Metal repair help

[Rogers954]

Hey guys long time lurker here, love the sight and I have already learned a lot and want to say thanks to everyone who contributes on here its really given me a lot of ideas on how I want to set up the garage in my new place. Anyway here is my dilemma I bought a weathergaurd pork chop tool box for my truck from a guy here locally got it really cheap mostly because of the condition which is what I want to fix. As you can see from the pictures there is a crack in the box that I am trying to repair. I tried using JB weld and a thin piece of sheet metal and at first that seemed to work well it reinforced the crack and it didn't seem to flex when opening and closing the lid. Problem was it didn't hold more than three days I opened the lid and when I went to close it the jb weld failed and the sheet metal popped off. I think part of the problem was I didn't use enough jb weld to seal the plate (not enough contact surface) also prep could have been better on my part.

I dont want to have to pay someone to weld it unless its not going to cost a lot (only reason I bought the box was because the price was so low) so I dont want to sink a ton of money into it. I just want it to be sealed to keep out water, and not flex (the crack makes the lid very flimsy when its closed since its on a corner)

So if anyone can give me any advise on maybe a better product like a better epoxy or if my method is just doomed to fail and I should go a different route. If welding is a better option then how much do you think it would cost me (obviously dependent on the person/shop doing the work) I dont need it to look brand new just functional

Also as you can see the box was coated in line-x by the previous owner and he welded a sport beam to in for support and I would line to touch up that are to make it look a little better, plus the lid had the rusted/chipped area that I would line to treat and re-coat so if anyone knows a product I could buy in a small amount to touch up those areas I would appreciate that.

Sorry for the long first post Im just trying to get this baby fixed up and functional.

Thank you and any advise is appreciated.

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

disregard.. wrong thread

 

[rsanter]

Looks like it is steel, correct?
Also looks like there is rust problem areas.

Mig weld the crack and because it is in a stress area weld a patch on the backside to reinforce so it does not recrack

Bob

 

[Rogers954]

Yes the box is steel

 

[Rogers954]

Looks like it is steel, correct?
Also looks like there is rust problem areas.

Mig weld the crack and because it is in a stress area weld a patch on the backside to reinforce so it does not recrack

Bob

Any guess as to how much the cost would be for the welding?

 

[K13]

Get some automotive panel bonding adhesive and glue your patch on with that. Companies like Evercoat make them in a cartridge that can be used with a regular caulking gun.

http://www.evercoat.com/adhesives-sealants/us/

 

[countryroad82]

I once had an aluminum toolbox lid fixed by a local welding shop because I have no means to weld aluminum. Total cost, $15. Being steel see if there's a friend or a friend of a friend with a mig. Probably cost you gas and beer lol.

 

[Rogers954]

Wish I had a friend with a welder he would be getting a lot of beer hahahaha Ive had so many projects in the past where a welder would have come in handy. Maybe one day once the garage is set up Ill try and find a welder for small projects, the kinds of things that I come up with are always small projects nothing to serious. If money wasn't an issue Id just go get a setup and attempt to fix it myself. Think Ill drive around to a few places to see what I can figure out, seems like paying someone to weld it is looking like a cheaper route.

 

[38Chevy454]

Agree with the weld it up and then also weld a doubler on back side to reinforce the area. You could, as a low budget fix, just bolt a doubler in place and it would probably work for what you need. Some better prep and JB Weld to also glue the doubler into place would be good idea. Then some more JB Weld or sealer for the crack to make waterproof. Since it is low-cost, just wire brush the area with surface rust a bit and then use paint.

If you take it to somebody to weld up, make the doubler before and clean the area so all they have to do is weld it. A muffler shop would probably do it for quick cash. They do MIG all the time.

 

[bczygan]

The answer is staring you in the face.

You need to buy a welder!

Bill

 

[sleepy127]

If a friend with a mig is out of the question;
1. clean everything up down to the metal
2. bond a sheet metal patch to the inside with a suitable adhesive
3. Purchase a pop rivet gun and rivets and drill two holes above and two below and rivet it into place
4. seal up the crack on the outside
5. repaint

 

[gorilla]

First thing to do is to stop drill the end of the crack to keep it from growing. If you don't want to spend the $ for welding you could use steel pop rivets to attach a doubler plate to reinforce the damaged area.

 

[Rogers954]

Wow thanks for all the reply's fellas I really appreciate it, think I will swing by a couple of shops and see how much it will cost for a quick weld probably pretty cheap considering the area size and I will mock up a better doubler the stuff I was using was way to thin which I think let it flex to much and helped cause the fail, if I cant find a guy to weld it for a fair price I will go with the doubler/rivet/jb weld route and this time do a much better prep and use more product to get a good coverage. Thanks all if there's any more advise keep it coming

 

[4 FN 27]

If a friend with a mig is out of the question;
1. clean everything up down to the metal
2. bond a sheet metal patch to the inside with a suitable adhesive
3. Purchase a pop rivet gun and rivets and drill two holes above and two below and rivet it into place
4. seal up the crack on the outside
5. repaint

I'll second this. The Rivet Tool and the Rivet investment can be used for later projects.

Or a friend with a welder. Give him a case of beer or buy him lunch and use your skills to help someone else in the future.

Or if you are up for a road trip Minnesnota I'll weld it up for you.

 

[James-W]

I vote for the weld job as the first choice, even if you have to pay someone to weld it for you. But if you clean it up first so it is down to the bare metal, I doubt the cost would be very much.

 

[lonestarky]

Make sure you drill the ends of the crack! It will just keep going if you don't. Linex is tough to remove. Good luck with that with a grinder and brush

Sent from my SM-T230NU using Tapatalk

 

[My Old Tools]

Doublers fore and aft bolted through. I wouldn't trust pop rivets on a hinge area. Just get two pieces of appropriate sized metal, maybe 16 ga or so. Clamp in place inside and out. Inside one could be L shaped. Drill through the whole thing and bolt through with 4 or so bolts/machine screws with nuts and washers. Welding would be better.

 

[Dennis Leigh Henry]

Sorry for the posting of info to the wrong thread..