Thread: Need help on bus origins.

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True that.
And NZTA persisted me off greatly.

So I just watched last nights "Fair Go" on NZTV OnDemand, Channel One. The Fair Go team was very supportive of your complaint, and did a nice little segment on the bus, it's origin and the problems of it taking sooooo long to get certified. Pretty cool!! Here's a link that I used - Fair Go, Series 2013, Episode 29 | TVNZ Ondemand It's the last segment in the thirty minute "programe".

The phones went mad at the end of the programme, with all the comments positive.
It's a good feeling to know that so many people are on your side.
I don't know if this link will work overseas, but it's worth a crack. . .

Waiting for the bus to come - TV News Video | TVNZ

. . . and I don't know why they wanted to feature the Morris Minor . . .

Thanks for the link Roger. That was a nice piece they did for John. And glad they got involved and provided a push to them pols...

jb,
The link you attached goes direct to the lead in for your segment, while the one I posted is for the entire episode and you have to select your start point. Also, your link did not seem to have the mandatory commercials....

Good deal Glad it almost behind you

Originally Posted by rspears

jb,
The link you attached goes direct to the lead in for your segment, while the one I posted is for the entire episode and you have to select your start point. Also, your link did not seem to have the mandatory commercials....

Cool!
I'm pleased it worked.

Things have moved really fast since Fair Go became involved.
We'll very shortly be able to pick it up and take it to get the interior fitted.
Unfortunately, because of NZTA's intransigence, I won't be here to drive it on its first major on-road trip; I'm gonna be in the States, so that's quite a disappointment.

On the bright side however; it's a major step forward on a project that has been stalled for thirteen months by paper-shuffling bureaucrats.
A pox upon the lot of them.

Originally Posted by johnboy

A pox upon the lot of them.

May they end up in Hell with their backs broken.
o
o

The bus is now in Thames having the interior fitted.
It is registered, (to me too! Someone pulled some strings there, dunno who yet...) has a Certificate of Fitness, (even though the speedo is not yet working; some more strings were pulled obviously,) and we're heading up there Sunday to check it out first thing Monday.

Graeme Cox and Scruffy Dover drove it over to Thames for us while we were in the States, and reported back that they were very impressed with the way it drove, handled, performed, and braked.
So it seems we got things pretty well right.

Obviously I'm disappointed that I wasn't there on its maiden trip; but at long last things are starting to move again.

And that's got to be all good!

hooray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Who is doing the upholstery on it over at Thames Johnboy ? How did you get on with getting into the paintshop again for it's Yellow coat ?

Yep, that's about how I feel Uncle Bob!


Its been a saga.

Whip: the interior is being done by Mathew Donaldson of TraNZtech using a Duralite module system, a laminated foam would be about the best way of describing it.
It's light and well insulated, and a special joining strip locks the panels together.
A fairly simple process.
My original choice of painter has ceased trading as a painter; he now does panel work only.
So I asked him to recommend someone and he told me to deal with Kurt Broker at Waitara.
So I approached him, and he's got it booked in for some time around Christmas.
So that's all good.

Originally Posted by johnboy

Yep, that's about how I feel Uncle Bob!


Its been a saga.

Whip: the interior is being done by Mathew Donaldson of TraNZtech using a Duralite module system, a laminated foam would be about the best way of describing it.
It's light and well insulated, and a special joining strip locks the panels together.
A fairly simple process.
My original choice of painter has ceased trading as a painter; he now does panel work only.
So I asked him to recommend someone and he told me to deal with Kurt Broker at Waitara.
So I approached him, and he's got it booked in for some time around Christmas.
So that's all good.

Yup,,Kurt's a good dude..Does a lot of truck work,,in fact,,the last Western Star front I did went to him..He does a bit of Hooker Pacific's work..

Thought I'd better update this thread a wee bit . . . we headed to Thames 3rd November to check out progress; the stanchions for anchoring the seat belts are being installed, and they too require certifying by an hgv engineer.
(We couldn't mount them sooner because we weren't sure as to exactly they would be mounted until we started installing the interior.)
The engineer involved turned up, took one look and said: "This is that bus that was on Fair Go."
"Yep," said Matt.
"Well I'd better not make a faux pas (euphemism) on it then!"



Meanwhile I've had a plaque made that says:
"The top of this gear lever is from the joystick of a Corsair Fighter/Bomber F4U - 1 as flown by the late Flight Sergeant David Howlett RNZAF of New Plymouth over Manus and Rabul Papua New Guinea during WW II in 1945 with the 19th Fighter Squadron, and still retains the bomb release button and machine gun trigger.
Aircraft stats: 2250 hp Pratt and Whitney R - 2800 Double Wasp Radial Piston Engine.
Max. weight: 14000 lbs.
Max, speed: 417 mph @ 20,000 ft.

This will be mounted on the dashboard immediately in front of the gear lever.

We have also made arrangements for the graffiti on the ceiling to be photographed and transferred to vinyl for re-installation when the ceiling goes back in.

I've not had any progress reports since then from Matt, I'm hoping the philosophy of 'no news is good news' prevails; but we'll shoot up again in a week or two.

And it's progress!
After thirteen months of stagnation.

I'm also thinking on getting a vinyl print made saying:
'Baby Elephant.'
So named because the obfuscation and recalcitrance of NZTA ensured that this project took longer than an elephant to gestate.

Is that rude enough?
Or should I say what I really feel?

I think you have earned the right to put anything on there that you want. (and then some)