I figured I would ask , because I have a few lead bars laying around . I was going to use them for making fishing weights and jigs , but will use for panel filler if it's worth it . Has anyone ever filled small holes with lead before ? I don't hear anyone talk about using it here , so I thought I would ask . If this sounds like a good idea and anyone has any exp. in doing this , I would appreciate any input you could give . Thanks

Bryan

 

I wouldn't recommend it at all Highly toxic at the very least. This is what body filler is used for. Lead WAS used in seams of the C pillars of A-bodied GM cars and other platforms and makes I'm sure of but I wouldn't recommend even sanding on that without a really good respirator not just a dust mask.

 

I'm more interested in how it stands up to other methods in the long run , if it's even worth it . I'm also refering to real small holes , nothing big .

 

Bry, do you have a welding unit? I was able to stick a piece of sheet metal in back of my body panel and fill some real small holes. Maybe try that?

I just went to cabelas in seattle and bought a sweet .44 mould so i can use up my wheel weights

 

Well I know eastwood makes a lead free body solder, I know you don't sand the lead, you file it, but eastwood shows this lead free stuff that you can actually sand? I dunno you have to heat the panel another few hundred degrees and I don't know what that will do? I will watch this thread because i was considering it for the seam on my quarter panel repair, I see most guys go with all metal or similar, I think even the factory went with a plastic filler at some point but don't know for sure... can't you mig,and a copper paddle or even use brass and braze the small holes? what are you considering small ?

 

one fender has a couple of small holes the size of a pea maybe once cleaned up .

 

I never welded before , and don't own a welder . Good idea with the wheel weights .

 

I guess people did not worry much about toxins back in the 70's . I remember playing with those lead bars when I was a kid.

 

my car had a few spots that were treated to a lead filler probably 25 years ago - sure held up great.

 

A friend of mine ran a shot tower back in the eighties,had a crew of seven who were around 1500 lb of molted lead all day, not one of them ever showed any sign of elevated lead in ther blood. It's hard to assimilate lead unless it's been broken down to gaseous form or dissolved by acid and engested.......Tedd

PS. I am also a bullet caster.

 

I've never had any issues and neither has my old man. Cast a couple hundred each month and we try to do it in a well ventilated garage or something.

 

It takes lots of practise to work with lead filler on sheet metal. The lead-free stuff is harder to work with than the lead. I would not use it to fill holes , just like bondo isn't meant to fill holes. Moisture will find its way in from behind and mess-up your hard work. Just my experience .

 

Leadwork is a lost art in the autbody world.Not too many people even mess with it now.We used some on my 72,when I had it painted.My car was originally a vinyl top car,and those cars were not finished real good on the roof.If they knew it was getting a vinyl top,the seams were just roughed-in,whereas a non-vinyl top car would get finished.We ground into those areas,then leaded more material in,then finished-off.The other molding holes in the body were either leaded,welded,or brazed.No putty plugs.

 

Thanks guys for all the replies .... It sounds like it's not worth it in the long run . I will save my lead for fishing lures then , and save my money ( BWA HA HA ) to have someone weld in patches later on . I gonna have to start hiding money in my underwear drawer .... Noone will look there .

 

Hopefully after it's been washed..... Don't put it IN the drawer, tape an envelope under the drawer to hold it....who EVER looks there???

 

Great ! I did not know that they did not finish the roof if that car was going to get vinyl . I wanted to remove the vinyl on my car , but there would be a couple of rust holes near the back window once I do besides the unfinished roof .

 

If it's got rust under the vinyl (common) then you're going to have to remove the vinyl just to fix it. Chances are the old roof is leaking right through anyway. If you leave the vinyl on to 'protect' it from further damage? That is a myth. Once rust starts it doesn't creep - it LEAPS exponentially from panel to panel dissolving metal as it goes. It's one of the nastiest 4 letter words in the automotive repertoire. Vinyl roofs aren't a huge pain IF they're installed right, and SEALED. Sounds like you might have your work really cut out for you.

 

I saw a Chebby at a car show recently with what I thought was a vinyl roof but upon further investigation and talking to the owner turned out the original vinyl roof was replaced with spray on bed liner. Had to get right up to it to notice the difference.

 

Wow, what an idea.... LOL... amazing, glue on panels, sprayed tops... things have surely progressed or degressed ...... I think pea size holes could be brazed, or mig welded closed....

speaking of hazards... i worked in both a gas station and at sears when I was a kid,( in the 70's) common practice was to blow off the brake dust when doing a brake job... even back then they had brake clean, but that was only used if you got the shoes dirty with paw prints... we also used to take a sheet of sand paper and scuffed them up...( brake shoes)

I dunno.... I still would like to try leading.....

 

I friend of mine has the local Line-X company,and when he first opened that,I thought the same thing,you could use it for a vinyl roof.Yes,it will work.It is heavier though.I remember helping move a truck bed that needed coated.It took us 4 guys to move it into the booth.They coated the bottom & inside the bed.It took us 6 guys to get it back on the truck.

 

but do you think that line x could be sprayed on plastic fender wells???? I also thought about bed lining paint for the wheel wells, too much to do before I get there so I never pursued any research on it...

 

my 2 cents. i did a lot of lead work for fisher body,roof seams door pillar facings,spotweld hole and metal repair. your lead should be a 70/30 mix of lead and tin.the new leadless solder works fine,just need to make some adustment to your method. you need a flux(acid) to tin the metal with. we had a lead and acid mixture that worked great. applied with a brush. the metal and the lead need to be clean,no rust or other contaminants,it will make pin holes in the lead when you go to finish it.you will need a paddle,eastwood sells them or you can make your own. use maple or oak pine will burn to quick. mine are "factory issued" birdseye maple. if your using real body lead,you need to put hash marks on the paddle to grip the molten lead and move it around and pack it down, the new stuff can be moved with a smooth paddle. you will need some oil on a sponge or bees wax to dip the paddle in, so the lead doesnt stick. i prefer bees wax,in a metal tin a little bigger than the paddle,just touch the flame to the wax, and dip the paddle before moving the lead. gloves,are a must,as is eye protection. a paint resperator can be used if you want. ive never used one to apply lead,always had good ventilation. if any one is interested in more info ill keep rattleing on. i think anyone with patience and common sense can do a quality piece of lead work.

 

Sir, I for one would love to listen as long as you will prattle perhaps a new thread? I would welcome it....

 

thanks eddie,ill prattle a little how to when i get a few extr mins. i like doing the lead work,but really havent had anything to repair lately. when i start my 49 project ill definitly be using it.

 

A member on another Olds board used Line-X to save some swivel bucket seat shells. I would have thought the shells were trashed but the Line-X saved them. They don't look "correct" but I think they look great. A very good idea to save throw away parts.
http://www.73-77olds.com/forums/show...=swivel+bucket
I think it would work just fine on wheel wells. It comes in colors too.

 

i dont think there is much out there that will stick to plastic without a lot of roughing up. seems like stones would peck it right off. its probly one of those "try it and see if it works" type of things.

 

Heck.............Even door skins are glued on now from the factory!
My bud was showing me the new "tool" (electric heat gun thing that
slips over the edge of the door jamb and heats up the glue and metaL
thus releasing the door skin) they use!
I watched him peel a door skin off a subaroot car using it!

Insurance adjusters love it! Cut rate repairs he sez!!!!!!!!!!!

I had a old Eastwood lead kit lurking in the garage somewhere.

I last used it on my 72 Pontiac ragtop on the top of the rear quarter panels where they
attach to the deck filler panel. The bondo always cracked so I used lead!

Beeswax..............I know that stuff! LOL!

 

Yea , I tried real fine sandpaper and sprayed this rubber coating stuff on the plastic inner wheel well that I got from the local auto store , and it looked real good until I dripped some brake fluid on it and the rubber coating came right off where the brake fluid landed , but then again brake fluid is some nasty stuff . I would say great for the engine compartment side of the inner wheel well , and maybe something else for the underside of it that is tougher .

 

Thank you Sir, will be watching for the posts, I think most of the guys on the forum are different then what I call " the newer generation" lol, geez I remember my father and his friends saying the same about us, I mean I am 52 yrs old, loved watching and learning from real craftsman, I think a lot of us had the same gas station jobs, you start pumping gas, then work, up to oil changes, tires, then move up to batteries, etc etc, saving your loot ( at 2.05 an hour) to buy your first wheels ( mine was a 68 firebird that had a 350 in need of a timing chain)... so anytime I can listen and learn i am all ears... appreciate whatever you feel like passing on..

 

well I dunno... LOL... I guess I will just try to find a nicer set... what are you folks using for undercoating? what to spray in the rear wheel wells, under the tunnels etc?

ooooppppsss sorry didn't mean to stomp the thread...

 

I grew up in body shops, it's the only thing I've ever done. I'm only 30, so lead was done and gone by the time I started. But I appreciate lost arts, so I learned it. It truly is obsolete, but I still enjoy the fact that I can do it if I want.

There are metal reinforced fillers that work excellent, lead free solders too. Hell, I can remember seeing the older guys when I was a kid grabbing anything that would melt to fill small(cleaned up) rust holes. The body guy that was teaching me when I restored my first car grabbed some old coat hangers and we "brazed" the holes with them. Worked like a charm.

If you really want metal, not filler, braze it. Yes, lots of guys worked with lead and are fine. Lots of people worked with asbestos and are fine too. Others, like my father in law are dead from it. We know for a fact that lead is toxic. Is it really worth the risk when better products are available? I think not, but then again, I smoked for years knowing that was bad for me too...

 

I used a 70/30 flux solder to patch the trim holes on a OT car. Solid as hell, as long as you can heat the panel enough for good adhesion careful not to warp the panel from excessive heat. Its a fine balance but achievable for rookies like me. Just be sure to wear the proper personal protective gear.

 

Bee carfool, lead can cuase brane damidge. I uzed it my hole life, butt i'm nut shoeing any simptoms.

 

HAHA! You sound like painters in I've met in the past. I say, 'You do realize you CAN'T cut a cigarette hole in your respirator and smoke while you paint, right?"

Sounds like a funny joke, but that is honestly a conversation I've had to have on more than one occasion.

 

From what I've seen, Line-X will stick to ANYTHING. There is definitely something that sets it apart from all other spray liners.

 

or sand/grind it to dust and inhale it. The risks from lead in a body shop come more from the finishing and/or removal than from the application.
If you are going to do it, just protect your lungs, eyes and your skin. No sense in rolling the dice. Some people are more susceptible than others. I just try to think about my kids, not myself. My son hangs out in the garage with me sometimes.
There were men who were not affected by the asbestos they worked with, but their wives died from exposure to it just from doing the laundry.