Nick W Posted June 2, 2003 Share Posted June 2, 2003 Morning all Had such fun on Saturday fitting my half door (NOT). Main problem was drilling out the old rivets holding on the tonneau cover popper bases (thought I'd use the same holes) to put a couple of uni-directional popper bases in to hopefully prevent the Seven and door parting company at high speed. My understanding was that just drilling thru' would cut the rivet back off. Unfortunately this didn't work. Ended up with a c3.5mm hole rather than 3.2mm and having to bodge the re-rivet by fabricating a little washer to fit behind the scuttle with the right sized hole in it. *mad* (badly explained, but unimportant). Would someone please tell me the best way to drill out rivets without knackering your car. I would prefer to put a uni-directional popper on the lower leading edge too, but haven't dared yet as this involves drilling out a rivet which I can't get to the back of. There must be a fool-proof way of doing this. Sorry if seems basic, but don't want to experiment on my car (again). Cheers Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Flatters Posted June 2, 2003 Share Posted June 2, 2003 Nick, the problem you had is usually caused by the steel mandrel still being in the rivet. These sometimes remain trapped in the rivet body and when you drill, they cause the drill to wander off-centre and thus you can end up with a larger hole than planned. The way round this problem (usually) is to drill off the top of the rivet and then stop. Get a centre punch and push out the steel madrel from the centre of the rivet and then you will be able to drill out the rest of the rivet without damaging your hole - so to speak. *arrowright*Harry Flatters *arrowright* AKA Steve Mell of Su77on Se7ens and Joint AO - Surrey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick W Posted June 2, 2003 Author Share Posted June 2, 2003 Harry Thanks for the reply. Just to clarify- when you say drill off the top of the rivet, do you mean go at it with a large drill bit and effectively counter sink it? Cheers Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Riches Posted June 2, 2003 Share Posted June 2, 2003 It is only usually necessary to remove the rivet top, this will probably end up on the drill flutes, at this point stop drilling, and use a small parallel punch to knock the rivet tail through, this method should leave a serviceable hole for further use with the same sized rivet. Nigel. 1982. 5 speed, clamshells. B.R.G / Ali. The True Colours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Flatters Posted June 2, 2003 Share Posted June 2, 2003 Nick, that's not actually necessary. Almost all of the rivets on a Seven will come out using a 4mm drill. Just start drilling and the natural angle of the drill bit will cut through the rivet head and it will just fall off. *arrowright*Harry Flatters *arrowright* AKA Steve Mell of Su77on Se7ens and Joint AO - Surrey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiF Posted June 2, 2003 Share Posted June 2, 2003 If you do not have a punch, use the centre of a pop rivet to tap the centre out. Tip from Caterham on a factory tour, when I asked the same question. Richard in France with a yellow rolling chassis, Duratec engine and most parts to complete 😬 😬 😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick W Posted June 2, 2003 Author Share Posted June 2, 2003 Thanks guys Should have consulted BlatChat on Sat, but got "garage rage" when things started to go wrong and obviously had to press on regardless!! Will try the other one tomorrow- fingers crossed! Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Grundy Posted June 2, 2003 Share Posted June 2, 2003 Nick Another useful tip. Slide a small grommet through the drill so that it buts up to the chuck. Saves gouging a lump out of the bodywork when the drill goes through quicker than anticipated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris W Posted June 2, 2003 Share Posted June 2, 2003 Now that's a neat trick Colin... I've never thought of doing that before. Chris 1.8K SV 140hp see it here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6XFanClub Posted June 2, 2003 Share Posted June 2, 2003 I suggest you use a cold chisel assisted by a sledge hammer. Just make sure you apply some duct tape to the surrounding paint work to protect it. If that doesn't work just go at it with an oxy-acetylene torch, probably about a no. 15 nozzle. This technique works really well for stubborn rivets near the fuel tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Grundy Posted June 2, 2003 Share Posted June 2, 2003 Might be crap on electrics Chris, but boy I can tell you a thing or two on pop rivets 😬 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metal mickey Posted June 2, 2003 Share Posted June 2, 2003 Drilling the head off the rivet is the best method but can lead to tears if the drill grabs or too much force is used and you drill through the panel leaving too large a hole. to stop this drill a piece of bar with the drill you intend to use. The outside dia of the bar being the same as the o.d. of the rivet head. slide the drilled bar over the drill and fasten in the chuck with just enough drill protruding to drill off the rivet head. Tape over the rivet head with masking tape to protect surrounding paint work from swarf and drill away. rivet head falls off,drilled bar acts as depth stop - no tears. Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Carmichael Posted June 2, 2003 Share Posted June 2, 2003 I have found that even the attempt to drill off the head can be foiled by the mandrel. I now make the barest start at drilling, which exposes the remains of the mandrel. At this stage I get a punch out and give it a tap which gets it clear of the drill bit as I continue to drill the head off. This technique has not let me down yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick W Posted June 3, 2003 Author Share Posted June 3, 2003 Thanks for all the tips (except 6XFanClub- I know who you are!!). Back into the fray tonight. Cheers Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R2D2 Posted June 3, 2003 Share Posted June 3, 2003 Arch use a high speed pneumatic drill to take rivets out when the re-skin cars. The higher speed helps and you can use the correct size of drill and not open the hole too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick W Posted June 3, 2003 Author Share Posted June 3, 2003 Chris I suspect higher speed in my hands will just help me do more damage to my lovely paintwork even more quickly!!! Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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