Restorations

Restoration Bristol K6A - HKE 867

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Bus Arriving at Coachworks	Upper Deck Starting Work	Upper Deck Cleared of Seats and Showing Old Flooring	Upper Deck Cleared Old Flooring and repairs
New Flooring Going Down	New Flooring Complete	Old seats in Situ	Seats Retrimmed on Bench
New Trimmed Seats place back in Bus	Cleaned up Front End

Restoration of 1945 Bristol K6A

Owned and preserved since 1967 by members of the M&D and East Kent Bus Club, former Maidstone & District double-deck bus HKE 867 (fleet number DH159) returned to one of its former haunts in February 2010 for some restoration work. The Old Coach Station in Preston Street, Faversham, home of South East Coachworks, was once the M&D depot and was probably host, between services from and to Maidstone or Ashford, to this very bus, a 1945 Bristol K6A that was re-bodied in 1953 with a Weymann 56-seat body (H30/26R).

Over the years regular maintenance and some refurbishment work had been carried out here and there to retain its original feel. Recently however, the bus came back for some exterior paint and body work, seat and squab retrimming, upper deck floor replacement and an electrical wiring overhaul.

After all of the seats had been removed, the upper deck floor was taken out and refitted with Malayan plywood, finished with its period brown floor covering. The seats and squabs in the worst condition were disassembled and retrimmed in the correct original brown leather and dense-pile moquette - as always - to South East Coachwork's highest standards.

Externally, the dome at the rear of the upper deck had previously been filled, so as it was showing signs of wear and tear it was rubbed down, refilled and repainted in the original cream of the Maidstone & District fleet colour scheme of its time.

The electrical wiring, a very important and integral part of the Bristol, was thoroughly inspected and removed and replaced where necessary to allow many more years of public appearances for the foreseeable future.

The bus has now been delivered back to its owners, the M&D and East Kent Bus Club who will be submitting it for its MOT after which the bus will be ready for what will be a busy 2010 rally season.  HKE 867 will be attending a number of events in the South East, both on display and 'in service' where enthusiasts and the general public will be able to experience and enjoy the newly restored vehicle.