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Apr 26th, 2026 | | AD Chevy Trucks  Over 6,000 pictures Brad Allen has an awesome collection of Chevrolet factory pictures that he has set up from film strips. Check them out!
Lots of work on Brad's part ... pure enjoyment (and references) for you!
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| | | | Joined: Feb 2011 Posts: 170 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Feb 2011 Posts: 170 | I just encountered an area of old lead body work on my front fenders where I am going to need to do some welding, is there a way to clean the lead satisfactorally to weld it with a mig welder? Thanks, Scott | | | | | Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 6,377 Ex Hall Monitor | | Ex Hall Monitor Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 6,377 | The best way is with a torch but be careful about putting too much heat into the panel. Melt a small spot and wipe it off. You can grind it but lead is soft enough to plug most abrasive wheels.
Save a life, adopt a senior shelter pet.
The three main causes of blindness: Cataracts, Politics, Religion.
Name your dog Naked so you can walk Naked in the park.
| | | | | Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 29,748 Kettle Custodian (pot stirrer) | | Kettle Custodian (pot stirrer) Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 29,748 | Melt and scrub with a hand-held wire brush, then use an angle grinder or DA sander to remove the residue. Back in the 1950's body men considered anyone who used more than 1/16" of lead to be amateurs- - - -not good enough to metal-finish a panel without using filler. Then Bondo came along, and good body work became a lost art.
Jerry
Last edited by Hotrod Lincoln; 07/07/2014 11:13 PM.
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
| | | | | Joined: Feb 2011 Posts: 170 Shop Shark | | Shop Shark Joined: Feb 2011 Posts: 170 | Will the lead still be impregnated enough to cause any headaches when welding? I know paint rust and oil can cause some serious splatter, never dealt with lead. Scott | | | | | Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 29,748 Kettle Custodian (pot stirrer) | | Kettle Custodian (pot stirrer) Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 29,748 | Lead "tins" to the surface of steel- - - -it doesn't penetrate very deeply. A good scuff job with 40 grit sandpaper will remove enough of the surface to prevent weld contamination.
Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
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