TheSamba.com :: View topic

Wed Dec 12, 2007 3:27 pm

Has anyone done this, do you recomend against it.....i dont have to fill big sections, just tiny pinholes. there is also a steel putty i have used on gas tanks and such but the JB ive used many times with no failure....i also think it is sandable too.....thank you in advanced.

Wed Dec 12, 2007 3:32 pm

are we talking specifically on a gas tank?

if so, then jb weld will hold up for a little while, make sure you clean the crap out of the area it will adhere to, scratch it as well.

if not on a gas tank, just use a little MIG welder and throw some tacks over the hole.

Wed Dec 12, 2007 3:45 pm

sorry i totally spaced....im talking on the windshield framed on my bus......id like to wire wheel it but wondering what to fill them tiny holes with....thanks.

Wed Dec 12, 2007 3:50 pm

I dont see why not.

Wed Dec 12, 2007 3:59 pm

I'm using a similar putty for some pinholes in a rear windowsill. I grinded the rusted areas with a Dremel tool to get as much of the rust out as possible, then applied a layer of POR-15. After that, the putty.

I'd suggest putting some sort of rust barrier (POR, Rust Encapsulator, etc.) on the area before the putty. If the rust is not treated, it will continue and eventually the putty repair will fall out with the rust.

Wed Dec 12, 2007 4:00 pm

jb weld should work as would different types of bondo.
it is however a temporary fix. post a pic so we can see how bad the area is.
if it were me i would tack them up with a mig and rust treat the entire area before primer/paint; bondo should really not be used for filling holes.

Wed Dec 12, 2007 4:11 pm

medium strand fiberglass filler does a decent job of filling tiny holes. it resists moisture which is a big plus. i have been using it for years with very few problems.

Wed Dec 12, 2007 4:14 pm

Done it before with good 'ol JB weld and it worked well, but then again it is dry here so the rust coming back/getting worse wasn't a big issue.

Wed Dec 12, 2007 4:26 pm

that is encouraging since los angeles is not too wet..... i may attempt this this weekend.

Wed Dec 12, 2007 5:15 pm

i would definately do it with a mig, you can hold some brass behind the hole to help prevent blowout (i think it was brass, but not 100% sure)

jb weld or some other filler is just asking for failure down the road, it is a somewhat reasonable temporary fix.

and like everyone else said, treat the area with a rust killer first

Wed Dec 12, 2007 5:21 pm

Find someone who can do lead work. It will be a long lasting fix. It's not cheap, however...

Wed Dec 12, 2007 5:31 pm

copper is an excellent backer for welding holes. i've used copper pennies, made before 1982, with good results.
if you don't weld them with a mig, you could braze them closed as a second option. i would still go with the mig as a first choice.

why bondo and use hole fillers when you can weld? you probably spend no longer doing it that way instead of bondoing and sanding, etc.

do it right the first time or don't do it at all

Wed Dec 12, 2007 5:34 pm

StockNazi wrote:

do it right the first time or don't do it at all

No truer words have ever been spoken

Wed Dec 12, 2007 5:39 pm

I've mig'd & brazed windshield frames. Brazing works better on rustier stuff. JB weld would be better than bondo. Bondo is a sponge just waiting for water.

Wed Dec 12, 2007 7:27 pm

POR 15 makes a product called POR Patch, which is a putty-like version of the paint, I've used it successfully for pin holes and am quite satisfied with the results.

Wed Dec 12, 2007 9:02 pm

^^^^X2 if the lower frame is pitted with a few pin hole you might end up doing more damage then good it you go at it with a mig. Hard to say without seeing it but the "real" fix might be to replace the lower section or the frame. That POR15 filler is good stuff, if you can get tape behind the pinhole you're good to go. I did my window frames with POR15, I didn't have any holes but it was pitted. The stuff filled the bumps and leveled out really well. I scuffed it with a scotchbrite pad, primed and color matched.

Wed Dec 12, 2007 9:36 pm

On my 1963 camper, I did what candyman recommended and, after cleaning them real well with a twisted wire wheel on my angle grinder and scuffing them up, spread a thin layer of fiberglass re-enforced filler over the pitted area of the windshield sills; I can't remember if there were any pin holes. The filler is waterproof and I sanded it, then spread a thin layer of finishing putty, which is the more expensive, finer grained filler, over it, then sanded it. The good thing about the sills is that the top lip of the nose panel is beneath it, so that acts as a base if there are pin holes. I painted the bus over three and one-half years ago and there has been no problem.
My 1958 bus has tiny holes in one of the windshield sills and I had removed the nose panel, and I tried welding up a hole or two with my mig welder and it just blew out the holes. When the metal is real corroded, it doesn't take to welding.

Wed Dec 12, 2007 9:45 pm

a couple of months ago I was driving in a driving rain storm and my shoes were filling with water... I had new seals hanging in the closet and decided to change the windscreen seals. I cut out the old seals and pulled the windows only to discover more damage than I had time for... I was 100 miles from home and needed to put the windows back in. So I used a grinder and cleaned the rust out, made a few holes, filled them with 2 part epoxy, waited for that to cure and then painted over with POR, in the morning I put the windows back in... Now I see that I should have used the POR first and then the epoxy... Live and learn. At least my feet are now dry.
Cheers

Wed Dec 12, 2007 9:46 pm

A few coats of POR15 silver will solve the problem. The silver one is a metal strengthener. Wire wheel the surface, wipe it down with Marine Clean, and apply 2 - 3 coats of the POR silver. If they truly are pin holes this will fill it.

Wed Dec 12, 2007 10:42 pm

420GOAT wrote: that is encouraging since los angeles is not too wet..... i may attempt this this weekend.

Depending on what im doing Sunday you can stop by and i'll help you weld them.. you hold the copper from the inside while i weld them from the ouside.. i dont see why jb weld wouldnt work though.. let me know.. free of charge of course..
Lance (714) 713-1461 cell