i'm planing on taking my 67 Polara down to bare metal when it gets back from the shop, i was talking to a co-worker about it and he said i need to becareful when wire wheeling it because they used to fuse parts of the body togather with led. is this true ? and if so what precations should i take so i dont damage the car ?

 

Be careful with the wheel/sand paper where the roof meets the quarter panel, where the a pillar meets the cowl, and where the bottom of the quarter meets the rocker. If you have to do any filling over these areas, do a search on stopping reactions between filler and lead, or else remove ALL lead from these seams. The two items will react, as I'm sure you've seen some cars with plastic seperating where the two joints meet. I've always just totally removed the lead, then filled back with a flexible body filler. A lot of time, the lead had a tendency to seperate from the body anyway, allow water beneath it, and start rusting.

 

hmmm... well since i'm not the brightest i'll just try and be careful lol.

do i need to worry about any lead work around the back window ?

 

I can't remember any being there. Just where the lead fills the area between the quarter and roof. That goes from the window channel of the rear window, all the way around to the rear side window.

If yuo do decide to take it out, a propane torch will heat it enough to melt it, then use an agressive wire brush to strip what is left on there. I'd use at least a dust mask when you do that to keep the lead you breath low.

I can't remember right off, but it seems that if you're going to put a filler over the lead, you need to pickle it first with some sort of a mild acid (like vinegar), then I've always used something like Duraglass or long and strong to fill first, then skim it with plastic.

If you see any cracks around the edges, or if you see any rust leading under the edges, be ready to strip it out, and especially on the front, where the b pillar meets the cowl, be ready to take that out. That seam has a tendency to let the welds break, and let the body flex a lot. I almost always remove that lead just to make sure those welds are secure, and weld it a little more, just to be sure.

 

I'd just leave the lead where it is. I found mine at the top of the a-pillars where they meet the roof, minus2-3 inches. And in the rear, from the top of, and above the side window, to 2" below the top of the rear window. If you accidentally hit it, no big deal. No sense in trying to remove it just for paint. I removed mine for the roof change with propane, scraper, and a stiff wire brush. A sander or grinder would turn it into dust and likely make your garage a Superfund Clean-up Site! Do you really need to take the WHOLE car down to bare metal? BTW, your typing and spelling has gotten ALOT better since you joined! We can understand you now!

 

[ BTW, your typing and spelling has gotten ALOT better since you joined! We can understand you now![/quote]

LOL ! thanks.

it probly wont need to be taken down to bare metal, but since it has so many layers of paint on it i'd like to. cause i've put two on it since i've had it. the guy that owned it before me put a coat on, and so did the guy before him and so did Dodge lol. might explain my craptastic mpg
but then again that could be whats holding it togather lol

 

What ever you do to remove the paint (*cough* aircraft paint striper *cough*) please make sure that you are wearing the proper PPE (Personal Protection Equipment). Trust me, and others, when we say that you should. Safety glasses, half face resperator with the proper filters for what you are doing and the proper gloves with long sleeve shirts, pants and a good pair of boots.

If you can, get a full face resperator (I don't think they are that expensive) as it is well worth it and can be used for so many other projects. I use mine while grinding/wire wheeling and then changed the filter cans and installed fiberglass insulation in my house.

And I agree with Scotty, your spelling and grammar has come a long way.

 

lol, i'll look into that. how would i go about applying those coughs lol ?
have a few gasmasks

awayz nuw the'at hukt on fonix wud wurc lol

 

It gets applied with a brush (cheap throw away paint brushes work well) and you let it sit there for x amount of minutes and you'll see the paint start to bubble and flake off. You need to rinse it very well with fresh water and then you can go over it with a wire wheel. You should be able to get this at any good auto paint store (I picked it up at Sanels). This is the exact one that I used.

I used this one on some wheels that I installed some beadlocks on and it took the enamel paint right off.

http://www.shop3m.com/70008004213.html

 

How will I know.... I guess when I can stop rinsing the car off?
And should I also only do sections at a time?
Also about the wire wheeling how long should I do that or like am I just getting off what the striper didn't remove.

 

Only do it in sections. You'll see the paint start to come off, after a few minutes, it'll stop. that is when you want to take a wire brush and scrub it some to get even more off. After that, rinse it til the paint stops coming off. Once you are done for the day, wash the car to make sure that you have gotten all the striper off.

 

when i wash it, should i wash it like i'm washing my truck, soapy water and all that fun stuff or ?