LEAVE ALONE OR MAKE IT BETTER?

[Builderguy]

Working on this car for some time now and I want it to be really well done but it doesn't have to be perfect. It is getting BC/CC so it is already not "perfect" and it is not a high $$$$$$$ car to start with so I have to draw a line somewhere.
My question is,"Do I fill the factory lead seam between the quarter and the rocker or leave it like the factory did?" The pics below show the factory job and that is how I intended to leave it but with the car on it's side it looks a little amateurish. But at the same time I don't want to spend endless hours chasing every little thing the factory skimped on. What do you think?
Would a potential buyer look at this and think the restorer did a piss-poor job? Thoughts

 

[vintage chromoly]

I worry about the side of the rocker and leave the underside kinda rough.

 

[YY1]

Mine is terrible there.

no other body work on the car but someone "fixed" that area.

they could have at least sanded it smooth on the bottom.

 

[Jerry Hall]

I'd fix it, it doesn't have to be perfect, just a lot better. The original cars I have seen were better in that area unless rust mites were working on it.

 

[493 Mike]

My 65 Belvedere rocker seam is plainly a lapped sheet metal joint-OEM. It looks fine to me and totally correct. What are you working on?
Mike

 

[Builderguy]

73 RR

 

[WP29440SE]

mine is a little rough in that area as well. I got it as flat as I could without moving metal. if I had had it on a rotisserie, I would have worked it a little better. now is the time to get it to where you will be happy with it.

 

[moparedtn]

Fix that shiyat. You see under there a lot more often than most people realize....

 

[440 4 speed]

If you have not welded it, I suggest opening it up and welding in solid metal. That’s what was done with the roof quarter panels on our 67 Charger, worked great.

 

[gtx1of1]

if it looks like the factory lead. leave it

 

[Geetex]

Here's my 2 pennies. It sounds like you're going for an original appearing restoration but not 100% correct. The not 100% correct, I'm guessing, is due to taking advantage of improved materials, techniques and some personal preference. That being said, when I was in the planning stages for the restoration of my car I decided to restore it as close to factory as reasonably possible but do the restoration as if the assembly line workers actually cared. So in this instance, what would that look like if the line workers actually cared? This doesn't answer what you should do, since only you can answer that, it's just another avenue of thought.

 

[Durandal25]

Leave it

 

[WileERobby]

Since its not a totally " original" resto, I'd clean it up just a little, but not go crazy.

 

[Builderguy]

Thanks everyone. Lots of good input here. And yes, this is just how the factory left it. I have not touched this area except to strip the paint off. I was in the process of blocking the area when I rolled the car up and now it was staring me in the face. The other side is a little (not much) cleaner. I did add some finishing glaze just below the door because there was a ripple in the factory lead that one could see from 10 feet away. I think this decision is going to require a few more beers!

 

[Builderguy]

The beers helped!!! Decided to clean it up a little but not make it perfect. Glad I did as a chunk of lead went flying when I hit it with the wire wheel. Wasn't really attached to the body just the lead spread so to speak. It was that way for 47 years so I suppose it was going anywhere soon but there was a little rust starting under it. Gone now and I think it looks pretty good. Again, thanks for all the input.

 

[Jerry Hall]

The rust starting to get under it is what was making it look that bad. Glad you cleaned it up.

 

[YY1]

That is the ONLY place there has been body work on my car.