rivets are kicking my butt

I have a '54 Chevy Bel Air and am in the process of swapping the old 235 for a 350. I am at the point where I need to remove the old transmission crossmember for the new one I have waiting from Walton Fabrication. It looks like there are about 18 rivets I need to remove.

I was able to cut the bottom off of about all of them - I still have a few more to go. Even after I cut the bottom head off and hit it with an air hammer the rivet's just won't budge. Any suggestions? I tried drilling them out but my little air compressor doesn't last long. Would an electric drill be better? Whay type of drill bits do you all recommend?

 

try grinding a little more untill you can see a ring where the rivet body is. They swell up when they flatten the heads so they are pretty tight in there but they will come out when you get the head completely ground off. I would for sure use an electric drill motor.

 

Alot of times you can't get to them to cut them off, i allways use a torch and blow down through them if you do it quickly the heat won't transfer to the steel around the rivit and damage it. They will punch out after they cool.

If you don't have a torch, but have cut the heads off a big f#$%in hammer and a punch seems to work better for me than an impact gun.

Whenever possible cut the nicely rounded head off the rivit as this is the top, the smaller deformed side is where most of the expansion/compression occurs. Trying to punch it out from that side is really hard, if you punch it out from the top it will come out much easier good luck.

 

Hammer and chisel.

Sounds like you need a BIGGER HAMMER.

 

As previously noted, the riveting process swells the shank pretty tightly in the hole and they often do not come out easily. For those which are accessible with your drill, center punch and drill a hole into the rivet body that is about 2/3rds to 3/4ths the diameter of the rivet shank and it should greatly ***ist in knocking out the rest with a punch. Frankly, a torch is a very crude method and wil do more damage than it will good.

Ray

 

I used an air hammer and the small pointy bit, when they were really stuborn I used the torch to haet them cherry red and the air chisel.

 

Ive tried everything, only thing I found that works the best is just to man up and drill them out, punch them then pilot hole then bit lil bigger then the rivet it will snap the heads off. I drilled out all of them on my 54, Lots of work, but my arms are like baby ferrigno's now because of it!!

 

I use a small drill to make a pilot hole thru atleast the depth of the part to be seperated, all the way thru if you want to remove the rivet from both parts. Center punch the rivet to prevent the bit from walking. Use a electric drill and try to keep the speed low to prevent dulling the bit. Use oil to keep the bit cool. Then use a larger drill to remove the top. A few hits with a 3lb hammer and punch will seperat the parts.

 

When I put independent in my 39 Coupe, ya I know, I did two things. I did try and drill them out with a 1/2 drill, torquey and good bits. I also used a grinding wheel on a few, and rapped them out with a punch.

 

I like to use the edge of a 1/4 inch grinding wheel to completely remove the head. You can do this on all of the heads then pry the bracket off, come back and grind them all some more till they are flush with the frame, then knock the rest out. I hate drilling and they are going to be wider between the parts than the hole so you may never be able to drive them though that hole.

 

Did the same with my 54 frame, worked great! Larry

 

Explain about using the 1/4" grinding wheel. Was this like a bench grinding wheel or a wheel you put in a drill?

I should note that I am trying to accomplish this from the flat of my back while the car sits just above my chest on jack stands! Needless to say there isn't much room to swing a BFH - hence the air hammer. We work with what we have, right?

I appreciate all the advice.

 

I removed the rivets from my 34 chevy master crossmember by grinding off the heads then drilling a hole in the middle about half the size of the hole.Then use a punch and they will come out easy as they are hot pressed in, and the drilled holes let them shrink and come out .Also did the same on a 98 dodge dakota to remove the lower ball joints.

 

Removal of steel automobile frame structural rivets;
A three pound hammer, BFH, will do quite nicely. Cut off the manufactured head (not the bucked head)with a chisel. If you don't have a BFH, drill the manufactured head with a drill the same size as the shank to a depth where it either comes off with the drill bit or can be knocked off. Drive out the remainder with a punch.

 

2x and that thing about the torch, yea more mess thank helpful, but thats just me.

 

I have a Starret automatic center punch that works well in close quarters. Grind flush as stated and then use the spring- loaded punch to drive it through.
Good luck!

 

I like laying the torch sideways (parallel to the frame) and slicing the head off the rivet. then knock it out with a punch while its still hot. It takes a bit of practice but you can do it with out cutting into the frame (I think the difference in alloys makes the rivet come up to temperature faster) and its faster and quieter than drilling or grinding.

 

I take a cut off wheel, with a 1/4 cut off blade and cut a slit all the way across the head of the rivet and down till it meets with the frame. I then take a air chisel and chisel off the head of the rivet. I then use the punch bit to push the rest of the rivet out through the whole.

 

The object is to remove the rivet without leaving a scratch on the part. A torch or an air chisel could damage the part especially if you have do not have a lot of practice. The pounding of an air chisel can elongate the hole. I buy‘32 Ford cross members and rarely does somebody remove the rivets with a torch without cutting into the cross member.
Grind off the head with a 4-inch grinder wheel or an air powered cutoff wheel. Harbor Freight has the cutoff grinders cheap. The rivet head will turn blue or red as it gets paper thin just before you grind into the frame. Stop grinding and center punch the rivet. Drilling the rivet will relieve the tension it is under. Do not drill clean through it, only drill about halfway through, that will leave something for the punch to pound on plus the punch wont get stuck in the hole. They should pop right out. Wear goggles!

 

As i posted earlier i use a torch for the limited access rivits, and most of you are right if you don't know what your doing you can f stuff up. I have taken apart alot of front, rear and x members for resale over the years and never mess up the parts i want to save. I use cuttoff wheels on the easy rivits and like a previous poster said the head changes color when it gets thin, stop and finish with BFH and chisel...Oh yea use eye protection.

 

I had to remove the rivets on my 50 when I put on new spring hangers. At the factory the rivets were put in hot. I ground them flush with the frame and the drilled the center with a 1/8" drill bit. I only drilled into them about a 1/4". After that I just drove then out with a punch and hammer. The purpose of drilling them is it allows the rivet to collapse a little when you drive them out. They actually came out pretty easy using this technique. Todd

 

as for your drill question... I've never seen an air drill with the power of an electric. spend some money and buy a Milwaukee electric drill. you'll never regret it.

 

I appreciate all the advice! Sounds like there are several techniques and you just need to try them to find the one that fits your application.
Turns out my crossmember was also welded at some point in time. I ended up taking it to a shop that had the ability/tools to remove it for me. I hate when I need somebody else to do something but it happens.

 

drill out the center with a step bit