Thread: Filling the holes

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I know you're supposed to weld in a metal patch for the larger holes, but what do you do for the holes that are only about 3/4" or less? My antennae mounts and door handle holes are really erally small. And welding in a small piece of metal would only lead to madd warpage correct?

Stitch it in and it shouldn't warp. If so, even Boyd Coddington uses Bondo.

Bondo flexes in large wholes and cracks, metal can warp after being welded but only if the gauge is wrong, and someone cant weld right. Filler is good for small dents dings , and deep scratches not for major body repair. If you wanna rig it, by some good filler, stuff the dent with newspaper and lay in some mesh and dump your mixed filler in and spread.

What I meant to say was stitch in the repair piece, then use filler to smooth it out if it warps. With a hole as small as the one you speak of, you may just be able to MIG circles until it fills in. Weld a little bit, then let it cool, then weld a little bit, then let it cool. If you do quick, short welds, you should be able to keep the metal cool enough that it doesn't warp.

For a 3/4" hole in sheet metal, you will need to use a patch and stitch weld it into place. Cut a patch to the size of the opening, hold it in place with a peice of masking tape while you tack it.

Definately weld even the smallest holes. If you just bondo over them, moisture will get to the bondo fromt the back of the panel and it will blister in time.

I know some will disagree, but I have had luck with fibreglas patches even on metal and the bondo fills in nicely after the repair

Fiberglass will hold back the moisture as long as it doesn't crack. Undercoating the back side of the panel after the repair also helps seal it from moisture.

Thanks for all the responses., looks like I might be doing a combo of both. I'm building most of the interior out of fiberglass anyway, and got plenty of sheet metal around.... just not the best skills w/ the mig welder YET