1955 Chevy Tri-Five Body Rust Repair

On the surface, it didn't look like the tailpan area of our '55 was in that bad a shape. But once we dug into it, Bondo and body rot quickly came to the surface.

On the surface, it didn't look like the tailpan area of our '55 was in that bad a shape. B

Unless it's been kept in a bubble or climate-controlled garage since new, most 55-year-old cars are going to have some rust. In the case of our project '55, we have more than just some. Over five decades of living its life outside have given our hardtop a decent case of cancer in the usual areas where Tri-Fives like to rot.

Fortunately, the continuing popularity of '55-57 Chevys means the aftermarket has plenty of new steel to fix the ills of any ailing shoebox. The first and most well-known company in the Tri-Five aftermarket, Danchuk, has almost everything you need to bring your Bel Air, 210, or 150 back to factory-fresh condition, and that's who we went to for our '55 two-door hardtop.

After inspecting the car stem to stern, we raided the Danchuk catalog for the sheetmetal needed to get the Bel Air fixed up. With metal in hand, the crew at Classic Automotive Restoration Specialists (CARS) broke out the cutoff wheels, air chisels, and welding equipment and got to work while we snapped the pictures. Over the next several issues, we'll show you step-by-step how to repair the metal on your Tri-Five. Even if you don't have a '55 like ours, a lot of what we'll show you can carry over to the '56 and '57s, too.

This area where the factory lead seams are was starting to bulge and crack, signs of trouble below...
This area where the factory lead seams are was starting to bulge and crack, signs of troub
...To remove the outer tailpan, first we needed to cook out the factory lead sealer and see what was underneath.
...To remove the outer tailpan, first we needed to cook out the factory lead sealer and se
If you're doing this in your home garage/shop, you'll need a bottle of MAP gas for cooking out the lead seam filler. MAP gas always comes in yellow bottles (as opposed to blue for propane), and burns hotter than propane, necessary to melt the lead out. Don't use a torch for this operation, as it will burn too hot and warp the metal in the area you're working.
If you're doing this in your home garage/shop, you'll need a bottle of MAP gas for cooking

It didn't take long for the lead filler to start oozing from the joint under flame from the MAP gas. Because lead is involved here, be sure to wear a filter mask to guard against inhaling any lead vapors while you're working on the seam. Later on we'll replace the lead seam sealer with a modern, environmentally and health-friendly substitute.
It didn't take long for the lead filler to start oozing from the joint under flame from th
After melting away lead and Bondo, not much metal was left around the seam. At one point the putty knife sliced right through the metal while scraping.
After melting away lead and Bondo, not much metal was left around the seam. At one point t
Moving up, the lead was melted out of the upper seam above the taillight. We're going to be replacing the inner part of this area in a later story, so we went ahead and took care of melting the seams out. If you're not sure where the seams are in your panels, a factory shop/body manual will come in very handy.
Moving up, the lead was melted out of the upper seam above the taillight. We're going to b

One more seam on the '55's corner is right down the middle below the taillight. This is a thin seam without as much lead as the upper and lower main seams.
One more seam on the '55's corner is right down the middle below the taillight. This is a
On the passenger side, we were melting away more Bondo than lead, not a good sign about the condition of the tailpan area.
On the passenger side, we were melting away more Bondo than lead, not a good sign about th
Going across the outer tail pan, we were knocking away half- inch thick chunks of Bondo, and finding paper thin, rusted metal beneath. Fortunately we've got a new piece from Danchuk to replace this mess.
Going across the outer tail pan, we were knocking away half- inch thick chunks of Bondo, a