Body leading.

[1928Pickuppain]

Im getting around to finishing up my back fenders. Today i finaly got them banged into the right shape. Im going to need to lead these up and shape them smooth. used to be able to get the flux and lead sticks at a local autobody supply place I can no longer get them there. Dose any one know anywere i can still get leading supplys? i live in the Boston area.

[H. L. Chauvin]

One place to try is: "The Eastwood Company". They have tools & supplies.

They also handle a non-lead material as well.

[darrylkmc]

I have never used them myself, but Eastwood Company has leading supplies:

The Eastwood Company Retail Store Hours:
263 Shoemaker Road Monday - Friday 8:30 AM to 5 PM
Pottstown, PA 19464 Saturday 9 AM to 5 PM
(610) 323-9099

Here is a link to their page on Body Soldering:

http://www.eastwood.com/autobody/lea...dy-solder.html

Darryl in Fairbanks

[Craig Lewis]

I have a tub of the Eastwood "tinning butter"....and an awesome flux it is. I've used it all around the shop for tinning in difficult situations. It works beautifully on sheet metal...just brush it on the heated metal and instantly you have a shiny lead coating.
You can even tin stainless steel with this product and make solder adhere! ....just an experiment I tried once.
*Take note this tinning butter contains a strong acid (likely muriatic) which will corrode the surrounding area if any residue remains.
I use a diluted phosphic acid final wash on the soldered areas which not only flushes the area clean...but etches & stabilizes the metal.

The last lead sticks I purchased were from NAPA
(probably 20 yrs ago) ...worth a try maybe.

[1928Pickuppain]

thanks guys

[Flop]

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The non lead stuff from east wood isn't the best . I get mine from the local auto body supply house. I swore I saw him take it out of a 3m box.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Is there a reason why you want to go with Lead solder in lieu of a Kevlar-stranded type of body filler? I think properly applied Kevlar filler will last just as long as properly applied Lead solder, ...and I know the price for the filler will likely be more than ½ the price of the solder and the same mindset will apply to the application of the filler vs. the solder.

[Kevin in NJ]

Humm LEAD?

I have found that with some time and a little knowledge anyone (if I can do it so can you) can get fender fairly level. Maybe a skim coat of bondo stuff and a few coats of filling primer. Even pretty nasty fenders can be made presentable, it just takes longer.

You will need to put the fenders on the body on the frame with the running boards so that you can get the beads to line up properly. Plus you need to get the back of the fenders to look even by standing back and looking at them on the car.

Spending a few hours and taking some time to work the fenders can yield surprising results. Go to my website and wander through the tech articles I have put up. There should be enough to get you started.

[ronn]

Brent, more them anything, you are probably dealing with "old school".

Not everyone likes change, even when it sometimes works better.

[spike]

take note what Brent and Kevin said...you will have less problems wth the bondo and no acid lift in the furture and just as good of a job.

[PetesPonies]

Filler gets a bad rap from it's many misuses. But properly used fillers will last even longer than lead IMO. Lead eventually begins to lift, some fillers have never lifted. I understand wanting to do something the "old" way, but it was really technology that was making them use lead. It's not used today in the new car builds. I would suggest using filler and never look back.

[Modelakid31]

This is what i use. its like steel. will not crack as easy as most cheep bondo fillers. Just remeber to mix it right and dont put on too thick.

Evercoat Rage Gold Filler

http://www.eastwood.com/evercoat-rag...FYFo4Aodg2e9Yw

[TD]

Being an auto body repair man and teaching it for 10 years, and having a Dad that was a body man I can say that the filler Brent is referring to is the better of the two. I have stood by and handed my dad the flux tray and the wooden spoon as well as done this myself. I know of no lead repair that doesn't come back to haunt you over time. Filler is inert and stays put with no bubbling or blistering down the road. Your call - it is the "good old way" to lead - but a permanent way to fill.TD

[glenn in camino]

Forget lead. Some of my fenders that I did 30-40 years ago with a little bit of Bondo still look great. Lead's not worth the hastle.

[theHIGHLANDER]

The advantage to lead is flexibility in certain areas. Some parts of the fender will wobble around a bit, and the new fillers are much more dense than the old stuff, and if applied too thick are quite brittle. Then again, that's where poly fills get a bad rap. Some guys just put too much on. The magic to solder is get the tinning fluid off before you do the final surface. Once all done and filed smooth, I use baking soda and hot water to neutralize the acids. So far so good, but it's only been 21yrs on the example I could show.

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by PetesPonies

. Lead eventually begins to lift, some fillers have never lifted..

I'm not going to say one is better than another but my sons vicky was either taken apart and reassembled some time in the past or the seams in the body were done in lead when new.

[Doug in NJ]

Originally Posted by Modelakid31

This is what i use. its like steel. will not crack as easy as most cheep bondo fillers.
Evercoat Rage Gold Filler

I was very happy with this stuff. One other advantage: it is not especially dusty when sanded. Instead of clouds of dust in the air (and your hair and lungs), you just get piles of dust on the floor.

Doug

[1931 flamingo]

Mike V: I believe that's how henry built them.
Paul in CT

[Modelakid31]

Originally Posted by Doug in NJ

I was very happy with this stuff. One other advantage: it is not especially dusty when sanded. Instead of clouds of dust in the air (and your hair and lungs), you just get piles of dust on the floor.

Doug

YES! that is true! i love that about the rage gold filler.

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by 1931 flamingo

Mike V: I believe that's how henry built them.
Paul in CT

According to some people here that could not have happened as the paint would have failed in the area years ago.