Rivets in frames

I keep seeing more and more of this. Everyones building really nice cars. They use rivets in the frames to make the look more original and better detailed. I was wondering how they are doing this. Do they do it the same way the factory does or do they cheat somehow.

 

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Thanks for that article.

 

Sadly this is not taught in schools anymore. I am 41 and learned riveting in Jr High shop class in '83. One of the many skills that I think all kids should be exposed to.

 

http://www.bigflatsrivet.com/s Big Flats Rivet Co is the place I go if I want rivets. Good people and the prices are very fair.

 

When I built my '32 Roadster , I wanted to rivet the cross members in . I did rivet work for a living , in a past life , so it was a natural choice . This was about 7 or 8 years ago.....

 

For those wondering just 'why' rivets are used and how they are better than bolts, you need to understand some metallurgy.

Firstly, rivets are (were) fitted to each and every hole. Back in the day (EARLY 1900's), many manufacturers would contract a riveter to do their frames. And he proceeded as follows:
First, the hole was reamed to fit the cold rivet exactly.
Next, the rivet was heated to red hot, and hammered into the hole.
Then, and quickly, the round end was held by a large steel tool, with a round depression shaped to fit the rivet, and the opposite end was hammered into a mushroom shape.

Now, even if done cold, you would have a fairly strong joint. However, since this was done hot, when the rivet cools, it pulls the frame members together tighter and more permanently than any bolt ever could. And the process is fairly forgiving, unlike welding, as you can clearly see the mushroom head, and the temperature is quite evident with little investigation.

Cosmo

 

Haha Im only 21 and this is true. The only rivets we learned to use in school were pop rivets. Thank you guys for the information

 

Awesome! thanks for posting that. Getting ready to do some rivets in a frame soon.