Body repair without welding - how to eliminate "holes" for a penny
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Body repair without welding - how to eliminate "holes" for a penny

Body work using welding is expensive. It hardly makes sense to order such a service if car a solid age and mileage well over a hundred thousand km. It may happen that the cost of repairs will exceed the price of the car itself. The best way out of such a situation is to use alternative methods of restoring body elements.


Fiberglass putty


There are several types of this material in stores: small, medium and large fractions. The first or second type of fiberglass is suitable for sealing small damages. If the hole is through, you will need a large fraction. It is not recommended to use this technology if we are talking about load-bearing parts (for example, side members). First, clean the damaged area to the metal with sandpaper. Then it is recommended to use a rust converter, since you will not be able to penetrate hard-to-reach places with "sandpaper". Algorithm of actions:

  • ? clean the problem area with a grinder, sandpaper and degrease with a solvent
  • ? place a gasket on the reverse side of the damage
  • ? treat the repaired surface with a primer
  • ? apply putty and fiberglass on it
  • ? number of layers - from two or more


At the final stage, after drying, the repair site is cleaned first with large, then fine sandpaper. If the damage is small, everything can be done manually. As an alternative, use a drill with a Velcro attachment, on which sandpaper is applied.

Mixing two-component putty. Photo: Youtube. com


"Epoxy" and cold welding


These materials are suitable for sealing holes whose diameter does not exceed 10 mm. Clean the area around the hole, degrease and seal with a two-component compound. If the hole is very small, you can apply the so-called. electrochemical protection. Look for an aluminum bar from which to make a rivet and press it into the hole. In the region of about 20 cm from it, corrosion will stop progressing. True, the rivet resource will last for five years.

Two-component "cold welding" ABRO. Average price: 479 rubles. Photo: YandexMarket


Putty and aluminum mesh


This repair method is suitable for the restoration of extensive damage, including through. You will need a fine-mesh aluminum mesh, from which you need to cut out a suitable piece that covers the defect with a margin. After stripping the metal, putty is applied and a patch is fixed on it using masking tape. It is removed when the composition dries. Subsequently, another 1-2 layers are applied, including on the reverse side.

Epoxy and fiberglass


This is a more reliable way, but time consuming. Minor damage is eliminated using the technology described above, only fiberglass is used instead of aluminum mesh, and resin replaces the putty. Another thing is a through hole or another, more extensive defect. Then:
  • ? cut several pieces of fiberglass, the first of which will cover the damage by 20 mm, and the next more than the previous ones by 5-10 mm
  • ? impregnate the patches with epoxy and stack them on top of each other in increasing order until all the cleaned metal is covered


Wait until the resin is completely cured (usually a day) and clean the repair area with sandpaper. Then prime and paint.

You can use polyester resin, which dries faster.


Fiberglass applied to the damaged area. Photo: Youtube. com


Пайка


Suitable for the elimination of small defects, including holes. You will need a powerful electric soldering iron of 1 kW (or a gas burner), flux (acid) and solder (tin-lead alloy). First, the defective place is cleaned to the metal and tinned. Small damages are simply filled with melt, starting from the edges and gradually moving towards the center. A large hole can be closed with a patch cut from a suitable tin. When performing soldering, watch the resulting seam, which must be continuous, without interruptions.

Soldering the wheel arch with a gas burner. Photo: Youtube. com


Soldering also has its drawback - the patch can swell due to high temperature. If this is the case, lightly tap the tubercle. When a cavity appears, it will have to be puttied.

Repair with rivets


This method can be used not only for patching holes, but also when replacing body parts. For example, fenders or aprons. In terms of reliability, riveting metal, provided that the work technology is followed, is not much inferior in strength to welding. It is enough to remember the lining aircraft and ships. All external parts on them were connected earlier (and in some places still are) with rivets.

Today there are two types of these hardware: ordinary and special. The first is a solid rod with a cylindrical head. Such rivets are used when there is access to both sides of the elements to be joined. However, when repairing a car body, this situation is not common. Therefore, hardware with a hollow rod is used, where the head has a hole. To work with such clamps, you will need a special tool - a “riveter”. Sequencing:

  • ✅ select a piece of iron of the required size and suitable thickness
  • ✅ treat the places where the patch will come into contact with the “clean” body, sealant
  • ✅ attach a piece of metal to the right place, first pin it, and then make holes with a diameter of 3-5 mm at the places where the rivets are installed (preferably together: one holds, the second drills)
  • ✅ it is recommended to treat the rivet with a primer before using it so that it does not rust and does not “transmit” corrosion to the body


This repair technology is suitable for the restoration of the bottom, when there is a need to replace large pieces of metal. In this case, use galvanized iron. Repair with rivets will be more effective if combined technology is used. This refers to smearing the edges of the patch with epoxy glue or "cold welding". By doing this, you "kill two birds with one stone": you ensure the tightness of the connection and increase its strength.

Bottom repair with special rivets. Photo: Youtube. com


The disadvantage of using rivets is that they are visible. If this is the bottom, thresholds, there are no problems. But when repairing visible body parts, rivets must be installed in a “hidden” place, masked with regular plastic overlays (if possible), covered with decorative elements, or other methods of restoration should be used.

General Finishing Steps


All types of non-welded repairs described above require the same finishing work. The bare metal should be primed immediately after installing the patch – pure iron quickly rusts in high humidity conditions. The next step is to seal the repaired areas with putty, which is then sanded down to obtain a smooth, even surface. The composition has a disadvantage – it absorbs moisture. Therefore, it will need to be primed again.

Cleaning the treated surface of the door with a grinder. Photo: Youtube. com


Completed paint repair. For this purpose, it is recommended to use aerosol cans. Cover all adjacent areas of the body with a suitable material, securing it with masking tape. You need to spray the paint from a distance of 25-30 cm to prevent smudges (detailed instructions are on the package).

Conclusions


It is possible to repair small damaged parts of the body on your own in “garage” conditions without special equipment. But only if the last degree of corrosion is not allowed, when the road under the car is visible from the passenger compartment. To do this, regularly drive the car into the pit and inspect from below the places where the car rots more often (bottom, sills, wheel arches, etc.).
Do you repair your car yourself without welding?
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