I had my '69 in the body shop the last month or so having a 3 piece trunk put in. I also wanted a portion of the floorboard under the rear seat replaced. It had a hole about the size of a quarter in it. The body shop was going to put in a patch panel IF I WOULD provide the panel. I never got one, but after I removed the seat, I see they went ahead and repaired it. They cut away quite a bit (maybe it was rusted pretty good) but now it has a sqaure patch panel about 4x6 inches (maybe bigger) and around the panel are circles about the size of nickels or quarters. They look like some kind of rivet, and underneath they extend out through the pan about 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Underneath they look like small black "tits" sticking out. What are these? Can I cut these off underneath? I really don't care for the way this panels looks, but it's under the seat. Also, underneath I can see the patch that was put in, if (and I mean IF) I keep this, should I POR-15 this from underneath?

Sorry for the long post. I wish it would have been left alone and I could have done it the way I wanted.

Thanks,




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JR
TC #1098
My 69 Convertible (http://www.erols.com/ruther/69conv)

My 2001 Z28 (http://www.erols.com/ruther/z28_5.jpg)

Those are "pop rivets" with washers on the top. Normally you might use a few to hold the patch while welding, then cut them out and finish the patch. If you cut off the bottoms, if the patch isn't welded, it'll come off. If you use a dolly to back up the rivets, you could pound them flat from the bottom, cover with seam sealer and paint.

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Dave Bradley
www.corvetteforum.net/classics/d1_bradley (http://www.corvetteforum.net/classics/d1_bradley)
'69 SS396 ragtop
'33 3W Coupe
'65 Vette BB Roadster

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by d1_bradley:
If you use a dolly to back up the rivets, you could pound them flat from the bottom, cover with seam sealer and paint.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

What's a dolly. What do you mean "back up"? Sorry, but as yoiu can tell, I'm not a body guy http://www.chevelles.com/forum/biggrin.gif

Thanks,

JR

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JR
TC #1098
My 69 Convertible (http://www.erols.com/ruther/69conv)

My 2001 Z28 (http://www.erols.com/ruther/z28_5.jpg)

A dolly is a lump of hard metal, about the size of your fist, used in body work. You hold it against the metal (back it up) and hit from the other side. If you hit "on dolly" this will stretch the metal, hitting "off dolly" will help in shrinking the metal. It has curved surfaces that aid in proper panel restoration. Sometimes you just use the dolly to push out an area without hammering. A auto paint supplier will have several to choose from.

I think I have a better solution if no welding has been done on the panel. Grind off or drill out the rivets and remove the panel. Then procede to "bond" the panel back in place with one of the adhesives made by Fusor, Dura-mix,3-M, etc. When that cures, sand the adhesive that oozed out of the rivet holes and, if necessary, smooth over with sealer or a filler. If you follow the directions that come with the adhesive, you will have an extremely strong and durable repair with no welding.
Gordon VM
Restoration Motorsports http://groups.msn.com/Restorationphotos/shoebox.msnw