How to fix small holes in body?

[phoenix60]

I have removed my broken fender flares to find that there are brackets that are riveted on, as well as 2 or 3 bolts holding the flares. I went ahead and drilled out the rivets then realized that now I have about 8 holes in my front quarter, rear quarter and door panels to deal with! I primed the edges for now and put a clear sticker over the holes to keep the rain out. What is the best way to repair a small hole like this? They are 3/16 and 5/16 diameter. Perfectly round most of them.

Other issues are some rust right through at bottom of rear wheel wells, and a big dent in rear 1/4 panel.

Any advice would be appreciated.

I will try to post some pictures. My camera stopped working yesterday though so just an old iphone camera to use now.

 

[fieldsken1]

just hold a piece of brass behind the hole and weld them shut. or just fill them in with weld. as far as the dent goes dolley it out and fill with bondo. thats all you can do

 

[duggy]

just hold a piece of brass behind the hole and weld them shut. or just fill them in with weld. as far as the dent goes dolley it out and fill with bondo. thats all you can do

you're making it seem easier than it is. there are 7 holes on each side that are not accessible where you can get your hand in there to put on the back.

What I did to fill my holes post fender flares were to use a sandable epoxy available at home depot and try to get a thicker consistency. then you will pile it onto the hole and get a good bond out of it. This causes more sanding but is plenty strong. I did not back many of my holes but they are strong and I do not have any issues with them after riding a trail with many trees.

 

[fieldsken1]

The hole are only 5/16 or 3/8 so all you need to do is fill them in with weld. No need for anything behind unless the hole is big. It is that easy

 

[fieldsken1]

The hole are only 5/16 or 3/8 so all you need to do is fill them in with weld. No need for anything behind unless the hole is big. It is that easy

Sorry I mean 3/16

 

[FJsnoozer]

What heat settings do you recommend on a Mig welder? I have a 220v, and I just discovered a 3/8 hole in the top of my cowl after sand blasting.

 

[fieldsken1]

Depends what gauge the material is. Start with a low setting. You don't want it to high that the hole gets bigger. Just fill in and smooth out. Make sure there's nothing that will burn like wires and so on

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

Depends what gauge the material is. Start with a low setting. You don't want it to high that the hole gets bigger. Just fill in and smooth out. Make sure there's nothing that will burn like wires and so on

X2 ^^^ on what Kool Ken said, low setting, small wire diameter and spot weld basically. pull trigger... wait for it to cool !!!!!... pull trigger... repeat until hole is filled, grind smooth. One mistake everyone makes is they are impatient and end up making the hole worse because of too much heat. Take your time and it'll work out for you.

Practice on some thinner 18 or 20 gauge material if need be before welding on your cruiser.

J

 

[phoenix60]

A friend of mine just got a dent puller tool that spot welds to the sheet metal, let it cool, pull the dent then grind the stud off. For places you can't get behind the metal.

 

[toomanytoyzz]

Here's some explaination on a youtube vid on a 74 Ford Bronco tailgate reapir I did. Though it's more for a patch panel install it still has some tips you can use for welding small holes. It takes some practice, but once you get it you'll be right as rain.

In reagards to welder settings, I'm assuming you are running shielding gas, correct? Flux core will produce a ton of slag and just isn't really practical for sheetmetal. If you are running gas on your mig make sure you have a smaller gauge wire spooled up. If not it will be even harder to get it not to blow through the sheetmetal. I usually use .023 or .025 gauge wire when welding sheetmetal. If you are currently running .030 or thicker wire in your mig you may have to change your drive wheel. You may also have to change your liner?? What brand mig do you own?

 

[phoenix60]

In reagards to welder settings, I'm assuming you are running shielding gas, correct? Flux core will produce a ton of slag and just isn't really practical for sheetmetal. If you are running gas on your mig make sure you have a smaller gauge wire spooled up. If not it will be even harder to get it not to blow through the sheetmetal. I usually use .023 or .025 gauge wire when welding sheetmetal. If you are currently running .030 or thicker wire in your mig you may have to change your drive wheel. You may also have to change your liner?? What brand mig do you own?

Welder? I wish. Now might be the time to get one though. I could do so much with it! What would be a good brand/model for doing fab work and sheet metal? I will be learning everything as I go.

 

[toomanytoyzz]

Welder? I wish. Now might be the time to get one though. I could do so much with it! What would be a good brand/model for doing fab work and sheet metal? I will be learning everything as I go.

Stick with the big three (Miller, Lincoln and Hobart). Tractor Supply carries Hobart and they offer layaway if you don't have all of it to put down at once. The only problem is I believe that the Hobart's only have tap settings for heat control. what that means is the knob to control the heat clicks from one setting to another. Similar lines from Lincoln (SP and Pro series) and miller's infamous Millermatic series have infinite settings on the heat knob. What that means is the knob can be fine tuned from one end to antoher like the volume knob on an old radio. Gives you a bit more of an advantage with dialing in the correct heat/wire speed settings especially whenyou are dealing with sheetmetal.

I still wouldn't say not to purchase a Hobart. I've used them in the past with great results. They are my safe third. I am a Lincoln man since that was the first machine I learned on. Almost like your first girlfriend. Whatever mig machine you buy make sure it is already set up o run shielding gas. Some can be converted with a kit to run it, but you will have to purchase a kit to do so, and either pay someone to install it or do it yourself. I like when the machine already has it.

 

[FJsnoozer]

I trie my luck on a thick body mount today. Thanks for the tips guys. I had to turn the voltage way down. I have a hobart on a 220. I am going to test some pieces before i try my hand at sheet metal.

Thanks for the thread.