88 August 2019
I
BUYING AND RESTORING A CLASSIC FORD MADE SIMPLERESTO FEATURES
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Expert tips and advice whether you’re
looking to buy or restore a classic Ford.Lead loading
Black art or something you can do yourself?
We fi nd out on MBVR’s Mk1 Granada restoration.
How to
n our bodywork series, we’ve tackled
replacing the rear quarter on a Mk1
Granada and in so doing, uncovered
one of the traditional areas of the craft
that you’d think was forgotten — lead-
loading — simply because it’s old-school.
The seams where one panel joins another
often deliberately had a step in them,
which was fi lled with lead and blended in.
You’d think that with modern body fi ller
being so good, the practice has been
relegated to history but it appears that
some things were simply right in the fi rst
place and there’s still no proper substitute.Lead is still extremely good because it’s
fl exible and can cope with the slight
amounts of movement that could crack
body fi ller which, by comparison, tends to
be more on the brittle side. Therefore, the
practice certainly isn’t dead and is still
used on new cars today. But, it’s moved
on, especially in the materials that are
used. Our partners in this latest series,
Mid Beds Vehicle Restorations, (MBVR)
still uses such traditional methods and
demonstrate to us, exactly what’s
involved. We followed along as their lead
Words and Photos man, Robin shows us how to fi ll a seam.Jon HillBEFORE YOU START
Robin is extremely hot on the dangers of
using lead — although, we’re actually
using a lead-free system but it really
doesn’t hurt to be as careful as possible.
Lead is evil stuff and really easy to get it
where you don’t want it — in your lungs
and bloodstream. Plus, the hotter you
get it, the more it gives off noxious
fumes, although, this isn’t necessarily
the case for lead-free but Robin’s advice
is to treat it the same because you never
know. Therefore, cover yourself up —
use gloves (disposable ones for general
handling of the cold lead and working it)
plus heat-proof gloves when doing the
actual melting of the lead sticks. Overalls
are also advised along with a fume mask
when you’re melting the metal and a
good-quality dust mask when you’re
sanding the stuff — though that’s to be
avoided if at all possible.Contacts
Mid Beds Vehicle
Restoration (MBVR)
01767 317855
http://www.mbvr.co.ukInfo