Repairing Small holes in floor

[HarryFD]

I have read some threads but am confused.

I have some non-structural holes I want to fill in. I would rather not weld in patch pieces as access to the back side will be impossible once the hole is filled.

Should I use a "bondo" type product or fiberglass?

These are on the floor of my car. The holes range from an inch to several inches.

Thanks!
_________________
1970 Sunroof Bay
1973.5 911 Targa
2006 Ford Focus
2009 MB C300

[75smith]

fiberglass will be best for holes over an inch-but if your apposed to welding, what about riveting a panel on? the floors are technically structural as it is what holds you above the road

what I'm confused about is the no access to backside? are you going to patch from the underside without removing the interior? also year and type will be helpful along with pics

[HarryFD]

[banditwolf]

You can buy weld-through primer. Try [url]Eastwood.com[/url]
As it looks like it will be fairly sealed off you could spray what you can and still weld the hole up. Sure you'll burn some off but it will be sealed. You can also use a wet rag and cool the metal as you weld.
_________________
1973 Super Beetle l 1981 Trans Am

[craigman]

Just filling it with bondo or glass is just a temp fix. It will just bubble up in a few months.
Do your bus a favor, fix it right. Weld in some new plates.

[volksgroove]

the only right way is to weld the holes up... but I have a second option for you that has been very successful for me. You need the following products:

1. Ospho
2. small pistol sand blaster
3. 3M panel bond adhesive or similar product
4. spray can undercoating
5. wire brush
6. vacuum cleaner
7. 2" masking tape
8. beer

here's what I did on our floors in our 56 bug... don't get me wrong, she needs new floors, and I intend to pull body off one day and give her what she deserves... but in the mean time, this was an easy weekend job


wire brush all the loose rust off and vaccuum it up... lightly sandblast the rusty areas until the metal is grey in color... (spray ospho on rust if you cant sandblast, and let dry overnight)... apply masking tape to the back side of holes if you can... apply properly mixed 2 part epoxy product such as 3M panel bond adhesive to a thikness of 1/4" or so



after epoxy product hardens overnight, spray undercoating over repair... I use the panel bond product on thinned out rusty panels that could be replaced, but just too much work to justify the time... sandblasting first drastically improves the adhesion of this product... I've also been using a similar product made by Transtar that is cheaper... they both require a special applicator gun that costs $100 or so... the tube of product ranges from 30-50 bucks...

don't misunderstand me either... this is no comparison to proper metal replacement... but if the rusty areas are sandblasted, you can fill the holes with panel bond and prime it just as if you cut and patched it... this product is used to glue panels on most production vehicles made today... it was demonstrated to me by 3M reps in the late 90's when I worked for a BMW dealer body shop in Orlando... I've used it ever since in every shop I've worked in... when trying to weld to rusty, thin metal... this is a great alternative...
_________________
64 Type 3 Notch
67 Double Cab

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http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6210134#6210134

[cferry7]

Volksgrove or others -

Would you believe that the Pan pictured here requires a Build Up Material
on its surface to build up the steel's strength prior to Rust Preventive Paint, etc. ?
How to make this judgement call ?

[img]http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/920650.jpg
[/img]



_________________
1st : ' 71 Super , 1641 cc , ~ Stock - a keeper !
2nd: ' 70 Standard , Totaled 7-14-01 , R.I.P.

[HarryFD]

After much thought I have decided on the following approach:

1-Sand off the paint and rust (flap disks and discs on my drill motor);
2-Cut out any really thin metal;
3-Take my sheet steel and make patches that overlap the resulting hole by about 3/8 to 5/8 inch;
4-Drill 3/16" holes along perimeter of repair piece on area that overlaps existing metal;
5-Coat all bare metal with copper weld thru primer;
6-Plug weld holes with my MIG;
7-Etch Prime area;
8-Hi Build Primer;
9-Rustoleum Satin Black on under side/PPG OMNI Body color on top;
10-Seam Sealer on underside to fill any gaps; and
11-Undercoating on underside.
_________________
1970 Sunroof Bay
1973.5 911 Targa
2006 Ford Focus
2009 MB C300

[cferry7]

HarryFD

What Seam Sealer product do you plan on using ? Interested.

Suggest not using Undercoating on the exterior pans.
Their have been many suggested Samba members - - -
Undercoating will hide future holes and hold moisture.
I would suggest a good rust preventive paint on exterior pans,
inspect and clean periodically. You will always
have a handle on the condition pans without hiding unknown's,
without the task of removing the Undercoating in the future.
_________________
1st : ' 71 Super , 1641 cc , ~ Stock - a keeper !
2nd: ' 70 Standard , Totaled 7-14-01 , R.I.P.

[HarryFD]

It was a tube of stuff I got from my local FLAPS. I did undercoat but will probe regularly.
_________________
1970 Sunroof Bay
1973.5 911 Targa
2006 Ford Focus
2009 MB C300

[Vinnems]

Here's the thing. Bondo, welding, etc. it doesn't matter what you do to those pillar holes, it's going to happen again. You're removing the symptoms but not the cause. Somehow, water is getting in and getting trapped in those spots. Don't know how buses are set up, but in Beetles, the A Pillar typically rusts out because the clean air system runs down there, gets gunked up, and can't drain. Find out how the water is getting in and stop it. Also, make sure drain holes are clear and open. Make them bigger if necessary.
On my friends old Mustang, we putt metal screens behind the trim holes and put fiberglass over it. I put a hearty dose of paint on the other side to make sure things wouldn't rust. Ten years later, still looks perfectly smooth.
Before you do anything, find out what is going on with those pillars and remedy that. Then bondo or fiberglass or weld or whatever them. Try and get some paint in there, if possible. Someone else mentioned panel adhesive, which I LOVE. Thought the 3M gun only cost me about $50 on Amazon. Stuff is amazing, though. Couldn't even break it when jumping on panels.