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Anybody have advice or tool(s) or process that helps set the aluminum rivets for the #4 body mount reinforcement? Yes, i know you can use nuts and bolts, but I would like to TRY and stay factory-ish. Any thoughts on using large head aluminum pop rivets? Any help would be appreciated. Car will be lifted about 4-6 inches off the frame.
2 person job. The tools are an air chisel with a flat bit, and a heavy piece of steel. I used a body dolly. Put the body dolly against one end of the rivet and a short burst of the air chisel on the other end sets the rivet.
[QUOTE=Sammy T;1600841385]Anybody have advice or tool(s) or process that helps set the aluminum rivets for the #4 body mount reinforcement? Yes, i know you can use nuts and bolts, but I would like to TRY and stay factory-ish. Any thoughts on using large head aluminum pop rivets? Any help would be appreciated. Car will be lifted about 4-6 inches off the frame.[/QUOTE
If you have a convertible this is even harder due to the decklid hinge spring support bracket that is mounted to the #4 on the inside of the car.
Not sure how they bucked those rivets since that bracket completely covers the opening on my 69. I had to use small carriage bolts and nylocks to retain a semi rivet head look from the underside.
If you have a convertible this is even harder due to the decklid hinge spring support bracket that is mounted to the #4 on the inside of the car.
Not sure how they bucked those rivets since that bracket completely covers the opening on my 69. I had to use small carriage bolts and nylocks to retain a semi rivet head look from the underside.
it is a convertible. The AIM seems to indicate the two parts were riveted together. I am going to remove the convertible top, seats, deck lid, springs and towers. Maybe that will reduce the amount of creative cursing.
you need a skinny friend that is not claustrophobic, they go in the back and hold the rivet,with a bucking bar or dolly, you cant buck it due to limited space in car, my air hammer wouldnt fit. then other guy on outside bucks/peen head over, i did mine with rivets and im very happy and it looks good. practice on something in the vise first, took a couple to make them look good, and do it straight! once you go crocked they fold over and you gotta redo.
My suggestions is to try the rivets first and then you'll see the merits of nuts and bolts. Even that isn't a trivial exercise, especially on a vert as mentioned above.
it is a convertible. The AIM seems to indicate the two parts were riveted together. I am going to remove the convertible top, seats, deck lid, springs and towers. Maybe that will reduce the amount of creative cursing.
Watch out for those springs they are pretty strong.
Yes the two parts are riveted together between the outer #4 mount then the fiberglass and then the inner deck lid hinge support plate.
I even drilled a hole into the support plate on the inner side so I could use a socket and extension to tighten up my nylocks I used that are inside under the plate. its a real pain due to the inner plate.
Go to your local general aviation airport and find a master aviation mechanic. He should be able to help as these mechanics must repair aircraft and buck rivets or he may know of someone else to help you. See you are in Spokane if you lived by Everett, WA an aircraft assembler could do those in 5 minutes.
For the guys who dont have convertibles this is what hes dealing with...
The deck lid spring support plate that goes inside the car over the #4 mount has two rivets (out of the 6) that go against the wheel well from the inside... on the 69 the support bracket actually covers those two rivets its a real pain to get to..
My suggestion is drill a hole in the inside portion of the support bracket and then you can put a drift or punch in there to jam against the rivet and try to buck it... its not very easy..
For what it's worth I found this on Corvette Action Center, here's a members advice to another member: Since you (and I) are going through all of the trouble of replacing body mounts, especially the #4 mounts, I would like to inject some information here about the most common cause of #4 mount failing. The C3 Corvette has Astro-Ventillation, which uses two slotted panels in the rear deck of the car to exhaust air from the interior. You can see these from the interior if you look at the far rear wall of the rear storage compartment (may be behind carpet on your car). When it rains, water flows into these vents and out of the bottom of the cavity via 2 drains on the bottom. These look like clamshells on the underside of the body, just between the rear wall and the gas tank. Convertibles also have slotted drains that flow into this same cavity for drainage of the hinged deck. If yours is like mine, I found it to be full of leaves, dirt, etc, and not passing much water. When these clamshell drains plug up, the water overflows into the interior of the car via the Astro Ventillation rubber flap, and once inside the car, it goes unnoticed because the water then drains directly into the #4 mount cavity. This causes the bolt, nut and the nut cage to rust away rapidly. Once the nut cage rusts away, there is nothing to stop the nut from turning when you try to remove the bolt. No matter, the nut and bolt are by this time rusted together beyond recognition as well. You can buy the nut and cage at most all of the Corvette supply houses. My advice is for you to use as much "Rust Bullet", "POR-15" or what ever rust encapsulation paint you chose to protect these items from future deterioration before you reassemble the mount. Also, take action to keep these two drains clear. Myself, as I have a custom Corvette, and the Astro Ventillation system fights the car's air conditioning system, I have removed the exhaust air flow vents from the car. I still need to watch the drains on the convertible top deck though.
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May be worth considering.
Last edited by caskiguy; Jan 23, 2020 at 09:27 PM.
How Do You Install #4 Mount Rivets?
