ShopTalk Forums | Aircooled VW Tech & Restoration Help

That 7 peice chrome set is fallin apart, mine is down to a 4 peice set i think hehe.

I'm thinking that I want to take it off and then fill the holes the chrome usually snaps into. Does anyone here have any expertise in that feild? How do I go about filling the holes- more importantly how do I do a good job of filling the holes?

Thanks much for the advice!

Weld the holes shut and grind the steel smooth.

Or, a little body filler will do the job, too.

The right way, weld em up. Do short burst of series of spot weld to keep the heat to a minium (heat causes sheet metal warpage). Spot weld then wait 10 seconds or so then spot weld again, etc.....

The easy way, put fiberglass clothe from the inside then body fill it from the outside. Fiberglass filled putty will be better then regular putty. But this method won't last as long without needed touchup in the future and I persoanlly wouldn't go this route myself. Do it right the first time and you won't complain in the future.

You are better off to weld them up .The ones on the trunk and some of the accesable one can be welded easier if you back the hole up with apiece of copper this will prevent the weld from falling through, and absorb some of the heat. You should also put a heat absorber around your holes to suck up additional heat.There are products out there for that .I use a abspestus powder made into a paste.This works real well.You can also use wet rags or (and this works) oatmeal..just add cold water and mix to a plaster type cosistancy(jees my spelling sucks).When done use a thin coat of water resistant filler(not bondo)to seal any posible pin holes in your weld.Another trick .when grinding have a pal run a hose to soak the area while grinding.I have had success in welding up holes in hoods 1/4 to 1/2 '' in diameter this way with out using a filler of any kind Tip: wear an apron when doing the wet grinding......

use a piece of copper pipe flattened like a shovel and hold on the inside. This will fill the hole better and the weld will not stick to copper.

OK does anyone know how to UNDO this process? I bought a 72 super and the last owner did a VERY good job of welding the holes shut and sanding them smooth. I want the trim back on. Anyone have pointers on how to reverse this process???

Use the correct sized drill bit on an electric drill.

Like Kubel Nick said. I've found that an 11/64ths works very well. You might want to drill your new holes in different spots though, as sometimes the weld is harder than the steel its welded to. You might want to use a chalk line to help you get the placement where you want it too. I hope this helps.

I've used a plain ol' copper penny to back up my welds, and have a fairly strong magnet to hold it in place. Many years ago, before I had a welder, I used a large drill bit to chamfer the trim holes, and then, using a small propane torch and ordinary plumbing solder, plugged the holes with flat head brass wood screws of a size that fit fairly flush with the sheet metal.
I still see this car once in awhile, and after ten years, it still has my original paint job, and all these plugs are still invisible and problem free.

Another tip. When possible, weld up the holes from the backside using the copper back-up. It makes cleaning up the welds on the visible side alot easier and requires less filler.

try using metal 2 metal body filler i used it, very strong material and alot simpler than welding, and grinding, with metal 2 metal u apply then sand. no heat problems, nor does it make a huge mess.