Lead finishing

[Lars Waldner]

Hope it is ok to ask this in the general forum...chassis I am working on currently is a 914-6, but the basis of the question is the same for all early Porsches, and probably more appropriate for the 356s as they had a lot of leading.

Finishing up rust repair. I had to remove lead in areas that needed repair ...door handle access, wiper recess and gasket tracks in front and rear as well as bottoms of windshield corners. Picked up a 70/30 Eastwood kit and watched a bunch of videos, so ready to attack. You cannot sand this stuff, only file. Not sure how I am going to be able to finish "contour" some of these areas prior to priming. Outside bodywork, filing will be easy, but intricate areas are going to be impossible like the door latchpost next to the handle...lots of lead. Am I better off picking up some of the leadfree sandable solder? Or just go plastic? Hate to revert to bondo as it can't be an edge, it dries and shrinks over time and its not original. Never saw any videos of Porsche workers body finishing with lead. Maybe they used disposable workers?

Help would be appreciated...

Lars

[Matthew Devereux]

at 9:18 to 9:30 there is some footage of a worker applying and filing a leaded area https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbFu1r_erw0&t=1060s
I hear most are using metal body fillers for areas that need some strength instead of lead

[Adrian Rendle]

a cutting disc on a Dremel will remove lead,although will need de-clogging quite a bit, but i'm sure there are better ways

[Lars Waldner]

a cutting disc on a Dremel will remove lead,although will need de-clogging quite a bit, but i'm sure there are better ways

I have already removed the lead (torch and wire brush). My dilemma is what to use to replace areas where it was removed...and once replaced, how to contour the area. Files are acceptable, sanders are not. Not allowed to create any dust...at all, ever.

[Martin Benade]

Lead is certainly more proper and takes much more skill to work with, but properly done filler lasts a very long time. I removed over 30 year old filler from my car (that I had applied) that was holding up perfectly, the only shrinkage evident was in primer and paint, none in the filler. If your car will be babied and you use filler properly it will outlast you. Using polyester filler to "fix" rust is just as bad as everybody says.
I have done it too, but pretty sure removing old lead with a torch is as bad as sanding it. If you do use lead, a bit of sanding must be done, you can't file it to primer-ready condition as far as I know.

[Roy Smalley]

Many many discussions about fillers over the years. And just as many opinions, some informative and some misleading.

If you are not experienced, it is an experience to avoid.

The factory used some plastic over lead in hard to work areas to smooth out imperfections. It is pink.

Worry about "original" is overblown when it comes to fillers. Just about any filler will last as long as lead IF it is used properly.

Lead does fail from the factory. Poor prep, rust underneath then pimples then holes.

"Metal" filler carrier is bondo ( as a generic catch all name for that other catch all name-plastic) with metal particles added.

One is called All Metal. It ain't. There are some stronger plastic fillers for edges, normally for marine use.

Re: lead. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. Read MSDS sheets on lead.

Good luck

[C J Murray]

I'm not a metal man and some here are. I am just a mechanic. That said, I have paid for the restoration of many bodies. I have had many after the fact failures from plastic and zero failures from lead. If you have the skill or the extra money or extra time, use lead. I will add that my lead only never plastic body man did die a couple of years ago. He was a WW2 veteran and worked with lead continuously since his release from the Marines after his war service until shortly before his death. I'm not sure he ever read the MSDS sheets but he sure as hell knew how to use the stuff. Harry Tidmarsh was a truly Great American!

Harry with my 59 sunroof in the background...

[Adrian Rendle]

he doesn't look like he was taken young by the lead......what i meant was, a disc on a Dremel can be useful for rough contouring in tight corners, and it doesn't appear to create dust, more fine chips