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My 72 has them and have done searches and found plenty of information. Any new techniques or short cuts. Or just the same grind rivets, bond header. Push down lumps and repaint.
Hi 540,
DUB likely has the most experienced opinion on the best methods to deal with the dimples.
I'd wait to hear what he thinks.
I'd think he might want to see some pics from above and below, so maybe get some ready.
Regards,
Alan
My 72 has them and have done searches and found plenty of information. Any new techniques or short cuts. Or just the same grind rivets, bond header. Push down lumps and repaint.
I do not know of any 'short cuts'.
I kinda say YES to what you wrote...but it also depends.
Not knowing if you want to retain the rivets so they can be felt. There is a way to keep the rivet nubs and not have a problem later.
I kinda say YES to what you wrote...but it also depends.
Not knowing if you want to retain the rivets so they can be felt. There is a way to keep the rivet nubs and not have a problem later.
SO it depends.
DUB
Right now there is 1 bump. The car was repainted recently. I am going to touch up some areas on the car that have cracks. The nose has 1 bump and I don't want to just sand it down and have it come back.
What is a way to keep the rivets and repair the spot.
Keeping the rivets will only prolong the inevitable. There will be more bumps eventually. they are caused by the reaction of dissimilar metals (aluminum rivets in the steel header) And you`re right.... sanding it down is NOT the way to go, as you will end up making a hole in the outer layer of fiberglass that you won`t be able to easily fix. The best way.... the ONLY way... is to remove the rivet from the bottom. But you need to grind the heads off, and remove the metal header to dig them out of the bonding strip.
I`m not sure I`d go through all that for ONE bump..... but the front clip I bought for my car had ALL of them, so it was well worth it for me to fix it properly. Dub is one of the best body men we have on the boards, and his advice should be highly considered.
What is a way to keep the rivets and repair the spot.
You can keep the bucked portion of the rivet....and still make this not come back...but I can tell you it is NOT for the faint of heart.
Most people do not have what it takes to do this and end up getting frustrated and giving up. Hence....they grind the bucked portion of the rivet off.
So...knowing that the car has been recently painted....it still can be done but it will be up to the person doing the work to be very careful and paying attention and taking their time. So...patience is a MUST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Originally Posted by oldgto
Keeping the rivets will only prolong the inevitable. There will be more bumps eventually. they are caused by the reaction of dissimilar metals (aluminum rivets in the steel header) And you`re right.... sanding it down is NOT the way to go, as you will end up making a hole in the outer layer of fiberglass that you won`t be able to easily fix.
The best way.... the ONLY way... is to remove the rivet from the bottom. But you need to grind the heads off, and remove the metal header to dig them out of the bonding strip.
I`m not sure I`d go through all that for ONE bump..... but the front clip I bought for my car had ALL of them, so it was well worth it for me to fix it properly. Dub is one of the best body men we have on the boards, and his advice should be highly considered.[/QUOTE]
Well....this is ONE way of doing it. And that is IF you do not care if the bucked portion of the rivet is lost due to grinding it off.
SO...it depends on what person want for the end result.
You can keep the bucked portion of the rivet....and still make this not come back...but I can tell you it is NOT for the faint of heart.
Most people do not have what it takes to do this and end up getting frustrated and giving up. Hence....they grind the bucked portion of the rivet off.
So...knowing that the car has been recently painted....it still can be done but it will be up to the person doing the work to be very careful and paying attention and taking their time. So...patience is a MUST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The best way.... the ONLY way... is to remove the rivet from the bottom. But you need to grind the heads off, and remove the metal header to dig them out of the bonding strip.
I`m not sure I`d go through all that for ONE bump..... but the front clip I bought for my car had ALL of them, so it was well worth it for me to fix it properly. Dub is one of the best body men we have on the boards, and his advice should be highly considered.
Well....this is ONE way of doing it. And that is IF you do not care if the bucked portion of the rivet is lost due to grinding it off.
SO...it depends on what person want for the end result.
DUB[/QUOTE]
Dub I have been painting and doing body work on cars and corvettes for 40 years. I had a corvette shop in Brooklyn NY. Nothing bothers me and I am not afraid to tackle a hard job.
Dub I have been painting and doing body work on cars and corvettes for 40 years. I had a corvette shop in Brooklyn NY. Nothing bothers me and I am not afraid to tackle a hard job.
GOOD to know...actually VERY GOOD to know.
So 40 years in the business....you must know how to fix this then....correct?
I joined the USAF in 1975, and have been doing composite repair on Jets almost the whole time also.
Anytime we had to install rivets in a composite structure or panel, we were dictated, by tech manuals, to use what is known as a SO rivet. It's a very soft rivet. I don't know what they're called outside of military use, but I'm sure you can find them.
Anytime you grind the bucked side of a rivet, you in effect, set up a rivet failure. It has no "backing" with the bucked side gone, so it can wiggle and work it's way to create a crack.
If you want to repair this area on your car, it's either all or nothing, for a repair. You can patch it, basically a band aid on a shark bite. It will come back fairly soon. If you remove the fiberglass from the affected area, reinstall the proper rivets, and re-glass over the area, you'll have a more structurally sound end product. I mean, these cars are getting to be 40+ years old now, and not all have cracks around the rivets.
I guess working on mach 3+ aircraft have made me do it right the first time, and not patch anything. That is unless you're trying to get just one more flight under combat situations. But that's another thread lol.
I live in Tucson, AZ, I'm retired from 20 years of active duty, and I just retired from Civil service doing the same job. I guess what my bottom line is, I'm willing to help anybody on their project, I'm retired and only have a few projects to do in my garage.
Dub, next time I come home (Rockingham, NC) I'd like to stop by and see you and your shop!!
I never saw this. But would be able to handle this. I had my shop in the 80's so the cars were still relatively new.
Seems to make total sense. I started my shop in 1985 and I had dealt with this problem on my third car which was a 1969 Corvette convertible and also at the other shop I worked in before opening my shop.
If you want to fix it...just reply according here on your thread.
Anytime you grind the bucked side of a rivet, you in effect, set up a rivet failure. It has no "backing" with the bucked side gone, so it can wiggle and work it's way to create a crack.
but in this scenario of repair. Grinding off the bucked side of the rivet is how some people get the support beam to come off. So it is required in that specific method of repair.
I have repair method that does not require grinding off the bucked side if the owner wants to maintain the visual aspect of factory correctness.
If you want to repair this area on your car, it's either all or nothing, for a repair. You can patch it, basically a band aid on a shark bite. It will come back fairly soon. If you remove the fiberglass from the affected area, reinstall the proper rivets, and re-glass over the area, you'll have a more structurally sound end product. I mean, these cars are getting to be 40+ years old now, and not all have cracks around the rivets.
You must not understand what is being done for you to reply like this. The repairs being discussed are all being done from under the panel....SO...no fiberglass work has to be performed and saving a paint job at the same time. And the last thing a person want to do is re-install aluminum rivets and start the 'beginning of the end' all over again.
Dub, next time I come home (Rockingham, NC) I'd like to stop by and see you and your shop!!
Feel free....it would be a pleasure to have you stop by.
Seems to make total sense. I started my shop in 1985 and I had dealt with this problem on my third car which was a 1969 Corvette convertible and also at the other shop I worked in before opening my shop.
If you want to fix it...just reply according here on your thread.
DUB
I want to fix it and have searched but found no real how to.
Yeah you want to go after those pesky rivets from the bottom.
I made this little cutter, nothing more than a shortened hole saw type drill without a pilot and put it in a small right angle drill to cut mine out.
With just a little effort, it cut the surface of the glass enough to pop out and release the rusted rivets, without breaking through to the top of the car.
After marking the location of the support, some Lord-Fusor adhesive
in the double tube caulking gun and its solid as a rock.
Used "C" clamps and some wood strips to flatten out the bumps in the glass. Left them clamped on over night and they were gone.
Front rivet dimples.
GOOD to know...actually VERY GOOD to know. 
