Plug or Patch?

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1972 Coupe
2001 Coupe
Do you have a rule of thumb you use when deciding whether to plug pinholes with the MIG or cut a patch panel? I've got a few :)P) clusters of these holes that I could pop pretty quickly with the MIG, then grind. But in some cases, the cluster of pinholes can measure a few inches wide.

Not to sound like an idiot (I know they call them PINholes for a reason), is there a maximum size hole that you would plug? And for a cluster of pinholes measuring several inches, would you cut a patch, or just plug them all.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Mark

 
Hey Mark!!!

I think you cant fill an inch just with the MIG... actually, you can do it but it is not even close to the right thing to do :p... I´m not an expert and i´m sure when Scott reads this he´s going to give you the best rule and stuff, but myself, i fill with the MIG holes that are really small... not more than 3/8" tops tops... With 3/8 i´ll think about how to do it actually...

Another think that i been faced to is a small hole but with very thin due tu rust metal arround... You start MIG welding a 1/4 " hole and you end up noticing there´s a hole inch that is too thin to weld on it...

Hope it helps!!!

 
I agree . Once you get down to bare metal you will see if you need to cut or fill. If the surrounding metal is very porous there might be rust all the way through but you can't tell. The second you start trying to weld it will pop and open up and you will end up with a patch anyhow. just make sure the surrounding steel is in good shape and then make the decision. Sometimes taking what seems like the long way can actually save you time.;)

 
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Thanks, guys. You're absolutely right, and I knew the answer as I typed the question. Was hoping somebody would give me a pass, but I appreciate that you didn't. It's just tempting to see a dozen pinners in a few square inch area and think bang bang bang done. Guess it's measure, cut, fit, trim, clean, tack, bead, grind, prime, done. Hahaha

 
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