Help fill holes in Trunk lid

72 blu thought a pop rivet over a slightly dented hole was a schmutz job. I removed 12 holes from vinyl roof dinged hole with rivet ground down. Prepped and had car painted by Earl Scheib.The repairs with rivets lasted 20 years without defect till it sold(still were not visible to eye!).Hey to be honest i probably have done sandblasting and most low to mid level paint panel repairs.The issue is time and money.I have a few ideas but pm me . What size drill bit fits hole ? There are methods to fix and not be as perfect as welding,grinding.total refinish.Looking at post pm me and your location tools access and familiarity are why we have not helped. joe

Yes, pop rivets and bondo to fill a hole is a hatchet job, period. Shade tree, flip job BS. Somewhere out there the owner of that car is cursing your shoddy work, because it’s much worse now then before you “fixed” it. It started rusting from the back the moment you finished.

Do it right or don’t do it. Half *** work just makes for more parts cars later.

Took like 10 post to get fiberglass on the list. Sometimes people over think everything. KISS. Keep it simple stupid!

I know! And here I thought people had finally figured out that you don’t fix metal with fiberglass! How silly of me.

Fix it right or don’t bother. This thread is turning into a flipper’s handbook on how to screw over the next guy that buys the car.

Not everybody has a MIG welder in the garage. Here is what I'd do if I were in your shoes. Taking the trunk lid off is a great idea. It will be easier to put filler on a surface that can be positioned to be parallel with the ground as opposed to perpendicular to it. Grind around each hole with 80 grit about 1-2 inches out from the hole. Then, with a small ball peen hammer, tap each hole so that it is indented a little. Put a piece of tape on the back of each hole so that the filler will not go through the hoe. Stand the trunk lid up so that the part with the holes is parallel to the ground. Mix up a little bit of filler at a time and spread it over the indented holes. You are far better off mixing up small batches and only doing a few holes at a time. DO NOT USE REGULAR FILLER NOW. It could crack / pop out eventually. I'd use an All Metal filler. They go by different names, but any store that sells body work supplies will know what you mean. All Metal type fillers have a high metal content. They mix and spread like regular fillers, but they will be much more resistant to shrinkage and cracking. Then sand and finish off as normal. You can use regular filler for the final finishing now. Done properly, this repair will last a LONG time. Before I had a welder, I repaired holes like this all the time.

Yeah, the “all metal” filler will definitely last longer than Bondo, as it doesn’t absorb water. But it’s still just a filler, and shouldn’t be used to fill holes. It’ll last longer than bondo, and it’s not as shade tree as rivets, but it’s still the wrong way to fix this.

Take the trunk lid off and take it to a welder.