Stuart - I am an ex-teacher that happens to have an allergy to chalk dust (really). I thoroughly enjoy the sharing of information. The hardest problem in answering some of the questions is wording the answers so to not violate the forum axiom that advertising should only be done in the swap meet section. So keep asking, and I will try to answer. Sometimes I will ask you to call, as some answers REQUIRE a dialog.
Baldbaron - your last question is one of the 'delicate' ones. One could expect to pay probably as little as $100. to a corner garage with 'professional' mechanics, and as much as maybe $600. to a company that does show quality (recolor, replate, blueprint, etc.).
Tiny - your question also fits this category. Carter (and Rochester) used velumoid as a gasket material. Velumoid was cut wet, and will shrink over time. There are vendors pushing new old stock kits. Also, there are 4 SIMILIAR BUT DIFFERENT bowl cover gaskets used on the W-1. Some vendors show only 2 kits covering all of the W-1's. Another company went to the trouble of acquiring the original blueprints and bill of material from Carter, and makes the proper gaskets for each kit. There are also many grades of gasket material.
But the gasket issue does bring up another 'trick of the trade' - the 'hammer' method of making a gasket. Simply go to the local parts house and purchase a roll of the black 'rubberized' gasket material. You also need a ball-peen hammer. When you need to make a gasket, cut a section of the material larger than the area for the gasket, lay the material across the surface, and GENTLY go around the edges striking the gasket mateial with the peen of the hammer. This will give you a proper size gasket with rough edges. Use this as a pattern to draw on some more of the gasket material. Cut out the new gasket, and you have one with smooth edges. Fingernail sissors belonging to your wife or girlfriend (NOT BOTH) make cutting irregular shapes quite easy.
Jon.
