JB Weld....any faith in it? (F150, fuel, best, valve)

[Deez Nuttz]

I've always been skeptical of the stuff.

But recently I was considering installing a CB radio in my truck on the headliner between the sunvisors.

Originally I was going to tack weld the radio bracket to the underside of the roof. But someone advised me I should just JB Weld it on.

The radio weighs less than 5 lbs.

Do you think JB Weld would actually work? or will the radio eventually crash down to the floor due to shock and vibration and such?

[wheelsup]

It's been holding my garage door together for almost a year. Good stuff. Just make sure both surfaces are clean.

[robertjohnson]

Success will be 50% prep.
I love that stuff. If you need a fast set buy the 5 minute quick set.
The regular,several hour set JB is a MUCH better and stronger glue.
Use that one for your radio. Good luck.

[Deez Nuttz]

What do you suggest for prep?

I've got the original (I think) kind.

[Steve-o]

I used it when I over-torqued one of my valve cover bolts and cracked my valve cover a bit. Worked like a charm, no more oil seeping out of it.

[Compression]

I've had success with repairing a gas tank and a timing chain cover that was spewing oil. The key is, as others have noted.....prep.
Real clean, bare metal that has been "scuffed up" a bit with some 220 grit. If you use it on a painted surface, eventually, the thin paint coating will fail, and fall off of the metal. The paint will be stuck to the epoxy real good though........
Another brand of epoxy, sold in marine stores, called "Marine Tex" has been used to succesfully repair cracks in cylinder heads. Although I've never personaly had that experience, and might be a little nervous about running any motor on that kind of repair.

I'd do the tack weld. All things considered, there's no doubt it'll hold up, and a couple small tacks would be easy enuf to grind off and fix the paint when you want to remove it. Sanding a gob of epoxy off the ceiling would be far more labor intensive.......

[baseballgal]

I used it to repair a hole in the side of my radiator in a diesel truck.. It worked for more than a year,

then I finally developed an internal problem and replaced the radiator. I've used that stuff for years.

[sunsprit]

JB Weld is a reasonably priced knock-off of serious industrial epoxies that are used in everything from automotive, marine, and aviation manufacturing to maintenance and repair of industrial/mining/manufacturing equipment.

With proper prep, the stuff does work pretty well. Clean surfaces, roughed up to about a 3 mil profile, and no foreign matter on the surfaces will generally bond up pretty well. Best to be bonding to steel, and not zinc coated surfaces (like you may find on the radio brackets). I would use something a lot rougher than 220 grit ... more like 36 grit sandpapaer; a rougher surface is better for the adhesion.

Devcon, Loctite, or Araldite is sold over the counter at industrial supply houses, and they have several paste grade metal repair epoxy kits that are far stronger than JB Weld. If you want a tougher material that's still reasonably priced ... although you will buy a minimum quantity a lot larger than you'll need just for this project ... this may be a way to go, too. I've fixed everything from broken/cracked engine blocks and castings to refrigeration equipment to cylinder heads to corroded HVAC equipment with these materials ... for the long term with years of service after the repairs.

[Crew Chief]

Deez Nuttz, in both the '92 Ford F150 I owned previously and the 2008 F150 I now own, I mounted my CB radio low on the dash right in front of where my right leg goes under the dash. I hang the mic from a retractable "gear keeper" that I clipped to the mount for the passenger's sun visor. The mic cord is out of the way and I can still grab it quickly if I need to. Also, Mrs. Crew chief can grab the mic, if she so desires. (but she never does...)

The CB radio really doesn't get in the way of my knees and I believe mounting it there might make it somewhat less visible to thieves (yeah, the antenna mounted between my left fender and hood might be a clue...) I can also quickly remove the mike from the sun visor, if need be.

let us know how your installation worked out!

[steel7]

I put jb weld (orig) on a area near my carb/fuel filter in 1998 & its still holding strong. The only problem though is if i want to change my fuel filter im gonna have a mess on my hands. Jb weld didnt work too well on my radiator seams though (on 3 cars). Just clean surface good, apply jb weld, wait at least 8 hrs & re-apply jb weld.