I hate rivets

[panhandler62]

I think anyone who has done any frame work will find the title self-explanatory. :P

[71blksuper4x4]

Are you removing them? If you are, they make rivet looking flat screwdriver looking bolts that somewhat look like factory rivets. Trevor

[67chevemall]

I have to take two out for a front sway bar. Any tips

[LOW DOUGH]

take a grinder and cut and X in the top and maybe add one more cut in the top *. Then take an air hammer with chisle and knock the top off then take a punch in your air hammer and punch them out. Usually it is prity easy. If you can get some good cuts in the top.

[white 67]

I dont have air tools, so i just grind the head off and then drill almost all the way through then and use a punch and hammer to get the rest out .

[UltraBlue71]

Originally Posted by LOW DOUGH

take a grinder and cut and X in the top and maybe add one more cut in the top *. Then take an air hammer with chisle and knock the top off then take a punch in your air hammer and punch them out. Usually it is prity easy. If you can get some good cuts in the top.

X2

A torch works too, alot messier tho, do you have a dremel? the main thing is to take the head off,if you are using a hammer and cold chisel you have your work cut out for you.....

[UltraBlue71]

Originally Posted by white 67

I dont have air tools, so i just grind the head off and then drill almost all the way through then and use a punch and hammer to get the rest out .

that'll work too, a torch works but its messier by cutting the x you get the head off quicker....

[UltraBlue71]

Originally Posted by white 67

I dont have air tools, so i just grind the head off and then drill almost all the way through then and use a punch and hammer to get the rest out .

Been there,

That'll work, just a bit slower is all, I suggest GNR's song "Patience" to be playing in the background

[panhandler62]

I've had to fight with every one.

I have a couple that I have taken both heads of, banged on with an air hammer, heated and beat on with a 3lb hammer and they are still resiting.

I'm going to try drilling next. :P

[UltraBlue71]

Spray them with some pb blaster or WD-40 or something and let em soak, go have lunch then give it another shot?

[LOW DOUGH]

The last ones I did wern't so easy. I couldn't get the grinder in there good enough to put the X in it. I used a step drill bit and drilled them out. Then hit the tops off w/ the air hammer and punched them out. I was taking the radiator core support brackets off 2 trucks. A dremel would have worked well because I could have gotten in there to X the top heads. I was doing it from the outside of the frame rail instead of inside so when I hit it with the punch they wouldn't get stuck in the bracket.

When I removed the 6cyl cross member it was a piece of cake. Plenty of room after the cab was lifted up a bit. I have been using a 4" angle grinder w/ a metal cutting disk.

Incase anyone cares.

[bfay17]

See i had the problem of them not punching out out when i removed 2 on the back of the frame. I ended up with my punch in a vise grips and i got out my good old 10 pound rock maul and just hit it once and it popped out no problem. This only works with lots of room though.

[panhandler62]

The ones that are giving me the most grief are the ones that go through te frame stiffener. I think I am adding in a bit of "springieness" to the issue.

[mrein3]

Originally Posted by bfay17

See i had the problem of them not punching out out when i removed 2 on the back of the frame. I ended up with my punch in a vise grips and i got out my good old 10 pound rock maul and just hit it once and it popped out no problem. This only works with lots of room though.

This is exactly what I do. You can whack a punch a heck of a lot harder when it is being held by a vise grips verses my fingers.

I also use a flap wheel in my grinder to take the head off.

[dznucks]

Alot of mine had mushroomed slightly between the two peices of metal that were riveted together. so when i got the head off they were still pain in the rears to drive out.

i found that if you center punch the head and then drill out the head with a carbide drill bit, the rivet will pop out easier. Fastenal has good prices on carbide bits. you have to be careful with the carbide, it is much more brittle so if you lock up the bit it will break or chip.

[turp mcspray]

I had to knock some out in a junkyard once to get a tank crossmember. If you hold the chisel with your hand and smack yourself next to your thumb, (in that soft spot) you will NEVER EVER hold it without a vise grip again!

[LOW DOUGH]

Originally Posted by turp mcspray

I had to knock some out in a junkyard once to get a tank crossmember. If you hold the chisel with your hand and smack yourself next to your thumb, (in that soft spot) you will NEVER EVER hold it without a vise grip again!

I bet you wont

[mrh33916]

I've found that it helps to clamp the bracket you are trying to remove to the frame near the rivet with vise grips before trying to hammer out the rivets. That stops the spring effect as the two parts begin to seperate.

[68lwb292]

I grind the head off and beat them through with a punch.

[68C15]

I have a curved end non-turning flat chisel from Matco. combined with my Snap-On long barrel air hammer they come out with ease.

[nu2-72]

I will advise on the opposite.
I remove them with grinder, drill and punch.
To install, I have a 1/2" plate drilled 1/4" deep X 1/2". The plate is 1 1/2" wide X 2" long. This keeps the head from deforming flat.Using a pair of welding vise grips ( the type with the opening in the center) I install a rivet, clamp my plate over the head, heat the shank with a torch until red and use an impact with a modified punch to mushroom over. The punch is one that I cut the end off square and then center drilled. After reinstalling my rivets you cannot tell them from factory.
I did this on the core supports and several other braces.

[panhandler62]

I spent 2 1/2 hours today and got 3 out. I have about 5 or 6 left to go. I had to stop becuase I was on the verge of putting the whole mess up on Craigslist and throwing in the towel. :P

I'm glad they come out easy for some people but I have had to spend about an hour on each one and have broken numerous drill bits and knuckels trying to get them out.

[Duncan and son]

Bump

[1971short4X4]

i took out 20 rivets last weekend.

Here is what i do and i dont think it they are that hard to remove and i don't have an air chisel. hope this helps some of you out

I first take a flat file and file down the top of the rivet. (not alot, just a little filing on each at the top to have a flat center.)

i then use a sharpy marker to mark the exact center of the rivet

i then use my spring loaded center punch to create a dimple in the exact center(where i marked with the sharpie). Getting the dimple in the center and drilling in the middle is the most important step. if you do this properly the rivet head comes off very easy.

then i drill with a 1/8 bit and then finally with a 11/64th bit. using high quality drill bits the rivet are very easy to drill through

i drill down only to 1/16 below frame level

Finally after drilling with the 11/64 bit i use a chisel and a hammer to knock the head off. then knock the rivet through. the heads come off very easy.

i don't do one rivet at a time. for the 20 that I removed last weekend i do each step to all of the rivets then move on to the next step. i was able to remove 20 rivets in about 2 hours. the best part is you cannot tell they were ever there and the factory holes are undisturbed and the frame does not have a mark or gouge on it. (the most important part to me was not damaging or marking the frame)

[c10seconds]

I took out 18 rivets today. I went and bought a cheap air hammer. $12 on sale It came with 6 cutting heads. With my small compressor it took me 4 hours. I dont know what I would have done without it.