I've got 16ea 1/8th" rivet holes above the windshield that need to be closed. The bodies of the Al rivets are still in place and tight. These Al rivets held a fibreglass mat that held a canvas top. The top blew off after a few of the rivets failed.
I went to a body shop asking about repair. Said the holes need to be welded closed. That would require the windshield be removed and the headliner pulled back. The cost is way more than I can afford. These .125" holes still have the rivet bodies intact. I recently had the windshield replaced and if it is removed, my leak warranty is voided.
I am certainly not an experienced bodyman, but I think welding these small holes is overkill. The metal isn't very stout and I believe the heat from welding would be asking for trouble.
Can I not use a plastic filler, epoxy, bondo to fill the holes since the rivet bodies are still intact/tight?

Thanks for any advice. I appreciate it.

 

well, welding up the holes is the recommended way in most cases. There are a couple of potential options...

1st...assuming you can see the holes from the underside, apply a fiberglass patch from the backside and then you can fill the topside...using the proper filler of course.

2. another possibility, with a torch, heat will be the killer on the windshield adhesive (brazing or welding)...but using a high grade silver solder and a brazing tip on very low setting, I'll bet that would be worth a try to fill those holes...as soldering is very strong but requires only a small fraction of the heat.

 

Thank you for your response.

Your 1st: to do that the all those rivet bodies would have to be drilled out. Can not those bodies be used as a 'backer' instead, and use a filler of some kind?

I like the idea of soldering. I'm good soldering electrical components, but never soldered steel.

I'm going to shop this job around to some indys and maybe the local maaco.

I appreciate your advice, thanks

 

Since your budget is the bigger concern, appearance seemingly low priority I'd use a 3M flexible clear seam sealer after cleaning the existing finish with a good grease/wax/dirt cleaner----3M also makes that.

The body shops and BeechKid are right about the only sure way to properly close those holes is by welding them. The details of why this is so might not be of interest so we'll leave that for another day.

Good and recommended best practices often seem like over kill to those not affiliated with any one particular industry. Those of us who are know all too well how dealing with a customer wanting only the cheapest, easiest fix comes back to bite us in the azz far more often than it doesn't. The smarter ones of us send bargain hunters down the road with a few DIY suggestions---and hope they never return!

 

You seem to have skated right past my immediate concern which is having my newly installed windshield removed. I've had conversations with the company that did the job, plus two other pro glass installers. Everyone had the same caution: it is very hard to remove a windshield without breaking it and then replace it properly.

 

Despite YOUR immediate concern about the windshield I DID get your point--sorry if that was something else skated past?!?!

I'm another of those pro glass installers and know full well how removing an already installed W/S has the potential for breaking. Since you want the cheap fix my recommendation to just gob some sort of sealer around the exposed rivit bodies and be done with it.

You seem to be trying to end up with a top quality appearing job without taking the steps necessary to achieve it. Along with being a current auto glass tech I also owned a body shop and have more than a smattering of what good jobs require.

As far as soldering or brazing holes remaining from removed rivets a torch would typically put enough heat into the surrounding areas to affect or ruin the W/S molding and/or its bonding seal to the pinchweld. You're essentially dealing with a huge heat sink that quickly "pulls" heat from the point of contact to surrounding areas pretty damned quickly---nature is funny that way. Since the W/S is located so close it would be affected by any heat applied---trust me on that or not.

Skating on I still say just gob something around them or better yet if they're not leaking now leave them alone. Barring that as a good suggestion to you get a Yakima wind deflector, use a 3M high-strength bonding tape and use the deflector to cover those rivets.

As you stated originally "I'm not an experienced bodyman..." and while what's offered doesn't suit your ideas how best to do this there's not better way to become experienced than jump in half prepared and go for it. I've always said "we learn more from our mistakes than our successes........." and you'll most likely prove me correct in that!

Good luck with your project!