The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Spot Welds from factory

I asked this question in the Paint section and Bill (Squeeze) was nice enough to answer, but I wanted a few more opinions.

My question is the spot welds on my new Mar-K tailgate. Should I level them or leave 'em as is? I am leaning toward leaving them as is but wanted to see what you all thought.

Does anyone have a close-up shot of a factory painted tailgate they could link me to?


Thanks.
Michael

I'd leave them. Once you get a few coats of paint on them they probably won't be noticeable. I doubt Mar-K's welds are as defined as the factory welds? Remember every place you work on metal has the potential to cause problems down the road, more sanding and more primer ect.

michael,
i'd think that would be according to your own personal taste & what your trying to achieve. if you're going for pure restoration i'd just sand & paint. i'm mostly familiar with AD trucks & i know very little if any attempt was made at the factory to hide any spot welds any where on the truck. i'm not a purist restorer but i had a friend who was & he told me that too much smoothing can lose you points for what is called "over restoration". if your tailgate is bare metal you'll need to sand with at least 80 grit & once primed you'll see the spot welds won't be nearly as noticeable.
robert

I think you posted your paint and body question in the right place the first time. There is no need for double posts.