ya know if it was me ,,,,, i would cut out the bad stuff and weld in some new metal and a skim coat of mud (ie;polyester filler) savor a cold one,,, probably a moosehead and call it a day,,,,,,i,ve done some lead work ,,not much and yea its a lost art and your wagon is still thicker gauge steel to work with,,,,but i,ve seen good lead work thats lasted well and i,ve seen good repairs done with modern polyesterfillers that have lasted well and i have in the past when i still did body and fender work for a living,,,,also repaired bad lead work and bad bondo filler repairs,, i reckon it depends on the way the repair is done,,,take the time and pay attention to detail how ever you do it and you will be good to go ,,,a guy i used to work for years ago used to say you should only need enough mud (bondo) to cover and fill the grinder marks after all is said and done,,,,,better said is patience goes a long ways and looks better in the long run,,,,,,
So here's the latest. Inner flange is quite solid... it'll make a good base on which to weld my fabricated angle. I'll have some work to do on the outside edge, but it looks worse than it is. Glass came out EZ! Thankfully, the space we rent is next to some guys who have a sheet metal brake and shear! If he only had a shrinker/stretcher setup. Thanks to all for the input. I'll keep you posted w/progress. Adam
What? You can get Moosehead down there!!!! Try getting a Schlitz up here. huh Polyesther fillers are better, eh? I agree with you though, thin coats and wait till it cures. You sort of need to think like a sculptor building a statue. With that mindset, you're watching the kettle boil from a low flame.
If you were closer, I'd bring a 30 pack, and a helping hand That leading sounds interesting. I'm going into auto-body as a profession, and want to learn leading, since it seems that nobody around here does it anymore. I could corner the market.
I guess I'll just have to hit the store myself, then. I think this wagon was built on a Friday or Monday... the lead work in the top corner is atrocious!!! Those kits from Eastwood make it seem awfully easy to do.
Top corner of the side rear quarter windows? Did you have a roof rack on it? Sounds like a fastener leak too? If it is, use plumber's putty when you reinstall the fasteners.
This lead is at the back top of the 1/4 window... near the tailgate glass. But I'm not taking any chances... I'll defenitely use some form of sealer for the roofrack attachment points.
Adam, could you please make some photos during your progress? This is a very interesting thread which, and not only I, will follow on a daily basis. Thanks so far!!
Take care when you take the fasteners out. They're either RIVNUTS or PEMNUTS. Mine were made from a hardened pot metal, but some are brass or bronze. Bronze is better. Usually used on Aircraft if you can't get replacements.
Here's a few for that job: http://www.mytoolstore.com/kd/kdbody01.html#2037 I'd check out a Bodyshop supply house and see what they have as well.
Its not that hard, but you need the right tool and patience. Most tools for trim removal are similar (some variation of a "hook"), but I've found that the details make the difference. The Fisher body manual actually calls for 2 different tools, depending on the carline (a body, b body, etc...). Get several, if you can. The principle is fairly easy. You use the tool to release the clip by pulling it foward (away from the body, toward the glass), allowing the trim to be pulled up. It slips under the trim (above the window, below the trim, parallel with both) and is slid until you encounter a clip. Usually, a twist of the tool (keeping it level) on the clip will pull it enough to allow the trim to come up. Age, dried gunk, past repairs, and indifference during initial assembly can make this difficult... just go slow so you don't kink the trim. This would be a lot easier to show than explain, but if you hit a Barnes & Noble, check out any generic auto body book and they shoudl have some pics.
