1960 GM

[awalker1829]

Easier way would be a maintenance log for each bus. Name of person reporting defect and date reported. Name of person who performed repair and date repaired and description of items replaced or serviced.

Every airplane has a maintenance log. Pilot logs squawks (deficiencies). Mechanic logs inspection, corrective action taken for minor issues. Heavy inspection gets logged in detail. Anytime an airplane is sold, it gets inspected by the buyers mechanic and they pour over the logs to verify that everything adds up.

[ffuries]

Easier way would be a maintenance log for each bus. Name of person reporting defect and date reported. Name of person who performed repair and date repaired and description of items replaced or serviced.

Every airplane has a maintenance log. Pilot logs squawks (deficiencies). Mechanic logs inspection, corrective action taken for minor issues. Heavy inspection gets logged in detail. Anytime an airplane is sold, it gets inspected by the buyers mechanic and they pour over the logs to verify that everything adds up.

Google AF Form 1800, you can download it as a PDF and use the form as it is, or use is a template to make your own.

AF Form 1800 is the Vehicle Operator Inspection Report. Required to be signed off each shift, with a checklist of items to checked.

[ffuries]

Any updates Boss?

[awalker1829]

We’re working on it. Got the bodywork touch up finished. The bus now looks like it did in 1960 or thereabouts. We may have some interior work to do over the summer.

The masking we used had a pretty strong adhesive that unfortunately took some of the paint with it when removed. Fortunately our staff has the skills to make painting look easy. We did find an original GM Coach badge for the bus.

We will be putting additional protocols in place for future restoration projects and maintenance. Exactly what form it will take will be worked out with the Division Vice President. He owns a commercial vehicle maintenance shop, so he should have some good ideas.

[awalker1829]

A few pics:

Before:


After:


Before:


After:


The masking was applied to allow the surface covered by the windows (when closed) to be painted.

Before:


After:


In our secure storage area, we have a couple of the old fashioned "Soda cap" advertising signs that often appeared on the front of the bus. By the hole patterns in the sheet metal on the front, this bus had a "Soda cap" applied at one time. It would be neat to fix up one of the signs and apply it. If we do that, though, it would cover the GM badge.

[ffuries]

Damn looking awesome, yall are doing one hell of a job!

[millman]

[Junk Yard Dog]

Did they repaint the lug nuts each time they rotated or changed a tire? I notice they are fresh painted and spotless now, but that color would show damage easily.

[awalker1829]

It would not surprise me if they did repaint the lug nuts. Given the fact that OPT was a small operator (by comparison to other transit companies) and the cost of labor at the time, they probably did paint the wheels if they had time.

OPT had a pretty good run. They were founded in the 1920s as Occidental Bus Company and were owned by the same family up to the purchase of the company by the City of Tucson in the 1970s. The City bought OPT and Tucson Rapid Transit Company and created a unified transit bus system under their SunTran brand.

Now, the granddaddy of all southwestern bus companies is Citizen Auto Stage of Nogales, Arizona. They’re the regional Gray Line operator. They are family owned and have been doing business under the same name for over a century-yes, over a century and under the same ownership the whole time.