Once body side trim is removed- what is the way to go in filling in the holes for that smooth look of no side molding. Any pre-sized metal that can be inserted (save time effort) OR do you just weld/ fill in holes ??
if you find a real old style auto body supply look for solder plugs they take a special countersink and solder in then you fill over the hole a very non invasive way of filling holes of course the last time i bought them was over 30 years ago
use a nail...hold the nail by the pointy end with the nail head in the hole, tack weld it in, cut the long part of the nail then finish welding it and grind smooth.
You can use a Whitney Punch or similar and make plugs, flatten and tig in place. You can clean the holes and hold a piece or brass flush to the backside and mig the hole shut. You wouldn't be the first guy to just fill with weld and no backer from a tig or mig, or gas weld/braze them up, but I wouldn't do that. Lots of other ways. The main goal is to keep the heat soak as low as possible to minimize distortion. And be sure you clean off all the paint from the hole and surrounding areas BEFORE to keep the weld clean. Same goes for grinding, keep the heat down.
I just braze them closed, a little hammer and dolly to flatten in down and a quick pass with the grinder
As usual --the help from guys like you is a life saver to us who seek advice! You guys are the best for passing on tips so the rest of us can move forward with our projects! THANKS
I have seen some guys use that quarter panel adhesive, cut little patches, and glue them from the inside. I weld so I have never tried, but I have heard you will tear the metal before the glue gives.
Are there metal "plugs" sort of speak for body work welding use available OR should i do the nail method mentioned here?
I'd just get a piece of copper or brass, hold it behind the weld and mig over it. Turn the heat up a little, hold the weld just a fraction of a second longer and you will get a flatter weld that penos better. Too often i see guys doing panel work with a mig, and its being run as cold as it can be and they end up with a really high crappy looking weld that barely looks like its stuck to the metal.
If the hole is 1/4" or smaller, the copper backing and MIG welding works well. Larger than 1/4, I usually cut a patch to weld in. Bob Drake sells bags of "holes" of different sizes, if you want them pre made. Adhesive= ghetto. Solder will work, but not as good qualtity as a welded hole. Brass will work, but you can have trouble putting filler over it. Gas welding works, but you will have more warpage to deal with, so if you're doing lots of holes, it's not economical.
i mig them solid...if youre careful, say weld one, them move to other work for 5 mins, do the other and so on, you wont warp it to shit. Never warped a side panel because i was fillin holes...now if i said i never warped a panel at all that would be some bullshit, hahah.
I just leave the beautiful original side trim on. Not being mean here, but the new slab side, no trim cars, have made me love and cherish the sweet stainless and chrome trim of the older cars. The guys have offered some great advise to do it right however, nice shoebox bro. Good luck with your neat project. ~sololobo~
The mig welder (if available to you) with a copper backing piece is a good method, followed by flapper wheel on grinder to smooth out.
copper backing is for sissies. if you can't fill a small hole with your mig you need to practice more. if I can do it, anyone can. Ron Covell used to sell sheetmetal plugs in various sizes just for filling holes. not sure if they do anymore ??? but I'd bet someone does. some times you need a step-drill to enlarge the hole to fit the proper plug. after you weld up the hole, it is best to use the edge of a thin cut off wheel to grind down the weld. I stack 2 together and use my air die grinder. just the edge, and grind only the weld, not the surrounding sheetmetal. this keeps the heat to a minimum. you can easily warp a panel if you do not watch your heat. you can do the same with a 4" grinding wheel on your electric 4" grinder, but I find it easier to use the 3" wheels on my die grinder. never braze anything that will have body work and paint on top. the mud does not like the brass. I did some work on a 64 Impala a few years back that was customized in the 80's. all the side trim was brazed, then bondo'd over. you could look down the side of the car and see where every hole was. this car was nice when it was originally done. some holes had failed completely and cracked. with a little practice you can weld up trim holes and use no filler at all... why go into a job where the end plan is to mud over what you just did??
I wouldn't use glue..it does great at filling but once you paint and clearcoat and put it in the sun you can see little raised spots where you holes were. This adheisive for bonding quarter panels,door skins.etc is made to flex with body and flex with temp change..it will definitely swell in the sun and shrink in the cold. Even with a light coat of filler applied over the glue ...it still comes back.
just dont do it the way the guy did my girlfriends 50 pontiac before we bought it HE took a piece of cardboard and placed it behind the holes then covered them with bondo they are almost all getting ready to fall out now.....anyone have 50 pontiac 4door side trim they want to sell?
I did a trunk years ago and leaded it after I countersunk the holes. It took a while for me to remember how to lead, however when filed up, good as new.
I use tin snips to cut 18ga. shtmtl 'plugs', I guess you would call 'em. Gas or Mig(cos I don't have a Tig yet!)
I'm just gonna repeat what others have said . Whatever method you use , move around the car to keep the heat down & keep warping to a minimum . If you have a MIG welder & aren't that great with it , cut some small squares , hold 'em behind the hole (or have someone hold it for ya) & weld it solid . Another method is to use a copper paddle (or a thick chunk of copper) . Hold it behind the hole & weld 'er up - the weld won't stick to the copper . You can also cut slugs to weld inside the holes , which could be a pain for ya . If you're a decent welder , you can weld it up without a slug at all . The trim holes on a shoebox are pretty large , if I remember right , so ya better be pretty careful with the heat . They sell all kinds of heat-sink putty types of things nowadays to keep the warping down ... try one , it can't hurt ! I've never tried the nail trick , but I may have to experiment .
i've got a collection on plugs taken from electrical boxes. they come in a couple sizes, grind em' down to fit, and dont forget to take of the galvaninzing before welding.
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