Holes in aluminum skins

[SATEAR]

I did not find this subject in past posts so I thought I would bring it up here. Please let me know if this is appropriate?

I am rebuilding a '47 Kitt and reusing the aluminum skins. There are a few more holes in the wall skins than I will be needing to replace new fenders and vents. Any ideas on how to cover these up or patch them. I thought about using other pieces of aluminum and screw over the holes. Any other ideas?

Thanks and now back to work cleaning 40 years of rust off my frame

[looped]

Thin piece of aluminum epoxied to the inside of the hole and some lead to fill it in comes to mind. another would be using some silver solder instead of lead. the solder and a torch could attach the patch and smooth the hole over in one shot.

just an idea, seems like it would work.

[Ageless]

They make aluminum tape; self adhesive

[Miriam C.]

Somewhere I saw a patch that looked like a bullet hole. You can also add a vinyl patch over some sticky aluminum.

Yes I did try to look up bullet hole patches and got a "threat detected" so I quit looking.

[SATEAR]

Looped--Where can I get the silver solder? Is it just like regular solder? I have a propane torch, will that work?

Thanks,

Gabe

[looped]

the idea is untested. just wanted to mention that first. i was thinking of the time i was helping out with plumbing and he soldered some copper fittings on, it came out smooth and shiny. when soldering batteries together i find that the highest silver content solder gives the best looking results for shine and ease of application. i get mine at radio shack.

[mechmagcn]

Aluminum can't be soldered with silver solder, but there is a product that is used with a propane torch to weld or solder aluminum. I see it in booths at car shows regularly. Not sure of the name.

[Ageless]

When we had to plug a hole in aluminum, we would ream the hole to next fractional size, cut a plug from round stock; peen it slightly to set it; then grind flush. This can also be done with aluminum rivets

[ajricher]

There are zinc-based "solders" that can be used on aluminium - Lumiweld is a brand name in the UK (not sure what they're called here - Bernz-O-Matic sells one, though). I've actually had good luck patching closed drilled holes in Land-Rover body panels with this stuff - with good surface prep it sticks nicely and can be filed/sanded to be invisible under paint.

Several caveats on the use of this stuff, though. First off, the holes need to be CLEAN else nothing will stick. I usually bevel the holes with a drill to make a wider surface for the solder to stick to, then wire brush it with a stainless steel wire brush.

Working with aluminium in any size takes a LOT of heat - a plain old propane torch is not going to cut it. At a minimum you are going to want a TurboTorch or a MAPP torch as the sheet will rapidly suck away the heat as you warm the area to be soldered. On larger sheets I've used a plumber's propane torch to good effect. You will get some surface deformation and warping from the heat on large flat sheets but it shouldn't be too noticeable once the sheet is refastened on the frame.

If you can manage to hose on enough heat, you also need to be careful of melting the sheet in question. Aluminium has a very narrow range of temperature from solid to dripping-on-the-workbench - and it isn't nice enough to let you know what it's doing by glowing like iron does.

My take on the whole thing? Practice on a scrap of sheet the same thickness, get your technique down, then go for it.

Alan

[M B Hamilton]

If you can't hide it, or if your attempt at hiding it is unsatisfactory, how about being obvious?

Make what looks like a doubler plate that is the same shape as the fender. The idea is to cover over all the holes then mount the fender on top of it. The "doubler plate" extends out beyond the fender by a couple or so inches. In the visible areas attach the plate with evenly spaced rivets (and not pop rivets).