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tonyjohnson

Well Known Member
I need to fill it and redrill 4 small holes in the instrument panel. I misaligned the holes to mount my clock. I am considering

1. Taking the panel to a welder

2. Using a product like JB weld

Any thoughts or suggestions?
 
Rivet

I assume you want to move the clock slightly. One possibility might be to drill, countersink, then rivet the holes. Re-drill the correct ones. Grind down the shop heads on the back side if they interfere. But I would think that JB Weld would do just as good a job as hole filler.

Don
 
holes

Don,

I enlarged the holes to properly align the clock. The original holes had it canted. So, I need to fill the holes and redrill them to eliminate the slop.
 
I would think either of Don's solutions would work. Alternatively, some microbubbles and epoxy, since its not structural.

greg
 
It is hard to say this but ...

If the holes don't show and you now have the clock aligned properly there is really no need to do anything. The potential for defective workmanship drilling into an area containing two different materials is not zero. Oversize or slotted holes are not uncommon for fine tuning instrument alignment.

Bob Axsom
 
Another solution is to make a little trim bezel out of .040 with the holes drilled properly to the clock. Then slot the holes in the panel - the bezel hides the slots and makes the clock look like "big iron" with little cut-off corners. Trim plates hide many sins....

Paul
 
What Bob said.

If they do show, and you want them filled, dont weld them, too much chance of distorting the panel.

Your instrument panel is probably .050" or so thick, maybe more. You can do a double countersink, and rivet it with a slightly long rivet----then grind off the shop head, and the double countersink will still hold the rivet in.

Been there, done that.
 
JB weld does great for this type thing and after you paint over it, you will never know it is there.
 
Ironflight said:
Another solution is to make a little trim bezel out of .040 with the holes drilled properly to the clock. Then slot the holes in the panel - the bezel hides the slots and makes the clock look like "big iron" with little cut-off corners. Trim plates hide many sins....

Paul
Click to expand...

Tony,
How far off are the original holes from the correct ones? If you simply had to slot the holes, perhaps you could simply install flat washers to hide the mistake. If it requires larger flat washers, you could trim them to fit around the clock.
If washers won't hide it, I like Paul's idea.
Charlie
 
Thanks

Thanks for all the ideas. I will go with JB weld. It is simple and not risky as welding might be.

I will be covering the panel with carbon fiber so the filled material won't show. I appreciate the help in thinking through the problem.
 
I had mine welded.

I agree any of the fixes should be fine but I thought I would add my experience for future readers.

In our Kitfox I had the ELT rectangle that I cut out welded back in. Much to my dismay it did warp the panel some. However, once all the instruments (steam) and avionics were mounted they pulled the warp right out of the panel and it is as flat after 500 hours as before the weld. FWIW.
 
tonyjohnson said:
Thanks for all the ideas. I will go with JB weld. It is simple and not risky as welding might be.

I will be covering the panel with carbon fiber so the filled material won't show. I appreciate the help in thinking through the problem.
Click to expand...

JB weld is ok. But try some EP-200 Epoxy Putty made by RectoRseal. It is found in the plumbing department by the solder.

This stuff can be molded into place. And is much harder when set up. http://www.rectorseal.com/files/199/dsep200.htm


To fill a hole............ Hand countersink each side of the hole 50% so the patch will have a grip area. Tape over the hole and cut the tape away with your countersink. Press the putty into the hole leaving it above the surface on each side. When dry, sand, file the repair down to tape surface, remove tape and finish off with fine sandpaper. If you paint the surface, you will not see the patch.
 
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