how to ????????

wondering if anyone here has the time and would be willing to explain in depth step by step of how to do body work with lead

like from metal prep to filling the spot I can figure out the shaping filing sanding

thanks

 

Best bet would be to look here:

http://www.youtube.com/results?sear...2j1.13.0...0.0...1ac.1.11.youtube.c4syV9Gvi3U

More videos than you can shake a stick at. I refer to YouTube to learn how to do lots of stuff from cooking to fixing stuff.

Don

 

Start here. The legendary Bill Hines shows how it's done. Bill works while George Barris shoots his mouth off, just like the old days.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ_85fp1avs&list=PL3F421ABE2DC3D7A6

"I learned how to do this in 1941 George"

That's old school.

 

Hey,

I'd suggest you hunt the HAMB for old posts on this subject, over the years, it's been talked up, over and down!

I'd be alittle gun shy of taking anything off You Tube as gosble- just because someone has the skill to produce a video, and post it, doesn't guarantee their methods are safe or sane

There are some serious health issues you need to be hip to, especially if you're working at home, have small chillin 'bout, or preggers women

Also, be ready for some ''sticker shock'', the prices of 70/30 solder & gas for your torch have gone thru the roof

" Do not reach greedily for the Kool-Aid "

 

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=172583

Leading up the tops of the bed rails on the Kopper Kart.

 

I had a friend who was restoring a 1956 Austin Healey. He had done leading on a ford T pick up. Following proper proceedures he started leading a small area of the flat rear rear deck of the Healey. The deck instantly warped all over the place. He then turned off the torch put the lead away and opened a a can of filler. There are some cars(newer ones mostly) that the metal is too thin to lead.
Your results may vary.

 

Lead was never intended to be used to "fill" dents! It is a finishing product applied to even off aready good body work or filling seams and joints. I have never seen a panel warp if heat is applied properly for leading even after extensive picking and filing. Filler in a can is used much differently than lead.

 

Unless you're talking about the deck lid itself, the rear center portion, and the front, as well, are aluminum on all big Healeys

 

The best advice i'll share is that the metal has to be perfect clean, if you have old stuff with rust specks even on a microscopic level you will have your hands full trying to lay lead.
Something wrong if you warp steel, lead works at lesser temps. He must've had trash in the metal and was trying to burn it out with heat and wire brush then laying flux to clean. You get lead hot and it'll just run off, metal don't get a chance to warp.

 

In regard to the Healey, the deck is made of Birmabright. It has a sizable amount of magnesium in it. Leading a thick T fender is a lot easier than a piece of thin British Birmabright, as he found out. He made a big mistake and made a small deal get much bigger in seconds. I have been told the Birmabright shrouds were welded together using a torch.

 

Lead has its place but for regular straight out body work I think today's filler is just as good or better when it is used properly. I use lead on fender mounting areas that need strength or will do a lot of flexing or edges that would have a chance to chip out but other than that I wouldn't use it. You still have to put some sort of a filler over the lead to take out your grind or file marks. Some might use a high build primer to fill them but I wouldn't. If your body work is right it only takes a skim coat anyways.