Body work options

I'm getting ready to start the repairs on my CJ and I was thinking of using body solder instead of bondo or fiberglass. I was wondering if anyone has any experience with this type of body work and any advice.
Thanks in advance
Warren

 

Solder or brazing rod?

 

I was thinking of using solder.

 

What purpose for the solder? Attaching panels together? Filling holes? There's plenty of better options IMO.

 

I've seen lead used as body filler on "old-school" hot rods and such. It's my understanding that it's not the most user friendly body filler. It requires a lot of practice and technique to get good results. One the other hand , it is still pretty cool.

 

If you are talking about lead, leave it to the pros. It is not easy to use at all. My buddy's dad when I was growing up was/is one of the best body men I have ever seen. He used lead when he had to use a filler, the need of which was very rare - he is good. It definitely takes a touch . . . and excellent ventilation.

 

Lead is darned heavy too, and inhaling small quantities of vaporized lead cannot be good for you. When we cast lead bricks for a particle detector (long ago), the campus health department required periodic blood samples to check for lead.

Again, the OP needs to be more clear about what he has in mind for the filler.

 

Patrick, thanks for moving this. Eastwood offers a lead free solder. My main areas of consideration for solder are on the hood. The hood flexes a lot just driving down the road and I am concerned with bondo breaking free. Solder on the other hand would actually bond with the metal. Have you ever tried to pull two pipes apart when thay are soldered together. That is the kind of bond I am looking for. Any ideas and or thoughts are more than welcome.

 

It seems to me that most filler failures are caused by poor surface preparation and too thick application, not poor quality material. If you work hard making it smooth and flat before filling you should be good to go short of a crash.

 

I suggest you use the fiberglass filled body putty. The body putty will bond to the surface, just like the solder will. You can select fillers with different lengths of fibers - if you use the long fibered filler, it will be strong.

As I understand it, body solder takes a lot of skill to use. You must heat the solder until it is semi-solid, but not so soft so it flows. This takes a lot of skill. Leaving the lead out can't help in terms of difficulty ... lead makes the solder melt at lower temperatures, and needing more heat can't make the process easier. I don't know - maybe it's not so hard, but I expect the lead-free solder is a poor substitute for the leaded solders of old. You need to view the advertised claims with a skeptical eye.

You can use the body solder, but I wonder if it will be any better at bonding to the surface than putty. For bondo, you prepare the surface with about an 80 grit disk, and it bonds quite well. I expect you will only have trouble if the bondo is so thick that it will crack due to the flexing of the hood. It could crack, but the problem gets worse as the bondo gets thicker. Thus the fiberglass reinforced putty may be better - it will be less likely to fracture, simply because it's stronger structurally.

 

the second you apply heat to that hood to melt the solder it WILL tweak and you will chase that problem . the hood it too flat . solder holds up well in corners and conplex curves. I have done my share of lead work , it's old school with the wax and spoons and toxic gas but keep in mind .you would still need to apply glazing puddy or simular product. I would go light weight bondo and really roughen up the metal (80 gr)and apply with some force if you are really concerend.

 

Guess I will go with bondo and fiberglass. I am hearing the same kind of things from people around here. Talked to a friends dad, he owns a body shop. He's going to let me use a bay at his shop. He works with solder, that is what got me thinking about it.

 

I agree proper metal prep and application of filler. Lead Is Not recommended for a beginner also the non leaded solder you speak of sure it is strong on pipes and great to french lights and seams. but as far as dents and dings try to pull before you fill also there are many cheaper and better way's to remove flex in your hood for less money. Then applying the fillers to get the job done. I have 10 years of custom body repair experience if you post some detailed pics would be more then happy to try to help.

 

I used bondo on my Kubota ag tractor hood. No cracks after four years and that hood shakes and flexes like nobody's business.