Re-riveting know how?

[Richard Coutts-Smith]

I replaced lost rivets (and fitted the rear fairleads ) by using bolts after machining the head to look like a rivet, rounded the nuts right back as well, leaving just enough hex for the socket to bite, plenty of loktite, the rattle gun and after all that realised that no one would ever see the difference!
Rich.

[John Mackie]

I have repaierd truck chassis in the past. two comments. The holes in the chassis are usually a 32 nd inch size, If you plan to use bolts it is necessary to drill and preferably REAM the holes to the next size 3/8 or 7/16 " .Before drilling or reaming the holes fit tempory bolts to line everything up, remove one bolt at a time drill or ream the hole and add the next bolt or rivet untill all are done. Grade 8 bolts and selflocking nuts should be adequate. i was part of a team that put about 100 5/8" rivets in the smokebox of a stesm locomotive. you only get one chance to upset the rivet . if it gets too cold it has to be cut out and start afresh.

John

[Phil Waterman]

Lots of good information being shared, when I rebuilt the frame on my Pat 12 C60L I had to replace all most all the rivets as I had to replace the inner frame completely and replace a number of sections of cross members that had rusted out sections. Looked at riveting but that seemed to be out side of my technical ability so I went the bolt route.

As suggested I line bored each hole so that untreaded section of grade 8 bolts were a drive fit. Then drove the bolts home and torqued the bolts to 75% of max for each size. Line boring all the layers at each joint with the different plates clamped made for tight fit. I used a small drill press clamped to the frame to hold it square while drilling. see http://www.canadianmilitarypattern.com/Tools.html for picture of little rig. The drill press also made drilling the holes easy.

One point I would add (obvious but worth saying) make sure that you have the frame perfectly level and square. Though the pictures of drilling the chassis show the chassis on the wheels this was only after making sure that it was actually flat otherwise I would have blocked it up of the floor. In the pictures you will note little numbers next to each hole in the frame these are the bolt sizes used in each case.

As to correctness as a restoration, yes I agree rivets would be better, but in reading old truck manuals replacing broken rivets with bolts was common practice. Some of the repair descriptions I have read recommend redrilling the holes to a larger size for a tight fit of the bolts all layers.

In driving out the rivets on my frame I did notice that the hole in one piece of steel would be larger than the other so that the rivet was actually expanded in the hole making for an even tighter fit than just mushrooming the head.

Cheers Phil

[Lynn Eades]

Bolting a chassis (if its done properly) is fine, but,.... it never looks right.
I have a carrier hull to put together, so I cant short cut it. I have a gun, now days called a rivet breaker (because they are now used to remove rivets)
I have riveted a new strip in the floor of my AOP carrier, and some years back helped a friend re rivet his CMP C8AX chassis. With a bit of preparation, it was a fairly simple task and turned out very nice. For some of us the satisfaction of having replaced rivets with rivets, is worth the effort.
A thought; Some trucks (bedford is one) (having from original) riveted spring hangers. I have seen the hangers shorn off. The rivets (being soft) give, and the chassis rails are still in good useable condition. Grade 8 bolts would F*%# the chassis rail. Bumper irons were fitted the same way. I must say that the repair method was to (ream)and bolt both (NZ army Bedford RL's)

[rob love]

Same deal with the Canadian M35s (MLVW). The front suspension hangers were prone to having the rivets stretch and then shearing off. The rivets were to be drilled out, reamed, and replaced with grade 5 bolts, washers and nulon lock nuts.

Later the same could be found with the rear suspensions, and the center crossmember on the longer M36 Cdn. The mod instruction also called for the replacement of the rivets with bolts.

Grade 5 bolts were not neccesarily stronger than the rivets, but were easily checked for torque and also easily replaced in the event of stretching.

I have re-rivetted a couple of carrier upper armour. These were usually 3/8 rivets which \i did by holding into place with a bottle jack, heating up the rivet shank, and hammering with a larger air chisel. The smaller ones just do not cut it. While the rivets look \ok, they will not be battle tested. I do not believe they are the same strength as properly set rivets.

[Lynn Eades]

The riveting we did was with hot rivets. White hot... into the hole...dolly behind......brrrttt!! (with the gun on the other side)... done.... next.
3/8" rivets (10mm) the gun has a 1 1/16" piston.

[rob love]

Lynn
That sure sounds like the proper way. I think the problem most of us find is that we can't talk our wives into working the bucking bar end.

My methods were created out of neccesity when working alone.