Hey all,

I hope everyone is staying safe and working on their S2000s at home. I've been using this time to go through more check items on my list that I've been putting off since I bought this car about 1.5 years ago..

Today was "Check trunk pan for rust"... Well I found some...

Drill Hole plugs removed, sound deadening removed, starting to get rid of rust and prep for POR15

I also found these 4 holes.. I thought maybe they were from the factory since they had some rubber plugs in them like the 2 larger ones pictured, only way worse fitting. After pulling the plugs out and doing further research, it seems these are most likely NOT from the factory and were drilled out at some point in the car's life..
Does anyone have any ideas of what these could be for? Subwoofer? Amp?

I am removing all surface rust (thankfully not terrible) and applying a couple coats of POR15. I am wondering how to properly plug these holes? I don't have a welder, unfortunately not an option. Better fitting plugs? Bolts with Silicone? Any other ideas?

Thanks!

 

They might have been drilled to drain water.

or maybe to mount something.

 

Remove the rust and fill them with some jb weld or similar.

 

As you said, I would clean the rust, sand it down, POR-15 it. I would perhaps even leave the holes, but you can silicon them if you want.

But the rust is a symptom of the problem.

Diagnose the problem first to prevent it from happening -- probably clogged drains.

Grab a flashlight, remove the trunk lining to expose the spare tire. Then with your top up, pour a gallon of water down on the right side from various angles. See if any of it goes into your trunk. If it does, follow the leak and report back.

And regardless of what you find, now's probably also a good time to grab a small stick or stiff zip tie or something firm and find the drain holes from underneath the car (doesn't have to be jacked). Pouring warm water from the top should expose the drain holes, and you can poke the holes to free up any debris.

 

The holes look like they could have been used for a trailer hitch- Curt makes a hitch that has a mount in the trunk- unlike the wicked good hitch made by Chase Race.

In this case, clean the trunk and prep for POR15. Then look for rubber body plugs to fill the holes.
darcy

 

I think you are right...

 

I am guessing previous owner either
a) installed that hitch ... which looks like a terrible design to be honest using the trunk pan for its mounting points ...
b) had clogged drain lines and could not figure out why water was always in the trunk and then tried drilling drain holes vs fixing the issue

I would sand it well (including getting any rust out of the edges of the holes, POR it well and possibly find some new plugs or seal it up well. Be careful though not to create a place to trap moisture by sealing it up.

 

I agree. Either that hitch or a poorly done attempt to drain water. Either way, fix the rust (por15 can't be beat here), search for and fix any existing leaks (and recheck future just to be sure), and plug those holes.

I see no reason just using tight fitting rubber plugs wouldn't be fine. They're are already similar factory plugs right there. No need to worry about welding them shut or anything. Make sure to por15 the hole edges and also underneath. If the plugs don't fit tight just use silicone to make sure they stay put and seal well.

 

I think even being loosely fit is not a bad thing. As long as they do not let water splash up into the trunk, any slight loose fit will also help ensure water is not trapped as well. Silicone, unless perfectly done, may actually allow for water to seep and be trapped under it.

 

Thanks guy! I'll take a look and see if the two most outward holes for that hitch are present to be 100% what is going on here...

I plan to seal them completely like it is from the factory. I don't drive the car in the rain/let it sit in the rain all to often since it is a secondary garaged vehicle.

Any idea where to get the rubber plugs? I plan to dial caliper to see the hole diameter.

Other idea is to just silicone some nickles on there and call it a day... only $0.20!