What would you do with these bodywork holes?

[kcpope]

Prepping my car for paint and finding lots of holes in the sheet metal that was used as something for the bondo to “grab” onto.

 

From what I read, this is not an ideal repair. That said, the bodywork did look ok with no apparent cracking.

 

So the question is, leave the holes alone and simply bondo over them, or weld them all shut?

 

Lastly, if I do weld them all shut, will the bondo have anything to “grab” onto?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

 

 

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[Racer X]

Polyester body filler isn’t meant to be used to fill deep irregularities in surfaces. It also adheres very well to a surface that has been roughed up with 80 grit sandpaper. The holes weren’t placed there as a place for the filler to one to, they are leftover from the use of a slide hammer to pull the creases and dents out. 

So they should be welded.

That said, it looks like more straightening is needed, before application of filler. Hammers and dollies. Care must be taken to not stretch the metal while hammering it. A shrinking hammer and dolly is useful to avoid stretching and distortion.

 

[dutchzcarguy]

4 hours ago, kcpope said:

leave the holes alone and simply bondo over them,

I've seen that on american cars, overhere it gets water behind the filler (through the holes) and it all starts to rust and fall apart..

I would take the rear left part with the holes out and make a part that fits in there..

The other holes (in line) you can weld shut..   for the dents i hope you had a course of study in panel beating...

[26th-Z]

Those holes were drilled for pulling the dent out.  They should be welded shut for a proper repair.  And it looks like a little more hammering and straightening could be done.

I just had that same situation on my car.

[crayZlair]

Looks like a lot of rust in the lower front corner of the door. All of the bad metal should be cut out and replaced. I would also check the structure around the lower hinge area.

Edited July 1, 2022 by crayZlair
spelling

[Patcon]

I agree with the others. All of the slide hammer holes should be welded shut. You need to rough everything with 80 grit for the filler to bond to. Filler over epoxy primer is better than filler over bare metal IMO. I also agree the panels need some more love. If it were mine, I might try to remove the door skin to be able to really lay the door out smooth and make the rust repairs at the front. The rear quarter is a hard area to hammer and dolly because of access. You also need to be careful because the metal can be very thin in some of those areas making it easy to blow holes in it with the welder. The rocker might be the most difficult place to get smoother because the metal is thicker and there is very little access. You might be able to use a rod inserted from inside the car to dolly the rocker outward and down. IMO filler shouldn't be more than 1/8" thick anywhere and I would generally prefer no more than a 1/32" thick.

[kcpope]

Looks like a lot of rust in the lower front corner of the door. All of the bad metal should be cut out and replaced. I would also check the structure around the lower hinge area.

This area is actually rust free, just looks like cottage cheese from a side swipe accident at one point. Nonetheless, I’m on the hunt for rust and have eliminated it where found.


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[kcpope]

I’m glad everyone agrees, I figured welding them up was going to be the answer.

Regarding working the metal further before applying filler, I completely agree, but as some have mentioned, the access in these locations is nearly non existent.

I’ll do what I can to work the metal, but honestly I don’t think I can do much more. Then I’ll weld up the holes and pass it off to the body man for him to work his magic.


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