Wanted: Bren carrier rivets

[rob love]

The real trick that I have found is to get the right rivet gun. I recently did all the upper armour rivets on the 2PPCLI carrier here in Shilo. I bought a rivet gun at a farm auction a couple years ago and it turned out to be a 9X gun. I think those little cheapies you buy from Princess auto run around 2X or 3X.

The 9X will actually do the 1/4 or 5/16 rivets cold. For the 3/8 rivets, I bolt the armour on to start with, and remove one bolt at a time. I insert the rivet, and have a helper hold the rivet with a large bar on the inside of the carrier. Almost all the rivets go from inside to outside, with the exception of the rear rivets which go from outside to inside.

The large bucking bar is a 20" long piece of 2" round-stock with holes in it to match the dome of the new rivet. While the helper is holding it tight against the armour, I heat the rivet with a oxy-acetylene torch until it is red. I pass the torch off to the helper to hold, and hit the rivet with the 9x air hammer. They dome in about 8 hits, and it's done. If it is not quite perfect, then I'll heat it again, but in the single try, I get about 85% of them done.

I did the entire upper armour in less than two days and more likely closer to one. I think I had to remove maybe 3 rivets and do them a second time.

Some of the rivets at the division plate had to have the insides hammered flat due to interference with the rivet situated 90° from it.

My 9x gun uses the larger .498 bits, and some of the curved ones will break on you. I bought all those online from one of the aircraft suppliers, and they worked great.

This is the third or fourth carrier I have done, and by far the easiest. I'll credit the gun for the success.