paintman

You might give www.ashcroft-transmissions.co.uk a call.

Put an old piece of carpet down. Comfortable to kneel on & catches any escaping liquids!

Brasso (in 5 litre cans) used to be very popular with the better specialist bodyshops when I was working in a Motor Factors in the mid 70's back in the days of cellulose and enamel paints. For rapid removal use Farecla G3, 3M 'Perfect-it', T-cut. Don't go mad. Especially if you use a machine polisher! If you do use a machine polisher the white foam pads remove paint VERY QUICKLY & you would be safer with the soft black ones. For slower removal - I use a lot of this when finishing paint work after respraying - 3M 'Finesse-it' or an alternative is Farecla G10. If your paint appears to be faded it is highly likely that the car is a solid red, blue or green. They are well known for it on older vehicles. Once you have cut back the surface using one of the above products you MUST apply a good quality polish or the shiny paint surface that you have just exposed to the atmosphere will rapidly oxidise & go back to the dull faded appearance. For fresh paint I use 3M 'Imperial Hand Glaze' and for older fully cured surfaces 'Trade Wax'. You will need to get these from a Motor factor as they are trade products & not generally stocked by 'Motorists shops' On one of our own cars ( dark blue Metro) I generally had to redo it at 5 to 6 month intervals (using 'Trade Wax' on a polishing machine with soft black mop)apart from one panel which I 2K lacquered & as the paint was then sealed from the atmosphere it stayed shiny! The Farecla link posted by Steve is well worth a look. Details their products and includes how to use them. I am not a fan of the 'colour polishes'. When they first appeared I was given a bottle by the rep in the correct colour for my RRC. I did 2 panels & chucked it in the bin. Left lots of powdery residue in chips & scratches & I haven't tried it since Be especially careful if you use any of the compounds on metallics and/or pearls with a power polisher. I see a lot of bonnet damage by DIYers & the usual explanation is that they were polishing away & noticed a little tiny dull spot (usually on a bonnet swage line), so they polished it a bit more and the dull spot got bigger..... What they have done is polished through the lacquer. The colour coat is matt & is now damaged. The ONLY way to sort this out on a bonnet is to have the whole bonnet resprayed as bonnets cannot normally be invisibly spot repaired. You have been warned Don't forget that each time you use an abrasive you are removing a layer of paint!

When I did mine on a RRC I put lengths of threaded stud into the holes, put the new ball joint onto the studs & then pulled it into place using nuts & washers on the studs. Once in, removed studs & put the bolts in. Less chance of stripping the threaded holes in the carrier. But what a b----r to get the old one out Serious work with a big hammer

You might want to check your post, you have said the torque figures for band adjustment 'are in lbf ft not the usual lbf in'. I think you meant to put it the other way round! But, as said, be VERY careful that you get this right - it is lbf in. If you use a torque wrench that is calibrated in lbf ft and set it to 72lbf ft you WILL damage things. Catches a lot of people out. To give you an idea, 72lbf in converts to approx 6lbf ft so you can imagine what will happen if you get it wrong Unfortunately the Haynes does not give the speeds that the box should change at under normal acceleration which I think you need to check first in view of you saying that you have never driven an automatic before. Hopefully someone on here will come up with that?

Hmmm. 5 weeks delivery & then has to be sent back straightaway as bits of it are faulty? Sorry, doesn't fit any definition of 'really well made' that I've come across.

Hooray!!! Always nice to know when something has worked AND when someone has found a company that do a proper job.

The bowing issue has come up on other forums, but if the catches are properly set up then you shouldn't need to bang it.

FF kit worked fine on mine. Be careful cutting the old frame to get the glass out, the glass will not appreciate being introduced to an angle grinder!! Only probs I have found with it are that the fixings they send are not stainless, and that with ally uppers you need to close by pressing on the lower left & right corners. If you need a bit of oomph to shut it & use the handle you will eventually bow the bottom rail making it MORE difficult to close - so proper adjustment is crucial.

Preparation is indeed the key to a quality paint job. Any imperfections will show in the finished job. As will any dust, insects etc that lands on the paint as you are applying it. Solid colours are easier to work with as they do not need a lacquer over the top. Metallics & pearls do need a lacquer over the colour coats (which are matt BTW) and gun technique can affect the appearance of the base coats significantly. mPoor technique can result in the colour having light & dark patches or even more stripes than a zebra The refinishing trade are going through a period of major upheaval at the moment due to converting to water based paints under the EC Directive. Solvent based paints - this includes cellulose- will not be available from Jan 1st 2008, so any DIY painter is going to have to adapt to the techniques required by compliant paints As I specialise in SMART repair I will be using waterbased colour coats overpainted with clear lacquer for both metallics and solids as this suits the type of repairs I do.

www.kalimex.co.uk

Whilst I can't help with suggestions for a professional respray, I agree entirely that you would be best getting it done profesionally. Many people try to DIY it but unless you have previous experience it tends to end in tears and frustration. You might do better putting your location in your profile.

How frequently is the car run on petrol? If never - and if the petrol has been in the vehicle for some time - then it could be the petrol has deteriorated to the point where it really isn't petrol any more. Have a look at www.go-lpg.co.uk/hints.html for other suggestions. Or you could have a defective temp sensor & the vehicle is OVERfuelling - which can also make them run really rough. I also think it unlikely to be a problem with the ignition side of things as you are experiencing no probs on LPG.

Is correct. But have a look at how the old panel was attached. Some are part seam welded & part spot.

93 should have the BW box Identification pics & checking instructions are on www.ashcroft-transmissions.co.uk complete with authentic workshop hammering & banging noises!

There is a 'blind' spline on the drop arm & the shaft which need to be lined up. It is possible to get this wrong, you think all is nice & tight & you then get the self-loosening drop arm syndrome. As to how I know that one.........