Using Lead Filler For Classic Car Restoration
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- čas přidán 15. 02. 2022
- In this film I will be doing a demonstration on how I use Lead Solder to fill damage on a 1953 Chevy truck fender. Prior to modern plastic fillers, lead was used by auto manufacturers and autobody shops. It has become obsolete, however it still can be useful for doing restoration work on classic vehicles.
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Great job on the lead process. and details on explanation of leading.
I was fortunate enough to learn lead work from my dad. Great bonding time.
That's awesome!
Don't change a thing, everything you do is beyond genuine and it feels good, sounds good, looks good...it inspires and it provides value. Should I ever be in a position to support/promote what you are and what you do, I shall.
Thank you for the kind words Jeff!
I really appreciate you doing this video, I've seen several people do lead work but none of them, not even Bill Hines have ever said anything about cleaning the areas with soda, seems like it's an important part of making your work last so thanks again for your in depth explanation of how to do things right, 👍
Thank you. Gene Winfield has discussed using soda and water. I've always been curious to know more about Bill Hines process, whatever he was doing obviously worked...I've heard he got his lead special made, so I wouldn't be surprised if he has some kind of special tin as well.
Yea, what he said
Really good tutorial and information. Thank you, Kyle. I will use the info on an into an upcoming project, I'm sure.
Brilliant work very good tips many thanks 👍👍👍👍
I see what you did there with the Bron Y Aur Stomp. Nice! There's a reason they weren't called Bondo Zeppelin.
Thank you, never seen a thorough explanation like yours, excellent 🙂👍
Thanks for watching!!!
Amazing work! Your opinions carry a lot of weight, and rightfully so.
Watching anyone lead makes me think about how hard the assembly line guys had to work!
They definitely earned their wages!
After watching this very good in-depth tutorial, I would give leading a shot.
Thank you for the reminder that you did this video some time ago. Your presentation was clear, concise and useful. Thanks. NJ/USA
Great tutorial, I learned a lot ..thank you..
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for the lead working tutorial. That was very important with the water and baking soda. Nice job on the fender. Always remember to wash the clothes you wore when you are done and definitely wash your hands before eating. I used to do repairs on the older telephone cables that have lead sheath and the splices we're sealed with a lead sleeve that was soldered on to it. We used that wax, you use for the paddles, on the lead after we cleaned it with a carding brush, so that when we beat the lead into the shape we needed, we were not beating dirt into the lead that could contaminate it before soldering. Again, nice job on the fender.
From an old body and fender dude, well done! Like to see the use of gloves and respirator. That's another con to lead, it's toxic shit! It's been eons since I've done any lead work, but can verify that if you do not kill the acid, you may as well not even bother leading! Don't ask how I learned that. The malleabile nature of lead is it's best pro, as you pointed out. Kudos to you for keeping the old school methods alive.
Thanks! Yeah it's toxic, but so is plastic filler and just about everything else in the autobody trade. I guess that's why smart people just get decent jobs so they can pay someone to build cars for them haha.
@@CarterAutoRestyling lead fumes are way more dangerous. please, do your homework.
Thanks for this interesting video. I've seen lead filler form the factory, particularly on C-body-Mopars in the area where the roof meets the C-Pillar. Never a severe rust problem in the lead filled area, while the rest of the roof would rot out from the humidity trapped between vinyl top and sheet metal
Oh yeah vinyl tops are notorious for eating roofs!
Thank you very much for showing me how to use lead! Everything I own is 1938 to 1954 really good video! Thanks again kind Sir!
Your finesse is highly appreciated thanks for the info. JW
Thank you for watching!
Good demo, you're so right about the cleaning and neutralizing, people make the same mistake with Rust Converters and Acids as well..
Thank you, yeah it definitely defeats the purpose of the rust converters and such if they aren't neutralized.
Great video boss! Thanks for the tips; I realized a couple of things I was missing! All the very best as always from here!
Hey thanks for stopping by and thank you for your generous support of this garbage!
Kyle you make it look easy....Switching from right to left with that torch is much harder than it looks for most people. really easy to get too much heat on there and have a nice big lead puddle. Its been over 30 years since I have worked with lead.....I dont ever want to go back. i have seen way to much of it on stuff I work on even now that has shrunk and cracked and failed just like plastic. filler. And knowing how much more work it was to put on, Vixen file off, sand, and finish. Time spent that IMO was time I could have spent on other things. But its your rodeo.....Your doing a great job....Teaching and learning.....We all do it until the day we leave this earth.
I have seen the workers leading the quarter panels on the line. It is amazing that they could do it so quickly. They basically did the same thing that you were doing only one joint every 66 seconds! I really appreciate the video. I will be using some of the ideas on some heavy duty solder work on radiator tanks (I know this is different, but actually seeing this done on flat surfaces helps understand how the metal melts and flows.)
Yeah that must have been a boring job, but a guy would get pretty fast doing the same thing over and over again haha
Really great video there is absolutely nothing boring or repetitive of your tutorials.....👏👏👏👏👏👍🇨🇦
Glad to hear they aren't a complete waste of time haha!
@@CarterAutoRestyling Keep up the great work u are goin places on the yt world 👏👏👏
I grew up in muncy, pa. Art Brummer 's shop just a dirt bike, mine was a ts50 away. Artie (his son) was murdered. That's another story. I am proud to have known them both. I have so many stories and tales of transactions with cars l
You should document some, make some videos!
I worked in a new car dealership back in 73/74 and the body men used a lead sprayer to lay down the lead. After cleaning and tinning they would spray it then shape with a file.
I've heard of those, but never seen one in action. Thanks for watching!
"Safety first or whenever it is convenient. . ."
~audible mirth~
Haha glad you enjoyed that one!
Sorry my comment got cut off. Anyway... my point of my rambling was seeing this reminded me of Art Brummer's workshop.
Ahh that makes sense, thanks for sharing!
Came for the lead work stayed for the cats😁
That's a good reason to stay haha!
Thanks for explaining the process , and very nice work to go along also.
Thank you for watching!
Thank you for taking the time to share this information! I find it helpful and valuable!
Thanks for the knowledge Carter!
Thank you for watching
Proper old school 👍
Yup! Thanks for watching!
I am a panel taught by my father in the 1960s and lead loading was the main repair method as filler was only just started being used ,I never used baking soda or wire wool and we used a block of about 4inch by 3 inch and got a very smooth finish before filing ,I noticed that you had rough edges on your lead work this makes it harder work to file up you may want to try a bigger wooden block it might improve your finish & use more tallow fat hope the tips help good work though Fred UK
Thanks for the tips Fred!
Thanks for showing your lead technique, interesting to see how this process is done. The automaker history on lead was interesting to, never knew about the issues that the factory would have. Thanks
Thanks for watching!
Good information, I lead 4" telephone cables, into a 24" lead tube with 4" R.....we use moleskin to wipe the joints which has to be air tight as 9lb of air is pumped into them to keep them watertight. take some years to learn to keep the 70/30 pliable before it falls on the ground. We also use tallow keeping it clean as you go, old school car repairs.
Thats really interesting! Thanks for watching!
Thank You for the video! 🙂
Thanks for watching!
Safety first or when convenient 😂😂😂 👍🏴
It's a good policy haha
I knew a very old restorer and body man (now deceased since 1985) who was magic with lead work. He worked on his antique cars (including a 1928 Chrysler 66 roadster, 1935 Cadillac coupe, 1938 Packard opera coupe and 1935 Dictator coupe) and won a ton of national trophies for them. He told me the secret to making a good paint job "pop" was to do body work with lead not that plastic bondo S***. He was fairly young when he died (55 years) and I often wondered if excessive usage of lead played a part in his death? BTW if you remember the yellow '47 Ford deluxe convertible in the Karate Kid, he's the one who restored it.
Lead body work is not a concern if you follow a few basic guidelines. For example, don't grind it and don't heat it over 850 degrees F, clean up after you work. Molten Lead does not create fumes if kept under 850 F. A good parallel are the workers that make lead church organ pipes, they are OSHA inspected and approved for working lead. As an old timer, I am more concerned about breathing the chemicals used in bondo and fiberglass (MEK, etc.) BTW, Lead not to be confused with lead oxide issues.
@@iambicpentameter7177 Excellent points. Lead has been used for thousands of years, so we've got a pretty good idea of what it does to humans. Plastic fillers have only been around 60+ years, not to mention all the other modern chemicals we are exposed to on a daily basis (both automotive and non automotive).
I really like the fender stand you used.
Good old 235!
Nice application of Led (Zeppelin).
Great video Kyle
Thanks Keith
don't mean this as insulting at all in fact quite the opposite but your humor reminds me of Red Green, you are talented and I enjoy your videos
I grew up watching Red Green and am a big fan, so I take that as quite a compliment haha
Great job with the instruction...im looking forward to using some soon.
Thank you! I hope you enjoy using it.
Great video Kyle 🎸👍 was taught about lead a long time ago but never used baking soda in the cleaning process. Love learning from you and love the expensive slide you were using on your guitar 🤪 best to you man!
Thanks for always watching this nonsense and all the best to you as well!
That's good stuff Kyle!! I've never seen anyone work with lead. Interesting the pros and cons, and it definitely is a talent that has past away by most. Good to see you using it, it definitely has it's place. Another educational video by Kyle, thanks my friend.
Hi Ken, glad you found this one interesting! Thanks for watching!
Thanks I have always wanted to learn more about this subject great content 👌 ☺
Thanks for watching! I'm glad you enjoyed the show!
Great stuff, I am learning a lot!
Awesome! Glad you find this stuff useful!
Another good video great work, thanks for sharing. I learned to work lead from working on high voltage lead cables, we used lead wiping cloths for shaping the lead. When I used lead on cars, especially on curved surface I found it easier to shape the lead with a lead wiping cloth vs paddle, kind of like spreading body filler.
That's interesting, I didn't know the wiping cloths existed, but I'll be looking into that. Thank you!
@@CarterAutoRestyling You are welcome, I checked to make sure they are still available.
Amazing information. Thank you.
Glad you found it useful!
Great lesson. Thank you.
Thanks for watching!
Nice job great to watch I think I’ll stick to plastic filler but cool to see how lead is done 👍🏼take it easy mate 👍🏼🍺🇳🇿😎
Yeah the modern plastic fillers have made leading unnecessary. Thanks for watching!
Interesting video....I'm basiclly a black magic man but it might be fun to try sometime...keep posting....
I'd love to find a can of that stuff someday haha.
well done great video
Thanks!
I'm late to the show.
Sometimes Oscar is very busy (napping).
He definitely gets pouty if I watch your video without him.
I get suspicious that he is more interested in Alan & Poe.
Don't think he is going to be much help on the '36 Packard.
He falls asleep too often.
This was an extremely interesting video.
Just excellent!
I made sure to include a short clip of them at the end just for Oscar. We need to keep our feline friends happy !
@@CarterAutoRestyling Amen.
And very proud of our trucker buddies.
Good on Saskatchewan!
@@glenmccall8854 The truckers are heros! Thanks for watching!
Great Video, thanks!
Thank you for watching!
well done. skills that are a disappearing more and more.
Thanks!
Total badassery
Thanks!
In the name of Classic Rock; let's get the Led out!!!🤘🤘
Yeah!!!
This kind of thing really amazes me, it's the kind of skill I think all "proper" custom car builders have. (not guys like me that just hammer things until they submit) I have been convinced for some time that guys like you with these crazy skills are involved in some sort of devil vs soul deal, I can't prove it, but I know it's true. I don't have any use for leading right now but after watching this I think I'd like to try it on some old junk sometime. (P.S. Little disappointed there was no psychotic breakdown this episode)
I'm running low on appliances to share my psychotic breakdowns with. Being a homicidal maniac is a lot harder than it looks on Tv.
@@CarterAutoRestyling "Being a homicidal maniac is a lot harder than it looks on Tv."
That line alone was worth the price of admission. Or omission.
@@Joe.Doucette Everything here qualifys as an omission haha.
I did lead on my MGB. Nothing on the Austin or Riley since they are aluminium skin so lead won't work. It's not hard to do but unfortunately it costs a bit to get the stuff to get started so you just kind of have to jump in and try it. I also used baking soda and water to neutralise it and also do that after gas welding aluminium as the flux is acidic. Never used steel wool when leading so that's new to me. I always just used clean cotton cloth for wiping the tinning paste (butter) on the steel. I guess there is no equivalent for lead on aluminium panels, just plastic fillers. The consistency of the lead when doing it on steel is a bit like cake icing. Not quite solid not quite liquid. If you overheat it it starts to flow then goes kind of brittle and crumbly. I am not an expert nor do I play one on CZcams so this is just my experience from doing it on one car!
Thanks Kyle, that was very interesting and informative. Thanks for showing the bumping up a low spot trick. That wouldn't be obvious to some (me included!). 344th like! All the best, Mart in England.
Thanks Mart!
Hi Kyle. Another great video. There was very little Kyle-foolery in this but you really made up for it in the comments where you replied, "Being a homicidal maniac is a lot harder than it looks on Tv." :)
Tallo is the white greasy stuff that comes from rendered animal fat. It's used in lubricants, soaps and candles and on paddles when spreading lead.
Many people don't bother neutralize acids. Even vinegar used for rust removal (not my choice of methods) should be neutralized.
Oooo clever way of getting away with having "music" and have no copywrite issues. Ewe arr smurt.
As ususal that fake Winter wind sound seemed quite real. :)
Have a good one.
Hi Joe. Thanks for clearing up what tallo is. If I had my way the videos would all be Kyle-foolery, but I guess some people are actually watching this for the working on cars segments....so I guess I need to keep those people happy too. (Also the Kyle-foolery project I had planned for this video wasn't ready in time)
Well that just means the "project" will be extra ready for the next video.
And I'm one of "those people" who like to learn about working on cars too... just so ya know. ;)
Hmmmm Maybe a second channel "Kyle-Foolery".
Great teaching
Thanks!
!!GREAT JOB, THANKS!! .
Thank you!
Thanks Kyle, I’ll have to get the lead out on the 50 Chev cab.
I'll be looking forward to watching the video when you get to that stage! Congrats again on hitting 1k!
Thanks Kyle
Thanks for watching!
Could you tell us again the tip you use with the Mapp gas? Thanks for the great video.
Thanks. It's a BernzOmatic # TS4000
👍🏻
check out bill hines{master lead slinger}
I'm a big fan of Bill Hines. Thanks for watching!
A good etch primer is needed over lead as the paint seems to dry out over lead and crack , even though the lead is perfect
Great video, informative, good examples, pro's and cons, etc. But, it seems it seems it was missing something??????? Oh yeah, a nice big flame like that and you didn't set yourself on fire. I guess you must like that new jacket!!!! thanks
Funny you should mention the jacket... I actually set the inside of one of the pockets on fire a couple weeks back. Didn't think much of it until I went to listen to music and couldn't find my headphones...I eventually gave up and bought new headphones, only to lose those a day later. I tore the whole house and garage apart trying to find them. After a week of no music I had an epiphany, turns out the headphones fell through the hole in my pocket and had migrated into the lining of the jacket.
I'm in Arizona. We get great outerwear from all the Midwesterners and Canuckistaners that migrate here. I revel in the odd cold day do I can wear a cool jacket or trench. I think about that whenever I see a youtuber with a beat to death shop coat.
We have the opposite problem. Too hot to wear leathers when welding in the Summer. I figure the berries will (mostly) bounce of the skin and the flash-burn gives a nice tan. . .
I notice in your videos that when you do fender repairs sometimes they are on and other times off the vehicle. Often the area is accessible, so I am not seeing this as being a reason in choosing one method over the other? Assuming that the repair area is accessible, is it best to do the fender repair when on the vehicle? Thanks.
It doesn't really matter, there are pros and cons to both. If you're repairing off the car just keep in mind that it will need to be test fit on the vehicle before finalizing the repairs and doing bodywork.
Your body work Is excellent. You deserve way more subscribers. You need to do a collaboration with a channel with a lot of subs. Guarantee you would gain a huge amount of subs.
Thanks, I'm glad you enjoy the show!
Your technique for putting the lead on prevents any from dropping on the floor, but you end up filing off most of it which then lands on the floor. Can you then collect and recycle it?
Can you use old tire weights
In theory, but you would need access to a lot of tire weights. The lead used for bodywork is mixed with tin to make it easier to work, it could be a lot more challenging if you were using tire weights.
What's on the steel wool
Kyle...Was that a 'Fender' guitar? Your lead bar slide made some heavy metal music! Always enjoyable, Kelly
Hi Kelly. It's just a cheap knock off that I've had forever. Thanks for watching!
@@CarterAutoRestyling Good day Kyle...posturex1 on CZcams does some great music with lower end guitars. See you next week, Kelly
The Led went well with the Lead. Hopefully the acid rock is not as detrimental as the acid...
I guess we will find out in time haha
excellent work. But you need to hire a cleaning lady for your shop:)
It's organized chaos haha
Golden.
Thanks for getn tha Led out 🤘
Haha you're welcome!
Very interesting ! I have heard that Ferrari workers used that method on aluminium fenders ( on a BB512 ) on the production line !!! How is it possible since lead won't bond to aluminium ? Fake news???
I'm not sure I've never worked on a Ferrari! We just work on Chevy trucks and Camaro's here in Saskatchewan
@@CarterAutoRestyling 🤣🤣🤣and probably pick-ups !!!
I think you are wrong about those not completely welded seems. It can rust inside because of humidity which comes from inside of the car
I've cut apart cars from the 1920s up to the 1970s that still had clean bare metal on factory lap seams and hem flanges, but had heavy rust underneath the factory lead seams. The majority of those vehicles had been sitting in fields for decades. I showed in the video on the old lead seam what happens when the acid isn't properly cleaned. You are correct that humidity can eventually cause rust between seams, but the acid if improperly treated will rust it out long before humidity becomes an issue.
🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦👍
Tallow, like lard?
I checked and yes apparently that's what it is.
@@CarterAutoRestyling Tallow is beef fat, lard is pig fat. Not sure what you should use if you're vegan?
Tallow is rendered beef fat. like lard is rendered pork fat.
The mighty Zep is always appropriate as background music. All sins will come back at some time. thanks for stressing the need for prepping the joint to the best of your ability. This hobby takes a lot of practise and errors are to be expected and shoiuld be looked upon as a learning rather than an impediment. Could a guy melt down lead rim weights into bars and use them or is the ratio incorrect? Keep up the excellent content Kyle and sound track choices.
I suppose you could in theory, but my understanding is the tin helps the lead flow out and be more workable. That and you'd need quite a few tire weights.
Have you ever used Metalux, 85 % aluminum 15% adhesive.
No I haven't. I did some looking and it doesn't look like it's available in Canada?
@@CarterAutoRestyling I use to buy it from Cross Canada, worked good but was a mother to work with very hard sanding. As you know sweating metal and plastic don't go together, sooner or later bubbles, Metalux solved that it's breathing characteristics were just like metal. Well maybe I just thought it should have been easier to work with, it was mostly metal, so the cheese file was the tool to use. Thanks for the video, good info to people who think lead is the greatest thing on earth, lots of problems with it as you pointed out. Cheers.
@@rockcrusher4636 Now that you mention it I did use a similar product called All Metal. Kind of the same idea with the aluminum mixed in. It actually sanded ok, but dried so hard that you could drill and tap it for a bolt. Apparently a lot of people use it on parts that are getting powdercoated because it holds up to heat. I found it wasn't as flexible as short strand fibreglass so I never got into using it on body panels.
The Led Zeppelin reference made me laugh out loud. I had to explain it to my son.
You would’ve made Bill Hines proud to know that lead is still being properly applied.
Bill Hines is the best! Thanks for watching!
no 1 reason lead is not used any more (as in gas, as in paints, industry etc) is due to health hazard. this new bars should be almost lead free, but not sure about that, your bars had high lead volume. you should be more clear about that, since this is not a joke.
i do prefer old school, aka metal an metal as final result, but people should be aware, what they re dealing with. and i dont think it worth risking your health for that, specially when doing big projects.
Had to drag out the Sammy Hagar for this.
Nice!
Yeeeaaah, caught you smilin' at me
That's the way it should be
Like a leaf is to a tree
So fine
Oh, sorry!
Excellent!
Now I'm tempted to dislike the video, just because you asked me to... I enjoy the sarcasm though!
Well they removed the dislike counter on videos a while back so no one would even notice if you did haha