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Body Joint Lead

jeffhuey1n

SMSgt, USAF (Ret.)
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I’ve picked up a few lead bars. All appears to have been melted at one end. They are lead or some combination of lead and other metals. My question concerns the practice of lead sealing of body joints at the factory. Specific to the G506 but should apply to many WW II and earlier vehicles. Is this the form of lead that was used to seal body joints?
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nyoffroad

Well-known member
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Boy o boy, I see guy's have been jumping all over this thread! I did a little (meaning very little) lead work back around 1975 or 76 and IIRC that's what I used. Not sure what alloy I used or what alloy yours is. I do used oak paddles with beeswax on them to smooth the lead, I remember quite vividly how just one too many passes with the torch sent the pour off onto the floor!
Honestly, if this is something you want to try go ahead, but I don't recommend it. Todays body fillers are lightyears ahead of the old crap and even that was better than lead. Lead belongs in small brass cases, not on cars and trucks.
 

jeffhuey1n

SMSgt, USAF (Ret.)
Steel Soldiers Supporter
1,890
1,480
113
Location
Laramie County, Wyoming
Boy o boy, I see guy's have been jumping all over this thread! I did a little (meaning very little) lead work back around 1975 or 76 and IIRC that's what I used. Not sure what alloy I used or what alloy yours is. I do used oak paddles with beeswax on them to smooth the lead, I remember quite vividly how just one too many passes with the torch sent the pour off onto the floor!
Honestly, if this is something you want to try go ahead, but I don't recommend it. Todays body fillers are lightyears ahead of the old crap and even that was better than lead. Lead belongs in small brass cases, not on cars and trucks.
I won’t be using them for my truck. Lead’s a bit too toxic for me to deal with outside of reloading.
I don’t plan on using them for anything except maybe for my black powder musket. My question was to see if these are the lead used for that application, or maybe something else? I know that there’s folks that used lead for stained glass projects but I can’t think of any other use.
Perhaps these are relics from an extremely old body shop that did stuff “the old fashioned way”? Also, I know there’s folks that are extremely detailed in their restorations. Are they so detailed they use lead body sealer?
I also came across a box of 50 rolls of lead solder. Darn stuff is heavy! I don’t think it’s used for electrical work because of the metal composition. Maybe a body sealer? Or maybe for stain glass?
Such is the conundrum of estate sales. You find some amazing stuff but you also find puzzles from yesteryears.
 
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