JB Weld to patch holes?

[ashooter]

Has anybody used JB Weld successfully to patch holes in the body?

Specifically, I'm thinking about using it to patch the small holes left from the room rack, roof ribs, and fender flares (on my FJ80) prior to having the truck professionally repainted.

I've heard 3M "seam sealer" and JB Weld both work, but not sure about how good either one is as a long-term fix.

Thanks

[cruiser88]

I would prefer fiberglass

[Wile E Coyote]

If you're gonna get it painted, I don't think a decent shop would even spray if they inspect it and find what you used. Pinholes can get a coat of filler, but anything the size of a screw hole or larger should get welded up.
Just my 0.02

[5280Hawk]

Meh,

I used it to patch the holes where my snake blinders used to go, and it worked fine, you sand around the hole to bare metal, stick a peice of tape on the back side of the hole, and mix the stuff up and put it on. once its cured it sands down really well, and is tough. I't certainly tougher than bondo.....

[ashooter]

Originally Posted by Wile E Coyote

If you're gonna get it painted, I don't think a decent shop would even spray if they inspect it and find what you used. Pinholes can get a coat of filler, but anything the size of a screw hole or larger should get welded up.
Just my 0.02

What about Bondo? I know everybody talks like it's horrible stuff, but there are a lot of cars over the years that have had dents etc filled with it...

I know welding is BEST, but to weld up all the holes from the roof rack/ribs, and the fender flares would HAVE to be plenty expensive! Plus they'd have to pull the headliner out, which Murphy says they'd surely screw up somehow.

[ashooter]

Originally Posted by 5280Hawk

Meh,

I used it to patch the holes where my snake blinders used to go, and it worked fine, you sand around the hole to bare metal, stick a peice of tape on the back side of the hole, and mix the stuff up and put it on. once its cured it sands down really well, and is tough. I't certainly tougher than bondo.....

EDIT: Nevermind - I looked back at your "5280's paint project" post and saw where you used JB Weld to fill the holes.

Thanks

[ExpeditionXJ]

I used JB Weld to fill over an area above the gutters where they became rusty and pitted with a few pinholes. Worked well for me as well.

Was much easier to mix a small amount vs bondo.

[ashooter]

Just FYI if anybody else is considering using JB Weld for this type of thing:

JB Weld is a b*tch to get it to stay put when trying to use it to fill these holes. One of the things I was trying to avoid by not welding up the roof holes was taking out the head liner, since I've heard that the headliner VERY often gets damaged or doesn't go back in correctly. So I couldn't put any kind of tape on the back side of the hole and consequently the JB Weld is almost a liquid and so just runs down the hole unless you let it set up for 30 minutes or so before you start spreading it.

I've used another steel impregnated epoxy called Devcon Plastic Steel Putty for bedding rifles and various other repairs around the house and it's TOUGH. It's a lot easier to work with for something like patching a 1/4" hole, so I'm going to try it for the roof holes (under a coat of Line-X) and for the flare holes (under a coat of auto paint). Whether it sucks or seems to work okay, I'll report back.

[airlaird]

Where can you find this Devcon stuff ??
airlaird

[ashooter]

Originally Posted by airlaird

Where can you find this Devcon stuff ??
airlaird

I just ordered a fresh batch from Brownells.com - a gunsmithing supply place. But google it and you'll probably come up with a bunch of places to get it. I just used Brownells because I've ordered a lot of stuff from them in the past and it was fast and easy.

Make sure you order the putty, otherwise you might get the liquid stuff that is about the same consistency as JB Weld. Devcon also makes "Aluminum Putty" and "Titanium Putty". I've always used the "Steel Putty" on the idea that it will have close to the same expansion/contraction in heat/cold as the steel it's in contact with.

[ashooter]

In case anybody's interested, I couldn't pull the nutserts on the roof out, so I cut them off flush with a chisel. Patched the holes with the Devcon Plastic Steel Putty, which is a LOT easier to work with than JB Weld and I'm 99.9% sure it's a lot tougher. Should hold up fine under a coat of Line-X on the roof, but only time will tell if it holds under a coat of paint on the fenders.