Trying to get the welds where the factory welded the roof to the sail panels smooth.

It had a vinyl top on it when I bought the car. Aftyer removing I noticed cracks in skim coat over the factory welds where they weld the roof to the sail panel so I stripped everything, sanded to bare metal and now im trying to get that area smooth again and had to use a little filler to get the sharp edges out.

Is there a trick or tip to getting this area worked correctly so I dont have ugly edges showing when I send it to paint? Should I just remove all the filler back to bare metal and try and work metal smooth? Not sure how this area came from factory. It appeared to be orginal vinyl and filler over grinded welds but not sure.

Thanks in advance. Brian

 

If you are talking about the seam between the roof and the quarter panel, I hope you used a respirator when you ground that all out. The factory originally filled that area with LEAD. You really don't want to breath ANY of the dust that is generated by grinding lead out. If you did breathe it, you might want to look into what, if anything, you can do to limit the effects of your exposure.

As far as filling it, as I said, the factory used lead. Eastwood, and maybe others, sell a "lead" filler kit. Lead is in quotes because their lead kit doesn't contain as much lead as the original. I've heard that, as a result, it doesn't adhere as well. Others may chime in on that issue.

Alot of people, myself included, use "all metal". Can't remember the maker off hand but it is a body filler that has a high content of metal in it which makes it stronger and well suited for a repair in the roof seam.

 

Let me correct what I stated above. By sanded to bare metal I mean after I stripped off the glue residue and the single coat of etching they had under the top, I sanded off the limited light residue left from the stripper didnt get. Wasn't much at all left after the stripper did it's job. It took it to bare metal for the most part.

The areas I am talking about are in fact the roof to the quarter panel weld. I call the long panel at the top of the quarter the sail panel as thats what I was always told it was since it looks like a sail of a sail boat. So at the top of the panel there was some filler already in there under the top I removed. It was white, aged, and cracked pretty badly and it was not smooth at all including a flast spot that should have been rounded over. I guess they dont worry about how smooth it is when a top is placed over it?

Either way I simply figured I would finish roughing it with 80 and then I put filler on top of it and down the quarter(sail) some to blend it and on top of the roof some to blend it out. I would say I laid my filler about a 16th thick on heavy areas however I was looking for ways to get it rounded correctly and smoth so after paint it doesnt look like it has an edge or anything.

My filler I put on seems to hold excellent. What was previously on there when I took the top off sure didn't look like lead filler. It looked like good old typical aged bondo that was old and cracked on top of a welded and ground area.

Yes I always wear a mask when I do any body work to get dust out of my nose. Cant say I always wear gloves but I usualy put on surgical disposable gloves.

 

Evercoat is the manufacturer of the metal filler product W70442 mentioned and that is a good choice. Many times with factory lead, it's better to heat the lead with a propane torch or similar and just melt the lead. Just be careful where it runs or splatters as if it hits you it willl not be a fun experience. Use a wire brush to help get rid of it as you go along. Grind the area clean (with a proper respirator), clean and apply the filler. You shouldn't need to do any metal work if the factory attached the panels correctly. But if you do, do it before you apply the filler. I would also try to spread the filler beyond that seam and feather it out well. Apply epoxy primer and then a filler primer and block sand the area to blend everything out. The seam should be invisible when done if it's done correctly. If you are replacing your vinyl top, I would suggest you sand the roof or strip it depending on the condition of the paint and apply the same epoxy primer on the roof to seal the metal. I would also apply a coat or 2 of color and then install the vinyl top once all of that has dried sufficiently.

 

OK, just saw the additional post with the added information. I too have seen the factory type filler on cars with vinyl as well as cars that had lead on those sail panels or C pillars as they are also referred to. I know exactly what you have as I have ground that stuff out before. It's not quite like filler but it in some ways almost seems like caulk or seam sealant. And it won't melt if heated. In any event, get rid of it, apply the All Metal filler and primers as previously mentioned.

 

Correct, thats what it's like is seam sealer or chaulk. I will double check drivers side when I get home. I havent started on it yet and I will make sure its not lead. I guess I got lucky and picked up the correct filler from the start. I have Evercoat metal to metal already on as my filler on the passenger side. I don't know the number of it but It was recommended by Napa to fill over the welds on the roof welds front and back at A pillers.

Thanks for the tips.

 

Picture of passenger sail panel, drivers sail panel areas. Yes I know the Passenger side probably looks like crap but previous owner left it looking like crap and I'm trying to just fix what I can with limited experience. Sometimes I wish I had the skills of a body man and not a software engineer.

 

Do you have a block sander? It looks like that is going to be bumpy and it'll show when it's painted.

 

Looks like you got it easier than I do. Mine was a crunchy mess. You can wipe denatured alcohol on the areas in question to highlight any mistakes.

 

Yes, I do. All that work on that area was removed already, repaired correctly and is now ready for base coat. Had a buddy who owns a body shop swing by and help me get started on doing it correct. It's smooth with very little filler in there now, just on top of the seam area.

 

That sounds much better. I could tell by looking at the pics that the bodyfill was really thick. Usually the edges of the fill fade out and those edges didn't. Glad to hear you got it fixed right!

 

I also used Eastwoods metal to metal. However, I can't help but notice the surface rust on or near the repair area. All of this should be removed before any body work is even started! I also finished mine all by hand with various length and width DuraBlocks to follow the curve. I always use the longest block I can that fits each area. Also a real good helper is SEM spray can guidecoat. It will show everything while blocking that you can't see or feel.