Can you fill a rust hole with lead?

[joesregalproject]

I had rust holes the size of nickels in the top corners of my quarter windows along the 'b' pillar. I filled them with fiberglass filler, but I am wondering if it might be a better option to fill them with lead, since I need to redo the seam anyways. Can you fill a rust hole with lead?

 

[L92 OLDS]

I had rust holes the size of nickels in the top corners of my quarter windows along the 'b' pillar. I filled them with fiberglass filler, but I am wondering if it might be a better option to fill them with lead, since I need to redo the seam anyways. Can you fill a rust hole with lead?

You can but is it still rusty? Better cut out ALL the cancer before you fill it with anything

 

[joesregalproject]

It isn't rusty anymore. I cleaned it up with a grinder and filled it with glass filler. I just don't wan the fiberglass to pop out, as it is right on the roof seam, which was also cracked.

 

[xitabl442]

I think if the body was cracked there, any filler will come out regardless. I also think a nickle size hole might be difficult to get lead to puddle in. Welding the hole and cracks up before any filler is applied will be your best bet. Besides, you don't want to go through all the time of paint and refinish, only to have it come back.

 

[Clone TIE Pilot]

Welding or brazing would be better. Heck HF sells copper spoons for welding up holes.

 

[Blake442]

You could fill it with crumpled up paper if you wanted...
Bottom line is that unless you cut out the rust and weld in fresh metal, the repair will fail.

Lead, like any other type of filler, is meant to cover seams or repairs, not fill holes...

 

[Clone TIE Pilot]

Even with welding, if you don't protect both sides of the weld it will rust out again since welds rust faster than the base metal.

 

[67rstbkt]

The above statements are true, you will need to cut out the rust and weld in replacement metal. After that's done, it needs to be treated to eliminate any trace of rust (neutralizer), then sealed with something that will prevent any new rust from forming. The fiberglass repair will fail in time. I've seen it many times, including my completely rusted out trunk floor that some genius decided to "repair" using fiberglass.I really wanted to punch the previous owner who commited such an act on my future car in the face. Don't be someone who someone else might want to punch in the face later on

In all seriousness, I know it might not be what you want to hear, but that's the only correct way I know to solve the problem without it coming back to haunt you down the road.

 

[joesregalproject]

First off, this is a fun car, not a show car. The car will never see rain or snow again. The car wont be raced, driven hard or beaten on. I don't have a welder and cant afford one. If I get 5 years out of it and then part it out, ill be happy.

 

[Burnhard]

Like others have said lead is not used to fill rust holes it is like any other filler in that it is to be used to cover minor imperfections in body seams.

If you want to do a cheep and dirty repair use your fiberglass filler.

1. The way I used to repair rust holes was to strip the area to bare metal.
2. Cut the rust out.
3. spot blast around rusted area with a sand blaster that would only cover the size of a quarter and catch most of the sand
in its recovery bag.
4. Make or buy a patch, fit patch and weld in place.
5. epoxy prime the inside and out side of the patch.
6.apply a skim coat of fine stranded fiberglass filler
7.epoxy prime followed by hi solid primer then paint.

When I could not get to the back of a weld to prime there was weld through primer and we would drill holes so that we could spray a rust proof product to the back side of the weld and patch. Some of the products were wax based some rubber/tar/? based.

Good luck