After all the hours of hard work with little visible improvement, CCT 37071 has finally turned a corner with red topcoat now being applied to much of the body framework. About a third of the north side has been done…

…and the south side has been completed, ready to receive the new timber bodywork once the roof has been stripped and re-canvassed.

The first new timber has also gone in – the gap in the floor has now been filled with new planks, all drilled and bolted into place. Topcoating will continue to finish the body metalwork, then the next job is to build a stud partition wall across the van for its storage role, which will also help brace a weak point in the bodywork which requires strengthening before we go near the roof.