Russ, I would like to see a picture of those, if you can. The ones I bought will work, but, don't really fit like I thought they would. The places made to match the formed ribs on the kick panels almost miss the mark and if I remember right, angle down towards the front. If they are Truckshop parts they are probably counterpart?
mine were CounterPart as well. It tool a bunch of pulling, bending, tacking and swearing to get a decent fit. Any inner cowel that stuck outside of the outer cowel in the curvature by the fender mount I just trimmed away till the inner curve matched the outer cowel. I figured the outer cowl was where the fender attached and the inner is just in there to fill in the hole. The rib reliefs on the inner did not match up well but a hammer got them closer then I welded the rest.
The gray primered ones I have used before, and had the same problems. These are black primed, new since last year. I am out of town this week, and they are in my garage in a bin. I have collected all the sheetmetal I need for my truck, but don't want to stop driving my truck long enough to replace them.
Does anyone have any pictures of how they welded the new piece to the existing metal where the lead use to be? Also pictures of how they bondo it? Having a heck of time trying to figure out how to weld it and what to do with bondo. Just don't want to have a ton of bondo on my truck! Thanks
So I decided to go for it it's welded now. My question is now do I bondo or would it be better to do a fiberglass filler first sand it smooth then go over with bondo? OR should I fill the gap in with weld or a small metal to patch so there won't be so much to fill?. HELP,,,PLEASE,, lol
You removed lead. Use lead instead of bondo or any other filler for that matter. Don't know how to use lead? Find someone that does, or learn. It's a lot easier that what you've accomplished so far.
Filling gaps! I agree about using lead here but then you have to protect yourself as lead it self is poisness when heating up the bars or sheets. A combination of tin & lead whas used in the old days om these trucks wich sticks easyer to the metal . artinius.
I don' have any pics but I used fiberglass strand mixed with the resin (Duraglass) and made my first fills with that. It was left over from my boating days. I used that as the bulk filler and then light coating of icing to blend it in. Bondo will crack if that is all you use.
I never heard of people using lead these days. I will ask around to see, but I was hoping to do the work myself since I'm doing this on a budget. Someone told me besides Coralhead to use fiberglass filler which I don't know if this stuff will work, but this it what I have right now.
If you want to do it right, use tin/lead, as was used by the manufacturer. Don?t let people frighten you too much, when talking about tin/lead. As long as you don?t use this technique 8 hours/7 days a week year round, it won?t hurt your health. Look for a well ventilated area and wash your hands after the job and you?ll be fine! Whenever i do a restoration on a vintage car/truck i use lead to fill gaps like that. Properly done, this will last nearly forever. Look on youtube to find some hints, and yes this is still used today, though not as popular as bondo...
Thank you for the advise. I also went to a body shop and he said the same thing.. So now my question is! Where do I buy the lead at? What tools do I need to do the job? I wonder if YouTube has a video on how apply lead? Thank you, love this site
One thing I noticed in your photo's. The entire seat frame has been removed, which is common for hot rod trucks, but I believe the rear portion that spans the cab from latch pillar to latch pillar also supports the rear cab floor supports. Would some sort of support across the rear cab be necessary? Could span the cab underneath? Russ? Anyone?
Another option is a metal filler. Its stronger than bondo and fiberglass and is a lead substitute. https://www.google.com/shopping/product/4498369276675006686?q=metal+filler&rlz=1T4NDKB_enUS522US523&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.53899372,d.aWc,pv.xjs.s.en_US.E_HR746bqA4.O&biw=1323&bih=744&dpr=1&tch=1&ech=1&psi=IEVXUoCNE6L4yQG6noHwAQ.1381451037817.3&sa=X&ei=J0VXUq2HJ4aCyAHaiIHABQ&ved=0CJUBEPMCMAI
Just wondering has anyone paid a professional to lead there cowl panel and if so how much was it? I talk to a body shop and they quoted me $150 plus the lead. I'm finding the lead kit to be $109 on eBay. Thinking it might not be a bad idea to pay $150 to have it done right.
Sounds fair to me. You might find scrap lead cheaper or even free if you ask around. It won't take much.
Lead Work Me , I'd use the other metal filler stuff mentioned here as lead tends to bite your @$$ 20 years later and it's a bad , hard death . That being said , use the $150 place but ONLY after you spend some time there looking at before and after jobs . Anyone can say they'll do a job but I've been dissappointed so many times . Don't sign on for " plus the leads co$t " ~ that's a bullcrap gambit to gouge you as they know what to expect , some shops charge 10 to 15 % over labor to cover shop materiels , they'll know so get it in writing or be ready to shed serious tears over the final bill ~ remember : you were warned by someone who's been in The Auto Trade for about 50 years , yes we'll listen to you cry later but not really sympathize ... Due diligence is the key here .
Eastwood material Here is some of the materials you will be needing to get the repair properly done. Martinius. http://www.eastwood.com/ew-body-solder-kit-deluxe-with-dvd.html?reltype=2&parent_id=2369
That should do it. It's been 45-50 years since I did any lead work, but everything's included here but the torch.
No one actually uses puer lead anymore, Eastwoods stuff is a mix compound that overcomes many of the problems of the old lead.
