Welding trim Holes?

[flyboy2610]

One trick I've heard about quite a bit when filling small trim holes is to insert a large nail in the hole from the back side and grabbing it with a pair of ViceGrips, and then welding around the nail. The head of the nail lessens the chance of burning through, and then all you have to do is grind it down smooth.

That's a cool idea.
I'm gonna have to remember that one!

[FormerMarine1981]

keep in mind, anything that can hold moisture on the backside of the panel, will cause rust.

I plan on removing the trim on my truck and was thinking about using the nail trick but this made me think twice. Wouldn't welding the nail seal off openings for rust or is their still a chance of a small gap?

[CA180]

I used the nail trick the other day when i was welding the drip rail holes up on my c10... Kinda proved disasterous at first. I was blowing bigger holes into the sheet metal. I final got the swing of it, sorta... One hole got so big i had to find a 3/8's bolt to pull through. I think my problem is that my welder has two settings, high and low. But in the end it worked out ok. I still had some small gaps (like 1/32 size), but i will need to go back over them with filler any way. One thing i learned though (and i'm no pro) dont go back and weld after you cut the nail off. I guess if you have the right equipment its not that big of a deal...

Just my .02

[MAK]

keep in mind, anything that can hold moisture on the backside of the panel, will cause rust.

I plan on removing the trim on my truck and was thinking about using the nail trick but this made me think twice. Wouldn't welding the nail seal off openings for rust or is their still a chance of a small gap?

That's the same thing I was thinking, especially since the panel is curved in that area and the nail head can't sit flat against the metal. I'm a beginner/horrible welder but I didn't have any trouble filling holes with my mig after I practiced for a half hour on some scrap and got the settings right.

[XLT]

What about duct tape on the backside and stuff and smooth hole with JB Weld? Let dry. Light sand.

[crash_552]

You could try Lab Metal. It's liquid metal that turns kinda pastey when it hits the air. Used that to fill some holes on the chopper gas tank. The only thing is the metal you apply it to has to be no less than 70 degrees, but it works great. You can get it at Fastenal.

[wt4speed#2]

Hey Keith isn't that the rig we looked at when you were in Texas at Chris's? that is a cool set up

http://www.cut-like-plasma.com/index.htm

[FORDification]

Yes it is...those are pretty damned cool. We watched the demo guy weld an aluminum can together, he made it look almost effortless. I did some research on them later on, and the general impression I got from discussions on other forums was that they were very nice but had a steep learning curve.

However, if I had the $$$ I'd buy one in a heartbeat.

[68F250]

Do it the old-fashioned way, lead daddy-o.

http://www.carcraft.com/howto/3065/