One of the tools you will need when you are about to do the bodywork on your car is a DA sander. DA stands for “dual action”, because you can set the dial on the back to turn the sander into a rotary sander. These sanders are good for everything from shaping body filler to stripping the paint off the body.

If you are restoring an interior light or a parking light, you should make sure the paint inside the light bucket will reflect the light. Bright silver paint is best but white will also do.

If you are trying to smooth out a curved body panel, it can be done effectively with sandpaper wrapped around a paint stick. The paint stick will bend slightly to the shape of the car body, but it remains flat so that high and low areas will be sanded and blended together.

A good product to use when washing your car is Meguiar’s Hot Rims. This wheel-care product really works and cuts right through disk-brake dust. It also removes aluminium oxidization. Spray it on, hose it off and your wheels will look brand new.

Does your car have an electrical connection that continuously vibrates loose? Coat the connection with a liberal amount of hot glue. It holds and seals the connection.

If you do not like the red and blue anodizing used on braided lines, it can be removed with oven cleaner. Dip the anodized part in the oven cleaner and let it sit for a while. The anodizing will come off and leave the part coated with a black compound. The part can be cleaned off and buffed to a shiny silver colour.

If you are TIG welding stainless steel, you should take the tip out and grind it to a sharp point for better welds. Use thin rod, too.

When building an engine, use watertight sealer on any bolts or studs that go through to a water jacket. DO not rely on the threads to seal liquid.

Check your car’s brake fluid monthly. Use a clean cloth to wipe dirt from the brake fluid reservoir lid. Remove the lid and visually inspect the level. If the fluid is low, add fluid but do not overfill. If your reservoir is very low you should check your brake system for leaks; also check your brake-lining materials wear. Remember the fluid goes down in proportion to shoe/pad wear.

3M Strip-Calk (sometimes known as “Dum-Dum”) can be stuffed into a socket to hold a bolt steady while you drop it down into some impossible abyss. The bolt will stay tight and allow you to get it started, and then the Dum-Dum will easily release the bolt.