Rebodying Buses.

[Denv12]

Over the years we have all heard and seen many examples of old buses being rebodied.My late father did one using a Leyland OPS1,extending the chassis,moving the engine in front of the axle then Freighter Lawtons put a new body on it.Before and after photos below.

But,has it ever been done with an older bus where the body was removed and put onto a later chassis,like a CAC SB Bedford body onto a Volvo B58/B59 or even B10M? The older body and its aerodynamic body onto a modern chassis would have made for an interesting vehicle.

[Fleet Lists]

http://www.busaustralia.com/gallery/dis ... pos=-10247
Transdev NSW (682) Leyland Tiger TRCTL11/3R/Custom Coaches "Mk 85 VR" (still branded Veolia Transport) ex Transit First (Demerton Pty Ltd), Bankstown (46) m/o 7647; ex Baxter's Bus Lines (Holroyd Bus Lines Pty Ltd), Villawood (47) m/o 7647; ex Delwood Coaches, Villawood m/o 7647 - Body rechassised from Roman; ex RC49F.

Sold to Southside Bus & Coach Pty Ltd - Blakehurst and then sold to far north Qld for motorhome conversion 21/7/17.

[GM]

Riley Bros 1925 Ruggles Body fitted to a 1942 Ford i think meets this criteria?
Riley Bros - MO 3388 Ford Star Bros 29 - 01 with body from old Ruggles.
Also Eric Riley's, 1940 Syd wood body from Ford fitted to much later Austin Chassis.
Riley E S - MO 806 Ford Syd Wood 1940 28 - Woy Woy Station 21.12.1947
Riley E S - MO 806 Austin Syd Wood 1940 29 - Depot Booker Bay 23.06.1952 - Body from Ford

[Denv12]

Thank you both GM and Fleet Lists for your great replies.I love the photos. I had no idea that this kind of thing happened.Its so interesting.They are some interesting conversions. If anyone knows of any more please add them here.
Thanks.

[boronia]

I think some early Sydney DGT buses had bodies transferred to newer chassis.

[GM]

The Rover Motors decker in the photo I am led to believe had a body swap, but I cannot locate the reference. Rover Motors - No 16 MO 702 Leyland

[GM]

Martin R J - mo 4080 Ford Syd Wood 33 - 15.11.1952 - Body ex Dryden & Wilson mo 172, ex Red Bus No 8

[Trevor 062]

http://www.busaustralia.com/gallery/dis ... pos=-10247
Transdev NSW (682) Leyland Tiger TRCTL11/3R/Custom Coaches "Mk 85 VR" (still branded Veolia Transport) ex Transit First (Demerton Pty Ltd), Bankstown (46) m/o 7647; ex Baxter's Bus Lines (Holroyd Bus Lines Pty Ltd), Villawood (47) m/o 7647; ex Delwood Coaches, Villawood m/o 7647 - Body rechassised from Roman; ex RC49F.

Sold to Southside Bus & Coach Pty Ltd - Blakehurst and then sold to far north Qld for motorhome conversion 21/7/17.

Good Memory Fleet Lists,
Back in the day this Roman was so unreliable, that drivers would refuse to drive it, as they had a fair idea they would have a breakdown during the run.
Delwoods made the decision to take the body off & throw the Leyland chassis underneath..
I think North Coast may have done the change over..

[1whoknows]

Back in the 1970s, Morphetts in Adelaide took two Denning coach bodies off of Bedford VAM chassis and put Volvo B58s underneath.

[Denv12]

Back in the 1970s, Morphetts in Adelaide took two Denning coach bodies off of Bedford VAM chassis and put Volvo B58s underneath.

Thanks 1whoknows.They would have been much nicer vehicles from then on.Does anyone have any photos of the vehicles?

[Fleet Lists]

I found an earlier thread on this subject http://www.busaustralia.com/forum/viewt ... 10&t=26528 in October 2007 where m/o 7647 also gets a mention.

[Denv12]

I found an earlier thread on this subject http://www.busaustralia.com/forum/viewt ... 10&t=26528 in October 2007 where m/o 7647 also gets a mention.

Thank you Fleet Lists for the link.Its good to see more rebodying here.Its obviously more common than I ever realised.I'm glad I posted the topic.

[Fleet Lists]

I was retrieving some old Centralian photos today where the links had not been working. The third photo in http://www.busaustralia.com/forum/viewt ... 10&t=27141 may also fall into this category.

[Denv12]

I was retrieving some old Centralian photos today where the links had not been working. The third photo in http://www.busaustralia.com/forum/viewt ... 10&t=27141 may also fall into this category.

Thank you Fleet Lists.Its a great link with great photos.I dont mind if those photos are posted on this topic too.They represent a unique part of Australian bus history.Thanks for contributing.

[Linto63]

Have a vague recollection of a NSW operator removing a Freighter body from a Bedford VAL and placing it on a YMT of BLP chassis in the late 70s.

[1whoknows]

In Griffith I believe.

[Linto63]

Indeed MIA's MO5253 that was a built as a Freighter bodied VAL70 in 1973 being rechassised with a BLP2 in 1977. https://fleetlists.busaustralia.com/nsw.php?search=MIA

[GM]

This is very unusual, it is a 1920's White body mounted on a 1938 Oldsmobile chassis for Parramatta Ryde - Parramatta-Ryde - Ford, Oldsmobile (ex Maunder), Bedford - c1944 - A Peter Anderson photo.

[AC]

The Rover Motors decker in the photo I am led to believe had a body swap, but I cannot locate the reference. Rover Motors - No 16 MO 702 Leyland

Chassis ex TD1, body ex DRTT 1189? The one that rolled over at Kareela Road, Cremorne.

[Denv12]

Thank you to everyone. There's some great examples posted.Thank you.

[burrumbus]

Indeed MIA's MO5253 that was a built as a Freighter bodied VAL70 in 1973 being rechassised with a BLP2 in 1977. https://fleetlists.busaustralia.com/nsw.php?search=MIA

Also look at Mitchell's coaches and E.Connor Pty.Ltd on the NSW histerical section.

[Red and Cream]

Here is another bus body that had a new chassis placed under it.

This Parramatta- Epping Bus Service vehicle m/o 4898 had a new SB Bedford chassis placed under it in circa 1965 but the body dates from 14/2/56 and originally it had a Ford chassis when owned by Watson and Hulme being registered as m/o 4018. It seems unusual to have a wood framed body reused as by this time most if not all bodies were steel framed.

Here is a Don Allitt photo of it when owned by Watson and Hulme.

In this post we have seen photos by Denv12 and GM of new bodies on older chassis, older bodies on new chassis and the placing of old bodies on old chassis, here are a couple more examples of the latter !!!!!!

813A.jpg (107.5 KiB) Viewed 10899 times

m/o 813 of Campbelltown Transport had an Albion SPM 80 chassis dating from 1935 which originally had a wooden framed Waddington body and was registered as m/o 1204 for the DGT. It passed to Agnews Bus Service in Wollongong as MO 3833 before arriving at Campbelltown. The wooden framed body was dismantled and the current body which is a steel framed Waddington version dating from 1937 was transplanted on to it. It was an ex DGT Lowbridge body which was on a Leyland TD4 chassis which had the redgo number of m/o 1411.

813 C.jpg (147.57 KiB) Viewed 10899 times

Another photo of the hybrid decker is after it was sold to Ray Harris of Casino for his town and school services where it was registered MO 4709.

813 D.jpg (131.38 KiB) Viewed 10899 times

Lowbridge MO 4709.

Another rechassis was this vehicle owned by St. Ives Bus Service, over the years it was registered with them as first m/o 4473 then m/o 5418 and m/o 5574. The origins of this vehicle are very unique as the chassis is a 1938 Leyland TD5 that has been increased in length and was originally under a steel framed Waddington double deck Lowbridge body which m/o 1488 with the DGT. Now it gets really interesting with the body placed on it as the rear half of the body came from a Dennis half cab which was either m/o 1499 or m/o 1503 dating from 1938 also with the DGT. The rest of the body from the centre to the front is a new build by Commonwealth Engineering circa 1961.

[Denv12]

Thanks Red and Cream.Love the photos.
Some interesting rebodying there. They were adventurous with the last bus.Somehow they made it work.
Thanks for adding to this post. Its interesting to see how much was going over the years.They did some interesting conversions,etc. I'm glad that kind of conversion isnt heard of these days.
The M/0 4898 looked better in its before photo.In the after photo the front wheels are so far inwards.Cant imagine what it was like to drive. In all the swaps they must have improvised with lifting equipment.

[Red and Cream]

Thanks Red and Cream.Love the photos.
Some interesting rebodying there. They were adventurous with the last bus.Somehow they made it work.
Thanks for adding to this post. Its

Thanks Red and Cream.Love the photos.
Some interesting rebodying there. They were adventurous with the last bus.Somehow they made it work.
Thanks for adding to this post. Its interesting to see how much was going over the years.They did some interesting conversions,etc. I'm glad that kind of conversion isnt heard of these days.
The M/0 4898 looked better in its before photo.In the after photo the front wheels are so far inwards.Cant imagine what it was like to drive. In all the swaps they must have improvised with lifting equipment.

m

Denv12, The bus companies in those hard times had to be resourceful with their money and equipment (as you would well know with your dad being in the business) but they knew what they were doing as the 3 buses shown were not just a short term measure but were in passenger service for some time, the Albion decker for about 15 years, the St. Ives for at least 12 years and the Bedford was still in service in 1973 after 8 years but i am not sure when it was retired and they all went on to other buyers after their service life. It is a testament to their ingenuity and the robust nature of the engineering of the buses that two of these vehicles are still around today and can stilll be moved around under their own power.
Following is a photo of the St. Ives bus when it was in service and fairly new.

[Denv12]

Denv12, The bus companies in those hard times had to be resourceful with their money and equipment (as you would well know with your dad being in the business) but they knew what they were doing as the 3 buses shown were not just a short term measure but were in passenger service for some time, the Albion decker for about 15 years, the St. Ives for at least 12 years and the Bedford was still in service in 1973 after 8 years but i am not sure when it was retired and they all went on to other buyers after their service life. It is a testament to their ingenuity and the robust nature of the engineering of the buses that two of these vehicles are still around today and can stilll be moved around under their own power.
Following is a photo of the St. Ives bus when it was in service and fairly new.
[/quote]
Thanks Red and Cream.
Those photos are proof of their achievements.Its incredible to see what can be done at that time.There were a lot of gifted people around who just knew how to do these things.They all need to be honoured somehow.Maybe a separate post to pay tribute to them.
Thanks again.
Denv12.