Romahomepete

The skins on new doors is always going to be softer than teh original a"birmabright" is no longer available. Peter

SPGlobal make galvanised door tops Peter

Probably safer to heat the bolt. The heat will transfer to the caliper and they will exapnd at different rates. Apply your favourite penetrating oil (not WD40) as it cools down. Peter

If you are going to galvanize a bulkhead or front panel make sure the are rigidly fixed to a vesy sturdy supporting frame otherwise they can twist in the process. My bulkhead is 62 years old, has had new pillars and footwells and a tinyholde repaired below the windscreen and the front panel has a new lower section. I think they will see me out without galvanising Peter

I think you are best starting from the other end. If you want to import and register it for road use in France you need to find out what their requirements are. They may not like the idea of importing a non standard vehicle. As far as building a vehicle anything is possible but whether you can get it through the French requirements is different. On the S2 forum (and on here) there are members with land rovers who are french or are english and live in France. Seek their advice. Peter

part of most pre second world war mechanics tool kits included a device for separating leafs on springs to allow lubrication. It was basically a G clamp with the pad on the end of the screw missing and the end of the screw being pointed. Peter

You could always do it manually and use a monodex sheet metal cutter, that is how they used to cut van sides to put windows in or the moderne air driven equivalent nibles tool Peter

We had the S2 club AGM at Land Rover Reborn last year and we were given a very quick tour, there were racks of S1s waiting for "restoration" but they seemed to be on hold because they were working on very late model defenders which they had bought in to upgrade and improve to make "like new". The sale price was eyewatering, you could buy a house for less. Peter

You would get a much better prodfuct from Robert Owen who makes S2 and S3 bulkheads Peter

It will not be a manufacturing defect. My dad worked for C and J Hampton and Co makers of record tools and their successors from 1946 to 1983. he was a tool setter on vices for part of that time. they did not sell seconds. they were all scrapped. Workers were allowed to dismantle scrap items and build good ones for their own use, sold at a peppercorn price but inspected before they left the factory. They valued their reutation. Peter

I think perhaps you should also check other jobs that he might have done. Such scant regard for safety is scary. Peter

Not helpful in this situation but whenever we get a vehicle new to us one of the first jobs is to slacken all the wheelnuts/bolts and retighten to the correct torque then test the supplied wheelbrace to make sure I can remove at the side of the road. It just makes life so much easier. Peter

Unless you are painting the whole vehicle when buying paint by ref no is OK you are better having an existing panel scanned and the paint matched to that as the paint will already have faded. Peter

It is acceptable to use cable ties to retain TRE boots, if you buy a CV boot kit for a modern car the chances are that it will come with cable ties instead of metal clips. People like Blanchards may have better quality NOS boots. I keep a stock of boots in as they split on a regiular basis, whatever they are made of they are not the same quality as originals. Peter

You would expect them to include all the bits in the kit!! Peter