My Half A$$ Studebaker Rebuild

[Topper2011]

Look what came in the mail yesterday.





Surface is cleaned, ready for tinning.



It worked out a lot better in my head.



I'm hoping the other side goes better and quicker.

[bensherb]

Roland , my car only has one hole in the fender/ gas door opening to bolt it to.

That "tinning butter" is a life saver! I love that stuff, makes all the difference in the world. That makes the hardest part of the job easy. The trick is getting the temp right. You need to get the metal a bit hotter than you would expect to get the butter to flow out , which you've probably found out, but once that's done leading is a "piece of cake" on a horizintal surface. It's hard to tell, but from the pic it looks like your "fill" is a bit cold. No biggie, just means there's more to sand down. Like most things practice makes , well, almost perfect. It looks about right for a vertical surface though. It's actually nice to see someone actually trying to use lead over plastic. There are some places I will only use lead, others plasic is fine. If you become discouraged with lead, you might try "all metal" plastic filler. I like lead at panel to panel seams, as was common for factories back when, but when not over "flexable" panel seams or other flexable places I find plastic acceptable. On motorcycle tanks I always use lead.

Great job bud! I applaud your efforts!!

[bensherb]

Oh, a "mill cut" or "bastard" file works quite well to cut down that "xtra" lead. You'll likely still need to "glaze" the area. A two part glaze filler works well , I often use JB Weld on small jobs. Do not use a one part or lacquer glaze filler, it will lift!

[Topper2011]

Roland , my car only has one hole in the fender/ gas door opening to bolt it to.

That "tinning butter" is a life saver! I love that stuff, makes all the difference in the world. That makes the hardest part of the job easy. The trick is getting the temp right. You need to get the metal a bit hotter than you would expect to get the butter to flow out , which you've probably found out, but once that's done leading is a "piece of cake" on a horizintal surface. It's hard to tell, but from the pic it looks like your "fill" is a bit cold. No biggie, just means there's more to sand down. Like most things practice makes , well, almost perfect. It looks about right for a vertical surface though. It's actually nice to see someone actually trying to use lead over plastic. There are some places I will only use lead, others plasic is fine. If you become discouraged with lead, you might try "all metal" plastic filler. I like lead at panel to panel seams, as was common for factories back when, but when not over "flexable" panel seams or other flexable places I find plastic acceptable. On motorcycle tanks I always use lead.

Great job bud! I applaud your efforts!!

Thanks Rick. I think I let the panel cool down too much while my lead was too hot and it pretty much kept rolling off. The vertical panel came out actually better than I expected, the horizontal went pear shaped though. I think it may be like soldering wire, it's drawn to the heat. The process is kind of fun though, but I wish I had more hands. One for the torch, one for the lead and one for the wooden spoon.

[Topper2011]

With my new experience, I started on the left side.



Cleaned up, preheated to remove any moisture, getting it ready for tinning.



Time to melt some lead.



Time to order some polyester filler for a skim coat. Not sure why there are pinholes where the tack welds are. I wire brushed them and tinned it, but couldn't wipe it down in there. I did neutralize the acid with a baking soda wipe down. Hopefully the filler will stick.



The right side after filing. Inching closer.

[Topper2011]

Finally getting back to work on the car after a weekend to see these with one of my kids.



Prepping a car for paint has got to win the award for sh*t work (as Cold-war Motors calls it). Sanding, cleaning, taping, bah!



Rot hole in the left side sail panel under the trim.

[Topper2011]

Hole patched and I can just reach through a hole to spray some encapsulate from the back.



Sanded and epoxy primered with the cheapest one I could find on the Net, made in Europe (Greece), $18 a can. Waiting for the cheapest filler I could find on the net right now. Nothing but the best for this car, I got standards you know.

[bensherb]

Looking good!

[Topper2011]

My Bondo came yesterday.



Comes with a spreader and the hardener. Not only that, you can use it as a glaze as well, so I don't need to buy that also. I'm a cheapskate, especially on this old rust bucket.



Forgot to show the trick epoxy primer nozzle that is adjustable for fan size. I think I'll order some more I'm so impressed, but it doesn't take much.



Time to slap that mud on. BTW, this was just a tad too much hardener.



Like laying bricks! Actually, I've never done that either.

[Topper2011]

Adding too much filler means extra sanding.



I'm pretty happy with this so far. I still have some low spots, but this is the first time I've ever

used filler.



Low spots filled, too soft to sand today. Trunk gaps are looking pretty good.





Tomorrow I hope to finish sanding, seam seal and prime this area.

[sweetolbob]

If you plan on using a fair bit of filler, a "cheese grater" can make work a lot easier. They come in flat and 1/2 round and are good for most areas but can be of great help in rounded areas like you are finishing. It's possible to use them before the resin has totally cured and hard to clog because of the large open areas.
I have a handle I use with mine but the cost is very reasonable compared to the sandpaper they can save.

Keep it up, good work - Bob

[Topper2011]

If you plan on using a fair bit of filler, a "cheese grater" can make work a lot easier. They come in flat and 1/2 round and are good for most areas but can be of great help in rounded areas like you are finishing. It's possible to use them before the resin has totally cured and hard to clog because of the large open areas.
I have a handle I use with mine but the cost is very reasonable compared to the sandpaper they can save.

Keep it up, good work - Bob

Hi Bob thanks. I've actually got a small cheese grater. Bought 30+ years ago for some wood work, or something.



I am certain the right tool would make my job easier, but I always seem to find the hard way to do things and redo things.

[raidmagic]

After you put the filler on but before it hardens shape it with some 60 or 80 grit. It will make final sanding much easier on you.

[bensherb]

For me, I've always found , with plastic filler, it's less work to add more than to sand off too much. I do use a cheese grater on the first application, sometimes the second too. For lead it's just the opposite, apply too much and cut it down to finish, is easiest.

I thought you were going to use lead Roland ? Or is it you just wanted to lead the weld seam, then fill over it with plastic.

[Topper2011]

For me, I've always found , with plastic filler, it's less work to add more than to sand off too much. I do use a cheese grater on the first application, sometimes the second too. For lead it's just the opposite, apply too much and cut it down to finish, is easiest.

I thought you were going to use lead Roland ? Or is it you just wanted to lead the weld seam, then fill over it with plastic.

I'm afraid my lead work was less than perfect. I did not think I could redo it, as in Trev's Blog, said it's pretty much a one shot deal. On the positive side, the amount of filler I used is pretty thin, probably less than an 1/8", thanks to the lead I added. Plus I think it was a good thing to lead my weld to seal and strengthen the joint.