gingerfold:
The AEC Mk.V ranges of both lorries and PSVs was AEC at its best, both in terms of styling and engineering.
I’m sorry I just cannot agree with that. The lorries are fine with the exception of the driving position but the Regent V definitely not so. Evil piece of ****. 
With the right body yes they look good like The East Kent Puffins with full front but others often not. I know I am not alone in having a poor opinion of the Regent V : Geoffrey Hilditch thought the same.
Lets start with trying to get in the cab, which might not be AEC’s fault but like some other bodies the steps are in the wrong place. One can’t put the right foot in the lower step and then the left in the upper, you fall over. T’other way round and how do you get the left leg in the cab? You have to ignore the top step and put your foot on the tyre. That’s OK if the last driver hasn’t parked the bus on even partial right lock.
Mechanically: granted the Regent III is the same on this point but whatever possessed AEC to allow the front spring shackles to eat away the chassis rails because they didn’t fit a spacer on the outside of the hanger bracket?
To remove the rear cylinder head on anything but an AV470 the front crossmember has to be dropped to allow the head to clear the bulkhead. The sump can’t be removed without taking the engine out because the horizontal bolts have the heads facing the banjo crossmember.As far as I can see the flywheel can’t either; I’ll come back on that one because shortly I have to attend to stripped threads in the crank rear thrower housing and on the reamost long sump bolts. So to do those jobs and get the engine out the whiole front end has to come off. Hopefully the banjo crossmember between the engine and the gearbox isn’t cracked because back in the day AEC supplied it undrilled That must have been the last straw for some fitters. 