When making a soldered connection, heat the wire or connector with the iron first and then touch the solder to the wire (and not the iron). We love our butane-powered cordless iron (PN 64-2188), which cost $20 at Radio Shack (www.radioshack.com). To seal the new connection, you can use electrical tape, but heat-shrink tubing lasts longer and looks better.
Efficient Gasket Removal
Whether you are rebuilding your transmission, changing a thermostat, or adding a new intake manifold, you are going to have to deal with gaskets. To ensure that whatever you are putting together won't leak, you have to take the time to prep the two mating surfaces. When you disassemble two components that are sealed with a gasket, chances are very good that some part of the gasket will stick and leave a mess on either surface.
A good old-fashioned paint scraper and a razor blade are good tools to remove the residue but don't work well on uneven surfaces. Soaking each part in carb cleaner or a parts washer is slow, but it's the best technique for delicate components.
For common seal-removal chores such as this water crossover pipe or differential covers and transmission pans, try a small wire brush mounted in either a die grinder or an electric drill. Wear eye protection to shield you from ejected metal bristles and flying gasket material. If you're dealing with a soft material like this aluminum, be sure to grind only enough to remove the gasket and not damage the sealing surface. A wire brush like this will strip all traces of the old gasket and leave a nice scuffed surface for the new seal or room-temperature vulcanizing (RTV) silicone to adhere to.
While we're on the subject of RTV silicone, we'd like to point out that a bead of RTV silicone may conform to uneven surfaces better than paper gaskets and is certainly more flexible. This makes silicone ideal on differential covers that may get whacked on the trail. But paper gaskets have the advantage of maintaining their dimensions when the two parts to be sealed are bolted together. In the case of our water crossover pipe, either RTV silicone or paper gaskets would work, but the RTV might ooze into the water path when we assemble the parts and restrict water flow. Keep in mind this same situation occurs with intake manifolds, thermostat housings, water pumps, and anywhere fluid (or air) must flow through a connection.