Rivits!!!!

[Cody63]

I guess you can tell by my heading that I'm having some trouble with the rivits on my '63. Some of them have come out with grinding the head off then using a BFH on them. Others, not so much.

I just wanted to see if anyone had a real solution to getting these things out.

I'm wanting to install a sway bar and need to get the rivits out to do so.

Thanks for your help

Cody

[71swb4x4]

Here are some good ideas: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=291939

[Cody63]

Thanks for the reply.

I've tried the grinding and punch method but, some of these things are really stuck in there. Is that just what to expect?

[Budman56]

Originally Posted by Cody63

I guess you can tell by my heading that I'm having some trouble with the rivits on my '63. Some of them have come out with grinding the head off then using a BFH on them. Others, not so much.

I just wanted to see if anyone had a real solution to getting these things out.

I'm wanting to install a sway bar and need to get the rivits out to do so.

Thanks for your help

Cody

Cody what I have learned with trucks rivets is that you need to make sure that you have ground the head off so that you can see the hole / ring then sometimes you will have to great it up them beat it out with a center punch. that's it there is really no easy way to do it.

[hd74]

some times you nhave to say some bad words,sometimes not

[DURG]

Easy way I did it. Step drill, take the head of with a flat chisel and then punch them out.

[tincan1966]

Have also found that sometimes, the parts are in a bit of a bind, so clamp the parts tight, then drill /grind, or chisel the head off, and punch out. Just a little bit of twist and cause the rivets to bind up.

[chevy_mike]

I found once I bought a high quality air chisel/hammer (mine is a Snap-On) the rivets come out much easier.

I used to X pattern cut the head and the air chisel them off but I ran into areas where I couldn't cut a X pattern, hence buying the new Snap-On one.

[sandiego65]

I have to agree with mike making a x with a angle grinder knocking the head pieces off a quarter or half at a time with a flat chisel then knocking them out with a punch. A small sledge helps and so does some huevos haha good luck.
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[1963c-10]

I had to use the drill and chisel method on bumper carriage bolts also. I have seen a few 1st gen c-10's that had castle nut style nuts on the bumper bolts which fill w/dirt and have destroyed the nuts over the years.

[ChiefRocka]

The EASIEST way I've found is to use a cut off wheel .... cut a slot down the middle ....

Then, all it take is a slight taop with an air chisel to slice them out.

[McCoyAZ]

I drill them out and then use the BFH and a punch to push them out.

Use 3 sizes of bit, small pilot hole,

one about 1/2 the size of the rivet

and the last one the same size as the rivet. Not the head of the rivet but the actual rivet diameter.

[BR3W CITY]

If you have a spot weld drill it will do a rivet head, but I also like using the punch on an air hammer if its a thick enough piece.

[Shooters_7]

Grind off the head and the "BFH" technique to get them out. On some of the more stubborn ones I had to drill and then punch. Just keep at it and don't give up! Some times you need to walk away for thirty minutes and then come back to it.

[Dustin07]

Originally Posted by Shooters_7

Grind off the head and the "BFH" technique to get them out. On some of the more stubborn ones I had to drill and then punch. Just keep at it and don't give up! Some times you need to walk away for thirty minutes and then come back to it.

haha that applies to everything on a truck with 52 years of rust on it!

[Shooters_7]

Originally Posted by Dustin07

haha that applies to everything on a truck with 52 years of rust on it!

you ain't lying!

[maxwoof]

I had good results with an air chisel/hammer. Used a chisel bit to pop the heads off and a punch bit to push them through.
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[beefshreadder116]

i like to use the plasma cutter i cut the head off then blow a hole though the rivet u could probably do the same with the torch and more finess. using heat to blow a hole throught the center shrinks the rivet and lossens all the rust.

[rossboss]

Remove the head of the rivet as suggested, then heat the area around the rivet with a torch to expand the metal. With a hammer and punch it should pop right out.

[Cody63]

I guess the rivets I'm having the most trouble with is the ones that have 2 pieces of metal around them. The areas with single metal have been ok.

[txinliner]

Originally Posted by Cody63

I guess you can tell by my heading that I'm having some trouble with the rivits on my '63. Some of them have come out with grinding the head off then using a BFH on them. Others, not so much.

I just wanted to see if anyone had a real solution to getting these things out.

I'm wanting to install a sway bar and need to get the rivits out to do so.

Thanks for your help

Cody

wow cody yea ive done quite a few suspension upper ball joints you name it,the best way ive found is to first grind a flat spot on the rivet then drill a small hole and hit with an air chissel. good luck

[ky-donzi]

Scarf the head off with a scarfing torch tip then use a air chisel. In most cases 2-4 min ordeal per rivet.
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[theastronaut]

Grind the head off and drill the rivet to nearly the same diameter as the rivet body. But DON'T go quite all the way through! Then put use a punch and hammer to knock it out. This stretches the rivet, which shrinks the diameter of the rivet body and makes it pop out easier. Just trying to knock it out with a punch will actually "peen" the rivet material outward, causing it to swell and make it tighter in the frame.

[64fleetside]

Smoke wrench is the best thing to use.

[BR3W CITY]

how do you smoke a wrench?

which end are you supposed to light