weld or bondo ?

[Amac70]

doing paint prep on bronco and wondering whether i should weld in all the trim holes from the sport trim or just bondo them in. The bigger holes 1/4 plus i will weld in but should i go through the effort with the 1/8 holes?:

 

[Slick]

Sadly... I had a simmilar issue filling the stock tire rack holes.

I decided to go with the bondo...

NOT, i repete NOT a good choice in my opinion. I NOW have some cracking where the bondo is... granted I got smucked by an ambulance in a parking lot... BUT the holes are now completley visible and the paint is even cracking near it on 1 of them.

just my go at bondo...

 

[TJK74]

Yep I would say weld them up. you'll be much happier in the long run. plus since your already welding up the 1/4" one you can just hit the 1/8" ones at the same time.

 

[Steve]

If you want the repair to last, weld them shut. Bondo will eventually absorb water from the unsealed back side and then swell and crack. Do it right the first time instead of having to do it twice.

 

[DebosDave'72]

Another vote to weld em up here! It shouldn't take too long since you will already be doing the 1/4" holes.

DD

 

[Punisher]

I agree with the others I just finished My tub and welded every little hole I could find, It took a while but when it was done I was glad I took the time.

 

[nickmyron]

Definatly weld them....

I used nail heads to fill the holes rather then just using weld, because if you weld the entire hole w/o any other metal you are going to warp the metal badly with all the heat that it is going to take. Then I just ground down the inside (where you could see the nail head, and you cant even tell.

 

[ponch0v]

Weld um up.

Here is a trick...run a nail with a larger head (box nails work good) than the hole from the back side. Hold on to the shank of the nail and tack it with the mig. This will cut the shank and give you something to back the hole up with. Then just mig the hole shut. The round head gives a nice back that can be ground off too if you want to clean them up. works good!



opps...nickmyron beat me too it.

 

[thegreatjustino]

because if you weld the entire hole w/o any other metal you are going to warp the metal badly with all the heat that it is going to take.

This is why you don't weld continuously. Weld part of the hole shut, let it cool, then hit it again. Repeat until the hole is fully closed.

 

[broncow72]

I like the nail head idea. Weld them with the pointy part out. Then you can go with a Death race 2000 or Mad Max look.

 

[Grunt1058]

Death race 2000... classic... LOL!!!

 

[Punisher]

Use a Nail, thats a good idea I'll have to remember that.

 

[Amac70]

Well then i guess i'll weld em up then.

 

[strider]

Certainly weld them, but I'm in the "don't screw around with the nail heads" camp. Sheet metal patching doesn't require much heat and the metal doesn't get very warm more than a couple of inches away from the weld. Use short bursts to fill the hole, then give it one continuous swirl to smooth it at the end. you'll end up skimming it with a filler 90% of the time anyway. I'd recommend using a ball peen hammer to slightly indent the hole bfore you start the welds.

The nail heads trick is/was a good one, but with a modern MIG welder its dated - EXCEPT ON SUPER THIN METAL... My Lincoln does great with .030 solid wire, 70/20 mix, "C" on heat and just over "3" on wire speed. I welded the grill to the fenders with several long beads and got surprisingly little warpage.

 

[dixie134]

Why do you guy's take the chrome trim off? i would gladly take it off you're hands .I would even pay to ship it!!!

 

[1977]

After you weld them, make sure you use a little Bondo to smooth it out;D (facetious)

 

[TJK74]

Why do you guy's take the chrome trim off? i would gladly take it off you're hands .I would even pay to ship it!!!

Most take it off because its old and hammered or they are building a trail rig. And on a trail rig the trim we easily become damaged or be destroyed and ripped off on the trail. Others just plain don't like the look. I personally like it and still run the trim on mine. When its time to repaint Imight delete it though

 

[daj]

If you use a brass drift or copper backing behind the hole your weld wont go to the inside and you will have very little to grind off and no filler is needed!
This is ofcourse you can get at the back side of the hole. A wirefeed wont warp the panel.
dj

 

[zombiescustoms]

you could use tiger hair, a fiberglass reinforced filler, you still have to dent the hole in and still have to put a fininishing putty over it, but I have had good sucess with this method of filling holes before I got a welder.