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| Joined: | 08-11-2013 |
| Location: | St Louis, Missouri USA |
| Posts: | 9 |
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My older brother has been a body man for over thirty years and a while back we had a discussion about lead for body joint lines and the short version of it was, he said if you're doing a concourse level restoration trying to win the big prize at Pebble Beach, then find a panel man that is experienced in doing the lead fill. For the other 99.99% of automotive enthusiasts, there is a wide array of replacement products that can meet your needs for high quality results without the toxin issue of lead poisoning. The way he explained it to me is environment control (humidity and heat/cold) and applying the product correctly when filling the gap is the key to having a long lasting fill that doesn't crack or separate.
As a point of reference for new methods for joining and sealing panel edges, last year my daily driver (a Dodge Challenger) got caught in a severe hail storm, resulting in the the roof panel needing to be replaced. I was quite surprised to find out most new cars have their roofs just glued together with some kind of high tech double faced adhesive tape. No spot welds, pop rivets, or bolts, just some sticky plastic that should last for the life of the car.