I have a few small (1/16"-1/8") pin holes on my rocker panel. I cant justify cutting away the whole panel for 3 or 4 small holes, so what is the best way to repair these? Hit them with a wire welder and grind flush? I know there is surface rust on the back side of the panel, but for right now I have to live with it.I would like to have the repair last for a year or 2 until i can get serious with the body work. Thanks.
Steve

I can tell you what I did on my 69: Trying to mig weld the holes only burned through them making them even bigger. Besides, the rust in that area remains if you are successful with this method. I drilled a hole for a jig saw blade to fit into, cut out beyond the rust and shaped a new piece of metal to fit. Sprayed weld-thru primer on the back of the patch and inside the rocker and butt welded the patch in.
If you do it this way, you probably won't have to bother with it when you get to the serious body work.
Rich

I am just learning about body work so bear with me! :confused: If you make a patch, how do you hold it in place till you weld it? Is the patch bigger than the hole you cut, and put in from the back. Or do you try to make it the same size and butt weld it? Thanks for the help.

Steve

Steve,
A butt welded joint is the way to go. To hold the patch in place you would use a welders magnet.

Good Luck!
Mike

the hols saw is a GREAT idia..
back it up your sheet metal in a vice with a peice of wood. This wood you already have drilled with your proper size a hole saw .. now
remove you 1/4 pilot drill and use you wood as a guide .
Form it and as stated use a mgnet to hold in place as you tac weld it in...

if you see 1/8 hole the back side of the rust is Muuuuuuuch bigger

I have used the hole saw method and it wroks good. to hold the patch in place while I weld I made these little pieces of aluminum that are about .75 wide by 1.5 long I have drilled several holes in them on either side of the center line of the piece. I then drill a few holes around the are where the old metal was cut out I then use cleco clamps to hold the aluminum pieces flush to the base metal and I mark where on the patch i need to drill so I can put cleco clamps through the holes in the aluminum pieces and into the patch. the aluminum tabs and cleco clamps hold the patch in place and keep it perfectly flush to the base metal so that I can achieve a great but weld. I tack the patch in several places around the perimeter and then remove the clecos and aluminum tabs. i then fully but weld the patch and then grind if done right you will never know theres a patch. this works excellent for blind repairs outer body panels but welded floors ect. i hope i explained that well enough ask me if your confused and ill try to send anyone some pics of the process or maybe someone can post my pics. does any one else use a similar method or maybe I invented this process.

p.s. if you keep most of the tabs and clecos in place while you weld most of the panel they prevent the patch from seperating and opening a gap at the seam as well as helps prevent warping at the seam if enough clecos are used.

I dont understand the holesaw method, If someone could post some pics that would really help. Thanks
Steve

Originally posted by SMS:
I have a few small (1/16"-1/8") pin holes on my rocker panelI would sand the area clean,and just fill it with filler..we're talking tiny holes here,theres no reason for ridiculous drama :D
Or get some panelbond glue and fill the holes with that.I speak from experience,and I've never had such a minor repair like that come back and haunt my new paintjob.

Originally posted by SMS:
I dont understand the holesaw method, If someone could post some pics that would really help. Thanks
Steve you use a hole saw to cut out the bad metal them make a pathch to fit in and then use my aluminum tab method. it might help if you think of the aluminum tab method kind of like a band aid on a cut. the band aid is the aluminum tab with the clecos. and the cut is the seam where the base metal and the patch meet.

The Hole saw.. let's say you want a 1 in hole...you take a peice of 1" x 3 " ferring strip and drill it wit hthe one " hole saw...
You now remove your 1/4 pilot drill and put the wood and a peice of sheet metal in a vice or C clamped together... Now drill out a patch the same size of the hole your going to drill in your rocker . ( this is a good method for none access repairs ) if your able t oaces the rea ,, you then just cut out the bad and put a peice of metal behind you cut out and trace a new perfect fit patch...

Mr 4 spped.. you one lucky guy IMO... I have seen many and sand and FILL holes blister up in a short time... even if they did the Dirty pound down and fill and sand flush technic..
Mater of fact theres a car in my buddies shop now , the previous repair was done with a screw in panel puller ( with out re welding the 1/8 holes shut ) and it's popping at the edges where the filler (mud) is thinest...

IMO welding a patch or the hole shut is the ONLY
way to address holes drilled or rust through

after re reading your orginial post " do a quick repair for a year or two...."

then Do the Quicky gring clean pund it low and MUD it up Fix..

Wayne,I agree that welding the holes up is the only "correct" way to fix it.Sometimes the correct way isn't always an option,and you roll the dice smile.gif
And SMS was looking for an easy fix too.

You can almost bet that if you have several pin holes, you have many more about to surface. If you want to fix it for six months or so, patch the holes. If you don't want to do it again for several years, replace the rocker.

JMO

Dave

Is there a video showing step by step how to replace a rocker panel? I dont have much body work experience and this doesn't sound like a job for a novice. Have any of you guys done it? how difficult is it? Thanks

Steve

yes.. both a cut partial and a full one to many times. that 's why is's best to address the RUST if it's only pin holes.. .( it's bigger then that ) B-4 you haqve to do a full replacement...
Grind the pint off the area of rust and probe with your body pick hammer. Not that you smake it through But just tap and pick at the 1/8 ruse area and around it.. you will see it larger then .125 ( 1/8) in... But if the top ( most likly and the bottom at the seam area are in good shape... mak a patch and weld it in... either but, flange or inside overlap ( can be dome if you trim carefully)

I use a stud gun (the kind for pulling dents) and weld a stud on the patch,it makes a nice little handle for positioning. smile.gif I lke the hole saw idea,may have to try it.I usually cut out a nice neat square around the rust.Take what i cut out trace it on my patch material.Then cut it out spray some weld thru prime on the back,weld a stud on and hold it in place while i butt weld it.

Umass, I've used your method in the past with great success. Last fall I stretched the wheeltubs on a 66 Ford pro-street pickup 6 inches using strips of small angle metal to align the filler metal with the original tubs. Works great. The strips keep the parts properly aligned and reduces warpage with the screws holding everything in alignment. Welding up some screw holes after the panel is welded in is no big deal IMO. Bob