Hi I am thinking of using rivets (a lot!!) for attaching my roof insert on my '31 5W coupe. Anyone outthere who done that before. And also attaching the roof after a chop with rivets looks pretty different I think. Please some pics so I can get used to the idea bye Leen
Its your car, you should do what you want. But if it's advice your looking for, I'd say no. Simplicity is key, never goes out of style. Adding rivits to make it look more aircraft, is the new Rat Rod phase.....stay away from it if you can. Use rivits where they belonged, and few of them. Thats a nice body you have there... Keep her clean.
If you are talking about shooting aircraft rivets in it, it should be no problem. Pop rivets? No way, Jose! There are books and manuals availble from places like Aircraft Spruce and specialty (as well as all of the hardware and tools you'll need) to do the job right. That's the key, do it like it's supposed to be done, not hack it. There is also an elastic measuring device, similar to what dressmakers used to use, which allows you to select the number of rivets along a line and space them properly. The right rivets selection and good craftsmanship= way cool. (I spent 30 years in aerospce, have built four of my own aircraft; I've punched a few rivets!)
I would lean towards flush Cherry Max rivets myself. They can be covered up by prime & sand work if properly installed. Hand tooling for these types is expensive but not out of reach. I've painted enough helicopters to know how much fun it is to sand around the round or universal head rivets. It's a pain in the ars. So don't make yourself any more work than you have to.
Honestly...if you want that look then use solid rivets, lay out your rows squeeze'em and weld it in. Cherry loc, or max are temp fasteners designed to be removed and replaced often. **they will loosen up over time** Dont have to have special tools to use. Basic rivet puller works fine, just have to put a washer on it to force the lock.
Cherry Max are stuctural rivets that have the center stem locked in place with a locking ring. Their type specification is used to hold together tail booms and many other aircraft components where the backside can not be reached for bucking type rivets. They are water tight too. Especially if painted over. They aren't exactly temporary. If you don't believe me then try pulling one then removing it and see how temporary they really are.
They dont hold the tail booms together they hold the skin on. They are not water tight unless they are wet installed. And a cherry mac is cake to get out. There many different types of blindside fasteners used on AC that range from temporay to permenent.
Get a hold of Kevin and Chad at Hot Rod Chassis and Cycle, they did a ton of rivits in Back Seat Betty, a '31 5 window. Kevin is on the HAMB as hotrodchassis and Chad is django. http://www.hotrodchassisandcycle.com/ http://www.hotrodchassisandcycle.com/1931_ford.php
I'll second this. Leave the rivets to the "aircraft look" guys and do it by one of the traditional methods. Filler panel welded in or the original insert. What might be "real cool" for a couple of shows/runs will soon turn into something that is dated and out of style and you will be wanting to do it over again to make it right. Now, If you were talking about building a race car style body from scratch or riveting panels on a car for the lakes or Bonneville I'd chime right in with tales of tales of bucking rivets in an aircraft factory in my younger years. Rivets done right and in the right places are great. but I would not rivet the roof panel in. You would still have to seal it and worry about having it leak along with the "look" quickly being passe.
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