Help! I have holes! How do I fix them?

[Twebster]

I'm ready to start my floor on my van build but there are some significant holes where I removed the gas lines to the stove & fridge. Also one 3" one from the table mount I don't want. And some holes from the bolts that held up my propane tank that was mounted underneath. Now I know I can't just cover the holes with insulation & plywood without repairing them but I don't know the best way to go about it. I need advice.

 

[Almost There]

How you fix them depends on the size of the hole.

We used to just bondo (plastic body work filler - 2 part) them in.

They can be fiberglassed if you want that.

The small holes can be fixed with a coin and some epoxy

The larger ones like from the pedestal base can be covered with a piece of sheet metal (flashing) and either epoxied or fiberglassed in.

Course you could also weld but that takes equipment and skills.

 

[jonsun]

go to harbor freight and get the 90 amp flux core welder and the cheap welding goggles. you wont need to splurge on a fancy helmet. get some plate steel and tack weld it. over the bolt holes you can run the bolts back in, cut the heads off, then weld the studs in place.

or just glue some metal panels over it, whatever

 

[Twebster]

I am going to take it to a welding shop to see if maybe they can weld them for me. I'll let you know when I find out.

 

[karl]

Epoxy is easy and cheap- sand around the hole with 80 grit paper to remove any loose paint and for better adhesion, cut sheet metal patch a couple inches larger than the hole and bend as needed to fit ribs, (try to cut the patches with sharp edges down)
Mix epoxy and apply around hole, center patch in place, add a layer of plastic wrap larger than the patch ( in case of squeeze out) add a weight of some sort and leave it for a couple hrs.

If you are concerned about excess dripping onto floors or pavement either duct tape the holes from under the floor or slide cardboard or papers under the vehicle.

 

[user 37446]

I'm ready to start my floor on my van build but there are some significant holes where I removed the gas lines to the stove & fridge. Also one 3" one from the table mount I don't want. And some holes from the bolts that held up my propane tank that was mounted underneath. Now I know I can't just cover the holes with insulation & plywood without repairing them but I don't know the best way to go about it. I need advice.

Other than a body shop or a for hire welder, consider the DIY bondo with a fiberglass or aluminum screen mesh under and over (sandwich) or just under the hole, then mix up the body putty.  There's a lot of YouTube videos on the topic of using body filler, with that kind of a hole and it's location (hidden) you won't have to worry about looks for painting.

You could also try thin sheet metal and the product called JB Weld.  There's a lot of discussion on its use on YT as well.  

The small holes can be done with coins or plugs too, as AT posted.

 

[Reducto]

I wouldn't make things too complicated. The only problem with having holes underneath your floor is the possibility of water getting in from underneath and causing rust or mold. Unless there's a lot of rust or other damage around the holes I wouldn't bother with welding. You might actually promote rust long term if you do it that way and don't seal it properly afterwards.

Epoxy is just fine here but I prefer Goop - it's wonderful glue that will give you a water tight seal and stay put for many years. The only problem with it is it's messy, but you'll be covering the area with your floor anyway so who cares? Glob on as much as you want. You can find it at Walmart, hardware stores, etc.

For bolt holes glue pennies over them. For the 3" hole go to a hardware store electrical section where they have the conduit. There should be plates of various sizes that are meant to be screwed onto electrical boxes. Find one a little bigger than the hole and glue it down.

 

[Mike Yukon]

I'm ready to start my floor on my van build but there are some significant holes where I removed the gas lines to the stove & fridge. Also one 3" one from the table mount I don't want. And some holes from the bolts that held up my propane tank that was mounted underneath. Now I know I can't just cover the holes with insulation & plywood without repairing them but I don't know the best way to go about it. I need advice.

What I do and have done is buy some aluminum flashing from the hardware store, cut it to cover the opening plus one inch and pop-rivet the aluminum in place. Use sealant all around the opening and you will have a lifetime fix. Look before you drill so you don't hit anything important.

 

[grandpa pete]

if you are anywhere near ST. Pete Florida pm me and i'll weld it free ...

 

[BinDerSmokDat]

I just repaired 8 antenna holes in my roof and two on the rear D pillars of my van.
My stepfather, the previous owner was an amateur radio nut and had a bunch of antennas mounted on it.

I had looked at Eastwood's No-Weld Hole repair kits.
But at $20  to fix two holes, it was going to cost $100, before buying bodyfiller.

 Instead I bought all of the components individually and got enought epoxy, garolite resin in pregnated fiberglass, plus body filler and body filler spreaders for dozens more repairs for only a little more.

It worked like a charm and will cover holes up to about 3".
I've got some holes in the floor from the old battery cables my stepfather ran for the deep cycle batteries I'm going to patch next. 

If you just need to cover the holes and you don't need to mount anything on the patched surface, I highly recommend it. Look at Eastwood"s kit and the instructions, then order Garolite sheet and urethane high strength 2 part epoxy on Amazon.

 

[BinDerSmokDat]

Here are some pics.
Didn't take pics with body filler yet.
I used zip ties and some metal angles to keep the Garolite patches pulled tight against the holes while the epoxy cured.

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1...?key=M2FEOHhzejI1MDh1OF94R09NeHd5Q3pKYVg5M0pB

 

[MrNoodly]

For bolt holes I use pennies and construction adhesive.

 

[UptownSport]

Factory uses Mastik to cover exterior holes-

For instance, where AC lines run into cabin on Non AC car.


Looks like a tar patch

 

[steamjam1]

A long as they are not rust holes... small 3" holes and tap screw holes are easy.. I've made patches out of old lunch pales and some pop rivets. Just use construction glue to seal the patch..

 

[BinDerSmokDat]

I was leery on my build to use any kind of screws, pop rivets or metal.
The fear is galvanic corrosion from dissimilar metals.
I've seen metal screws and rivets eat through metals in relatively short periods when there is exposure to the elements.
That's why I went with a non-metallic solution.


Ideally I would have welded it, but I lack that level of skill, especially for exterior spots where I prefer repairs be invisible.

 

[Twebster]

if you are anywhere near ST. Pete Florida pm me and i'll weld it free ...

I wish I was near you! I'm clear across the U.S. in Oregon!  :blush: Someday I'll make to Florida! Thank you so much for your offer. That is very kind.

 

[Twebster]

I had decided to make an appointment with a welder to have him weld the holes. He said he could do it & it would cost me anywhere from $70-140 dollars but after reading this and finding out I need 4 new door seals I think I'm going to fix the holes myself. I have some J.B. weld, some sheet metal, & a bunch of coins. That way my cost is much less. Thank you all for your suggestions. Another question about,the floors; is using liquid nails to hold the insulation & plywood on going to work? I don't want to put too many screws in the floor. Thanks again.

 

[Almost There]

Another question about,the floors; is using liquid nails to hold the insulation & plywood on going to work? I don't want to put too many screws in the floor. Thanks again.

Depending on the layout of the cabinetry/bed etc in your build and the layout you use in arranging the plywood for the floors you may  not need anything. Oh, and the thickness of your plywood will have some effect as well.

I thoroughly cleaned the floor of the van, patched the couple of holes there, then applied Rustoleum to the questionable surfaces.

I did a template for each side of the van using cardboard and did my plywood layout as follows:

A full sheet starting just behind the passenger seat base running lengthwise. This left just under 2' on the drivers side and a 2' section across the rear of the van.

Once the full sheet was in place wedged tight up against the passenger wall I cut the drivers side floor just slightly oversized so that when it was installed it was a really tight fit. By putting down the straight edge first I had to 'convince' the drivers side to go in to place. Repeat for the last piece at the rear of the van.

It's wedged in there, ain't going no place. I did have one slight area that was lifting - the section right behind the passenger seat was, of course, not friction fit against anything. I was going to get some adhesive in there but by the time I got around to it, the plywood had settled all by itself. In the 2 years since it was installed, it has not presented a problem at all.

The layout was done this way so that all the seams were under cabinetry and by anchoring the cabinets to the flooring, the seams are not only concealed by held together. I used 5/8" plywood so it was thick enough to hold screws well and I used Kreg pocket screws throughout the whole build.

If you're using thinner plywood and/or not building enough cabinetry to cover the seams it might not work as well...don't know for sure so it's pure speculation.

 

[John61CT]

I would not do anything you can't lift up and out for inspection / cleaning.

A few strategic L-tracks for securing heavy loads from flying around

bolted into properly installed PlusNuts (bed in butyl rubber, zinc galv paint, use for your existing holes as well)

will also secure a lightweight floor, likely no need for heavy plywood.

 

[Twebster]

Depending on the layout of the cabinetry/bed etc in your build and the layout you use in arranging the plywood for the floors you may  not need anything. Oh, and the thickness of your plywood will have some effect as well.

I thoroughly cleaned the floor of the van, patched the couple of holes there, then applied Rustoleum to the questionable surfaces.

I did a template for each side of the van using cardboard and did my plywood layout as follows:

A full sheet starting just behind the passenger seat base running lengthwise. This left just under 2' on the drivers side and a 2' section across the rear of the van.

Once the full sheet was in place wedged tight up against the passenger wall I cut the drivers side floor just slightly oversized so that when it was installed it was a really tight fit. By putting down the straight edge first I had to 'convince' the drivers side to go in to place. Repeat for the last piece at the rear of the van.

It's wedged in there, ain't going no place. I did have one slight area that was lifting - the section right behind the passenger seat was, of course, not friction fit against anything. I was going to get some adhesive in there but by the time I got around to it, the plywood had settled all by itself. In the 2 years since it was installed, it has not presented a problem at all.

The layout was done this way so that all the seams were under cabinetry and by anchoring the cabinets to the flooring, the seams are not only concealed by held together. I used 5/8" plywood so it was thick enough to hold screws well and I used Kreg pocket screws throughout the whole build.

If you're using thinner plywood and/or not building enough cabinetry to cover the seams it might not work as well...don't know for sure so it's pure speculation.

This is a very helpful explanation! I haven't decided if I will build my own cabinetry or buy & alter to fit. Did you put insulation down before the plywood?