When I got my bus the front hinges on the roof were very wobbly and on closer inspection the centre pivots were made from eyebolts and the sliders were badly worn. I therefore wanted to give them a bit of a fix up.
To take them apart you need to grind off the rivets, take some pictures before you do, as it helps when putting them back together.
The individual parts on mine were not too bad a little bent, but with no corrosion. I then sand blasted the parts, straightened them and sent them off for Zinc and black plating.
Using some 3mm thick phosphor bronze to make some new slider parts (2 per side) See picture.
Then 20mm dia. black nylon to make a pivot section. These were made by drilling a 15mm dia hole through the rod and a hole through the centre. See picture
Then cut though the centre of the 15mm hole leaving two shells. (4 halves per side). One on the inside, one on the outside and two back to back in between the two hinge arms.
The plated parts were reassembled using bolts rather than rivets, but rivets could be used.
The picture below shows the finished assembly. Now the roof operates more smoothly with less wobble.
To take them apart you need to grind off the rivets, take some pictures before you do, as it helps when putting them back together.
The individual parts on mine were not too bad a little bent, but with no corrosion. I then sand blasted the parts, straightened them and sent them off for Zinc and black plating.
Using some 3mm thick phosphor bronze to make some new slider parts (2 per side) See picture.
Then 20mm dia. black nylon to make a pivot section. These were made by drilling a 15mm dia hole through the rod and a hole through the centre. See picture
Then cut though the centre of the 15mm hole leaving two shells. (4 halves per side). One on the inside, one on the outside and two back to back in between the two hinge arms.
The plated parts were reassembled using bolts rather than rivets, but rivets could be used.
The picture below shows the finished assembly. Now the roof operates more smoothly with less wobble.
