VIN rivet stems aluminum or steel ?!@

[Fast68Chevy]

uhmmm crap, i popped out my VIN rivet stems just now and the flew out and landed i dont know where, tried big speaker magnet in the dirt and such and dont know if maybe the arent steel ? i looked back there inside the rivets to check and they looked like dark metal, so i assumed steel, anyone know ?

thanks

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Randy- Lincoln, IL
randy@ccaonline.com 2177353230
*many GM parts bought, traded, or sold -am parting out: '81 Cutlass Supreme Brougham

current fleet: -71 C-10 350/CH465/3.07- basketcase, #1
-90 Cavalier 2.2L sky blue, a driver
-84 Z28 5.0L/700R4/3.73 daily driver
-84 Firebird/SE 2.8L/T-5/3.73/engine bad, project #2
-82 purple Trans Am, project #3
*Paint is overrated*
© RSS Enterprises 2000



[This message has been edited by Fast68Chevy (edited May 08, 2002).]

[68 with 350 TPI]

I thought they were aluminum?
let me know if you find out diffrent.

[BubbaGreen]

They are most likely aluminum, putting a
steel shaft inside an aluminum rivet would
pull completely thru before it broke.

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71 Chevy C-10 SWB Fleetside WAS:307w/3-on-the-tree NOW:350TBI/700R4/3.73
See it at www.prismnet.com/~grzanich

[dross]

So now that you got it out where do you get replacements? They look different than just run of the mill rivets.

[Fast68Chevy]

they dont break they are cut off by the tool, at least thats what it looks like when you look at the end of them after theyve been used

i am saving the rivet bodies, just not the stems, well i was gonna try to save stems, but cant fin them, dmaned things..


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Randy- Lincoln, IL
randy@ccaonline.com 2177353230
*many GM parts bought, traded, or sold -am parting out: '81 Cutlass Supreme Brougham

current fleet: -71 C-10 350/CH465/3.07- basketcase, #1
-90 Cavalier 2.2L sky blue, a driver
-84 Z28 5.0L/700R4/3.73 daily driver
-84 Firebird/SE 2.8L/T-5/3.73/engine bad, project #2
-82 purple Trans Am, project #3
*Paint is overrated*
© RSS Enterprises 2000

[Desert Rat]

the heads are aluminum,i think the whole things are id have to go out and look at a cab vin tag area i have cut out.I have those rivets if your intrested in them.

[snowman1]

hope you guys know its illegal to mess with those rosette rivets. snow man

[Desert Rat]

Yeah but so is jaywalking.aslong as its not trying to hide a stolen vehicle or something i dont see the harm in it.

[Chevyman69]

If everyone was lucky enough to have a salvagealbe cab on there truck messing with those rivits would never be a factor. I however am not that lucky and my trucks cab is garbage and too far gone to be repaired and it will be replaced with another one I have. I will just purchase the correct rivits and put the VIN plate on the new cab. I really don't care, nothing is stolen, and once its on there who is going to be able to tell its been changed. I don't see what the big deal is, if your cab is toast and you have a better one, why not change it, my truck isn't a numbers machine and to me it doesn't matter. The cab replacing mine by the way doesn't have a VIN plate on it and thats how I got it so whatever, to each there own, but sometimes there isn't much choice, and I don't see that changing the cab is any different than changing any other piece of the truck anyhow.

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69 CST 10, 402, steel crank, heavy rods, Federal Mogul Forged Pistons, 9.9:1 compression, polished ported 781 heads 2.19/1.88 manley stainless valves, Crane Powermax Hydraulic roller 288/296 and .587,.610 lift, hardened pushrods, Crane Roller Rockers, Weiand Action Plus, 750CFM Rochester QJET, MSD HEI, MSD 8MM Wires, Dynomax Ceramic coated headers, should be about 500 H.P. 700R4 2500 stall, pretty nasty shift kit, 373 Auburn Pro Series Posi, buckets/console air/tilt/tach 4wheel discs

Daily Driver: 92 Chev Reg Cab LWB Silverado 4x4, loaded, 350 Accel filter/cap/rotor/coil/AC Delco wires/AC Delco RapidFire plugs, Edelbrock intake and headers, 180 degree thermostat, Hypertech Thermomaster Chip, true duals 700R4 with B@M Shift Kit for now!

[imdarren]

I agree with Chevyman. Could someone e-mail me the information on where to purchase new rivets exactly like the original factory ones? darrengale67@hotmail.com
Thanks,
Darren

[gregsplace]

I thought www.trimtags.com had them?
I've got cab #4 on my 67 4x4 as of now, switch cabs every 4 years or so for a new face lift. Had it as a '69 first 3 cabs, now a '67. Dont really give a shi.. what anyone thinks about legality or not, it's mine and dont ever plan on selling it, my .02

[Desert Rat]

www.trimtags.com

[69oldie]

Has anyone ever purchased these "rivets" from Trimtags before? I asked them once if they could send me a picture of one so I could verify if they are infact the same as the ones on our 67-72 trucks, They replied "they do NOT have a picture of one and would not take one for me." I think that sounds kind of fishy to me! It makes me wonder if they are the correct ones or not? I wasn't going to spend $20 on 2 rivets if they can't even send me a picture of just 1 to confirm that they are the correct ones. Has any one else done business with them? I am kind of curious.

[imdarren]

Their web page suggests you epoxy in the new rivets! What the he!! I agree. Sounds fishey. Although, maybe they are not really sopposed to be selling rivets like that, and thats why they won't send pix? Just a guess.
Darren

[Fast68Chevy]

they show pic of a tag with the rivets on
you can save the old rivet bodies, its not hard.,,., just push the stems out with a finish nail and hammer,... i just need to fina way to replace stems with some others, not sure if will work or not, the plate is still on the metal tight even with stems removed, i just need to get the rivet bodies off without hurting them,

[This message has been edited by Fast68Chevy (edited May 08, 2002).]

[69oldie]

When I went to their website.......I didn't see any pics of the rivets. That's why I originally called them in the first place, and that is when they told me they didn't have pics and would not take a pic to send me. I am not sure where you saw that pic of the rivet?? Maybe I am/was looking in the wrong place????

[69oldie]

Fast68Chevy,
Good luck in trying to remove the rivet "bodies" out with out damaging or grinding the back off!......That is a pain in the a$$ and almost impossible! It sounds easy, but it really is not! The rivet stem that you lost "mushrooms" out the rivet body so you will not just be able to push or tap the rivet body out! The stem is only needed to mushroom the body and is really no longer needed after that. Good luck anyways and keep us posted if you do remove them w/o damage.

[misfits]

Why are you so worried about rivets?

[Shane]

im with misfits on this one.....why not just use stainless steel or aluminum pop rivets???

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Keep On Truckin'

Shane
Athens, Alabama

[70 Jimmy]

Take a look at the rivets that hold your plate to the door jam, then you'll understand.

[Fast68Chevy]

some of us notice what others do not

actually they didnt have a pic of a loose rivet or anythig, they had a pic of a plate with rivet heads,


[This message has been edited by Fast68Chevy (edited May 09, 2002).]

[Shane]

I know what they look like, but still dont understand why one could not use standard stainless steel or aluminum rivets to re-attach a VIN plate. As long as the VIN on the plate matches the one on the title/tag reciept, what difference does it make?

some of us notice what others do not

Randy, are you putting a truck back together to be a 100 point Concourse show truck or just a daily driver? I could see the headache of finding the "correct rivets" if you were putting one back 100% factory, but I thought you were gonna get rid of all that junk and move - find another job - and/or go back to school????

Just wondering.......

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Keep On Truckin'

Shane
Athens, Alabama

[This message has been edited by Shane (edited May 09, 2002).]

[69 longhorn]

I have popped the tags on with stainless rivets from the hardware store,when swapping cabs. You CAN get your tit in a ringer for removing the tags,but my thoughts are that if the title,frame ,& cab # match........what are they gonna do? Spank you?........69longhorn,with a little "hills blood"

[Yellow Cheyenne]

He's not being anal about getting the correct style rivets. The rivets that hold the tag on are a special type that are observed by the state inspection people when they inspect a vehicle for titling purposes. If the original type of rivet is not there, they will consider the vehicle as being built and may assign an entirely new serial number to the vehicle. It can get to be a pain, they may search for other ID numbers on the vehicle or start making you prove where the parts came from that now no longer have the correct VIN on them. You may become "guilty" of something in their eyes.

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'72 Cheyenne. AC, PS, PB, Rear slider window, tilt. Light yellow (grapefruit yellow according to new sales literature from '72)
'70 Olds 442 convertible
'70 Olds Rallye 350
'72 Olds Cutlass convertible

[snowman1]

fast as long as the plate is still attached the state boys will rerevit it back on for you and then there is no problem. you said it was still stuck so leave it alone and have them rerevit it for you. my best friend is the vin tag guy in macon county and says its no problem. call the man and make it legal. the snow man in mt. zion illinois