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Thanks, smellyharry, maybe after a couple glasses of wine it'll start to make sense!

Apologies if it turns out to be halal, I just made that up.

No need to apologise, SH. I just hope my hunch is correct that Al is a legit substitution while (say) Ab is not. Even if I am, there is an intolerable slog ahead if there is no logic to the substitutions.

Am stuck... please can someone correct my logic flaw!
*20d would suggest that every letter in that answer is replaced by 1 letter (7 characters in answer and grid)
*4d has a repeated letter in positions 2 and 3 so first character in answer is also represented by 1 letter
*33a is a 4 letter word. One of the letters is the first of 4d, so a 1 letter, two others are in 20d so also each of 1 letter. Which means that I can no longer construct a six letter entry to the grid...
What am I missing?
Thanks

I have constructed a list of those letters of the alphabet coding to one letter and another list of letters coding to two letters. I’m not sure at present how I can use it!

The 1sr letter of 4d isn't in 33a according to my answers

Ok thanks.

Specsaver, in 33ac, each of the first two letters encodes to two letters, and, as you say, the last two letters of the answer are both in 20d, so they encode to one letter each. I don't agree that one letter of 33ac is the first of 4d.

I'm with Unclued at the moment- almost every clue solved, a complete list of what encodes to one letter and what to two (15 go to 2 letters, 11 to 1 letter), but no idea how to start the actual encoding.

I haven't done 16ac or 37ac - any hints welcome

Ok thanks. Was confused by a different thin metal but have right one now...