Need to fill holes in body panels

[grandpas68f100]

Hey guys. Thought I would try this again since my first post went perfectly. Was directed exactly where I needed to go to fix an electrical issue on my 68 F100. So no pressure here.

I am needing to fill a few old side mirror mounting holes that go into my door panel so water from rain - car wash doesn't go down into the door. What is the best way to do this. I will not be painting the areas anytime soon so I would like something that will dry, harden, about the same color of the truck (Cream?) My main concern is keeping the moisture out of the door panel.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[Jacksdad]

Ideally you want to weld them closed, but if that's not an option, you can fill them by recessing them first. Simply filling them while they're flush won't work - the filler will just pop out of the hole the first time the door skin flexes. Support the panel behind the hole to be filled (a block of wood with a small recess carved/cut in it works well) and use a ball-peen hammer to create a small dent in with the hole at it's center. Don't go nuts - it only needs to be a few inches across, and 1/4" deep at the most. Sand off all the paint and scuff up the metal in the dent and a couple of inches around it, and fill it with bondo. After you've sanded it down, you will still need to paint it though. Find an aerosol spray can at your local auto parts store that matches your paint as closely as possible and prime and paint the repair. It might not be pretty, but it'll last indefinitely like that as gloss paint is waterproof (bondo and primer aren't).

[Ohiotinkerer]

Jacksdad,
Just got time to reply to this and after I typed out pretty much the exact same thing found out you beat me to it..........

[Jacksdad]

[67mann]

If your just going to bondo....use something like this http://www.eastwood.com/metal-to-metal- ... rdner.html or this http://www.eastwood.com/usc-all-metal-2-1-lb.html but, don't build up as stated with this(hard to sand) product unless you get it pretty smooth. This does not shrink as regular bondo does nor does it sand like

[Madman]

If your just going to bondo....use something like this http://www.eastwood.com/metal-to-metal- ... rdner.html or this http://www.eastwood.com/usc-all-metal-2-1-lb.html but, don't build up as stated with this(hard to sand) product unless you get it pretty smooth. This does not shrink as regular bondo does nor does it sand like

Pardon my French, but that **** you posted looks fabulous! I haven't gotten around to looking into my body work issues yet until the last stage, but it's soon, and I am glad you posted that!

[Jacksdad]

I've used a similar product with aluminum powder in it, and it works well and does have some applications that make it superior to regular filler. Bodywork is soul destroying at the best of times though (bondo on, sand it down, bondo on, sand it down, etc, etc) without making it harder. Honestly, for ease of use, regular bondo can't be beat. Filler does shrink (the cheap stuff more than a quality product), but it's usually so minimal that it's not that significant, especially on a small repair like this. If it was, it wouldn't be the go-to product in just about every body shop. My concern would be dropping $42 on a quart of something and seeing it go to waste. Plastic filler has a shelf life and eventually hardens by itself - the catalyst just speeds up the reaction. I've thrown untold cans of bondo away that have started to harden over time. It's surprising how little you use unless you're operating a busy body shop.
If strength is an issue, use one of the products that uses chopped fiberglass strands in a resin base. The one I have right now is called "Kitty Hair (I kid you not...). Build it up until it's just below the surface, and then top it off with a skin of regular bondo because it doesn't finish sand well - the strands tend to show if it's left as is.
One of my doors had the mirror holes fixed the way I described back when I didn't have anywhere to get a welder over to it. I lived in the duplex from Hell at the time, and couldn't even roll out an extension cord on to my side of the driveway without my neighbor calling the landlord, let alone start welding on a truck there. It's been almost ten years of slamming the door, and the repair is holding fine, and you honestly can't see the places I repaired even with gloss paint on it.

[MAK]

For the mirror mounting holes I would just cover them until you get around to properly welding them closed and giving it a new paint job. Since you are not doing a paint job now, anything you do with filler and trying to match the paint color is going to look like filler and a bad paint match... I would just use some sheet metal plastic or rubber filler plugs of the appropriate size. You could paint those if you wanted. Could also just use some big pan head machine screws.

[tsherry]

I had (dozens? hundreds of?) holes in my '67 bed, doors and fenders from the side-spear, bump trim, mirrors, and other previous-owner use. For about 90% of them, I used 16D nails, inserted from the back of the panel through the hole, and then I used my cheap wire-feed welder from Harbor Freight. A little grinding, and a tiny little bit of filler, less than a quarter in diameter in each hole. For areas that I couldn't get to with a nail, but could get to with a hunk of thick copper, I pressed the copper against the hole (like a spoon) and welded the hole closed. For the larger holes, I used the same nail procedure, but put a washer around the nail. More filler on those, but didn't have to dimple the panels to get good results. Naturally had to rustproof/undercoat the back sides of all panels, and fortunately didn't light myself or the truck on fire.

Someone above mentioned bodywork as 'soul destroying'. Concur, 100%.

[cep62]

The USC All Metal and Kitty Hair are good products and relatively water proof.
Regular plastic filler (bondo) will absorb moisture and fail sooner.

What ever you do coat the back side with a sealant to protect it.

Depending on where and how many holes ,you could try some chrome bumper bolt ,
or paint some plain carriage bolts.

[Ohiotinkerer]

Someone above mentioned bodywork as 'soul destroying'. Concur, 100%.[/quote]

Spot on.......which is one of the 2 reasons my bump is staying the way it is...........

The other reason being I like the old used look......matches its owner........

[Jacksdad]

What ever you do coat the back side with a sealant to protect it.

Exactly right - I was going to edit my post to mention that, but I was already in trouble with my wife for posting when I was supposed to be getting ready to go out

After I filled the holes in my door, I primed and sealed them from the back side with plenty of rattlecan spray paint. As cept62 mentioned, condensation could get into the filler material and start rusting the bare metal under your repair if you don't.

[Jacksdad]

Someone above mentioned bodywork as 'soul destroying'. Concur, 100%.

When my dear old Dad first introduced me to the wonderful world of bodywork (and applying/sanding/applying/sanding bondo in particular), I began to understood how Ralph Macchio's character felt in The Karate Kid when Mr Miyaga has him do the "wax on, wax off" exercise over and over

[67mann]

Pardon my French, but that **** you posted looks fabulous! I haven't gotten around to looking into my body work issues yet until the last stage, but it's soon, and I am glad you posted that!

I only use this in area's that regular bondo may chip or crack....for instance...the lower part of the door post that most of us have to repair or only use as the 1st coat or filler and then bondo over so you can sand it smooth

[grandpas68f100]

Thanks for the ideas. I will prob start with the large head screws for now. I did discover this weekend that there are holes in the bottom of my doors also so the water would hopefully drain out if any got in. Will keep ya updated on what the plan becomes