Old car question.....

[LMS]

What year did automakers stop using lead as a body filler?

I am sanding on the 49 and finding some strange areas. Areas where the paint is cracked, and what appears to be thick metal under the paint also cracked like the paint, but no rust there, just cracks.

I will try and get a pic later.

[Creepy Cruiser]

My '65 had lead on it.

[LMS]

It's lead alright, now how do I fix it?
The cracks don't appear to go all the way through, so can I just wipe some bondo across it and sand it smooth? Or is there some type of filler made to work with lead?

[Mohawk Freak]

Might want to find an old timer in the paint or body business in your town. That's old school stuff there. I think there was some sort of ritual with a torch and wood paddles or something to apply lead. Plus they had to milk the cows first in the snow.

[LMS]

I found this about repairing with lead, it's very interesting.

http://www.autoshop101.ca/autobody/leadloading.htm

[Mohawk Freak]

That was a cool link. I bet with some practice it probably gets easier to handle. Gonna try your hand at that?

[spastic_chicken]

http://www.eastwood.com/ew-body-solder-kit-deluxe-with-dvd.html

[corpses bride]

My dad still works with lead here and there. I've watched him do it and its quite the craft. you may be able to torch the area and spread it. use a cool rag to keeo the rest of the panel cool

[BIGEVIL]

I'll pass.

The only reason they used lead was because they didn't have any good bondo.

Lead fumes as it melts can cause cancer if you breathe them in. Very dangerous.

[Mohawk Freak]

Hell, lead will give you brain damage in a major way in a very short time. Once those heavy metals are in your tissues, there's no turning back. Mercury is bad like that too.

[LMS]

So will bondo fill in those cracks in the existing lead, and stay put?

[Hoodlum Rocky]

You can take a file and knock it down to remove the cracks and fill over it with plastic filler and have no problems as long as it is not cracked all the way tru. if it is, it will crack the stuff on top also. When i do my cars, i grab a torch and pool up the lead and with a wire brush and the flame on it you can work it all off to get the seam clean. Then i will weld the seam solid and fill over the top with short hair fiberglass, the plastic filler on the top. I can do lead work, it is kind of fun and pretty stuff when done, but the reaility is todays quaility fillers will hold up longer and is better as long as all the prep is done good. The leads alway will come back at some time and do funny things due to the acid and fluxes with it. just my 2-cent's on the subject.

[LMS]

I will have to do some more probing around. The cracks don't appear to go all the way through from what I have seen so far.

[Creepy Cruiser]

You can take a file and knock it down to remove the cracks and fill over it with plastic filler and have no problems as long as it is not cracked all the way tru. if it is, it will crack the stuff on top also. When i do my cars, i grab a torch and pool up the lead and with a wire brush and the flame on it you can work it all off to get the seam clean. Then i will weld the seam solid and fill over the top with short hair fiberglass, the plastic filler on the top. I can do lead work, it is kind of fun and pretty stuff when done, but the reaility is todays quaility fillers will hold up longer and is better as long as all the prep is done good. The leads alway will come back at some time and do funny things due to the acid and fluxes with it. just my 2-cent's on the subject.

This is all great advice. That's how we do it here too.

[AZAMBULANCE]

Howdy folks, I am that dude who won the auction last August on EBAY which is a 1959 Dodge Coronet ambulance originally from the AIR NATIONAL GUARD. This car must have 100 lbs lead in the body which has many cracks that will need repair, so I am glad this question came up. There are many books on body work and a few on how to do lead work, butt havent found any on how to repair old lead work. Some people have said all the old lead must be removed where there are cracks to get to underlying rust. Anyone had advice like this..? or are there other options.? Spencer in AZ