Lead Filler

I have uneven fender seams. I intend to lead fill them. Then, shoot a primer sealer, then paint. Anyone see a problem with this? Also thought about joining new floor pan replacements the same way. What do you think about that, will it work as a weld would? Stan

 

no. a weld is stronger. post a pick of what you are talking about.

 

Lead is not an assembly "glue" it is only used to smooth out the body work after it has been worked as far as it can be worked.

If the "body seam" is already welded and fitted then yes Lead done right will do what you want but the only reason to use lead on a floor board would be on the bottom side of welded up floorboards that you are shooting for 100% smooth and slick with no welded seams showing on a serious show car.

 

No, you can not use lead in place of welding . Lead is not as strong as a weld. The metal has to be really clean before you tin it for the Lead . Once you tin it you have to clean the area down with a wet cloth and bakeing soda to remove the acid before you lead. Its hard to get all of the acid out in seams. It will come back and mess up your paint.

 

Hey Stan,

You could, in theory, solder your fenders & floors together, but, as pointed out, there are better ways to go about this! Lead, with the addition of tin forms a very strong bond with carbon steel, when soldered properly. Before the days of '' squirtgun welders '', we use to solder on pull tabs to damaged sheetmetal panels, and under tension or pressure, pull out damage with the soldered on pull tabs-much like ''studgun'' type welders do today.

" Meanwhyle, back aboard The Tainted Pork "

 

Well, OK. I have a clearer picture. Welding the floor pans seems to be the way to go. The 2 piece fenders seam is gonna be a bear to finish up and hold up good. What about filling the seams with more weld. Just dont want to heat it up too much. Mig or Stick? Cant post any pics cause i'm out of the country till May. Tryin to get my work lined up to approach it correctly for when i do return. Hmm, Thanks Guys, Stan

 

Stan,
On the fender seams: I go with mig welds, or rather a series of small tacks with 0.23 wire first spaced well apart to keep the heat and thus warping to a minium. Once you've filled the gap, you can grind the weld bead flush, and figger whether you need more weld beads to bring the seam flush to the surrounding panel/s or add lead to finish off the panel.

 

MP&C just did a thread on eliminating the seam on a 55 CHevy front fender. If this is what you are attempting, take a look at how he did it. IF it's another application, you might have to be more specific!
If it's 2 separate panels that dont' line up, or gap is uneven, you should either weld in filler pieces to make them match, perhaps even cutting out part of the offending pieces to get them poinitng in the right direction. If it's just a gap, then welding on a bit of solid rod ( 1/16" or larger, to match the existing piece) and grinding to fit is in order.

 

Sounds like you already have a torch, why not weld them in with that and filler rod