Replacing and re-riveting front, rocker panel brackets on 1963-1967
While organizing some remnants from some of my past ’66 restoration projects, I came across my notes and rivets from about 15 years ago from a project to replace and re-rivet the front, rocker panel brackets. Here’s an image from an old Long Island Corvette catalog showing where those rocker panel brackets are located. The brackets are item 12, and the rivets are item 13.
IMG_5149.jpg
Here is a close-up photo (borrowed from another DB posting) of what the pop rivets should look like on the aft side of the bracket. Note the length of the installed rivet.
IMG_5153.jpg
And here’s a photo (borrowed from another DB posting) of what the rivets look like if using pop rivets from certain of the Corvette repro parts companies. Note the extra length of the installed rivet.
IMG_5152.jpeg
The pop rivets provided by some companies are too long. And that results in excess rivet height after installation.
The next photo shows the LIC pop rivet at the top, and a Dayton 4X642 pop rivet at the bottom.
IMG_5154.jpg
Although I think the Dayton company is no longer in business, other companies sell the exact same size pop rivets. They are 3/16” diameter, buttonhead, aluminum rivets with an aluminum mandrel. The key difference between the LIC rivet and the Dayton 4X642 rivet is the grip length range. The grip length range for the LIC rivet is 1/8” to 3/8”. The grip length range for the Dayton rivet is 1/8” to 1/4”. The grip length range is determined by the length of the rivet body, which is the hollow tubular portion of the rivet. That length for the LIC rivet body is 9/16”. That length for the Dayton 4X642 rivet body is 7/16”. That 1/8” difference determines what the installed rivet looks like on the back side. I don’t know what rivets the surviving catalog vendors currently sell, but if the rivet body measures 9/16”, I think you will find they are too long, and will look excessively long after installation, and I advise you to source different rivets.
Gary
IMG_5149.jpg
Here is a close-up photo (borrowed from another DB posting) of what the pop rivets should look like on the aft side of the bracket. Note the length of the installed rivet.
IMG_5153.jpg
And here’s a photo (borrowed from another DB posting) of what the rivets look like if using pop rivets from certain of the Corvette repro parts companies. Note the extra length of the installed rivet.
IMG_5152.jpeg
The pop rivets provided by some companies are too long. And that results in excess rivet height after installation.
The next photo shows the LIC pop rivet at the top, and a Dayton 4X642 pop rivet at the bottom.
IMG_5154.jpg
Although I think the Dayton company is no longer in business, other companies sell the exact same size pop rivets. They are 3/16” diameter, buttonhead, aluminum rivets with an aluminum mandrel. The key difference between the LIC rivet and the Dayton 4X642 rivet is the grip length range. The grip length range for the LIC rivet is 1/8” to 3/8”. The grip length range for the Dayton rivet is 1/8” to 1/4”. The grip length range is determined by the length of the rivet body, which is the hollow tubular portion of the rivet. That length for the LIC rivet body is 9/16”. That length for the Dayton 4X642 rivet body is 7/16”. That 1/8” difference determines what the installed rivet looks like on the back side. I don’t know what rivets the surviving catalog vendors currently sell, but if the rivet body measures 9/16”, I think you will find they are too long, and will look excessively long after installation, and I advise you to source different rivets.
Gary
Comment