Couple of SC questions, across the board

[Pazuzu]

Rocker panels, windshield washer pump, unknown hole in body (for you guys that preview threads)

1) I removed my rocker panels, what do people do with the holes made by the top row of sheet metal screws? I can't weld them, I won't pay money to have someone else weld them, so what have people done to hide them? JB weld? Fiberglass sheets? Dancing girls on the hood to distract people from looking?? I expect to do a satin black paintjob in the next 6-60 months, so I'll do a clean fix then.

2) Same as above, but do people remove the various mounts and such that are now exposed? For example, there's the threaded mounts for the lower row of bolts on the left side (the right side, they're used to hold the oil lines). Do you remove them, just paint it black and disguise it? Or, do I need topless dancing girls now?

3) My window washer pump is dead (12 volts directly to the connectors gives me nothing). Is there anything special about the relatively expensive VDO factory pump that I would not be able to replace it with a $10 Autozone generic pump? Or, do I suck it up, pay the $42, and know I'm getting a good long lasting factory pump...

4) I found a strange hole in the body today, and I need some knowledge on it. It's in the luggage compartment, near the bulkhead (under the dash area), right (passenger) side. It's a metal tube, about 1.25 inches ID, coming out of the floorboard, way deep in the corner under the hood hinge and strut...it's next to one of the HVAC tubes that comes up from the floorboard. It had a cheap plastic cap on it...well, that cap disintegrated when I bumped it. So, what is the tube, why does it need to be capped, and if it just needs to be protected from debris, how tightly does it need to be capped (airtight, dust tight, just shove a rag in it and have a beer tight).

Thanks all! I have no pics of the hole, I've learned in the past few weeks that my 10 year old cheapo camera just ain't cutting it anymore.

[LM3929]

2. check the wreckers a lot of Volvo's and BMW use the same pump with a similar bracket.