For anyone that's permanently removed the body moulding from their vehicle, what did you do to fill the holes left behind where the clips were? I'd prefer not to use body filler if I don't have to but I'm trying to do this on a budget. I guess there's always duct tape...
The only permanent way to fill a hole is weld it up. Metal and bondo shrink and expand at different rates and will eventually crack along the edge of the hole. Dosent it Craig!!!
Thanks guys. That's kinda what I thought. I get the idea that there's some personal experience involved with the "cracked Bondo" reference.
holes I agree that welding the holes shut is the best way, but 2 part epoxy made for metal supposedly will also work. The panel must be ground with a course grinder to help with adhesion. Before you apply this to your car, find a primer that will stick to the epoxy. I was told Duco makes the epoxy for this purpose. I have used this type of product in the in the past for repairs on metal, but never tried to paint it. Again, do a little homework before putting this on your car. Another method would be to put fiberglass panels behind the holes and use the fiberglass resin to fill the holes. Another method which was used before bondo was to repair body panels with lead. It has a much lower melting point and does not shrink. DANGER!!!! lead is poisionious. read all cautions and wear all appropriate personal protective equipment. You also must be carefull in disposal and clean-up of your work area. You may be able able to use a tin alloy solder instead, but I do not know if it will work as well. Tony
I used the two part epoxy......cracks and shrinkage....big problem. The ONLY way is to weld. Signed, Painted the whole car 3 times
Not me....the body shop. I also used the two part epoxy on my station wagon...cracks there as well....but it was a "quickie" paint job so it doesn't really bother me.
weld it If you want a quality job then i agree with everyone else ... weld it ... I did mine and it turned out very well ... I got one of those cheap wire welders from home depot for about $200.00 I tack welded small pieces of 18 guage sheet metel to the back of the holes and welded very SLOWLY ... Stopping every few seconds and let it cool ... Take your time !!! Remember too much heat will distort the metal then you'll end up with a body full of waves... I practiced on an old Galaxie fender first . I drilled lots of holes and practiced filling them up ...
I wonder...is it possible to leave the existing clips in their holes, then weld them in place, and finally grind them off flush? Would this be faster or more practical?
