shaving with JB Weld?

i am looking to shave off all of the chrome side/hood trim on my 56 lancer, and was curious to know what i could use to fill the holes. i dont have a welder, so are there any alternitives to filling the holes??? some of the holes are fairly big (1"-ish) on the hood. could i use JB Weld??? i just dont wanna use bondo to fill holes, but would use it to "skim" over with.

any ideas or thoughts?

thanks
ncg

 

i would read this thread first:

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=168822&highlight=j+b+weld

 

Do you know anybody with a Welder? That is the best option. If no, I would Panel Bond some 18 ga. CRS to the back of the Fender, Bondo and voila!

 

Know anyone with a torch? You could braze em' up if you cant get access to welder.

 

God here we go again. Hope you have thick skin.

JB weld apprears to be an emotional issue. Didn't know hambers had such a sensitive side. Their wives / GF likley didn't have a clue....

Hey NCG, it worked for me.

 

MAYBE IF THE NAME WAS
JB STRONG /HARDENING GLUE STUFF
NOT.... WELD????

USED IT ON THE CRACKED INTAKE /HEAT RISER BOX ON MY 52 BUICK WORKED GREAT
paperdog

 

If you're gonna do it wrong, here's the best "wrong" way I know

Grind the backside of the panel with an 80 grit sanding disc in the area you wish to fill

Lay fiberglass over the roughed up area, thus closing the holes from behind. An easy way is to get a can of tiger hair, and a little bit of plain fiberglass cloth. Mush the tiger hair into the cloth, there's your patch. If you wanna get fancy, you can adjust the tiger hair's consistency with resin to make it more pliable, or just to make a huge runny mess.

You can even fill the hole from the front with tiger hair to reduce the bondo required to smooth it out.

Then the inevitable bondo.

Like others have said, not the right way. Don't be suprised if you can see faint circles in 18 months under the paint, from the edges of the hole. But I've also had it turn out great, and last several years until the car was sold. Nowadays own a MIG, and there is no way I'd ever glass em anymore. Way less work to weld em, and actually cheaper once you get past the purchase of the welder. And it's "right". Well, not as right as TIG. Maybe I should say MIG is "right-ish"

Good luck either way.

 

After reading all of that thread, George G...you DO have thick skin...and, I, for one am glad you've decided to stick around the HAMB...

It amazes me how many experts are on the HAMB...and how many different opinions and fixes there are...and yes, there is the tried and true correct way...but...personally, I applaud you for doing it your own way...and that's where individualism comes in play.

If your fix stays in for five or ten years, by then, you may have learned how to weld ...or your son may have...then, you can do it the old tried and true way...

And North Coast Greaser, I suggest you go find some of that panel adhesive, I have seen it and it holds amazingly well...glue those holes up, JB Weld it and then bondo it...let's see if it lasts for five years.

R-

 

I'd just save up my pennies for an el cheapo welder. (Actually that's what I did. Then I traded up and traded up again, now I have a decent welder.) Even the cheapest 110V mig will still weld up holes in sheetmetal.

Shifty was right on the "wrong" way to do it. Fiberglass is better than JB any day. I did use JB to fill a hole in a VW crankcase once. The damn thing still runs many, many years later.

 

Just buy a fucking welder, they're cheap.

FWIW I JB welded my Packard engine block at least 4 years ago, it leaks but it's still holding.

 

Will body filler work?...Yes.

I did a frame off on my 66 chev showtruck. I got rust free cab & doors from out west that was drilled for factory side chrome. At the time I was restoring the doors, I had not decided if I wanted chrome or not, So I could not weld them shut, in case I decided to get the trim.

I sandblasted the doors and while I was at it, I blasted the inside right around each trim hole. I then lightly ground the front side of the holes to remove the sharp edge of each hole. Then I put a piece of masking tape LOOSELY on the back of each hole, then just filler.

That was 10+ years ago, last 5 years the truck sits outside after I lost my heated storage. I defy anyone who can "see" where those holes are today. Those holes were about 3/8" I think.

A 1" hole would need a backer I would think. Like a clean piece of sheetmetal. Install from backside with filler and it will be there forever.

P/S... I have had a Miller 35S for 25 years, and I still don't weld trim holes. I don't think I will ever "glue" body repair panels on, I'd always weld them on. But I have had my fill of people telling me how to do MY repairs on My cars. Life is too short to think that you have to do everything "correct". The same people would have you believe that unless you spend $1000 on paint supplies, your car won't win at shows.

 

Amen, brother. F#@k show quality paint. Make it yours and you'll be happy. You need a welder, though. I don't know what I did without it.

 

P/S... I have had a Miller 35S for 25 years, and I still don't weld trim holes. I don't think I will ever "glue" body repair panels on, I'd always weld them on. But I have had my fill of people telling me how to do MY repairs on My cars. Life is too short to think that you have to do everything "correct". The same people would have you believe that unless you spend $1000 on paint supplies, your car won't win at shows.[/quote]

i agree to an extent but im one of those people that when i eventually go to sell the car in the future i would like it when people start doing there own thing on the car to see quality work not just play-doh filling holes....just my opinion tho, maybe im not alone

 

We use 3m panel bond to fill bullet holes. We also glue door skins and quater panels on newer cars with it I`m sure it`ll work for shaving it takes a blow torch to remove it.

 

I agree to each his own and I'm glad you have had sucess with using filler to plug holes but you really are flirting with disaster doing it that way. Filler has no real structural strength to it and will absorb moisture like crazy if it is not sealed which will cause it to swell and either pop out of the hole or cause the repair area to map.

I'm not trying to tell you how to do your own work. If it has worked and you are happy with it thats great but I wouldn't want someone else to go to alot of work to have a mess on their hands later on. I work for a filler company and there is no way we would suggest using regular body filler for that purpose. It is in no way designed for that type of repair.

 

Our welder was less than 200 bucks at home depot, had it for a couple years and never had a problem. IM sure its not the best welder out there but it gets the job done and good tp practice on

 

Exactly

 

Sounds like my hemi block. Cracked like mad on the passenger side. I welded it some for structural, which you're not supposed to do on cast, and put some JB on it. Weeps a bit but is hanging in there.

 

interesting thread. as stated earlier, do whatever temporary fix you want , it's your car and who knows, sometimes the wrong way lasts quite a while.

one comment I have to add for those who feel brazing holes is a good alternative. there is something in the braze that reacts with bondo. I'm doing a 64 Impala with all the trim removed. there is prolly 30 holes which were filled, some with just mud and some were brazed. if you look down the side of the car you can see a little bump where the bondo over the brazed holes is starting to fail. 10 bumps or so per side. one has cracked. this paint job is at least 10 years old if not older.

just something to think about for those who may someday put a nice ($$$$) paint job over the bodywork they do today.

the owner wants me to just smooth out the bumps rather than spend another 1500 - 2000 to redo all the work on the sides so that's what I'll do. the bumps will be back, it's just a matter of when.

 

How many "JB Weld isn't good for this but I used it to........and it's still working fine....years later" are there?

That said, I wouldn't do it if I was planning on a nice paint job. But I love the stuff! LOL

 

wow, lots of ideas. thick skin, i kinda figured it would get "rave reviews" before i posted, but i knew that there was someone out there that had to have tried it.

anybody got a good working cheap welder they wanna sell?

fatty mcguire~ what kind of welder did you get at home depot for under $200? i've only heard/read bad things about cheap welders and didnt wanna be out good "kustomizing" money, thats why i've avoided them, but i'll take your word for it and go and take a look at home depot.

how about Harbor Freight welders? any good. i know there cheap, maybe too cheap???

thanks to all who posted.
keep the ideas coming if you got any.


ncg

 

It held my block together to the Roundup and back. That being said I gues I need to go check for any leaks

 

The #1 thing to look for in a wire/mig welder (IMO) is full adjustment knobs. The cheapest ones have like 4 settings on the heat and wire speed knobs.

For the starting welder, it is better to have more adjustment on the machine so that less is required by technique and use. So look for knobs that don't click unless they got like 10 clicks each.

How's that for high tech advice!

You'll wonder how you ever lived without it.

 

I agree about the adjustments, the Millermatic 140 with Auto-Set has presets that set the voltage and wire speed for different thicknesses of metal. I got to try one for an afternoon, it worked great. You can also take it off Auto-Set and vary wire speed and voltage independently of each other. I wish it went up to 11 though.

 

Jb weld works great for cracked steering wheels .............

 

JB weld...not the cheapest mat'l for filling trim holes. In my experience anything that isn't directly related to a finished surface usually has a hard time holding up under the solvents used. This includes primers and the always popular flat black. I guess if you're gettin a jumbo deal on a good amount of it it doesn't matter, eh?

Even panel bond will shrink under solvents and show a "read" of the repair. And lately panel bonding products seem to be the savior of all metal repairs. As long as it's kept behind and not exposed to paint, well...whatever. As far as right and wrong, your call. Everyone reading knows what the "right" way is. If you pride yourself on good quality workmanship and show caliber finishing borrow a welder or have em welded. If it doesn't matter and ya wanna just fill some holes back em up and mud em in.

 

Whaterver you do DON'T BRAZE metal for body work, body filler won't stick to it. I would use JB weld on a hundred holes before I would braze one. Welding them is OK too.

 

Not entirely true.
I built my 55 Olds in 81-81, and my old boss/mentor did nothing but braze. I learned from him. The car still looks good now, including the chopped top!
Properly done, it can hold up well. Plastic fillers can react with brass, but properly cleaned, prepped, it will hold up "OK", not great, but OK.
Since then I've learned to MIG and TIG, as well as gas weld. Much better, I rarely braze any more.
I've "restored" a couple cars my old boss built, and in some cases, cut out and replaced the brazed area, due to corrosion, rust happening in between overlaped panels. Other, better done brazed areas, I either cleaned and coated the brass with epoxy primer before body filler, or "tinned" the area to separate the brass from the filler.
Back to the subject at hand. If you drive the car a lot, or have temperature changes where you live, a glue-on solution won't last.
Get a cheap welder, and learn to use it. If you're building a car, you'll find a lot of uses for it. You could even pay for it by doing small reapirs for friends and neighbors!
Another, more permanent solution...taught to me by another old timer.
Clean the area thoroughly, countersink the hole, put a penny behind the hole, and solder the front. Works, and lasts almost forever. On a hood, where excess heat and vibration are present, it may not last forever.
You can get a B tank cheap at the Home Depot to do solder, and lead work. Just clean the area well, using an alkaline cleaner to neutralize the solder flux.
See my post on Leadwork for more detail on doing lead/solder repairs.

 

JB Weld works for somethings. It might work for this. I used Duro body solder in the old days, looked like JB. It was hard as hell.

Slaming doors and hoods it showed after while, in the round holes. There is no better fix then welding it.

Do some trading or find a guy around at a small shop.

 

I used to countersink the trim holes with a "pointy" body hammer. The c-sink gave the bondo more surface area to hold on to than just the thickness of the metal itself. It worked fine, but if you had 20 holes, typically a couple would pop after a few years.

Actually, this was a long time ago on other peoples cars, so my info on longevity is dubious.

I think it generally worked fine, though.....

-85% Jimmy