athens7 Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 ☹️I killed a cone at 6X MPH this weekend while autocrossing , and pulled the rivnuts out of the aluminum body on the right rear wing. The holes are cratered out, and I'm looking for solutions that don't involve new sheetmetal. Any best practices out there, both for the repair and perhaps for strengthening the body (this is my 2nd right rear wing in 2 seasons-I need a car that is 2" narrower, but only on the right side!)? Brad 2005 SV SVT Zetec Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 I'm not an expert in body repairs but many racers attach the wings using plastic M6 bolts that snap in an impact like you describe without damaging the wing or side skin. I have taken out a cone at about 50 mph and can attest that the principle works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rj Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Second that. Some of the racers even only use half of the bolts meaning that the wing will fall off easier. Secondly, even if the sideskin is damaged you have another try with the remaining fixing points. Usually you can knock back the alloy and use rubber raw-nuts to re-fit the wings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.Mupferit Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Very easy to fix; I've done a couple of cars in recent years. If necessary, drill out the rivets from the internal skin and remove the honeycomb so you can get to the back of the damaged hole. Then using a largeish solid lump of metal (club hammer will do) held against the rear of the hole, gently tap the raised surface of the hole flat. Don't overdo it as it is possible to stretch the soft aluminium. Then obtain some M5 Rivnuts with a larger outside diameter. RS Components do these which are superior to the skinny ones CC use, and are 7.5mm o/d. Drill out the holes to take the bigger Rivnuts and set these in the holes. Then get some M5 nylon screws from a model shop and refit the wing using the nylon screws with a penny washer under the head. If the hole left in the skin is too badly damaged to hold the rivnut, then cut a small disc of aluminium sheet (say 35-40mm) and glue that behind the skin with a hole drilled for the rivnut. If you don't have any Rivnut pliers but can borrow some, I have loads of the RS M5 rivnuts, so could post a few if you want to blatmail me your address. Edited by - Brent Chiswick on 11 Aug 2009 09:11:57 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mick Day Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 When this happened to me a while back I very carefully dressed the "cratered out" holes with a small hammer so the metal was as flat as possible. I then refixed the wing using these: here. The trick is to dress the metal as best as possible & then carefully drill for a suitable size well nut. And yes I now use plastic bolts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonboylaw Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Or... use the rubber Rawlplugs from RS. Search the archives for sizes etc.. and use the Nylon bolts/screws as stated. Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athens7 Posted August 11, 2009 Author Share Posted August 11, 2009 Thanks, the nylon bolts sound like the way to go. How does one go about removing the broken nylon bolt shaft from inside the rivnut? I'm simply planning for the inevitable... Brad 2005 SV SVT Zetec Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomGaval Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Brad, I've had plenty of experience with the nylon bolts, They break off easily and if by chance a piece is left in the hole you can easily grab a piece of it and twist it out. If it breaks off flush, use a large diameter needle to turn it until enough sticks out to get a hold of. Tom (yellowss7) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.Mupferit Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 Heat the end of a small screwdriver, push it into the nylon to melt a slot, let it cool down, reinsert the now cold screwdriver and unscrew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athens7 Posted August 12, 2009 Author Share Posted August 12, 2009 Thanks to all for the help. The wing is back on the car, secured by rubber well nuts and polycarbonate (plastic) bolts. I had ripped the old rivnuts out to the extent that even the oversize rivnuts were too small for my new, larger holes, so the well nuts were the best solution. My fastener supplier favored polycarbonate over nylon because of weather resistance and less liklihood to flex. Brad 2005 SV SVT Zetec Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonboylaw Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 Brad, Glad to see you got it sorted, hope the link I sent was of use. Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miltec Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 isn't the S3 that much narrower? VX 1600 Live Axle T440LKK rFactor: caterham.miltec.biz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athens7 Posted August 13, 2009 Author Share Posted August 13, 2009 The S3 may be 2" narrower on each side, but the driver (and his feet) are SV width! Perhaps Ansar and the boys can create a hybrid Caterham-half S3, half SV 😬. Brad 2005 SV SVT Zetec Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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