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Anyone who's used body filler knows how difficult it is to spread over "delicate" areas. You know: when the filler has to spread over a very thin imperfection or just has to provide that "last little surface."

The problem is that the filler is fairly viscous and resists being spread in a thin film. The result is air bubbles or a thicker-than-desired surface that requires more careful sanding. While there are specialized fillers designed to spread more evenly, here's another useful idea: Add a little liquid fiberglass resin (you invariably have a big can of it that will never get used up!) to the body filler and catalyst mixture. Stir everything well (the catalyst works in both products, so don't worry) and there you have it - a smooth, less-viscous, creamy mixture that will spread beautifully.

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Classic Restoration Cars

You know how the motor control and in the case of the automatic transmission fluid: just look at the dipstick. The right - or wrong - the level of coverage is obvious.

What is not is obviously the condition of the oil, so the next time it is a clean piece of white paper with you. Paper towels or toilet paper are most suitable for this operation.

Clean the dipstick on the white paper and watch the remaining oil. Engine oil should be firm, without a particle or "sect". If they exist, you have to watch out for leaks and oil change. Recognizing the rest of smell, traces of gasoline, or "blow-by" or the smell of burnt oil.

Purposes of this test with gear oil, it should also be a color (usually red), not "burned" visible particles or color. If it smells burnt, it was too long or there are problems inside the transmission.

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Classic Restoration Cars

Do you have a filthy, painted-over, but otherwise salvageable VIN, engine, transmission or other identification plate that is original to the car? Probably so, and you don't know how to clean it up without losing the very imprints you're trying to save.

Many of these plates were silk-screened or printed in easy-to-remove, oil-based inks, so you don't want to attempt a cleaning using solvents or abrasives. What should you do?

Do what the restoration Car people at museums do, of course! Use gel-type hand cleaners!

That's right, the art historians who regularly restore priceless paintings use everyday gel hand cleaners (you know, the greasy stuff that doesn't contain pumice!) to gently lift off layers of crud from the delicate finishes.

Use very soft cloth or cotton balls spread with a thin film of cleaner. Gently wipe the plate surface back and forth, changing the cleaning material as it picks up dirt and grease. Be patient, because this will take considerable time. Eventually your plate will look quite presentable, if not like new. When finished you can apply a little polish to the plate to brighten it up.

Your identification plate might not have anywhere near the value of a museum painting, but it's just as important to you, so clean it carefully.

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Sometimes it's easy to remove cotter pins and sometimes it seems like they are holding the entire car together. You pull and bend and twist, using a strong pair of pliers, and it takes way too long to get the pin out. You've even managed to break perfectly good needle-nose pliers by trying to get a cotter pin out, haven't you? What to do?


The chief reason a cotter pin is hard to remove is because you are pulling "in line" with the pin. Any bends or twists in the pin lodge it in its hole. What you need to do is use leverage, and that means you need to convert in-line motion to 90-degree motion.


A way to do this is to use the old-fashioned, seldom-used drum brake tool. You know the one! It looks like a weird pair of scissors that has a sharp point on one end and a bent spiral on the other. It has long arms that pivot, to provide lots of leverage for those tough brake return springs.


Position the brake tool so that you can grab the cotter's eyelet with one end or the other, then use the leverage of the scissors-action to help pull out the pin. It works!

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We've all had this problem. The roll of masking tape in the garage has been sitting around for several years, through winter and summer. We desperately need to use it and now, when we start to pull a strip, it comes off in shreds or tears along its length. It's nearly a full roll and it seems to be useless. Besides, now we'll have to go buy another roll or find a neighbor who has some.


Don't run off just yet! There's probably some hope for that stiff, aged roll of tape. Take it into the kitchen and place it in the microwave oven. Give it 30 seconds (no more!) on High and take it out when the buzzer sounds.


How is it now? Can you tear off a length without problems? Chances are you can, since you've "rejuvenated" the adhesive with microwave energy. The tape should stay in good shape for quite a while afterward, and you can repeat the "treatment" several more times before you cook the adhesive forever.

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Brake fluid "eats" paint. Although widely used for many decades, brake fluid is nasty stuff that - given the chance - will spill onto your paint and strip it off. Thousands of unhappy do-it-yourselfers have had the unfortunate experience of "topping off" the master cylinder and spilling a little fluid on the firewall, fender or cowl area under the windshield wipers. Later they've discovered damaged paint that couldn't be buffed out or repaired without a touchup.


A good habit to get into is to wrap the brake fluid container with a soft paper towel or rag, extending the material close to the pour spout. Then, if any drops fall they will be absorbed by the towel. If your master cylinder is hard to reach with the container's spout, place a large screwdriver (cleaned, of course) into the reservoir and place the spout on the screwdriver's shaft. Slowly pour and the fluid will creep along the shaft. When finished filling, seal the container tightly and throw away the towel or rag to prevent its touching the car's finish later. Just because it dries off doesn't mean the residue won't harm the paint.


Oh, and that opened container? Well, if it's less than half full don't keep it around more than 6 months. It will have absorbed too much moisture.

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It never fails. Just when you need a certain gasket either the stores aren't open or they don't have one to fit. Worse, you just ruined the one gasket you had, and now you have to stop the project.

Not to worry, however, because you can make your own! Right now, before you forget, run down the to auto parts store, hardware store or small-engine repair shop and buy some gasket material. You can find all sorts of gasket materials, from cork to composition, fuel-resistant to metal. It comes in sheets roughly the size of typing paper and frequently can be found in sets that contain an assortment of common materials.


Okay, now you have the gasket material and you've selected the proper sheet for the job at hand. How do you cut it? Carefully, that's how, but not as carefully as you might think. After all, the holes through which the fasteners go don't have to be beautiful do they? Here's what to do...

If you have the old gasket, use it as a template to draw on the new material. If not, place the material on the surface of the part and gently - gently! - tap on it to create an impression of the holes and passageways on the underside. If you have a copier and the part is small enough, put it on the glass platen to make a paper template for the gasket.

When drawing, use a very sharp pencil or even an Xacto knife to make accurate lines. Drill fastener holes with appropriately-sized bits, preferably Forstner bits. Cut passageways with a new, sharp razor or Xacto blade, taking your time to get a nice sharp edge. You can always lightly sand rougher edges to make a smooth opening.

here you go! Keeping an assortment of gasket material around means you'll never have the problem again.

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These days most of us live in urban areas that, while well represented by big box stores and strip malls, are devoid of sheet metal shops and other industrial supply stores. When you need sheet metal for that welding repair on the fender, where do you go?


Sure, you can hop in the car and take a drive out to the countryside to visit some outlying town where such shops still exist, but that's a lot of effort and wasted time. Also, many sheet metal shops have a minimum requirement that you purchase no less than a 4' x 8' sheet. Instead, why not drop over to the nearest junk yard, police impound lot or wrecked-vehicle tow center?


If you go to one of the above you will find the managers will let you take a door, hood, fender or trunk lid for little or no money. Just tell him you're looking for sheet metal and he'll usually point out some hulk from which you can remove pieces.


The advantage of doing so is that the metal will almost surely be a close match in gauge and alloy to your project - unless you're working on something older than 1950, in which case you'll have to find 20-gauge metal or thicker.


Another advantage is that the metal you find on modern wrecks is chemically treated against rust and is also "hardened" from the stamping process at the factory. Raw sheet metal isn't hardened and is easier to ding or dent.

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The nozzles on spray paint cans are precision-engineered and the orifices are typically laser-drilled for accuracy and spray pattern. Once used, even though the can has been inverted to clean the nozzles, there is a film of paint left inside. This film can affect the spray pattern and atomization in subsequent applications.


To keep nozzles clean or to renew a clogged nozzle, soak it in lacquer thinner for a few hours. Then put it back on the can and invert to spray out the solvent. Keep a few extra, used, nozzles around as backups. Sometimes a new can of paint won't spray well and the replacement of a nozzle frequently fixes the problem.


When using masking tape, remove it before the paint cures. That is, remove the tape within a few hours of painting to minimize the "rough edge" effects common to masking. If a sharp edge is absolutely necessary, gently run a new razor blade or X-Acto knife along the edge of the tape before removing. Special tapes specifically designed for this application are sold in auto paint stores.

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In the old days we washed the car and then used the same soapy water and a brush to clean the whitewalls. They came out nice and bright. Today's whitewalls seem to turn beige after a few weeks and the auto parts stores' shelves are filled with special sprays and nostrums to clean whitewalls. Many of these products work, but leave a cloudy film on the body of the tire or cause it to lose its soft sheen.


The reason whitewalls become brown is because of the synthetic compounds in the tire rubber. As the tire sits these compounds react with air and form the brown film. It cleans off the tire but stains the whitewall.


One of the best - and least expensive - methods of cleaning whitewalls is a bleaching cleanser, such as Comet or Ajax. Wet the tire, cover a wet scrub brush with the cleanser and scrub the whitewall. It will brighten up instantly. Scrub the entire circumference, then wash off the whole tire with soap and water.


If you like to use preserving or shining agents (ArmorAll, etc.) be sure to read the label to see if it should be spread on whitewalls.

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It's tempting to purchase a set of magnetic screwdrivers, isn't it? There are occasions where being able to lift up a dropped screw, nut or c-clip.


with a magnetized screwdriver just makes sense, but don't invest in one. The reason? Because most of the time a magnetized screwdriver will move a fastener around or otherwise make itself a nuisance.


Instead, keep a refrigerator magnet - or other suitable magnet - stuck to your tool box. When you need a magnetized screwdriver, just wipe the tool in one direction only a few times across the magnet. Voila, it's magnetized! When you want to demagnetize it, wipe the tool across the magnet in both directions.

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The problem: Painting stuff without removing it from the car. You know, that linkage on the carburetor needs some color but you have to do it without painting the carb itself, the intake manifold or valve covers. Or, maybe the


panel holding the radiator could use a coat of paint but it's too much trouble to remove the radiator, hoses, brackets, etc. Maybe you're dyeing the door panel and need to mask the handles, or touching up a small area of the dash. Using newspaper and masking tape is difficult, time-consuming and frequently lets overspray through.


The solution: Aluminum foil. Everybody has a roll of this inexpensive, versatile product. It "forms" itself over any shape easily and quickly. Masking tape sticks very well to its edges, without the nuisance of cutting newspaper and trying to hold it while sticking a strip of tape to its edge. Also, aluminum foil works great to cover carburetor intakes, generator/alternator air intakes, A/C compressors and all the other stuff you don't want to get wet when you clean your engine.

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Windshield wipers chatter and skip even though they are new? The reason is your windshield is dirty! Yeah, we know you cleaned it with Windex after washing the car, but it's still dirty with an invisible film of road salts and oils. This film must be scrubbed off. The best thing to accomplish this task is Bon Ami cleanser, still found in its original 1940s-style can in the supermarket. Wet down the windshield, liberally sprinkle the powder and scrub with a soft-bristle brush (you know, the kind your Grandmother used to scrub the kitchen floor with). Rinse thoroughly and dry off with paper towels. You can clean older wiper blades the same way too, since the films accumulate on them as well.


Tip for this tip: Do this before washing the car to avoid mess.

2nd Tip for this tip: Don't (repeat: don't), use Ajax or Comet or any other chlorinated or pumice-containing cleanser. If you do, you're going to have to learn how to re-polish the windshield glass. We'll be doing an article on how to do that, but that's later!