M1123 - Ragged armor holes on top of rear fenders

[tjonesdfw]

Our new M1123 has some pretty ragged holes on the top of the rear fenders/bedsides (see pic below) that were hidden under the troop seats when we purchased it. I know, I know, shame on me for not looking, but this is our first build and learning a lot on the fly. I can deal with the MAK holes in the side of the body with pop in fillers, nuts and bolts as fillers, rock sliders, etc., but these holes on the bedsides are just nasty. Does anyone have any good suggestions for patching or covering these holes so we can spray bed liner up and over the top of the bedsides where these holes are now?

 

[cucvmule]

Weld?

 

[98G]

Weld?

Specifically, TIG.

Possibly MIG with a spool gun.

 

[lpcoating]

Another option would be using an adhesive with a neatly cut out .040" (or so) aluminum patches covering each area. If you are spraying it with bed liner I'd think the patch would pretty much disappear as you're putting a textured top coat. A local auto paint store should have such a product.

 

[swbradley1]

Would this work for you?

Put a very clean piece of stainless steel under the hole and fill it in after prep. There are others that are similar.

Brazing Rods & Fluxless Aluminum Soldering Rods | Kapp Alloy

Kapp Alloy offers brazing rods & fluxless solder for Aluminum, Diecast, & White Metal manufacturers. Contact us for brazing rods & fluxless solder today!

www.kappalloy.com

 

[swbradley1]

This is the one I was really looking for:

Durafix Aluminium Welding Brazing & Soldering Rods from Chronos

Durafix Aluminium Welding Brazing & Soldering Rods from Chronos

www.chronos.ltd.uk

 

[jkcondrey]

I have brazed a few holes up in the past. I don't have a tig welder so it worked pretty well for me.

 

[NDT]

Brazing on aluminum? That’s a new one on me. Put a piece of duct tape underneath and fill the hole with JB Weld.

 

[jkcondrey]

Brazing on aluminum? That’s a new one on me. Put a piece of duct tape underneath and fill the hole with JB Weld.

Yep. I put a thin piece of aluminum scrap under the holes, held it up with 2x4. Heated it up from above, and then used AL rod and let it dribble in like solder. Filled it pretty nice.

 

[Milcommoguy]

Idea and cheap. Open the hole up keeping it round to an available size next. Snap in a plastic hole plug. Seal and paint as needed. Works on those MAK holes too.

Quick link or search...all sizes even metal.

Everbilt 1 in. Nylon Locking Hole Plug 808168 - The Home Depot

Nylon Locking Hole Plug is great for both indoor and outdoor usage. Comes in a variety of diameters, materials and finishes.

www.homedepot.com

Finger in the dam, CAMO

 

[Retiredwarhorses]

Our new M1123 has some pretty ragged holes on the top of the rear fenders/bedsides (see pic below) that were hidden under the troop seats when we purchased it. I know, I know, shame on me for not looking, but this is our first build and learning a lot on the fly. I can deal with the MAK holes in the side of the body with pop in fillers, nuts and bolts as fillers, rock sliders, etc., but these holes on the bedsides are just nasty. Does anyone have any good suggestions for patching or covering these holes so we can spray bed liner up and over the top of the bedsides where these holes are now?

a step drill bit and plastic plug, same as what the Mfg uses…

 

[sallystrothers]

I originally planned to tig weld, but didn't like the idea of grinding off the CARC, so I got some 1/8" fender washers top and bottom fastened with 1/2" long stainless screws. For good measure I put a bead of clear silicone between the washers, then painted. It can easily be reversed should anyone want to.

 

[royg]

If you are crazy like me and enjoy tig welding:

1-drill out with a step bit so you have perfect round hole
2-gently use a clean & strip disc on a grinder to disappear the paint nearby (clean both sides, wear a mask)
3-punch or hole-saw an aluminum plug to fill the hole. I like 10 guage 5052 for the plug, so i can simply flow it down to the thinner body guage when welding. it also allows the plug to be hammered a little bit thinner/wider if you need to enlarge the plug a bit to fit tightly.
4-clamp copper behind the hole/plug so you can really sink the weld in without worrying about blowing it out. (the weld wont stick to copper))
5-tig weld the perimeter of the plug
6-rough grind with an aluminum grinding disc, finish with a flap disc.

Admittedly I like welding and have the stuff. It produces a perfect result. But it's stupid time-consuming. Takes me a couple of hours to do about 10 holes and that's my limit for a day. So it took me several days to vanish all the MAK armor holes in my 1123

 

[tjonesdfw]

That’s some serious dedication @royg. I wish I had your skills and the equipment because I’m a little OCD with any of my vehicle builds and would love to patch them up without body plugs.