For round holes I use the plugs from a Whitney punch, they have a dimple in them so you set it into the hole and smack it to tighten it up. I also use lead to fix the holes - kinda have to have the dash on the bench - I clean the metal to bright shiney, tin it and apply a good coat of lead. If you have a bigger hole, from a switch etc, you tin it and lay a small piece of brass on it then lead the whole mess in.
I had 50 or so holes in my firewall. Bought one of those Hole patch kits from Bob Drake. Cheap and saved so much time. And I'm using them still on my next project. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
now I remember where I saw those. and if there not just the right size you could use step drill up to right size,but maybe not with that angled part.
those two holes should be about a 20 minute job, i think i will go drill a couple 1/2" holes through a scrap piece of 18 gauge and see
For round filler pcs. I usually use round stock. Cut a thin slice (of the proper diameter) on the band saw and weld it in. Holes are usually 3/8" or 1/2" so you don't need a ton of sizes.
Shocking, yet brilliant! Incorporating idea into my memory engrams now. I can see midifying the shock with a flat plate and sing it to hold floor pans up tight while you weld from inside the car. I love reading stuff like this.
It's coming along but I still haven't plugged those 1/2 inch holes! Tomorrow I'll scuff up some of those areas, use a dab of bondo. I sure wish I could just get those cut, but I don't have a precise way to cut them . Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Can you cut 18 gauge with snips? Those patches you made are awesome, feel like cutting a couple for an inept newbie ?!? Just asking. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
When I built my 41 it had tons of trim holes in the body and I did not want to use any of them. My solution was nails. Run then thought the bench grinder and get all the crap off them. Weld em in and go through with a cut off wheel and cut off the spikes. Easy to hold onto as well. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
They're 1/2 inch holes but they're cut into the button surround. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Yes but not very well, I'd like to cut some patch pieces out of new stock and weld them in like I did above and below the display of the radio, but I don't know how. I guess I could use a hole saw then try to fill in the pilot hole but that seems like patching a patch Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I can send you a couple slugs, then you'd have to tack them to the flat section of the dash, then tap them up from the backside to match the button surround, then you can finish welding and grind.
Thanks for the offer but I'd hate to bother you for something like that. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Its real easy, I'll just pop a couple slugs out with the punch. You'll have to flatten them, but not a big deal. If you still don't want to accept, and even if you do, I would suggest buying a set of wiss snips. They come in quite handy. If you have any other questions, let me know.
I probably would have had it mig welded by the time I read through these two pages. I'd think about a patch or plug if it was flat there. By the time you form and fit something and then weld it anyway , it seems like too much work to me, for holes that small. Just start at 12 o'clock , pointing the gun up at it, and start dropping tacks back and forth from 9 to 3 .Cool it with a wet towel once in a while, and work your way down until you can spot across the bottom. Reach inside with a 2 " angle grinder, and clean any wire that got through. Grind front the same way, making your contours. Run the tip of a square file over it , looking for high spots. A little spot putty..Done! (Cover any glass nearby . Remove flammables , or cover everything with wet towels. My lawyer said to add a disclaimer)
The Jalopy Journal
