Nissan Repair: Nissan rebuild, amp fuse, nissan sentra

Question
K, I'm rebuilding a 94 nissan sentra 1.6l  2 door manual.  I've got alot of work to do.  I have alot of questions.  It's a 4 speed manual, but the fourth gear/overdrive won't engage.  I think it may have something to do with the pressure behind the plate.  I read something on the internet saying a dutch seal leak could be the culprit.  Any ideas what it could be?  Or an estimated repair cost if I can't fix it myself?  I also have noticed that the consistant power is gone, my clock continually resets everytime I shut the car off.  I looked for a fuse but was unable to find a blown fuse.  Any Idea where to start with that?  Is there any way to re-upholster the door fabric?  Now the outside.  It's got a few dings in it.  Should I use bondo body filler on small dings?  The guy who owned the car put a hole in the engine compartment so he could get more air to his air filter.  Can I use bondo to fill that, or should I rivit sheet metal there then smooth it?  I was just going to do a quick patch with bondo, but if it's going to come off in a week, I'm not.  Well, I've already asked alot but I would greatly appreciate some guidance here.

Thanks for your time,
Brian


Answer
Brian,

First if only fourth gear/overdrive will not engage it would be the shift fork or the balking ring being defective.  Take the transmission apart and replace the broken or bent parts.  On the clock the full time power is not connected.  If you cannot find a fuse that powers it wire around it to the fuse block and use a 10 amp fuse and wire to constant 12 volts.  The door panels can be reupholstered by a shop.  Take them in and have the fabric matched.  Bondo is fine for small dings.  But, on rust or larger dents beat them flat first and scuff up the area with sandpaper before using bondo.  Be sure to prime all surfaces to keep rust from forming after you do the bondo.  No exposed metal.  Also, get a trunk lid or a door from another nissan at the wrecking yard and use it for good metal cutting out what you need to fill in any holes.