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| Body Joint Leading? | Rating: 
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| Posted: 01-14-2014 10:00 pm |
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1st Post |
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answerman Member
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Question for those of you who have been there... As related in my thread under "Projects", Ms. Jenavieve/16173 is currently in the disassembly process. As part of the process, I had to torch the lead solder in the fender joints to get at the rivets, etc. I assume a lot of you have been here: when it comes time to put her back together, how did you handle this part of the body finishing? Did you actually resolder? Use Bondo or something? Just leave the joints as is? Just curious.
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| Posted: 01-15-2014 02:24 pm |
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2nd Post |
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Brett Gibson JH5 20497 Member
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JC Whitney sell a leading kit with the proper tools to do the job, not cheap, from what I have picked up about leading it's more in the tools that get's the job done correct. That said I'm thinking of going with "Bondo" there are actually a number of differant types and hardness "Bondo's" on the market and what has been recomended to me from a good friend in a body shop is an extremly hard "Bondo" I think I will tack weld a spot then finnish off with that. It would be nice to hear how others resolved this issue..... Brett
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| Posted: 01-15-2014 05:44 pm |
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3rd Post |
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answerman Member
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My concern with the Bondo is that it actually might be too hard. There's the potential for a bit of flexing at these joints (the front of the rear fender, on top right behind the door jamb, is the place I am thinking of) and I can see the Bondo just cracking as the panels shift. Though maybe a tack weld would keep it from moving, as you said. I won't be to that point for a while. Waiting to see what others have done... I suspect Art and Mitch will have suggestions or at least "what worked for me" experience.
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| Posted: 01-16-2014 12:41 am |
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4th Post |
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roland11a Member
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Hi I've recently stripped two JH's to rebuild into one and i've not come across any lead loading. I would suggest that yours might be as a result of a previous rebuild. The JH's seem to have been build to a budget with minimal special tooling, Spot welds where possible and pop rivets in the more difficult to reach areas. Roland
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| Posted: 01-16-2014 02:54 am |
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5th Post |
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Art DeKneef Member
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The preference now is not to use lead. One, lead and lead fumes are toxic. Yeah it might be in a low dose but why bother. Two, current body fillers have made lead obsolete in most cases. Plus, for the hobbyist, it's trickier to use because you need to heat it and you have to buy special tools to apply the lead properly. Whereas with body filler there are no special tools needed usually. You are on the right track. Tack weld several spots to help limit movement, sand the metal with 36 - 50 grit, push the filler in the area, shape and let dry. Sand to shape and you should be ready to prime. If you plan to apply filler to the metal use something like All Metal or Metal to Metal. Made for applying to metal, has good sealing characteristics to help protect from rust and workability. Cover with something like Rage or Rage Gold. And to Roland: Strange that you haven't seen any lead on your cars. I'm familiar with 7 cars and all of them had lead in the front and back area of the rear fenders.
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| Posted: 01-16-2014 08:14 am |
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6th Post |
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gmgiltd Member
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Agree with Art - my GT was originally lead loaded but was bondo filled almost thirty years ago when the wings were replaced. Its not just the fumes that are hazardous - its also the sanding or grinding dust that you can inhale or absorb through your skin. Gordon
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| Posted: 01-16-2014 02:28 pm |
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7th Post |
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Brett Gibson JH5 20497 Member
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I agree using lead does have it's issues but there are lead free products that do the same thing. http://www.eastwood.com/ew-standard-lead-free-body-solder-kit-with-dvd.html no connection just to show an example. But truely "Bondo" has come a long way since our cars were built and there are products out there that will now do the job, but the dangerous part comes when un-leading the front and back tops of the rear fenders. Brett
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| Posted: 01-16-2014 05:11 pm |
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8th Post |
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answerman Member
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OK. Sounds like the consensus is to not use the lead (which is fine because it looks like an art that I would have to learn) but instead to tack weld in a couple of places and then use one of the new and improved body fillers. That's kind of what I was thinking but was looking for confirmation. Roland, I have to go with Art on this one: this is the second time I've gone through the fender removal (first time was the parts car last summer) and on both cars the rear fenders were leaded both front and rear, and the front fenders were also leaded up near the headlight. I would suggest just the opposite of what you said: that the two cars you've worked on were already redone once without the lead.
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| Posted: 01-18-2014 01:19 am |
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9th Post |
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roland11a Member
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Yes I think you're right mine have had new wings in there lives. I'm just suprised that Jensen was still lead loading in the 70's Mines got plenty of bondo on it now as prep for its spray job, Nice and white Attachment: photo 4a.jpg (Downloaded 71 times)
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| Posted: 01-18-2014 07:59 pm |
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10th Post |
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Primordious Member
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Just my two cents here... 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.
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