Removing inappropriate Hammerite and enamels, or cleaning old cellulose and two-pack paint from parts prior to re-painting, can be a messy chore with most paint strippers. An excellent product is 'Nitromors Automotive Paint Remover' which works quickly and easily on most types of paintwork.
The reverse sides of chromed parts are often ignored, accumulating dirt and debris and leading to rusting and a slow decay. This is particularly the case with hubcaps and bumpers, but can easily be prevented by cleaning and painting the reverse side for protection.
A major enemy of the woolen-based fabrics used as headlining on the LD10 are moths. Removing these pests may seem difficult, since most products available are designed to 'dissuade' moths rather than kill them. There are several approaches that do work, however:
1) Freeze the infested item. All stages of the moth life-cycle are then killed. For smaller items, such as the glovebox, if it fits in a freezer, leave it there for several weeks. For larger items, such as seats or squabs, leave them outside, but under a covered area, on cold winter nights as often as possible.
2) When freezing is not an option, try to expose the item to bright sunlight as much as possible. The larvae do not like being exposed to bright light and moths will not lay eggs on exposed areas. For seats and squabs, this may mean removing the backing cloth and leaving upside-down in the sun for several days, perhaps in a greenhouse. Artificial light is not a substitute for sunlight.
3) Increase the air flow around the item. Regularly disturbing the item will encourage moths to go elsewhere - seeking dark places with still air. Moving the item to an open area with an abundance of air flow (eg. outside on a windy day) works well. A small fan, left running and pointing at the item may help, but as with artificial light, is not as effective as 'natural' treatments.
Several of the 'Clingolite'-style gaskets are used around the engine area (eg. thermostat housing, carburettor to manifold joint etc.) These will often tear when the items are separated, sticking partly to one surface, partly to the other.
To prevent this in future, when re-assembling the joints, use 'Hermatite' between one surface of metal and one side of the gasket and use oil or Vaseline between the other metal surface and the other side of the gasket. The next time you need to dismantle the joint, one surface breaks free cleanly and the other surface sticks, so the gasket remains intact.
Similarly, the cork gaskets (eg. rocker box cover) may stick to both surfaces and break on removal, and are prone to shrinkage. When re-assembling these joints, use 'Bostic' glue between the (thoroughly cleaned) top surface (eg. rocker box) and the top of the cork gasket and use oil on the other side of the gasket, where it contacts the lower surface (eg. cylinder head). The next time you need to dismantle the joint, the gasket surface breaks free from the lower surface and sticks firmly to the upper surface, so the gasket cannot shrink, remains intact and can be re-used after a quick inspection.
Gaskets treated in this way do eventually fail, as they become thinner with time. Always check there is enough material left for a good seal.
To punch a hole in gasket material, use this simple method. Mark the location of the hole on the back of the gasket material and place a washer of the correct size against the mark (on the back of the material). Place the material and washer on a solid surface (such as the anvil of a workshop vice). Place an old bearing ball on top of the material, over the place where the washer is hidden and press the ball down slightly, so that it remains in place. Then hit the ball smartly with a suitable hammer. The hard ball will act like a punch and will cut the gasket material around the inner edge of the washer. This will create a very neat circular hole.
If replacing a window, ensure that any seal joins at the top or sides - not the bottom. It will otherwise eventually leak due to water laying on the lower surface. Seal any edges with silicone and finish with washing up liquid in water for a smooth surface.
Freeing oil or vinegar left on a rusted nut overnight will often help get the nut moving again.
If that fails, use a blowlamp to rapidly heat the nut up.
A few light blows on the hexagon faces of a nut with a sharp chisel will sometimes expand it sufficiently to start it moving. Heavy blows will split the nut and save you the bother. Remember that nuts are easier to obtain than correct bolts so split the nut rather than shear the bolt.
It is often possible to get a seized nut to begin to move, causing it to get hot and expand as it is forced up the rusty thread. Do not stop, as this will allow it to cool down, contract and seize up tighter than before. Use a socket on a ratchet if possible, to speed up the removal, generate more heat and reduce the heat loss from the nut, thereby making the removal easier.
Rusty, domed-head bumper bolts should not be undone as they will turn in their holes once they have been loosened. Instead, buy new bolts and then, using a tightly fitting socket or ring spanner, overtighten the old one until it shears off.
For rusted screws or bolts with sufficient protruding head, a Mole wrench clamped very
tightly onto the head and turn it. That way, the screw/bolt either shears off (if it has rusted solid)
or unscrews as normal. In the former case, the shaft can be filed flat and re-drilled/tapped as necessary.
For dry rust which is trapped between two surfaces, freeing oil is likely to make matters worse. Instead, using a small hammer, lightly tap the surfaces all over. This should result in small clouds of rust dust escaping and allow the surfaces to move once more. This method works particularly well if the rotating handle cover on the starting handle is seized.
If the engine has problems starting or running, it may help to run it on a mixture of petrol and (cellulose) paint thinners for a while. The Americans use paint thinners as race fuel quite often as the toluene in it has very good anti-knock properties - hence no pre-ignition. A generous quantity (approx 25%) of eg. Tetrosyl (available in 25 litre drums from all good car paint suppliers) added to petrol should help.