With plenty of MTL Marshalls knocking about, sourcing original seating wouldn't be a problem. Barring that, thats about all it needs, I remember you saying something about the lighting when we went on it, but thats not necessarily sonething that needs rectifying :-)
Like MPTE says it would be great to see it preserved, its done very well! Time will tell if anyone vomes forward to preserve it!
Its a lot more than seating for 7533 to regain its originality, the refurbishment it underwent included flooring (non-MTL Standard) and the repainting of most of the front panels in and around the cab area. I am not too sure how easy this would be to rectify. Such cosmetics are more of a peripheral problem, with Dart's the main concern are certain mechanical components are in good functioning order or have been recently replaced.
How far would you go though, thats the only thing mate. Replacing the floor would be a pretty big job and perhaps rather excessive if it was just in the name of originality. Regarding the panels, I cant expect that would be massively difficult to rectify providing you could source the original colour.
Non-originality aside, it would be great to see it preserved.
(29/10/2012 12:22)K853 MTJ Wrote: [ -> ]How far would you go though, thats the only thing mate. Replacing the floor would be a pretty big job and perhaps rather excessive if it was just in the name of originality. Regarding the panels, I cant expect that would be massively difficult to rectify providing you could source the original colour.
Non-originality aside, it would be great to see it preserved.
I dont want to go too far off topic here, but like others say, restoration is more than just a repaint to the exterior, take Wallasey Leyland Atlantean 1, when that came out of service from MPTE it had the wrong moquette, all the interior was painted blue as well as the floor, it must have taken them months and months to get it back to as-original condition.
(29/10/2012 09:33)K853 MTJ Wrote: [ -> ]With plenty of MTL Marshalls knocking about, sourcing original seating wouldn't be a problem.
Marshall darts have different bench seating which is much smaller in width and the back reast is also a slightly diffent shape
All in the search of originality pal! The seating frames would have to come out, as these have endured the process of a repaint. To take the floor up would be a big job indeed, but you'd rather do a job properly first time instead of a non-thorough job. The front panels themselves were a coloured plastic rather than painted as per all Plaxton SLF's, so it would be a case of testing a inconspicuous area to gauge whether or not the paint can be removed. Did the 753* series P-MBU's have ramps fitted as new? I know they had an opening rear emergency exit windows as similar to the RABA's.
I suppose it all depends on how much you wanted to spend on a restoration to go as far as the floor all you would have to do is remove the top layer to apply a new grayish covering etc, the MBU's never had ramps sadly.
Individuals may want to leave the floor in place certainly. It was only a for instance for any potential takers for 7533 of what, given observations, were non-standard since it was newly acquired by MTL. The ramp would be one less thing to obtain! Also, again to reiterate a previous point, the mechanical aspects of a Dart would be far more important to look at in detail rather than the cosmetics. Cosmetics are really the least of worries.