What would you do?

[70STOVEBOLT]

If you had a door that has trim holes but you they are bondo’d over, and you are not planning on running trim, and there is lots of bondo in the door. Would you try to weld up the trim holes and fix the presumed damage (haven’t removed paint or bondo yet) with as little filler as possible? Or would you scrap it and try to find a rust free passenger door? Your welding skills are very beginner, welded twice. Also, you need a rust free drivers door as well. Please let me know what you would do in this situation. Also, if you have a lead on a pair of rust free doors, I would appreciate that too just in case.

[Lost in the 60's]

I would grind off all the paint and filler and then make a judgement of whether I wanted to use that door as a learning tool for dent removal and welding. Seems it may be replaced anyway, so why not see what you can do with it ?
My experience with "rust free" anything with these old vehicles has become non-existent.

[jumpsoffrock]

To look at things black and white, there are two camps.

DO IT RIGHT

or just enjoy the truck and move on with your life.



I also heard some great advice that I follow to this day: If the filler is still adhering to the panel and not jacking away or rusting or cracking, leave it alone. I also am poor and can't afford a $78k show truck with absolutely perfect NOS panels.

[lil hoodlum]

Originally Posted by jumpsoffrock

to look at things black and white, there are two camps.

Do it right

or just enjoy the truck and move on with your life.



I also heard some great advice that i follow to this day: If the filler is still adhering to the panel and not jacking away or rusting or cracking, leave it alone. I also am poor and can't afford a $78k show truck with absolutely perfect nos panels.

x2

[Wootdog]

And drive it like you stole it...now that we are back to reality, you can buy outer door skins and go from there. These doors are getting expensive. Wootdog

[70STOVEBOLT]

Originally Posted by jumpsoffrock

To look at things black and white, there are two camps.

DO IT RIGHT

or just enjoy the truck and move on with your life.



I also heard some great advice that I follow to this day: If the filler is still adhering to the panel and not jacking away or rusting or cracking, leave it alone. I also am poor and can't afford a $78k show truck with absolutely perfect NOS panels.

I want to do it right, but as I stated in the original post, my welding skills are virtually nonexistent.

The filler is starting to show, especially over the trim holes. I would rather it have rust holes than to have bondo showing through the paint.

[70STOVEBOLT]

Originally Posted by Wootdog

And drive it like you stole it...now that we are back to reality, you can buy outer door skins and go from there. These doors are getting expensive. Wootdog

If I decide to fix this door, it will get a complete outer skin.

[HO455]

Can you post pictures of the door?

Do you own a welder?

[LS short box]

If your welding skills are poor maybe take the door or whole truck to a local body shop and have them weld up the holes. Most body shops weld thin sheet everyday.

[hugger6933]

Get a buddy to weld up the holes, if you dont have a body shop buddy make one. I would weld up the holes and if there was a lot of other damage, I would consider doing a door skin but I own a bodyshop so either way I would be ok doing what needs to be done. If you consider a new aftermarket door, I had the last two that I got [customer provided] I had to cut the upper hoop off to lower it to make the door fit the pocket and the glass to fit the frame so you may not escape welding even if you have a new door. Good luck Jim

[70STOVEBOLT]

Originally Posted by HO455

Can you post pictures of the door?

Do you own a welder?

I will take some pics this evening and post them. I do own a welder, but it's a cheap Chicago 125 amp, flux core.

[70STOVEBOLT]

Originally Posted by hugger6933

Get a buddy to weld up the holes, if you dont have a body shop buddy make one. I would weld up the holes and if there was a lot of other damage, I would consider doing a door skin but I own a bodyshop so either way I would be ok doing what needs to be done. If you consider a new aftermarket door, I had the last two that I got [customer provided] I had to cut the upper hoop off to lower it to make the door fit the pocket and the glass to fit the frame so you may not escape welding even if you have a new door. Good luck Jim

I have an aftermarket door that I bought probably 20 years ago. I don't know the brand, and I have not tried to test fit it.

[my67c20]

Break out the welder and give it a go. Only way to learn. If you can get to the back use one of them copper things with a magnet to cover the hole and absorb some of the heat. Keep a damp rag and some air so you can speed up the cooling. Before welding, slightly dimple the area, so when you grind down the weld you do not thin out the parent material. Your gonna get some warp, less if you go slow. Tack, cool, tack, cool, etc.

[vics stuff]

As a DYI guy i would not recommend that you learn how to weld up trim holes on that door. If the trim holes are filled with body filler , I bet that the door skin has other issues as well.
practice your welding skills on some junk body panels .
Vic

[best view]

Take the door off and bring it to a pro as stated, unless your between 20 and 40 and don’t like to drink beer then fix it , but don’t blame us we told you not too

[70STOVEBOLT]

Originally Posted by best view

Take the door off and bring it to a pro as stated, unless your between 20 and 40 and don’t like to drink beer then fix it , but don’t blame us we told you not too

I would not blame anyone if I asked for their advice. I am over 40 and drink beer regularly, I just don't know how to weld, lol.

[70STOVEBOLT]

Here are some pics of the holes and obvious bondo on the door. I think the holes are actually from a previously mounted mirror, as there are only two and they are not in line with where the trim should be. They are pretty good sized holes, 3/8-7/16" diameter. I think I am going to get the DA out and strip the paint and see what I am actually working with.

[Chaparralman1974]

I would give it a try.....

You don't need to be a certified welder. Even a cheapy HF welder can get the job done. You can alway go to the home store and get a cheap piece of 16 gauge sheet steel to practice on. I have been welding since high school and it is a valuable skill to have. Remember, you are not building a structural building or anthing....it is just welding up some holes that you will glaze over with filler.

Also, don't get all wrapped up in how thick the filler is....sure, most shops like to stay under 1/4" thick....and the professional resto shops try to get it even thinner.....about 1/16" due to pride in thier work and ability to master metal working. I spent way too much time worried about the latter and in keeping my filler too thin and confined to smaller areas, you can see those areas under the paint (especially in the bed) where the metal is now too wavy for my liking.

It is only metal......I say, weld it and filler it....then enjoy it. You will have pride in knowing you did it yourself even if it isn't perfect. Just go slow with the welder. It is easier to run the spot welds colder at first and then turn it up vs. starting too hot and burning through the steel. Same goes for grinding....don't focus too much on getting it all ground down at the same time. You have to let the metal cool a bit in between cycles, or you will make it too wavy. Time and patience is your friend here.


Clay

[Chaparralman1974]

Oh, and if you don't have one of these, I highly recommend it.....

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000614UT..._asin_title_34


These little finger sanders are good for getting in tight spots and keeping the grinding surface to a minimum.


Clay

[HO455]

Originally Posted by Chaparralman1974

I would give it a try.....

You don't need to be a certified welder. Even a cheapy HF welder can get the job done. You can alway go to the home store and get a cheap piece of 16 gauge sheet steel to practice on. I have been welding since high school and it is a valuable skill to have. Remember, you are not building a structural building or anthing....it is just welding up some holes that you will glaze over with filler.

Also, don't get all wrapped up in how thick the filler is....sure, most shops like to stay under 1/4" thick....and the professional resto shops try to get it even thinner.....about 1/16" due to pride in thier work and ability to master metal working. I spent way too much time worried about the latter and in keeping my filler too thin and confined to smaller areas, you can see those areas under the paint (especially in the bed) where the metal is now too wavy for my liking.

It is only metal......I say, weld it and filler it....then enjoy it. You will have pride in knowing you did it yourself even if it isn't perfect. Just go slow with the welder. It is easier to run the spot welds colder at first and then turn it up vs. starting too hot and burning through the steel. Same goes for grinding....don't focus too much on getting it all ground down at the same time. You have to let the metal cool a bit in between cycles, or you will make it too wavy. Time and patience is your friend here.


Clay

Good information! I would also suggest getting some 20 guage metal to practice on as that is much closer to the guage of your door. Or get junk fender or trunk from a 70's or older car and drill 40 or 50 holes in it and start practicing.

Check out videos on using a copper bar as a back stop for filling holes. You can also make a nickel sized patch to put on the back side and weld it on from the inside.

There's a gentleman named Fitzee (or Fitzy?) who has a lot videos on doing repairs and the techniques involved.

As the old saying goes "There's more than one way to send a cat."

[Lost in the 60's]

A 125 amp mig welder is plenty of power for what you are going to do. The flux core makes it more challenging, but that is where all the advise about practicing comes in. You can get "good enough" for a repair that will get final shaped with filler. It doesn't need to be perfect... When welding, let the metal cool naturally and absolutely do not use compressed air to cool hot metal. The pressure can stretch the metal and cause warpage all by itself along with the metal cooling too fast.
The cracks in the old filler actually look like shrinkage from age, which is natural when the filler gets applied too thick i.e. 1/4" is 3-4 times more than you want.
The bubbles are, most likely, rust under the filler/paint and will need to be removed or neutralized before further finishing over that area can be considered.
Yes, sand the entire door panel to bare before making ANY repairs or decisions. I've seen too many people work on just one area of a panel and then move on to find a nightmare they don't want to deal with and all the time spent on the small area repair is wasted, except, it can count for practice...:lol
Post some pics once you have the entire door sanded for us ogle.

[70STOVEBOLT]

Thank you guys for your advice, I really appreciate it. I will give this a try, not sure when it will be, probably when it starts to snow. I will update the thread as I go. Any other suggestions are welcome.

[jumpsoffrock]

I would really try reaching out to anyone you know with equipment you can use at their house. That finger sander is $200, A cheap HF welder with no gas or regulator is still not cheap, a good welder to last you years will be a treasure hunt.

All that money just to try something is too much. It's only a good investment if you will be using those tools for hundreds of hours in the semi-near future(3-10 years???). If you use your welder 3 hours per year, not really worth it.

My point is I agree you should give it a shot before paying a body shop, but I don't think you should arm yourself to the hilt with awesome equipment just to tackle this ridiculous job that you may not even succeed at.

I guess this is the point in the story where I gotta suggest you just bang it together, slap more filler on it with little prepwork and....

Originally Posted by jumpsoffrock

just enjoy the truck and move on with your life.

The important thing is to drive the vehicle, fixing some random metal panel correctly will be a barely remembered thought. Driving it(especially with friends/family) is something you'll always appreciate.

idk everybody's gotta find their own way I guess

[Loose Screw]

My truck must have had six different sets of mirrors over it's lifetime so far, aaand I have "the door opened too far creases"...I call it character or "Art"....

[mr48chev]

I'm late to the party but back when I couldn't weld I would get stuff already to weld up and then take it to a guy I knew who could weld pretty good and he would do the welding and some of the grinding it down and send me home to do the finsh work. I don't suggest learning to weld welding holes in your doors up.

My 71 was my uncles truck for a lot of years and one year my dad bought him an electric drill for Christmas and that poor truck has something like 57 holes drilled in it that shouldn't be there including about 20 on the top of each bed rail where new holes were drilled every time somethign different was used on the truck be it camper shell or cattle racks. I've got replacemen doors because my cousin's kids hit brush and everything else with the mirriors when they learned to drive in it.



This one he mounted a tool box at the back corner of the bed and drilled though the inner and outer panels of the box side.