I just picked up a rust free 67 malibu door.I dont like the trim that run along the side of malibu's.I would like to get the trim holes in the door tig welded up,Or would I be better off filling them with bondo?Because theres a chance of warping the metal. I just dont know.Any advice?

The door is getting welded on sunday thanks to everyone for their advice.Also what would be the best type of primer and how much will be needed to do the whole thing .thanks again




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69 300 dlx SS
67 Malibu Sport Coupe

[This message has been edited by 69SSpost (edited 01-10-2003).]

You will be much better off welding them up with a MIG welder. Of course, some follow up body work will be required.

just did this on the hardtop, I to dislike the malibu molding. you only need a mig to do this, a tig will work if thats all you have access to.not sure about the 67 but on the 69 where the hole is it is double walled so not much chance of warpage with such a small welding area. I just smoothed the welds down with a grinder and was able to just fill tiny imperfections with filler primer.

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Michael


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69 malibu convertible
69 malibu h/t 307/pg
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01 gmc sierra

Weld them period! Bondo will show itself later down the road. You wont have much heat produced welding holes shut if you know how to weld and weld trim holes. A few tricks on holes is, the first you want to slightly bevel or countersink the hole. By countersinking the hole you are able to have enough weld build up after you grind. If you dont have enough build up the repair can get weak.

To bevel it you need a tapered hole punch and say like a 5/8 nut. Place the nut on the backside of the hole for backing then take your hole punch and very slighty tap it. All you want to do is bevel the edges, not creat a big depression. Countersinking the hole is pretty key.

The other trick is once you are ready to weld the holes shut place some copper behind the hole. Copper willnot stick to the weld, it helps absorb the extra heat and it gives some backing to the weld, keeping it from falling out. Copper tubing at any hardware store will work just fine. I cut mine into different lenghts then pound it flat.

Also right after you get down welding the hole, you will notice that the weld is glowing, its a good idea to slightly tap that weld with a body hammer as it glows. During welding metal shrinks causing distorion, well tapping the weld as it glows will strenth the metal back out, helping it reform back to its original shape. All you need is just a few little love taps, dont pound on it!!

To grind the welds get yourself a ROLEC attachment and rolec discs. It will attach to any drill. The rolec produces way less heat then those big angle grinders and are easier on the metal. The attachment goes for around 15 bucks can buy them at any bodyshop supply house...Eric

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1970 chevelle
1970 chevelle SS455 not a typo its a BUICK BABY
1949 and 1972 chevy trucks
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i did it on my 65. the way we did it was with two people. one person welded the hole up with a mig welder starting from the outside and going in. you need the second person on the backside of the door using an aluminum rod to cover up the hole. when you weld the aluminum rod will create a smooth backside. then have a wet rag with a bit of water in a bucket. when they are done welding pull the aluminum rod away and douse the spot with the rag. then move to the next hole.

that is how we did it. you might have a better way but thought it might help. you will have a little to fix but on mine wo only had a three inch radius where it had sunk in.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by sevt_chevelle:


The other trick is once you are ready to weld the holes shut place some copper behind the hole.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I'm not very knowledgeable about metallurgy. Would some brass work instead of copper as a backing?

Max

weld them or you will be sorry you did not!
brass works fine. copper, even aluminum if you have nothing else. basicly anything nonferrous. (no iron in it) and that does not incude stainless steel. even if it is not magnetic, it has steekl in it. but stick with brass, bronze or copper and you will be fine.

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