by Guest Tue Mar 17, 2009 10:33 amI took off some body side molding on my van and now have at least 20.. 1/4 inch holes to fill. I was gonna use fiberglass hair bondo to try and fill the holes, but someone told me that i would have to dimple each hole for it to work right and stay put. Now the big question should i buy myself a little welder and try to weld the holes? Would that make sense since i've never welded before in my life, and could i screw that up bad? If i should buy a welder for this job ,what would ya'll recommend? I have no clue what to look for in welders that could do this job. Thanks for any help ya'll can give me. Curt
3 posters
Not sure if this is the right forum?
back2thewoods- Number of posts : 842
Location : easton ct
Age : 67
Registration date : 2008-05-26
my buddy, countersinks them and fills with j-b weld. been holding up fine
donivan65- Governor
- Number of posts : 12220
Location : San Diego, California
Registration date : 2008-05-12
I guess it depends on how good a job you want,,,,If you are going spend big money on a paint job, you need to weld up the holes,,,,,Harbor Freight probably has their MIG wire feed flux welders for about $100 or so. And a MIG welder is one of the best toys you can have. I just take a piece of copper, stick a magnet over it to hold it over the backside of the hole, and weld the outside closed. You can add metal plugs or just free hand the welding. All you do is squeeze the trigger and it welds,,,,,easy to use,,,,,and a grinder erases your mistakes. I would not depend on anything out of a tube to hold up with all the flexing of the panels. So this is one more choice for you.
Guest- Guest
Just curious ..why copper and how large thickness does it have to be for a 1/4 inch hole? Remember i'm a virgin... to welding.
jkr- Number of posts : 1148
Location : prince edward island canada
Age : 66
Registration date : 2008-05-29
welding wire does not stick to copper and it makes a good ground point. just a piece big enough to cover the hole. i sometimes use a piece of copper pipe a foot long or so and flatten it out then put a bend in about a couple inches away foom the end. this gives you a handle to hold it with.you have to grind the old paint off also to get to bare metal or it spatters all over the place. then just tap the hole in a slight amount and weld away. flux core welders are more likely to do this (splatter) anyway and they smoke a bit more. just start at the edge of the hole and go in a circular motion till you fill it in, then grind the extra off. then a little tiger hair and bondo and your ready for primer.
Guest- Guest
What if your not able to get to the back side of the holes? Sorry for all the dumb questions but just trying to learn something new.
jkr- Number of posts : 1148
Location : prince edward island canada
Age : 66
Registration date : 2008-05-29
then you have to free hand it. harder to do but it can be done. do one second pulls on the trigger at the edge of the holes.try it on a piece of scrap metal a few times first the same way the holes are in the van then go to the body. remember not to much heat or the panels start to warp.
jkr- Number of posts : 1148
Location : prince edward island canada
Age : 66
Registration date : 2008-05-29
theres never a dumb question, but the answers sometimes .................................
donivan65- Governor
- Number of posts : 12220
Location : San Diego, California
Registration date : 2008-05-12
You don't have to use copper to block the hole from the backside, but its one way to fill a hole in since the welding rod won't stick to copper. I just cut a 1/2 copper connector fitting along one side and flatten it out to a 2 inch square piece and stick a magnet to hold it over the backside of a hole. It's just for backing, to keep the wire from going into the hole and wasting it. It's just one way to plug holes and if you cant get behind it to block it off, then you start from the outside of the hole and keep making it smaller until you fill it in. You can use any kind of welder that you want,,,,,MIG, TIG, ARC or braze them up with a torch. It depends on what kind of job you want and what equipment you have. If you are going to spend a lot of money on a paint job, you need to fix the holes permanently,,,,you don't want those holes coming back to haunt you.
Guest- Guest
I always brazed the holes up.......havent done it in a long time!
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