Extra dozen holes below airbox???

[BALTANAKT]

Hey guys, been in my fender well on a project the last few days. I noticed there are about 13 holes in the sheet metal below the airbox. Have no clue what they are there for, but I am sure they're letting mud and water travel upwards and get stuck under the airbox to cause rust... So I am thinking about sealing them off. Either with plugs, or maybe weld them shut... But anyways, does anyone know what they were for?

 

[Lyman]

I just had my air box out on my 2001. No holes at all under it.

 

[ILLXJ]

Mine is an 87 with these holes.
I don’t see any reason to worry about rust.

 

[BALTANAKT]

Yup, those are them!