On Sat, 18 Jan 1997 05:26:52 -0700 "Barry H. Adams"
<badams@cyberport.com> writes:
>I need to replace some of the body (male) snaps that attaches the soft
>top
>to the rear deck. I assume that you drill out the old snap centers,
>but
>I've never done any blind riveting before. I'd appreciate it if
>someone
>could give me a primer on blind riveting.
>
>Thanks
>
>Barry H. Adams
>74 Spitfire
>
>
Select a drill bit the same size as the rivet, 1/8 inch in this case, I
think, and drill off the head, being careful not to damage the snap.
You may have to push the rest of the rivet down into the hole.
Sometimes the rivets start to spin, making the drill ineffective, but if
you just aim the bit off axis a smidge, it will continue to cut.
Select replacement rivets that are the right length (grip range),
diameter, and material. These rivets are aluminum; I made the mistake
of using steel and they looked like crud after a few days. Too long is
better than too short, but you want them just long enough to pull the
head of the "nail" into the hollow shank of the rivet, compress the
materials being fastened, and then pop.
Problem - on these snaps, the flange on the top of the rivet is below the
upper surface of the snap body. The rivet gun depends upon being able to
press on the top of the rivet for a secure grip. If you just let the
nose of the gun pull against the top of the snap body, the rivet will
pop, but it will not have compressed completely, so the snap won't be
tight, and you may damage the snap body in the process. I solved this
problem by putting a very small washer ove the rivet against which the
nose of the gun can bear. The washer has to be small enough to fit
inside the recess in the top of the snap body. I remember having a hard
time finding one small enough to fit, and it's pretyy tedious having to
put the washer over each rivet as you put it in. Maybe you could
fabricate a special nose piece for the gun that fits into the top of the
snap.
As far as the rivet gun goes, buy a good one. The cheap ones work, but
their flat faces won't let you get into tight spaces. The guns come
with different sized mandrels for different sized rivets. You can get
specialized guns that will do rivets and will also install flush nuts.
Eastwood sells a variety of them as does Northern Hydraulics.
Good luck,
Mark Anderton
1972 Triumph TR6 (daily driver)
1984 Jaguar XJ6 (2 ea - some people never learn)
1966 Morris Minor (everything a car should be)
1971 Land Rover
1967 Daimler V8 Saloon
1958 Velocette MSS (500cc single)
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