the oval holes in the floor pans that are stamped at the factory, what are they? some one told me they are drain plugs. did they dip the whole body in primer? and what do i use to fill these? i found the stamped plugs, but are they welded in, or do i have to adhesive them in, and with what adhesive?
any help would be great i will be starting the body work soon.
thanks

 

I don't think they dipped the whole body in primer because there's bare metal all over the place?
The floor pan plugs are available at just about any of the normal supply places, I know Fusicks has them.
I've never seen them welded in.
I have seen them held with one screw and a notch in the other side, 2 screws and no screws. They usually just ran a bead of seam sealer around the hole and smushed them into it at the factory, not too neatly either.

 

Don't know about the A-body cars, but I had a tour of the Framingham assembly plant when it was making G-bodies and they most definitely did dip the whole body shell in primer. The drain holes let the excess primer drain out.

 

would should i use for seam sealer

 

If you are going for an original look then get 3M Fast N Firm Body Sealer...you can get it in a chaulk tube form or in a qt can (the chaulk tube is way more than you'll need. I'm pretty sure it's the Fast N Firm that has the original "off white"/pale yellow color to it.

Load it on around the opening and press straight down on the plugs. Don't use it too sparingly if you want the original "look" as the factory used plenty. Ideally you would even want some to squeeze out and get around the top/edges of each plug for good retention.

The plugs themselves should have the oval depression in the middle of the plug facing UPWARDS. From original cars I've looked at closely the plugs are not painted body color on the underside....the original galvanized finish shows up (of course they could have been painted and the paint may not have stuck well to the galvanized finish).

You could also use a good urethane chaulk or pretty much any type of chaulk.

I attached a pic of what I mean on the "factory look"