What's this called? Or is it a special part?

[droopsnoot]

This is the thing that hold the door check link in the door pillar on my seventies Vauxhalls. Is it something standard like a rivet, or a special thing just for Vauxhall?

The main body measures around 6.3mm diameter, 12-ish mm long, and the top is about 9.6mm. Being a seventies Vauxhall, and probably an earlier part being re-used, I expect that's really 1/4" x 1/2" x maybe 3/8". There's a hole up the bottom, which I didn't measure, presumably to make it easier to push them out when removing the door.

Currently I have bolts in there, but if I can find the correct thing then I'd rather have that. I'd seen stuff like blind rivets but they all seem to have a domed head. Before anyone mentions it, I don't have a lathe, so I can't just make some. For various reasons I'm not really in "tool gathering mode", so I don't want to buy one just for that.

 

[Seadog]

Clevis pin.

 

[droopsnoot]

Even though I've got clevis pins in other places on the car, I didn't think of looking at those. That said, they don't tend to have the hole up the centre and do have a hole for the retaining split pin, but I expect that doesn't matter all that much. Probably better than using a bolt.

 

[Pete.]

A 1/4" bolt with a shoulder would be no different, functionally.

 

[Morrisman]

The hole up the bottom may be to allow it to be ‘spread’ like a rivet, to retain it in place. Probably a little gadget that squeezes top and bottom, with a taper pin that rams up the hole. Just a guess.

 

[droopsnoot]

The hole up the bottom may be to allow it to be ‘spread’ like a rivet, to retain it in place. Probably a little gadget that squeezes top and bottom, with a taper pin that rams up the hole. Just a guess.

I did wonder about that, after I posted. It's tight in the link but not in the bracket on the door pillar, but that might be just because those holes are slightly larger to allow it to pivot.

A 1/4" bolt with a shoulder would be no different, functionally.

Yes, they've been fine for all the time they've been in there, they just don't look very nice and aren't as original as I'd like.

The parts book just says "RIVET, special".

 

[droopsnoot]

Turns out it might be a Semi tubular flat head rivet, possibly referred to as a "Tinman's Head".

 

[Blobber]

As I'm bored

 

[droopsnoot]

^ Thank for that, useful information. Interesting that it seems to be longer than my measurements - I can't say I was exact, but I don't think I was ~5mm out. I wonder if this has had some taken off the bottom at some point.

 

[colnerov]

Yes, they've cut the end off that's been spread to hold it in, or rather stop it falling out.

 

[Turbo]

Yes, they've been fine for all the time they've been in there, they just don't look very nice and aren't as original as I'd like.

To make a bolt look less bolt-like hold the shank in a drill chuck and spin it.
Then use a grinder to grind off the flats and flatten the head to look like the original rivet.

 

[jsf55]

6mm stainless button head with a nyloc will suffice, saves hassle next time you need it off

 

[Blobber]

As I'm bored
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Keep it under your hat I try and earn a crust out of the drawings