Pete's (Now Nate's) 2003 Denali Budget Build thread

[Tonyrodz]

Filling Holes Without Welding

it was at this point i figured, man, i'm bout to paint this thing anyways so i might as well take it a step further.
In a perfect world i would cut out little metal circles, use a magnet to hold them in place and then tack weld them in etc..But i don't have a welder here. I used this stuff on my Lexus when i had to fill spoiler holes in my trunk. You basically put it on the inside of your panel and it gives your bondo something to adhere to. Otherwise your bondo is just going to droop into your hole.



So i cut pieces that covered the holes. (it has adhesive on the metal grate)
I scuffed the mtal and degreased it then stuck it on both sides. You can see it if you look close up under that hose



view from the top



both holes slightly coned and protruded like a boob so i used a big hammer and very lightly bounced the hammer aroundthe edge of the holes to flatten them. this was before i did that



sanded around the holes and degreased, then mixed up some good ol body filler and covered them up



But then it was Thankgiving and i had to roll this dismantled Denali all the way out to Phoenix for a get together.
Here's a pic in Gila Bend (half way to Phoenix)

Do you think the filler would be good enough not to sink or crack from age or vibrations?

 

[05Single]

Nice work. Always love your details explained and pics

I've been thinking of replacing mine with an actual radio shark fin. Painted to match. That way I still get reception and the antenna ain't laying in the fender anymore

 

[05Single]

Surprised you didn't use kitty hair.

 

[willinnashville]

I always kind of dug Gila Bend. On the way over to Phoenix from San Diego, I always stopped there for a cup of ****** gas station coffee. One of these days I want to stay at that spaceman motel.

But then it was Thankgiving and i had to roll this dismantled Denali all the way out to Phoenix for a get together.
Here's a pic in Gila Bend (half way to Phoenix)

 

[Sevenevez]

Drove all the way back to Yuma the next day. Denali covered in bugs but it gave the bondo a full 24 hours to cook in the AZ sun.(if you mix it with too little hardener it takes forever to dry but you can spread it with patience. Whereas if you put more hardener in it dries a lot faster but you dont have much time to get it on nicely.

Started sanding them puppies nice and flat.



taped off the sunroof and primed em, then scuffed that with a red 3M pad.





All done!

right? nah. i can already hear someone chiming in about this! haha

Remember these? got's to go!



Might as well do the same to the liftgate / rear-wiper delete
Pulled off the plastics and grabbed the DA to sand off all the glue/silicone leftover from the plugs



More panel patches



Degreased. ready for bondo



Filled and sanded smooth (i had to do the big hole 3 TIMES!) i was pushing too hard while sanding and slightly pushed the hole edge through.



3rd times the charm i guess



Primed and sanded



i still feel just a little lump on the big hole. i may or may not do a little more work to get it perfect. But maybe not. who knows. Ok, that's all so far

 

[Sevenevez]

Do you think the filler would be good enough not to sink or crack from age or vibrations?

it'll be fine. like i said, i did it on my lexus. that lasted 6 years without an issue. as long as the prep is right, it'll stay solid. it's just not as ideal as welding would be though

Nice work. Always love your details explained and pics

I've been thinking of replacing mine with an actual radio shark fin. Painted to match. That way I still get reception and the antenna ain't laying in the fender anymoreView attachment 187529

thanks man. and hmm, i didnt even know an aftermarket radio uses your OEM XM® antenna. But that might be cool on yours. i dont do satellite radio, residual bills arent my thing

I always kind of dug Gila Bend. On the way over to Phoenix from San Diego, I always stopped there for a cup of ****** gas station coffee. One of these days I want to stay at that spaceman motel.

haha, i know exactly what you are talking about. and yeah, i stop there everytime and at least grab a bite to eat in Gila Bend. It's half way and breaks up my trip

 

[05Single]

Nice. I think I'm doing this over winter.

And we don't even have satellite radio up here so in no way was I referring to satellite radio . I meant for local radio stations. This is what the European cars use. What my wife's old b6 passat had one.

 

[Sevenevez]

Nice. I think I'm doing this over winter.

And we don't even have satellite radio up here so in no way was I referring to satellite radio . I meant for local radio stations. This is what the European cars use. What my wife's old b6 passat had one.

ahh i see. yeah, that should work.
i dont have good radio reception since i removed my antenna but it does work in the city. i usually play CD's cuz i'm old school, haha. sometimes i use the Phone music apps through the radio. Sometimes i just like to drive with peace and quiet

 

[05Single]

ahh i see. yeah, that should work.
i dont have good radio reception since i removed my antenna but it does work in the city. i usually play CD's cuz i'm old school, haha. sometimes i use the Phone music apps through the radio. Sometimes i just like to drive with peace and quiet

Lol no the radio stations are trash up here anyway, I'm always using YouTube or pandora. But just knowing my antenna laying in the fender bugs me enough to change it lol
Just a thought I was sharing. You've already done the work, plus having the roof smooth of course looks way better.

 

[kwOH]

Thing is gonna look smooooove man! Lol. Might as well leave the rack off and fill in the holes, slap a roll pan on the back, and get an HD hood. [emoji6][emoji106]