Scars - what would you do?

[Mike S]

  As some know I am re-restoring my 67 convertible that was restored previously in the mid-80's.
I'm at the stage where I sprayed the upper and lower control arms a semi-gloss black I noticed a few areas near the spring pocket and sway bar linkage area are that have minor rust scars that catch my eye (parts have been sand and bead blasted free of rust).
I'm undecided if I should just leave them there being it's the natural patina of  a 45 year old chassis or smooth them over with glaze putty.
The main H chassis is in very good shape with very minor small scars scattered here and there due to the benefits of a leaky motor from its former life.
 Being out of the show circuit for 20+ years I'm undecided which way to go. Are areas like these subject to point hits? Again, it's minor scars and not deep craters.

What would you do?

Thank you in advance.
Mike

[william]

Since it is nearly impossible to re-finish the frame and components exactly as GM I see no problem in filling in the pitting.

[77thor]

Personally, I would leave them alone, but my car is more of a driver.

[lakeholme]

Since it is nearly impossible to re-finish the frame and components exactly as GM I see no problem in filling in the pitting.

I agree. But it would be helpful if you would post a few pictures, so we can see more exactly what the pitting looks like.

[IZRSSS]

The mere mention of the scars hints they are eating you up inside so bad your dog would be well advised to stay clear of its owner. What Bill said X2…besides; rust is fourty year old patina.

[Mike S]

 I should have posted a picture.....
I borrowed my camera from my daughter and took one up close.  
As you can see the pits are in a small area and not deep. The taped ball joints are original so I glass beaded them and coated with RPM.

What I am trying to do is:
Based on a post where it was stated that various chassis parts were made by different suppliers, and each supplier could have had a different gloss, I attempted to emulate that.
So, the main chassis is approximately 30% gloss and I used a semigloss for the control arms for a slightly glossier look.
Maybe using a 30% gloss would minimize the eye catching effect of the scars.

My wife brought up an interesting point....if the scars were in a body panel, would you paint over it or smooth it first.
Hmmm...never thought of it that way. It's amazing how one can get neck deep into restore details.

Mike

[68camaroz28]

Mike, it seems pretty obvious at this point if you do not fix it will bug you and become a thorn in your side in the future.
Best thing for the long term is correct it. We took the time on our sub-frame and A-arms, etc. and I'm really glad we did.

[Mike S]

 You guys were right....it was a thorn in my side. Gesh...I even laid in bed at night pondering what to do 
I sanded down the arms and the one benefit was the primer and paint inside the scars acted like a filler so while sanding the scars eventually blended into the surface.
I re-primed it and it looks excellent! Tomorrow I'll apply the semigloss and move on.

Thanks for all the replies, I do appreciate them

Mike