Rivets - removal and fitting (there must be better tools?)

[julianf]

If i want to spend some money on removing rivets, will it make any difference?

Ive got a bunch to remove on the landrover, and theyre on the outside of body panels, so is there anything more precision than just attacking them with a drill?


And can anyone recommend an air powered (etc) tool for putting them back in? Ive done a fair amount of them in the past with a hand tool, and its not much fun.

Im sure ive just purchased the rivets from screwfix etc. in the past, but i understand i can buy them with a stainless core. Any disadvantages in this, beyond, im guessing, cost?

 

[brightspark]

just drill em out and use a lazytong riveter unless your feeling flush and buy an air operated one

 

[grim_d]

Whats the problem with drilling them? Are you going too far and damaging the hole?

Using a pin punch or the drill bit to break the head off after drilling down a bit will help if so.

Lazy tong would be my choice.

 

[Paul.]

As said just drill them out, why try to reinvent a simple job,
For putting them in lazytongs are much better than the plier type riveter, however I also have one of the ebay cheap air riveters It has put in literally thousands of 3/16" pop rivets and never missed a beat, at around £30 I bought it thinking at that price to be be disposable but it just keeps going.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_f...0.Xair+riveter.TRS0&_nkw=air+riveter&_sacat=0

 

[julianf]

Ive not done any recently, but ive done a load in the past. I remember the heads spinning round etc. and i did not really want to be scratching up the panels. (it did not matter to me on the last job)

 

[Kent]

Taken a lot of them out ( once spent a month taking them out all day every day) use a drill. Right size for the ones your dealing with and sharp - you won't have any issues
Lazy tongs are good ( but only if there is space to use them) get some plier type for tight spots as there are plenty on landrovers

 

[brightspark]

Ive not done any recently, but ive done a load in the past. I remember the heads spinning round etc. and i did not really want to be scratching up the panels. (it did not matter to me on the last job)

so why are u replacing the rivets and if u do they will need painting anyhow

 

[gordon stephenson]

When drilling pop rivets out i usually lightly let the drill do its work while rotating my drill hand in a small orbit, just a couple of inches diameter. And of putting them back definitely lazy tongs,

 

[Tinbasherdan]

Get an air riveter if you have a lot to do. I've put thousands in over the years, and if we needed to remorse them they got drilled, just wiggle the bit

 

[grim_d]

Ive not done any recently, but ive done a load in the past. I remember the heads spinning round etc. and i did not really want to be scratching up the panels. (it did not matter to me on the last job)

Break the heads off then as above.

That's how I remove solid and blind rivets, its sometimes known as the navy method and it is specifically designed to not damage the underlying structure.

http://www.matronics.com/wiki/index.php/Removing_Solid_Rivets

 

[Turbo]

As said, drill them out and use an air rivet gun. I bought a cheap Neilsen one on ebay to fix the roof on a horse box, something with a few hundred rivets. It did that job plus many rivets since and was a good investment.

 

[CompoSimmonite]

Screwfix rivets aren't the best for Land Rovers. You need sealed end type. I bought a box of 1000 cheap from a Land Rover show. I've got 2 air riveters (there is a story behind why ) and they make the job a lot easier.

 

[Mr shiney]

Drill them. Bought an air riveter to do my Landrover. Best bit of kit I ever bought and still in regular use!

 

[waldershelf]

As said, drill them out and use an air rivet gun. I bought a cheap Neilsen one on ebay to fix the roof on a horse box, something with a few hundred rivets. It did that job plus many rivets since and was a good investment.

I got the same riveter for use on Land Rover bodies, it was less than £30 and does the job. I'm not sure how long it would last if it was used in a commercial heavy use situation but for me it's more than up to the job.

 

[rikrobson]

I use an old air riviter Phuuttt-tschhhhhhhhhh and i've afraid its just drilling the heads off. Once the head is cone the body should just fall out. once you have accesss to the rear of the panel don't forget to pick up all the old rivets, other wise they'll be rattling around forever once you get tha panel back on.

 

[MrFluffy]

Drill out with a slightly larger drill until the head comes off, then switch to the correct size for the rivet I'm putting in afterwards and finish the job.
Then pliers type hand riveter, until its more than 8 then I go find the airhose and use the air riveter I have. There's a threshold where the two cross over in time and effort :-)
Theres jobs on the 101 that are easier to drill out the rivets than try to find an alternative access route. Did the fuel filler neck tube the other day this way, and signs on the panel I'm not the first to do so (oval rivet hole).

 

[Kent]

Thinking on I did have some weird ones on a boat two years back
They drilled out poorly and I ended up striking the heads off and punching them though

Perhaps your bad experience was like that just a freak

 

[Paul G]

I'm almost with Mr Fluffy.

I cut the heads off using a much larger drill. 6mm drill for a 3mm rivet, little blips on the drill trigger till the head comes off,
then punch through.
No oval holes and no need for the rivet size drill as the holes are there already.

 

[Johnseat]

As stated twice at least, large sharp drill to remove the head and then tap out the body with a correct size punch.
For precision jobs I always use an air riveter as the old style lazytong tools can bounce about when the rivet snaps off, air riveters don't fly about.

 

[500e]

f you really want to spend A rivet shaver is THE tool

+ the cutter Best part of $600