Quarter panel removal question

I am removing the rear quarter on my '73 Mav. I was advised to apply heat (presumably with a propane torch?) to the seam where it meets the roof, in order to melt the lead out of this seam. Is this good advice? I'm worried about warping the sheetmetal. Also, does any one have any tips on drilling out the spot welds? Thanks for any input. John B.

 

John-
I am no expert on this but I would wait until someone such as
Jean Doll or others with experience in this responds before I
would attack the leaded on section with a torch. I don't know
if you are able to just heat that area up without warping the
roof section. Not to mention the dangers of working with lead
and the fumes.

Seth

 

That lead is really soft ... You could use course sand paper, stiff wire brush or a grinder to remove the lead ...

 

The lead is so soft, you can safely melt it out with a propane torch. You only need about 400 to 500 degrees to melt lead without doing major harm to the surrounding sheetmetal. Just be sure to remove the rear windshield and drop the corner of the headliner down on the side you are working on. For safty sake, keep a bucket of water and some wet towels nearby. As for the spot welds, as a rule we don't drill them out. We seperate the welds with an air chisel. The seam where the quarter is welded to the roof is either arc welded on or a very heavy spotweld is used there that a drill can not remove. It's a much faster and cleaner job when an air chisel is used.

 

Avoid breathing the fumes while working with the lead, as the fumes are known to be toxic

 

I've been working with lead in a battery factory and TTeeerrRezz NuUtHing RonGgG wiF MeeeE. No seriously you should were a resporator when you work with lead. Mike..

 

I would like to see pictures of the removal if you plan on documenting it ...

 

Thanks for the replies. I'll give serious considereration to documenting the whole quarter exchange project. It will take considerable discipline on my part. I'm pretty task oriented once I get started. I don't even take the time to put my tools away, resulting in my reputation for being a pretty messy worker. I think I do pretty good work (due to my obssessive nature) but I spend half of my time looking for tools that I've put down somewhere. I hope I can find the camera!
If anyone has any more tips on this doing this job, please feel free to add them. This is a first for me. John B.

 

i'm bout to go threw the same thing but was told to drill mine out

 

Funny to see this thread resurface after so long. True to form, the job got started, but not finished. I melted the lead out of one sail panel, and drilled a couple of the welds out. I'll try to post a pic of the work I got done sometime this crazy weekend. Thank goodness I retired at the end of June. Maybe life will slow down a bit and I'll be able to get more Maverick time in. My goal is to have it rolling on all fours by the summers end.