How to repair small screw holes in Pelican cases?

[rc51kid]

I picked up three well used Pelican cases for super cheap. 2 of them had a bracket mounted inside of them that has some small screw holes drilled in the case. I got 3 1600 cases for $90 so didnt care about a few screw holes. I want to mount them on my roof rack for regular storage. I want them water tight but dont really need them submersible. I figure i will mostly put things like camping/cooking gear and clothing in them, light bulky stuff. I have had a few thoughts about fixing the holes. I could simple squirt Black calk in each hole and call it a day. Or i could use calk and a self tapping screw. But then the screw sticks into the interior and would need trimming/sanding to not catch on the contents. Or i could use a bolt and nut, calk and trim. Should work but lots more work. What do you guys think for just keeping rain and dirt out? Should a little calk in each hole be fine?

 

[DaveNay]

I do not own a Pelican, but I believe they are made from a glass filled nylon material. This should be patchable with a standard fiberglass patch kit.

 

[jeffjeeptj]

A little caulk is what i have done before. I do not remember the thpe of caulk.

 

[plh]

Hot melt glue gun?

 

[Honu]

little caulk and some ****** tape on each side to keep it from rubbing off so quick is what I might do ?

 

[proper4wd]

Wurth Fix All or similar epoxy

 

[live2travel photography]

Just put a bolt through the hole with washers on each side. Add caulk under both washer and fill the hole before u run the bolt. Did this on the cases I run on my motorcycle and have had 0 issues and I have driven in a couple thunderstorms.

 

[Honu]

do they still make marintex ? used to use that stuff a lot in boating days was amazing for strong bond in a pinch

 

[AndrewP]

You want a paste epoxy. Most are waterproof and will last for ever. Even some regular JB weld would work fine.

This stuff works very well:

http://www.jbweld.com/product/j-b-waterweld/

 

[bat]

2 of them had a bracket mounted inside of them

was it for a locking system

 

[ohv]

CA glue would be my pick.

 

[rc51kid]

bolt with washers or JB weld is a good idea. I found some left over black PVC Liquid Nail roofing caulk flash sealer and smeared it in the holes. We will see if it works. Maybe something more exotic and thorough will be needed.

 

[psykokid]

you could also tap the hole and then thread in the appropriate sized plastic screw with CA or a light smear of some sort of sealant/thread locker on there. Cut off flush on both sides and bobs your uncle..

 

[AlbanyTom]

I love pelican cases. I thought they were ABS plastic, but turns out they're polypropylene. Info in the faq below from pelican. I can confirm what they say about most adhesives not sticking well to it, but it's not as tough as polyethylene. So my 2 cents, if the holes are little and you don't need it pressure tight, I'd fill the holes with a good 2 part epoxy. And if they're bigger, I'd probably glue a thin sheet metal patch, maybe aluminum flashing, on from the inside also with epoxy. If you use sheet metal, rough it up on the glue side with sandpaper before gluing. (The reason I'd use aluminum is that it's thin and light, and epoxy sticks great to it. The weakness would just be on the plastic side.)

http://www.pelican-case.com/faq.html.

 

[shadow61]

use a plastic welder, basically the same as a soldering iron, melt the plastic back with the soldering iron or find some of the plastic welding rods on amazon or ebay and use them, not expensive at all, we repair vehicle bumpers all the time without any issues