alconk

I have removed the spare tire tub from under the car and are now removing the paint but in doing so I also drilled out the rivets to remove the brace. Well I ordered new rivets but they look different. Do you have to have a special tool to install these? I don't think my standard rivet gun will work with them.

Easy Mike

You probably need a rivet tool.

Alan 71

Hi a,
From the wording of your question I'm not sure what rivets you received or what rivets were on the tub that you drilled out.
The original rivets were large flat headed soft aluminum rivets that were 'set' with 'buck'.
Now people use a pneumatic tool or hammer and buck to set them.
Regards,
Alan

alconk

Yes I have a rivet tool but I don't think it will do the large aluminum ones.

alconk

Yep Alan that's what these are. Not sure what the buck is?

Alan 71

Hi a,
I set the rivets by hand.
I use a 5 lb hammer on the flat head end of the rivet, that's the' buck'.
I use a small rivet set tool and a ball-peen hammer to set the shaft end of the rivet. The tool has a small dome machined into it's end which helps mushroom the shaft of the rivet.
It takes a little practice to know just how long the sift should be (it depends on the thickness of the fiberglass and the steel part that's being joined. The shaft should be long enough to fill the drilled hole as it's compressed and form a nice dome to hold the rivet securely in place.
Ironically I believe the tub strap rivets were set slightly differently but you may not be concerned with that degree of detail.
Here's a couple of pictures.
Regards,
Alan

KapsSA

Many later C3s (both my 79s and my pace car) used 3/16" pop rivets.
I've also seen the type pictured above in this thread.
What did you drill out?

7T1vette

Not the best move to remove the rivets. The tub and straps can be cleaned and repainted 'as-is' with a little work in masking for paint.

Re-riveting that assembly can be done with pop-rivets...but it won't be anywhere near as strong as the original assembly.

alconk

Thanks Alan, that makes it easier to understand. And it looks tedious as well. What I drilled out looked like a regular rivet but with a large head??

alconk

I really didn't want to but was making a huge mess so that's why I did. When I bought the car and was detailing it the tub was in beautiful condition and thought the black paint had wore off from time. So dummy me painted it black and shortly after I learned it was suppose to be raw. Live and learn I guess. I will probably use regular rivets as you said, I don't want to take a chance with a hammer.

alconk

Oh another thing and if this bothers anyone please excuse me and I'll start another thread but it's about the spare tire. It's the original one and has not been on the ground, still has the nubbies off the thread. Anyway it has sidewall cracks and being that old I would not trust it so I called Discount Tire about a replacement and they told me no one makes that size anymore. It's a 195/80/D15. Made by Goodyear. What do you guys use for a spare?

alconk

Here is the rivet head I drilled out
Here is my tub after removing the paint and clearing it

joewill

40 $ plus shipping to use it once and only once....

http://www.ecklerscorvette.com/corve...1963-1982.html

7T1vette

Go with the Pop-Rivets. But get steel instead of aluminum....much stronger.

Alan 71

Hi a,
The drilled out rivet you show is the typical soft aluminum flat headed rivet used many places on the car.
What you replace it with is up to you.
A 215-70-15 tire is the present day equivalent of a F-70-15 tire. There are many manufacturers.
Regards,
Alan

alconk

Ok thanks.

alconk

Thanks Alan, that is very helpful. I'll call Discount Tire on Tues and see what they have in that size.

SB64

Hi A, Alan has shown you the hand tool and here's a picture or 2 of the pneumatic version and one of the bucks. All purchased at harbor freight for about $30. Any choice is a good one. Good luck!
r





Various size bucks and the gun comes with some bits. Need to practice a little with either way you go.

alconk

Excellent! I see what you mean. Yea I'd definitely need to practice.

Lakeside49

Any insights, tips or tricks that anyone can share on restoring our raw fiberglass spare tire tubs to look just like new from the factory? I plan on prepping the metal assembly, and covering the newly shined rivets (wire brush) with masking tape divots that I have punched out using a hole punch, then painting it with an SEM black trim paint. I'm a little concerned that the photo post by 7T1 Vette is a little too glossy vs. factory, but will trust the SEM regardless. But, if there is agreement with this, what exactly do you do that works with bringing the raw fiberglass tub back to life. Yes, it is not so elegant looking in the raw and it was tempting to paint it, but the rest of my restoration is 95% original, so I want the spare tire tub to reflect it's original roots as if new from the factory. Help from someone who has actually done it without (important) removing it from the car?

Dave