Frankie the Fink

Has anybody replaced their C1 seat belt mounts...these are the metal plates that are underneath the car? Mine are badly rusted.

If so, what rivets did you use to attach them to the body ??

jimh_1962

I can take a look at mine tonight. I remember these are the allumnium body rivets though do not remember what side. The round type head was on the inside of the body. (just from memory).

Also, i have extra parts left over of these plates and some rivets. Just thought I would offer...

I had alot of extra body pieces when I bought the pile.

Frankie the Fink

Let me know about the rivets and any tips on setting them in. If it isn't the typical rivet with the pin through it that you install with a rivet gun them I'm in trouble....I can never get the others right!

jimh_1962

It is the solid crush rivet. Just like what is in the firewall or elsewhere. I have used an air hammer to crush them.

jimh_1962

http://www.parts123.com/parts123/yb....Z5Z5Z50000050x

Frankie the Fink

$#@#$% !

Pending disaster....I'll have to see if I can get some help with these.
I don't think I've ever gotten even one in totally correct...

DZAUTO

You need to locate an old aircraft sheetmetal buddy who knows how to shoot/buck rivets with a rivet gun.

Exterior view






Interior view


Tom Parsons

Frankie the Fink

All my flight line buds from the Navy Depot are deceased or well retired (many were WW-II/Korea veterans...even a P-51 pilot in that crowd) ....there are a couple of vette restorer friends around that will help me out.

I know there are some who would put a regular rivet in the darn seat belt mounts and fill in the little hole front and back with JB Weld and sand it down smooth.

But I would NEVER do that...noooo, not me....

Pierre

I replaced the same seat belts plates on both my '56 and '57 and used standard rivets with rivet gun. Doesn't look original looking at the plates from under the car but have yet to see someone crawling under the car to check.

Pierre

DZAUTO

Well, just bring it over to the house, or run it by the hanger on Sat, and I'll shoot some rivets in it for you that look like St. Louis' installed them!

Tom Parsons

vetrod62

As tom would say, "Tooooooooooooooooooo easy". Cheap air hammer , grind tools to rivet shape, make anvil (dolly) 2 seconds of power , done. I made these to re-build the hard top.

wmf62

geez Finkie, you've got a 5spd and disc brakes; don't be so ****...


Bill

mike coletta

with Bill!!! Pop rivet those suckers, and get on with it already!!!

BTW, I've passed judging with pop rivets. After you set the rivet(aluminum), beat the end of it a little to distort it, then add a dab of 5 minute epoxy, to fill the hole. Touch it up with some "aluma-blast" paint, and no one will ever know!!!

Mike Coletta

Frankie the Fink

That's what I'll do then...

Where would I be without you guys ?

And yes, I'm a little **** about safety items...like seat belts, brakes, steering, etc..

I'd pack a sandwich and head over to Tom's but I know his type...he'll have me wrenching on airplanes before I could escape..

DZAUTO

--------------You're FINALLY catching on!
If you can't wrench, you can at least wash.




Or, you could help with the re-wiring.


At the least, you could stand around and supervise installing a new engine.


Tom Parsons

Frankie the Fink

I can wrench still....I just can't go up and down those yellow maintenance boarding ladders carrying equipment any more. Years of 12 hour days when I was younger took its toll on my knees !!

If you have 5 gal buckets of Freon I can wash ANYthing! That's what we used to use.

jimh_1962

Tom, I do have to ask... When is the plane going to get judged?

The rivets are not that bad... I would make sure to tape around the edges to protect the glass. Also, you can find alot of rivet bits on ebay for a cheap cost.

I used some metal stock to back the rivet. I like the anvil idea. It probably works alot better!

DZAUTO

HOPEFULLY, we'll be airborn in about 2yrs and can finally have it judged at an airshow near you.
We'll be going for an NCRS "Top Flight". (Not Correctly Restored Survivor).

My favorite bucking bar for rivets is a chunk of 1in x 2in x 8in solid steel.

Tom Parsons

Steve59

Same here. Never could get the rivets correct, so used pop rivets.

Fawndeuce

Orrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr (staying in Tom mode), if the rivets are non stressed and just to position the plate, take the proper rivets, give them a whack in a vise so that they have the right look, and then just epoxy them in place. Now of course I would never do this when reattaching the side brackets on my hardtop to avoid completely disassembling the whole darned thing or anything, but if ever anyone did, no one else would ever be the wiser...



Paul