In the first installment of this two-part series, Steve Frisbie of Steve's Auto Restorations provided us with an inside look at the tools and equipment needed to undertake a professional-quality lead project. In this installment we will follow along as a factory leaded quarter-panel seam in a '47 Ford convertible is cleaned and repaired. Before we get ahead of ourselves, let's recap the necessities. To start we need an oxyacetylene torch, 30/70 lead alloy, tinning flux, wire brush, clean base metal, and baking soda and water solution. To smooth and shape the lead we will need a wooden paddle (at least one), a chunk of bee's wax, and at least one aggressive body file.
The seam we tackled here is a great example of a do-it-yourself repair in which lead is ideally suited. The old lead on our car was poorly applied and in desperate need of repair before the car could head for the body shop. The lead was full of pinholes, which is typically caused by overheating and boiling the lead, and had also begun to blister. Blisters are often the result of contaminants such as rust hiding under the lead and are a telltale sign that the lead has not adequately adhered to the base metal.
The first step of the repair required getting rid of the old, poorly applied lead. The easiest way to dispose of the lead was to simply melt it out of the seam. The torch was fired up and a medium-intensity flame was moved back and forth evenly over the leaded area without overheating the surrounding sheetmetal. Once heated, the lead easily ran right out of the seam and revealed the underlying contamination.
In order to avoid contamination problems, the area to receive the lead must be clean, clean, clean. A Scotch-Brite pad on a right-angle grinder is great for knocking off surface imperfections and cleaning the metal without marring it. A die grinder with a carbide bit works well in pitted or hard-to-reach areas. A fresh 36-grit sanding disc on a grinder works well too, but care should be taken so the panel is only lightly scuffed. You do not want to grind away material, but instead simply scuff the surface. The use of a fresh disc is important because the adhesive from a worn disc can sometimes leave a residue that can be ground into the surface. Such a residue will inhibit a proper tin. Any sign of rust or contamination must be eliminated before tinning, or you are setting yourself up for a poor repair.