Rivet size for attaching firewall ?
- Thread starter orangec3
- Start date
All of the rivets are 3/16" x 5/8" in their as-supplied condition. The grip length required for various locations varies by the 'glass thickness and the numbers of doublers being "sandwiched" in the configuration, so the installer must snip the rivet to the correct length upon installation. To get the desired formed head, the rivet is cut so that 1-1/2 to 2x its diameter protrudes through the parent material at any given location.
Lars
Lars
Twin_Turbo
Der Maulwurf
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2008
- Messages
- 7,575
I simply used what was on hand here, longer shanked rivets and separate thin washers. Worked just fine.
BigBlockTank
Well-known member
If you want to do it professional like, they make different grip gauges for different types of rivets, pull thrus, solid, cherry max, etc. You can find these at browntool.com for just a few dollars. Thats alot of trouble, but it WILL be correct. I do aircraft sheetmetal for the Air Force. Lars is, however, correct for the good do it yourselfer, that will make a good looking rivet.
BBTank
TimAT
Addict, Cruise-In Bird-Run 1 Veteran
If you go to the site that Tank suggested, you can find all sorts of rivet sets and bucking bars. Setting rivets is not tough (unless you're stuck using monel rivets) and using the correct tools to set them will get them really tight and not crack the 'glass. Are your rivets round head or flat head? If they're flat, you can grind the end of an air chisel flat and use that with a big hammer on the back.
You use an air hammer with a rivet set and a bucking bar. There is no reason this will ever beat the crap out of the 'glass - with the correct air pressure, it forms the rivet in a very controllable manner with no problem and no damage to the substrate.
Cherry rivets were never used on Vettes, nor were aircraft style solid rivets (MS20470 or MS20426 styles). The Vettes used a large, flat head aluminum rivet that was unique to the Vette. The rivets are available from Paragon and other Vette parts suppliers - they are not available from aircraft suppliers in the correct style. The tools for installing the rivets are, however, available from most aircraft supply outlets such as Aircraft Spruce.
If you need the correct riveting tools, Aircraft Spruce has everything you need:
http://www.aircraftspruce.com/
Lars
Last edited:
mrvette
Phantom of the Opera
I have a fair amount of exploding rivets from old aircraft production....:shocking::evil:
pcf_mark
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 22, 2008
- Messages
- 218
Thanks for the tips. Not that it should matter but I am working on a '60 now and it uses these tiny rivets w/ about a 1/4 flat head and 1/8" shank. Same rules apply I assume. They came from Paragon so they are correct but I have no spares to do a test run.
Geoff Coenen
Well-known member
Page 95 of the DocRebuild catalog has a chart with the length's for a dozen or so rivets used on C2 & C3, some C1 also. Along with the GM part numbers from the assembly manual. This takes the guesswork out of knowing what grip length is required. I got the specs from the OEM. Decades ago a friend arranged for me to purchase hundreds of pounds of these rivets right from GM actual vendor. I don't think GM ever sold them in service outside of the usage at the Corvette assembly plant. Legendary Corvette (RIP) at one time bought pounds. (Has anyone seen Larry Williams?)
The big flat ones have several unique special features specifically designed for Corvette fiberglass, besides the soft Aluminum alloy. The head is 1/2 OD with a shaft of 1/8 or 3/16?? CRS. Rivets generally have a head diameter twice the shaft diameter. The 1/16 thin head is achieved by repeated cold heading of the stock. This is evidenced by the concentric rings under the head, which are uniform grown rings that are produced by the repeated cold heading process.
I once counted 150-200 references to their use in a 63-67 assembly manual. Gave up counting the C3 frequency.
Fact: every, as in every metal plate riveted to the fiberglass on my 1963 coupe was removed for restoration, around 1975. They were remounted with - for shame - pop rivets. Five years or so later I had a 1/2 ton of the real GM big flat head rivets. Poop happens.
The big flat ones have several unique special features specifically designed for Corvette fiberglass, besides the soft Aluminum alloy. The head is 1/2 OD with a shaft of 1/8 or 3/16?? CRS. Rivets generally have a head diameter twice the shaft diameter. The 1/16 thin head is achieved by repeated cold heading of the stock. This is evidenced by the concentric rings under the head, which are uniform grown rings that are produced by the repeated cold heading process.
I once counted 150-200 references to their use in a 63-67 assembly manual. Gave up counting the C3 frequency.
Fact: every, as in every metal plate riveted to the fiberglass on my 1963 coupe was removed for restoration, around 1975. They were remounted with - for shame - pop rivets. Five years or so later I had a 1/2 ton of the real GM big flat head rivets. Poop happens.
