prangy

So I decided to take the rear spoiler off of my gt. I am wondering as to how I fill the holes. I was thinking I get some metal, cut out circles and weld them in? If this is so how thick should the metal circles be?

scottybaccus

That's the right way to fix it. They should be the same thickness as the deck lid material. I expect it is probably 20 gauge.

I usually cut fill plugs from scrap parts of the same material.

Another option, if the holes are under 3/8" or so, is to hold a copper paddle up against the back side, flush against the panel, and weld up the hole by slowly adding weld filler around the perimeter until closed. It takes some care to keep from putting too much heat into the panel and creating a shrink zone. Just don't rush it.

Same for the plugs. It isn't necessary to work on one hole until done. You can skip around the other holes to let the heat disipate.

prangy

Thanks for the advice, the holes seemed bigger than 3/8 of an inch, but I am just saying that by sight. The material is just sheet metal correct? That sounds like a pretty dumb question. So the main thing to be in caution of is over heating the metal, correct? Does it do something funny when it over heats so I can watch for that? Thanks again.

scottybaccus

All metal shrinks upon cooling, after heating. You can minimize this by minimizing how much heat you put in. Sheetmetal welding 101 is to hop around after welding only an1/th to 1/4 inch, or even just a couple of overlapping tack welds at a time.

Selecting the right sheet metal can be key. It should be the same thickness and from the same type of steel. The easiest way to achieve that is to use metal from a scrap panel of the same type. I also tend to cut out a larger hole when the patch is under 1/2", so that the weld repair is more spread out. It helps prevent pucker at the site.

Another thing to be aware of, the metal is probably galvanized. You need to clean really well around the hole so that you aren't cooking out the chemicals from the galvinization. Make sure the plug is clean, too.

Keep a hammer and dolly handy. A shrinking hammer may be useful, too. Don't get carried away with a hammer. Work slowly with moderate force so you can watch the metal respond.

mattdel

Wouldn't it be 100x easier to just use a bit of bondo? I mean I hate fiberglass spots in my car as much as the next guy, but bolt holes for the spoiler? Surely you can fill those in without having to cut and weld metal. They're TINY.

prangy

Just my thought, but since the trunk will experience the slamming force when being closed it would possibly crack the bondo after some time? I thought about using that metal mesh that comes in bondo kits and placing it on the back side. And by back side I am talking about the inside of the truck.

Five0hFox

If you use body filler with out filling in the hole you could get moisture then rust and have your filler falling off.

You should weld up the holes, spray epoxy primer over it, light coat of body filler, coat of epoxy, couple coats high build 2k primer, coat of epoxy reduced 50% as a sealer, then your base and clear can't forget to use a sanding block when sanding your filler and 2k primer, you want to use the longest block that fits the panel.

Ant32894

After you weld the holes, get silicone and go from the inside and fill around it just incase. (If you can get to it, im not that good with Stangs yet.

Five0hFox

I'd use seam sealer (made for this stuff specifically) if you're worried about getting it from behind. The epoxy on the outside should be sufficient if you weld good enough as it would keep water from getting to the top coat, but how would water get inside the hatch in the first place? Lol also when welding make sure you just do tack welds until its fully welded and give it time to cool because if you don't you risk warping your metal.

prangy

Thanks for all the advice fellas, last question as this is a new thing to me. I guess I am not sure exactly what the piece on the welder is called that clamps to the metal that creates the electricity flow, but where do I attach that to the car? Can I attach it to the bare metal that you locate the bolt nuts for the spoiler in? or is there somewhere easier? Thanks a lot again, this part of cars is not my thing.