mounting and hoses.

About 30 more wires to add, this is just for the computer controlled engine and trans.

Fuse panel, lights, etc.. for rest of bus.

Almost done, a few more wires to route

Hook up last 2 wires and battery cables and ready to start. 4 days of wiring

First trial fit of door with rubber seals, wish it was 1/4" wider. No rubber reproductions available for buses, 100 samples and only one comes close.