Which way is Front? And how to close up aluminum holes

[Ronald L.]

Which way is front on this rocker moulding? IMG_0733.jpgIMG_0734.jpg

Pics,

And then in third pic, the aluminum is worn away. Has anyone tried something to close the hole up other than a huge ugly washer?

IMG_0735.jpg

[Leif A.]

Re: Which way is Front? And how to close up aluminum holes

As far as direction, they are uni-directional...there is no front or back. As to the hole...dunno.

[Ronald L.]

Re: Which way is Front? And how to close up aluminum holes

Leif

There is a clue there
close look…

[David M.]

Re: Which way is Front? And how to close up aluminum holes

See which end profile best matches with the front or rear wheel well openings. Or see which sets of holes aligns best with the original holes in the car.

As far as repair, find a shop that can do fine TIG aluminum welding and see if they can close the hole on such a thin piece. Grind, wet sand the weld, then re-drill and paint. Might be able to weld a piece of sheet aluminum to the back side too?

There are 2 part epoxy putties that get hard. As hard or harder JB Weld. JB might work.
You could glue a super thin washer or cut piece of aluminum sheet to the back side(rough up the washer/sheet and trim so it sticks).
Smooth the epoxy over the washer/sheet let it set up, flip it over then smooth a coating over the front with a razor to fill the original hole. Let it cure, lightly sand re-drill and paint. You will need to put wax paper or something on the opposite side when applying the epoxy so it dosent go through the hole.

Once repaired use a flat head trim screw, not a tapered screw, as the tapered may break the epoxy. Gently secure screw with blue loctite.

ORRRRR....Even less complex...a flat head trim screw might cover the elongated hole. Apply a little paint and only you will know. Use the loctite here as well.

[Ronald L.]

Re: Which way is Front? And how to close up aluminum holes

A little tig from the back side might do the trick to hold the original screw.


What epoxy is harder than JB weld?


On the rockers, there is a direction, think original car - Survivor type, Bow Tie Judging secret...

[Leif A.]

Re: Which way is Front? And how to close up aluminum holes

Leif

There is a clue there
close look…

Are you saying they're not interchangeable?? Pray tell the difference as I've swapped mine side to side before.

[Ronald L.]

Re: Which way is Front? And how to close up aluminum holes

OK,

The clues were original survivor Bow Tie, etc...
The pics show a rocker for side pipes, might matter.

Look again, stone pecking is seen on one end only.

If the car was driven, like a survivor, Bow Tie would have been... it has pecking on the quarter fender, or in the case of a side pipe car, the side pipe cover and this rocker underside get beaten up bad.

So if you were to do the swap ... you would have stone pecking where there could not be stone pecking. And it would look really out of place compared to the side pipe cover.

[David M.]

Re: Which way is Front? And how to close up aluminum holes

There is a two part putty gray/black about cookie dough consistency and you need it together in into one. It doesn't contain aluminum so its a touch harder but more brittle. The aluminum in JB makes it a little more pliable.

Stone chipping is a good indicator which side is front. The rear side would be less.

[Terry M.]

Re: Which way is Front? And how to close up aluminum holes

Ok Ron, Here's my 2 cents worth. So, I'm a huge fan of JB Weld. Here is what I would do. First, place a piece of tape over the hole on the outside of the rocker panel. Then, mix up some JB steel type and place a dollop on the back side (clean the surface first with steel wool or a scratch pad followed by wiping with lacquer thinner or wax and grease remover). Spread the dollop around to the size of a half dollar or about an inch or more square to a thickness that does not exceed the rolled flange width at the edge of the rocker piece. You can shape the JB as needed after it begins to harden. Let it harden overnight. Then, you can drill a hole through the JB. Make sure the JB ends up flush with the outside surface of the trim. If you need to add some, mix up a little batch and top coat on the outside. You could do this before drilling. Also, before any of this, you may need to gently pound out any of the old rolled edges of the original hole to make sure the area is smooth. Anyway, after drilling the hole, you can take a countersink tool or larger drill bit and carefully (by hand!) countersink the hole area. Your piece looks like it could use a repaint too. I would tape off the unpainted portion first (it is clear anodized). Using small mini files and fine sandpaper, smooth the outside surface of the JB so that it matches the surrounding aluminum. Use fine sandpaper or scratch pad to prepare the painted surface. Wipe down with wax and grease remover and then paint. I would use a satin black spray paint. Anyway, that's how I would fix hole.

Terry

[Ronald L.]

Re: Which way is Front? And how to close up aluminum holes

Hi Terry,
Thank you for these details. I like it as the entire compresion force is on the JB block and with sufficient bond, the aluminum goes along for the ride.

I follow clearly and seems very practical. Hope to get at this next weekend.

[Terry M.]

Re: Which way is Front? And how to close up aluminum holes

Ron, Please let us know how it turns out. Some pics of your process would be nice. Could be very helpful for others. Photos I would suggest are:

1. Outside of piece with tape in place

2. Inside of piece after smoothing and cleaning

3. Inside of piece with JB in place

4. Outside of piece with finished JB

5. Outside of piece with drilled/countersunk hole

6. Finished piece with new paint

Good luck and take your time with this repair/restoration

Thanks.

Terry